Location-based voice coder selection

• US 6,014,568 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Bhatia, Ranjit, Alperovich, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aoki, Makoto
• Application Number:
  US08/941,129
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/432, 455/433, 455/440, 455/456, 455/457, 455/466, 455/560, 455/561, 455/562, 455/12.1, 455/13.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices

Abstract

A wireless telecommunications system and method for basing the voice coder selection for the speech channel on the current location of the subscriber. Subscribers having a voice coder of less quality, such as a half-rate voice coder, can specify that while making or receiving calls in certain locations, e.g., from home or from the office, an improved voice coder should be allocated, such as the enhanced full rate voice coder. The location based voice coder selection can be implemented in either the mobile station itself or within the cellular network.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system for selecting a voice coder, said system comprising:

a mobile terminal having a memory therein containing voice coder location information for said mobile terminal, said voice coder location information including at least one location and an associated voice coder preference defined by a mobile subscriber associated with said mobile terminal, said mobile terminal determining a position of said given mobile terminal within said system and comparing said determined position with said at least one location within said voice coder location information to determine a select one of said at least one location; and

a Mobile Services Center in wireless communication with said mobile terminal for receiving said voice coder preference associated with said select location from said mobile terminal and selecting said voice coder associated with said received voice coder preference for communication between said Mobile Services Center and said given mobile terminal.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said voice coder is selected from the group consisting of:

a full-rate channel voice coder, a half-rate channel voice coder, a dual-rate channel voice coder with full-rate preferred, and a dual-rate channel voice coder with half-rate preferred.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said given mobile terminal has a Subscriber Identity Module therein, said memory being located in said Subscriber Identity Module.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein said voice coder is a full-rate channel voice coder when said given mobile terminal is within a first area, and said voice coder is a half-rate channel voice coder when said given mobile terminal is within a second area.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 1, further comprising a Base Station System in wireless communication with said mobile terminal and connected to said Mobile Services Center, said Base Station System sending area information to said mobile terminal, said mobile terminal comparing said area information with said at least one location within said voice coder location information to determine said select location and sending the respective voice coder preference associated with said determined select location to said Mobile Services Center.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 5, wherein said Base Station System sends said area information to said given mobile terminal on a Short Message System broadcast channel.

7. The telecommunications system of claim 5, wherein said area information received by said given mobile terminal is stored in a Subscriber Identity Module located within said mobile terminal.

8. A method for selecting a voice coder based on the location of a given one of a plurality of mobile terminals, each of said mobile terminals being in wireless communication with a Mobile Services Center within a telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a position of said given mobile terminal within said system;

(b) comparing, by said given mobile terminal, said position with at least one location within voice coder location information associated with said given mobile terminal, said voice coder location information being stored in a memory within said given mobile terminal and including said at least one location and an associated voice coder preference defined by a mobile subscriber associated with said given mobile terminal;

(c) determining a select one of said at least one location based upon said step of comparing;

(d) sending the respective voice coder preference associated with said determined select location from said given mobile terminal to said Mobile Services Center; and

(e) assigning, by said Mobile Services Center, said voice coder associated with said respective voice coder preference associated with said determined select location of said given mobile terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said memory comprises a Subscriber Identity Module, said steps of comparing and determining said select location being performed by said Subscriber Identity Module.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said voice coder is selected from the group consisting of:

a full-rate channel voice coder, a half-rate channel voice coder, a dual-rate channel voice coder with full-rate preferred, and a dual-rate channel voice coder with half-rate preferred.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said voice coder is a full-rate channel voice coder when said given mobile terminal is within a first area, and said voice coder is a half-rate channel voice coder when said given mobile terminal is within a second area.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of determining said position of said given mobile terminal is performed by a Base Station System in wireless communication with said given mobile terminal sending area information to said given mobile terminal, said given mobile terminal comparing said area information with said at least one location within said voice coder location information to determine said select location and sending the respective voice coder preference associated with said determined select location to said Mobile Services Center.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said Base Station System sends said area information to said given mobile terminal on a Short Message System broadcast channel.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said area information received by said given mobile terminal is stored in a Subscriber Identity Module located within said given mobile terminal.