Wireless device for voice communication

• US 20080076409A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lamb, Duncan, O'Loughlin, Gareth, Zilmer, Priidu, Hinrikus, Taavet, Sigurdsson, Malthe
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A wireless handset for use in a peer-to-peer voice communications system comprising: a display; a keyboard comprising multifunctional keys capable of entering numeric or alphabetic characters depending on a number of key presses, said keyboard being arranged to enter contact information into a user interface displayed on said display, select contacts on the user interface, and initiate a packet data voice call with a contact; a microprocessor arranged to execute embedded client software, wherein the client software is arranged to establish a packet data voice call over the network and encode speech information as individually addressed packets; and a radio communication device arranged to transmit said individually addressed packets as radio signals from said wireless handset to a network.

Claims

1. A wireless handset for use in a peer-to-peer voice communications system comprising:

a display;

a keyboard comprising multifunctional keys capable of entering numeric or alphabetic characters depending on a number of key presses, said keyboard being arranged to enter contact information into a user interface displayed on said display, select contacts on the user interface, and initiate a packet data voice call with a contact;

a microprocessor arranged to execute embedded client software, wherein the client software is arranged to establish a packet data voice call over the network and encode speech information as individually addressed packets; and

a radio communication device arranged to transmit said individually addressed packets as radio signals from said wireless handset to a network.

2. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 1, wherein the individually addressed packets comprise voice over internet protocol (VoIP) packets.

3. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storage device for storing contact information, whereby, upon activation of the wireless handset, the contact information is transmitted to the wireless handset from a contact server connected to said network and stored in said storage device.

4. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface further displays presence information for the contacts, said presence information indicating the current status of the contact.

5. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface further displays a contact search interface, whereby information is entered into the contact search interface using the keyboard and, in response thereto, the microprocessor is arranged to create a contact search request that is transmitted to the network by said radio communication device.

6. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 5, wherein, in response to the contact search request, a contact search response is received by said radio communication device, said contact search response being displayed on said user interface.

7. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 6, wherein a packet data voice call may be established with a contact displayed in said contact search response.

8. A wireless handset as claimed in claim 6, wherein a contact displayed in said contact search response may be stored in the wireless handset.

9. A peer-to-peer voice communications system comprising:

a wireless handset comprising;

a display;

a keyboard comprising multifunctional keys capable of entering numeric or alphabetic characters depending on a number of key presses, said keyboard being arranged to enter contact information into a user interface displayed on said display, select contacts on the user interface, and initiate a packet data voice call with a contact;

a microprocessor arranged to execute embedded client software, wherein the client software is arranged to establish a packet data voice call over the network and encode speech information as individually addressed packets;

a radio communication device arranged to transmit said individually addressed packets as radio signals from said wireless handset to a network; and

a network element connected to the network and arranged to communicate with said wireless handset, wherein the network element transfers the individually addressed packets between said wireless handset and the network.

10. A peer-to-peer voice communications system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the individually addressed packets comprise voice over internet protocol (VoIP) packets.

11. A peer-to-peer voice communications system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a contact server connected to the network for storing the contact information for the wireless handset, wherein, upon activation of the wireless handset, the contact information is transmitted to the wireless handset via the network element and stored in said wireless handset.

12. A peer-to-peer voice communications system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said packet data voice call is established with a user terminal connected to said network.

13. A peer-to-peer voice communications system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a gateway element connected between said data network and a public switched telephone network, wherein said packet data voice call is established with a user terminal connected to said public switched telephone network.

14. A peer-to-peer voice communications system comprising:

a wireless handset for making a packet data voice call to a user terminal connected to a network, said user terminal being associated with contact information stored in said wireless handset;

a network element connected to the network and arranged to communicate with said wireless handset, wherein the network element transfers packet data between said wireless handset and the network; and

a contact server connected to the network for storing the contact information for the wireless handset, wherein, upon activation of the wireless handset, the contact information is transmitted to the wireless handset via the network element and stored in said wireless handset.

15. A peer-to-peer voice communications system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a gateway element connected between said data network and a public switched telephone network, wherein said user terminal is connected to the network via said public switched telephone network and said gateway.

16. A peer-to-peer voice communications system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the packet data voice call is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) call.

17. A handset for use in a peer-to-peer voice communications system comprising:

a display;

a keyboard comprising multifunctional keys capable of entering numeric or alphabetic characters depending on a number of key presses, said keyboard being arranged to enter contact information into a user interface displayed on said display, select contacts on the user interface, and initiate a packet data voice call with a contact;

a microprocessor arranged to execute embedded client software, wherein the client software is arranged to establish a packet data voice call over the network and encode speech information as individually addressed packets; and

a communication interface arranged to transmit said individually addressed packets from said handset to a network.

18. A handset as claimed in claim 17, wherein the communication interface is a wired interface.

19. A handset as claimed in claim 17, wherein the communication interface is an Ethernet interface.