Enhanced radio telephone for use in internet telephony

• US 6,157,620 A
• Filed: 05/16/1997
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bauner, John-Olof, Danne, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T.
• Application Number:
  US08/857,543
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/356, 370/365, 370/264, 370/355, 370/289, 370/352, 379/130, 379/88.17, 379/202, 379/357, 379/158, 379/396
• US Class Current: 370/294
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An enhanced radio telephone providing both wireless communication and Internet-protocol (IP) telephone communication. In addition to transmitting and receiving digitized and coded speech signals in a wireless fashion using a radio transceiver, the enhanced radio telephone can also exchange coded speech data with a computer which is coupled to a communication network. Thus, the enhanced radio telephone can selectively operate as either a conventional radio telephone or as an improved IP telephone. The enhanced radio telephone includes an internal speech coder which is implemented for low power consumption and which allows the enhanced radio telephone to be used with a relatively low-cost computer for effective and economic IP telephony.

In exemplary embodiments, an enhanced radio handset is connected to an input/output port of a personal computer running a software telephony application. Coded and compressed digital speech signals are passed back and forth between the enhanced radio telephone and the computer, and the computer performs conversions between the coded speech signals and an appropriate network protocol. Because the computer does not perform speech coding and decoding internally, the computer functionality may be implemented, for example, using an inexpensive notebook or palm-top computer. Advantageously, a user may initiate telephone calls from either the enhanced radio telephone or the telephony application running on the computer.

Claims

1. A radio telephone, comprising:

a microphone for receiving near-end sound and for providing corresponding near-end audio signals;

a speech coder coupled to said microphone for coding near-end audio signals received from said microphone to provide coded near-end signals at an output of said speech coder;

a speaker for receiving far-end audio signals and for broadcasting corresponding far-end sound to a near-end user of said radio telephone;

a speech decoder coupled to said speaker for decoding coded far-end signals received at an input of said speech decoder to provide far-end audio signals to said speaker;

a radio transceiver for receiving coded far-end signals from, and transmitting coded near-end signals to, a radio communication network;

an external connection for receiving network-formatted far-end signals from, and transmitting network-formatted near-end signals to, a computer network;

a converter, said converter formatting, according to an Internet Protocol (IP), coded near-end signals to provide said network-formatted near-end signals and converting, according to an Internet Protocol (IP), said network-formatted far-end signals to provide coded far-end audio signals; and

a digital interface for selectively coupling the output of said speech coder and the input of said speech decoder to one of said radio transceiver and said converter.

2. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein coded near-end signals and coded far-end signals are coded according to a GSM standard.

3. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein coded near-end signals and coded far-end signals are coded according to a D-AMPS standard.

4. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein said external connection is configured so that said radio telephone can be coupled to a desk-top computer.

5. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein said external connection is configured so that said radio telephone can be coupled to a lap-top/notebook computer.

6. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein said external connection is configured so that said radio telephone can be coupled to a palm-top computer.

7. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein said external connection comprises a connector for coupling said radio telephone to the computer using a cable.

8. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein said external connection comprises an infrared transceiver for coupling said radio telephone to the computer using infrared signals.

9. A radio telephone according to claim 1, wherein said external connection comprises a shortwave radio transceiver for coupling said radio telephone to the computer using shortwave radio signals.

10. A method for conducting telephony, comprising the steps of:

setting a mode of operation of a radio telephone as one of a mobile radio mode and a network protocol mode;

transmitting coded near-end audio signals from the radio telephone to a radio transceiver in a mobile radio communications system, and receiving coded far-end audio signals from the radio transceiver at the radio telephone, when the mode of operation of the radio telephone is set to the mobile radio mode; and

,

when the mode of operation of the radio telephone is set to the network protocol mode, performing the steps of;

transmitting the coded near-end audio signals from the radio telephone to a computer;

formatting the coded near-end audio signals within the computer, according to a computer network protocol, to provide network-formatted near-end signals;

transmitting the network-formatted near-end signals from the computer to a computer network, wherein the network-formatted near-end signals are delivered to a far-end node of the computer network;

receiving network-formatted far-end signals from the computer network at the computer, wherein the network-formatted far-end signals are delivered from the far-end node of the computer network;

converting the network-formatted far-end signals within the computer to provide coded far-end audio signals; and

transmitting the coded far-end audio signals from the computer to the radio telephone.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein coded near-end signals and coded far-end signals are coded according to a GSM standard.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein coded near-end signals and coded far-end signals are coded according to a D-AMPS standard.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the computer is a desk-top computer.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the computer is a lap-top/notebook computer.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein the computer is a palm-top computer.

16. A method according to claim 10, wherein signals are communicated between the radio telephone and the computer using a cable.

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein signals are communicated between the radio telephone and the computer using infrared signals.

18. A method according to claim 10, wherein signals are communicated between the radio telephone and the computer using shortwave radio signals.

19. A radio telephone, comprising:

a microphone for receiving near-end sound and for providing corresponding near-end audio signals;

a speech coder coupled to said microphone for coding near-end audio signals received from said microphone to provide coded near-end signals at an output of said speech coder;

a speaker for receiving far-end audio signals and for broadcasting corresponding far-end sound to a near-end user of said radio telephone;

a speech decoder coupled to said speaker for decoding coded far-end signals received at an input of said speech decoder to provide far-end audio signals to said speaker;

a radio transceiver for receiving coded far-end signals from, and transmitting coded near-end signals to, a radio communication network;

a first external connection for transmitting coded near-end signals to an external computer, for receiving network-formatted near-end signals from the external computer, for transmitting network-formatted far-end signals to the external computer, and for receiving coded far-end signals from the external computer;

a digital interface for selectively coupling the output of said speech coder and the input of said speech decoder to one of said radio transceiver and said first external connection; and

a second external connection coupled to said digital interface for transmitting network-formatted near-end signals received from the external computer to a computer network and for receiving network-formatted far-end signals from the computer network for transmission to the external computer.

20. A radio telephone according to claim 19, wherein the computer network is an Internet.

21. A radio telephone according to claim 19, wherein the computer network is an Intranet.

22. A radio telephone according to claim 19, wherein said second external connection comprises a network interface for communicating with the computer network, wherein said network interface comprises a modem.

23. A radio telephone according to claim 19, wherein said second external connection comprises a network interface for communicating with the computer network, wherein said network interface comprises an ISDN connection.

24. A radio telephone according to claim 19, wherein said second external connection comprises a network interface for communicating with the computer network, wherein said network interface comprises a wireless transceiver.

25. A radio telephone according to claim 19, wherein said second external connection comprises a network interface for communicating with the computer network, wherein said network interface comprises an Ethernet connection.

26. A method for conducting telephony, comprising the steps of:

coding near-end audio signals in a radio telephone to provide coded near-end signals;

transmitting the coded near-end signals from the radio telephone to a computer;

formatting the coded near-end signals within the computer, according to a computer network protocol, to provide network-formatted near-end signals;

transmitting the network-formatted near-end signals from the computer to the radio telephone;

transmitting the network-formatted near-end signals from the radio telephone to a computer network, wherein the network-formatted near-end signals are delivered to a far-end node of the computer network;

receiving network-formatted far-end signals from the computer network at the radio telephone, wherein the network-formatted far-end signals are delivered from the far-end node of the computer network;

transmitting the network-formatted far-end signals from the radio telephone to the computer;

converting the network-formatted far-end signals within the computer to provide coded far-end signals;

transmitting the coded far-end signals from the computer to the radio telephone; and

decoding the coded far-end signals in the radio telephone to provide far-end audio signals.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the computer network is an Internet.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein the computer network is an Intranet.

29. A method according to claim 26, wherein signals are transferred between the radio telephone and the computer network via a network interface comprising a modem.

30. A method according to claim 26, wherein signals are communicated between the radio telephone and the computer network via a network interface comprising an ISDN line.

31. A method according to claim 26, wherein signals are communicated between the radio telephone and the computer network via a network interface comprising a wireless transceiver.

32. A method according to claim 26, wherein signals are communicated between the radio telephone and the computer network via a network interface comprising an Ethernet connection.

33. A method for conducting telephony using a radio telephone, wherein the radio telephone includes a radio transceiver for communicating with a radio communication network, comprising the steps of:

setting a mode of operation of the radio telephone as one of a mobile radio mode and a network protocol mode;

transmitting coded near-end audio signals from the radio telephone transceiver to the radio communication network, and receiving coded far-end audio signals from the radio communication network at the radio telephone, when the mode of operation of the radio telephone is set to the mobile radio mode; and

,

when the mode of operation of the radio telephone is set to the network protocol mode, performing the steps of;

formatting the coded near-end audio signals in the radio telephone, according to a computer network protocol, to provide network-formatted near-end signals;

transmitting the network-formatted near-end signals from the radio telephone to a computer network, wherein the network-formatted near-end signals are delivered to a far-end node of the computer network;

receiving network-formatted far-end signals from the computer network at the radio telephone, wherein the network-formatted far-end signals are delivered from the far-end node of the computer network; and

converting the network-formatted far-end signals in the radio telephone to provide coded far-end audio signals.

34. A telephony system, comprising:

a radio telephone for coding audio input signals to form coded near-end signals and for decoding coded far-end signals to form audio output signals; and

a computer coupled to said radio telephone for converting coded near-end signals received from said radio telephone into network-formatted near-end signals suitable for transmission to a computer network and for converting network-formatted far-end signals received from the computer network into coded far-end signals suitable for transmission to said radio telephone,

said radio telephone including a radio transceiver for transmitting coded near-end signals to, and receiving coded far-end signals from, a radio communication network, an external connection for transmitting coded near-end signals to and receiving coded far-end signals from, said computer, and a digital interface for selectively transmitting coded near-end signals to one of said radio transceiver and said external connection and for selectively receiving coded far-end signals from one of said radio transceiver and said external connection.

35. A telephony system according to claim 34 wherein said radio telephone further comprises a second connection coupled to said digital interface for transmitting network-formatted near-end signals received from said computer via said external connection to the computer network and for receiving network-formatted far-end signals from the computer network for transmission to said computer via said external connection.

36. A radio telephone, comprising:

a radio transceiver for transmitting coded near-end signals to, and receiving coded far-end signals from, a radio communication network;

an external connection for transmitting network-formatted near-end signals to, and receiving network-formatted far-end signals from, an external network;

a network converter, said network converter formatting, according to an Internet Protocol (IP), the coded near-end signals to provide said network-formatted near-end signals and converting, according to an Internet Protocol (IP), said network-formatted far-end signals to provide coded far-end audio signals; and

a digital interface for selectively transmitting near-end signals to one of said radio transceiver and said external connection and for selectively receiving far-end signals from one of said radio transceiver and said external connection.

37. A radio telephone according to claim 36 further comprising a second connection coupled to said digital interface for transmitting network-formatted near-end signals received from the computer via said external connection to a computer network and for receiving network-formatted far-end signals from the computer network for transmission to the computer via said external connection.

38. A radio telephone according to claim 37 wherein said second connection is configured to transmit and receive signals to and from an Internet.

39. A radio telephone according to claim 37 wherein said second connection is configured to transmit and receive signals to and from an Intranet.