DYNAMIC INSERTION OF A QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GATEWAY

• US 20120154506A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Genband US LLC (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sylvain, Dany, Taylor, Richard Charles
• Granted Patent: US 9,521,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for enhancing media quality by dynamically inserting a quality enhancement gateway are disclosed. According to one method, steps are performed at a service node. The method includes detecting a condition associated with a session between two endpoints that indicates that the session could benefit from media quality enhancement processing. The method also includes signaling the endpoints to route at least a portion of the session through a quality enhancement gateway (QEG) capable of providing the media quality enhancement processing for the session.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing media quality by dynamically inserting a quality enhancement gateway, the method comprising:

at a service node;

detecting a condition associated with a session between two endpoints that indicates that the session could benefit from media quality enhancement processing; and

signaling the endpoints to route at least a portion of the session through a quality enhancement gateway (QEG) capable of providing the media quality enhancement processing for the session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the service node is a stand-alone node or a component of a call server/softswitch.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the service node is configured to operate in a network in which the session originates, a network in which the session terminates, or a network in which the session neither originates nor terminates.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the service node is configured as an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) application server (AS), a media resource function controller (MRFC), or a call session control function (CSCF).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the signaling comprises session initiation protocol (SIP) signaling or extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP) signaling.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a condition that could benefit from media quality enhancement processing includes inspecting session description protocol (SDP) parameters, detecting a session between a narrowband voice endpoint and a wideband voice endpoint, detecting a session between a narrowband or wideband voice endpoint and a super-wideband voice endpoint, detecting a session with a wireless endpoint, detecting a session between an endpoint and an endpoint using a lower quality video codec, or detecting a session between a two-dimensional (2D) video endpoint and a three-dimensional (3D) video endpoint.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the narrowband endpoint includes a G.711, G.726, G.729, adaptive multi-rate (AMR), or enhanced variable rate codec (EVRC) codec.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the wideband endpoint includes a G.722, G.722.2, or G.729.1 codec.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the portion of the session routed through the QEG is one-way media, bi-directional media, audio only media, video only media, or audio/video media.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the media quality enhancement processing the QEG is capable of performing includes voice expansion from narrowband to wideband, voice expansion from narrowband to super-wideband, voice expansion from wideband to super-wideband, background noise reduction, echo cancellation, video blocking reduction, video frame interpolation, video line interpolation, video motion interpolation, or two-dimensional (2D) video to three-dimensional (3D) video simulation.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the service node applies a policy to determine what, if any, signaling should be performed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the policy is at least one of a network policy, a user policy, a user-configuration policy, a session-specific policy, an operator policy, a service provider policy, a codec-specific policy, a route-specific policy, and a media-specific policy.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the condition associated with the session that could benefit from media quality enhancement processing comprises detecting by at least one of the endpoints and signaling by the at least one of the endpoints to the service node to request the service node route at least a portion of the session through the QEG.

14. A system for enhancing media quality by dynamically inserting a quality enhancement gateway, the system comprising:

a service node, comprising;

a network interface for sending and receiving messages associated with a session;

a detection module for detecting a condition associated with a session between two endpoints that indicates that the session could benefit from media quality enhancement processing; and

a signaling module for signaling the endpoints to route at least a portion of the session through a quality enhancement gateway (QEG) capable of providing the media quality enhancement processing for the session.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the service node is a stand-alone node or a component of a call server/softswitch.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the service node is configured to operate in a network in which the session originates, a network in which the session terminates, or a network in which the session neither originates nor terminates.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the service node is configured as an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) application server (AS), a media resource function controller (MRFC), or a call session control function (CSCF).

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the signaling comprises session initiation protocol (SIP) signaling or extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP) signaling.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein detecting a condition that could benefit from media quality enhancement processing includes inspecting session description protocol (SDP) parameters, detecting a session between a narrowband voice endpoint and a wideband voice endpoint, detecting a session between a narrowband or wideband voice endpoint and a super-wideband voice endpoint, detecting a session with a wireless endpoint, detecting a session between an endpoint and an endpoint using a lower quality video codec, or detecting a session between a two-dimensional (2D) video endpoint and a three-dimensional (3D) video endpoint.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the narrowband endpoint includes a G.711, G.726, G.729, adaptive multi-rate (AMR), or enhanced variable rate codec (EVRC) codec.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the wideband endpoint includes a G.722, G.722.2, or G.729.1 codec.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein the portion of the session routed through the QEG is one-way media, bi-directional media, audio only media, video only media, or audio/video media.

23. The system of claim 14 wherein the media quality enhancement processing the QEG is capable of performing includes voice expansion from narrowband to wideband, voice expansion from narrowband to super-wideband, voice expansion from wideband to super-wideband, background noise reduction, echo cancellation, video blocking reduction, video frame interpolation, video line interpolation, video motion interpolation, or two-dimensional (2D) video to three-dimensional (3D) video simulation.

24. The system of claim 14 wherein the service node applies a policy to determine what, if any, signaling should be performed.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the policy is at least one of a network policy, a user policy, a user-configuration policy, a session-specific policy, an operator policy, a service provider policy, a codec-specific policy, a route-specific policy, and a media-specific policy.

26. The system of claim 14 wherein detecting the condition associated with the session that could benefit from media quality enhancement processing comprises detecting by at least one of the endpoints and signaling by the endpoint to the service node to request the service node route at least a portion of the session through the QEG.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer perform steps comprising:

at a service node;

detecting a condition associated with a session between two endpoints that indicates that the session could benefit from media quality enhancement processing; and

signaling the endpoints to route at least a portion of the session through a quality enhancement gateway (QEG) capable of providing the media quality enhancement processing for the session.