Method and apparatus of providing audio feedback over a digital channel

• US 5,574,773 A
• Filed: 02/22/1994
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Grob, Matthew S., Karmi, Gadi, Kimball, Robert H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, CHEUKFAN
• Application Number:
  US08/200,028
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 379/97, 379/98, 379/100, 375/222, 455/33.1, 455/54.1
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Providing an audible feedback feature giving the user the ability to audibly monitor the progress of a data connection over a digital wireless channel. Audible tones generated within a base station and received from a telephone network are encoded within the base station and transmitted over the digital wireless link to a mobile unit. The mobile unit decodes the signal received from the base station and provides the audible tones to a user. The user can thus monitor the success or failure of the data connection.

Claims

1. A method of providing an audible feedback feature to a first terminal equipment user during communication or attempted communication between said first terminal equipment and a second terminal equipment using a mobile unit and a base station each capable of digital wireless communications, and a telephone network capable of passing audible tones, and a modem capable of communications with audible tones, said method comprising the steps of:

initiating a connection from said first terminal equipment to said second terminal equipment by passing a connection initiation message from said first terminal equipment to said mobile unit;

passing to said base station by said mobile unit a first digitally encoded message containing a telephone number associated with said second terminal equipment;

decoding said digitally encoded message by said base station and providing a first audible tone message to said telephone network;

vocoding by said base station said first audible tone message to produce a digital feedback message and providing said digital feedback message to said mobile unit; and

decoding said digital feedback message at said mobile unit and providing said first audible tone message to said first terminal equipment user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

passing a second audible tone message from said telephone network to said base station;

vocoding by said base station said second audible tone message to produce a second digital feedback message and providing said second digital feedback message to said mobile unit; and

decoding said second digital feedback message at said mobile unit and providing said second audible tone message to said first terminal equipment user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first audible tone message comprises a call setup message.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said second audible tone message comprises a dial tone.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said second audible tone message comprises a ring back indication.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said second audible tone message comprises a busy tone indication.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said second audible tone message comprises a human voice signal.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

passing a third audible tone message from said modem to said telephone network;

passing said third audible tone message from said telephone network to said base station;

vocoding by said base station said third audible tone message to produce a third digital feedback message and providing said third digital feedback message to said mobile unit; and

decoding said third digital feedback message at said mobile unit and providing said third audible tone message to said first terminal equipment user.

9. A method of providing audio feedback to a terminal equipment user in a wireless system supporting distinct data and voice connections, said data connections for carrying data information and said voice connections for carrying voice information, comprising the steps of:

creating at a first terminal equipment a command to initiate a data connection with a second terminal equipment;

initiating by a first wireless communication unit a data connection with a digital data modem in a remote base station over a wireless link;

initiating by said digital data modem a landline telephone call over a telephone network by creating of a series of audible tones;

vocoding said series of audible tones at said remote base station;

transmitting over said wireless link said vocoded series of audible tones to said wireless communication unit; and

decoding said vocoded series of audible tones and producing an audible copy of said series of audible tones.

10. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 9 wherein said first terminal equipment and said first wireless communication unit are one functional unit and wherein said first wireless communication unit comprises a dedicated speaker for producing said audible copy of said series of audible tones.

11. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 9 wherein said first wireless communication unit is capable of simultaneous use of said data connection and said voice connection and wherein said first wireless communication unit comprises a dedicated speaker for producing said audible copy of said series of audible tones.

12. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 9 wherein said first wireless communication unit is capable of simultaneous use of said data connection and said voice connection and wherein said first wireless communication unit comprises a single speaker for producing said audible copy of said series of audible tones and a voice connection audible signal simultaneously.

13. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 9 wherein said first wireless communication unit is capable of simultaneous use of said data connection and said voice connection and wherein said first wireless communication unit comprises a single speaker for producing said audible copy of said series of audible tones and a voice connection audible signal and wherein said voice connection audible signal is paused for the duration of said audible copy of said series of audible tones.

14. A method of providing audio feedback to a terminal equipment user in a wireless system supporting distinct data and voice connections, said data connections for carrying data information and said voice connections for carrying voice information, comprising the steps of:

creating at a first terminal equipment a command to initiate a data connection with a second terminal equipment;

initiating by a first wireless communication unit in response to said command a data connection with a digital data modem in a remote base station over a wireless link;

initiating by said digital data modem a landline telephone call over a telephone network;

receiving at said remote base station from said telephone network a series of audible tones;

vocoding said series of audible tones at said remote base station;

transmitting over said wireless link said vocoded series of audible tones to said wireless communication unit; and

decoding at said first wireless communication unit said vocoded series of audible tones and producing an audible copy of said series of audible tones.

15. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 14 wherein said series of audible tones is created by said telephone network.

16. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 15 wherein said audible copy of said series of audible tone indicates a busy tone and said landline telephone call has failed to be established and said data connection is abandoned by a user of said first terminal equipment.

17. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 14 wherein said series of audible tones is created by said second terminal unit and is conveyed by said telephone network to said remote base station.

18. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 17 wherein said audible copy of said series of audible tone is a handshaking sequence and includes signals from said digital data modem.

19. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 18 wherein said handshaking sequence indicates successful initiation of said data connection with said second terminal equipment and whereupon said step of vocoding said series of audible tones is terminated further comprising the step of transmitting by said digital data modem over said wireless link a series of digital data created by said digital data modem from said series of audible tones from said second terminal equipment.

20. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 14 wherein said series of audible tones is a voice and is conveyed by said telephone network to said remote base station.

21. The method of providing audio feedback of claim 20 further comprising the step of transistioning said initiated data connection to a new voice connection.

22. A method of providing audio feedback to a terminal equipment user in a wireless system supporting distinct data and voice connections, said data connections for carrying data information and said voice connections for carrying voice information, comprising the steps of:

sending from at a first terminal equipment a command to initiate a data connection with a second terminal equipment wherein said second terminal equipment communicates through a wireless link;

providing by said first terminal equipment over a telephone network a series of audible tones to a base station;

initiating by said base station a wireless connection to said second terminal equipment by transmission of digital data produced by a digital data modem within said base station;

receiving at said base station from said second terminal equipment an indication of successful connection over said wireless link with said second terminal equipment;

providing by said digital data modem and said first terminal equipment modem over said telephone network a second series of audible tones comprising handshaking tones therebetween; and

vocoding said second series of audible tones at said base station;

transmitting over said wireless link said vocoded second series of audible tones to said second terminal equipment.

23. A wireless system providing audio feedback, comprising:

a first terminal equipment unit producing a standard stream of digital data and processing a receive stream of standard digital data;

a mobile unit comprising;

a protocol stack receiving said stream of standard digital data and encoding said stream of standard digital data for transmission over a wireless link, and receiving an encoded stream of digital data, decoding said encoded stream of digital data to produce said receive stream of standard digital data and passing said receive stream of standard digital data to said first terminal unit;

a speaker/microphone producing an audible output signal;

a vocoder receiving encoded audible data from said wireless link; and

a control processor directing an information signal received from said wireless link to said protocol stack or to said vocoder dependent upon whether said information signal comprises encoded audible data or digital data;

a base station comprising;

a digital signal processor and modem receiving said encoded stream of standard digital data for transmission over said wireless link from said protocol stack and producing an audible signal in response thereto and passing said audible signal to a telephone network and intermittently passing said audible signal to a vocoder, and receiving an audible signal from a telephone network, said audible signal from said telephone network comprising data and audible information signals; and

a vocoder intermittently encoding said audible signal from said digital signal processor and modem and audible signal from said telephone network and passing encoded signals over said wireless link only when said digital signal processor and modem is not passing an information signal over said wireless link;

wherein said vocoder and speaker/microphone in said mobile unit provides an audible signal in response to said encoded signals passed over said wireless link by said vocoder in said base station.

24. The wireless system providing audio feedback of claim 23 wherein said audible information signals originate from a remote telephone.

25. The wireless system providing audio feedback of claim 24 wherein said audible information signals are a human voice.

26. The wireless system providing audio feedback of claim 23 wherein said audible information signals originate from said telephone network.

27. The wireless system providing audio feedback of claim 26 wherein said audible information signals comprise a busy indication.

28. The wireless system providing audio feedback of claim 23 wherein said data signals originate from a remote terminal equipment unit.

29. A method of providing audio feedback in a wireless based modem configuration comprising the steps of:

sending from a first terminal unit to a wireless communication unit a request to establish a data connection with a second terminal unit associated with a telephone number;

sending from said wireless communication unit to a base station a message to originate a wireless data connection;

sending from said wireless communication unit to said base station a message to initialize a modem within said base station;

sending from said wireless communication unit to said base station a message comprising said telephone number;

sending from said base station to a telephone network an audible signal to set up a call;

vocoding at said base station said audible signal to set up said call and sending a corresponding encoded audio signal to said wireless communication unit.

30. The method of providing audio feedback in a wireless based modem configuration of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

sending from said telephone network to a remote modem a ring indication;

sending from said remote modem to said second terminal equipment a corresponding ring indication;

sending from said telephone network to said base station a ringback indication; and

vocoding at said base station said ringback indication and sending a corresponding encoded audio signal to said wireless communication unit.

31. The method of providing audio feedback in a wireless based modem configuration of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

sending from said second terminal equipment to a remote modem an on-line indication;

sending from said remote modem to said telephone network an off hook indication;

sending from said telephone network to said base station a connect indication; and

vocoding at said base station said connect indication and sending a corresponding encoded audio signal to said wireless communication unit.

32. The method of providing audio feedback in a wireless based modem configuration of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

sending from said telephone network to said base station a first series of handshaking signaling;

sending from said base station to said telephone network a second series of handshaking signaling; and

vocoding at said base station said first and second series of handshaking signaling and sending a corresponding encoded audio signal to said wireless communication unit.

33. A method of providing audio feedback in a wireless based modem configuration comprising the steps of:

sending from a first terminal unit to a wireless communication unit a request to establish a data connection with a second terminal unit associated with a telephone number;

sending from said wireless communication unit to a base station a message to originate a wireless data connection;

sending from said wireless communication unit to said base station a message to initial a modem within said base station;

sending from said wireless communication unit to said base station a message comprising said telephone number;

sending from said base station to a telephone network an audible signal to set up a call;

sending from said telephone network to a remote unit a ring indication;

sending from said telephone network to said base station a busy indication; and

vocoding at said base station said busy indication and sending a corresponding encoded audio signal to said wireless communication unit.

34. A method of providing audio feedback in a wireless based modem configuration comprising the steps of:

sending from a first terminal unit to a wireless communication unit a request to establish a data connection associated with a telephone number;

sending from said wireless communication unit to a base station a message to originate a wireless data connection;

sending from said wireless communication unit to said base station a message to initialize a modem within said base station;

sending from said wireless communication unit to said base station a message comprising said telephone number;

sending from said base station to a telephone network an audible signal to set up a call;

sending from said telephone network to a telephone a ring indication;

sending from said telephone network to said base station a ringback indication;

sending from said telephone to said telephone network a human voice signal;

sending from said telephone network to said base station said human voice signal; and

vocoding at said base station said human voice signal and sending a corresponding encoded audio signal to said wireless communication unit.