Method and system for voice calls in a wireless local area network (WLAN)

• US 7,079,521 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holur, Balaji S., Davidson, Kenneth W., Shannon, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Man U.
• Application Number:
  US10/299,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370328-338, 370342-352, 455/422.1, 455432-436, 455444-552
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and system for providing voice calls in a macro wireless network includes providing at a router of the micro wireless network an interface for communication with a service node of a macro wireless network coupled to the micro wireless network. The interface is of a same type as is used by a radio access network of the macro wireless network to communicate with the service node. A real-time protocol communication path is established from the interface through a voice module of the service node to a public switch telephone network. Voice traffic is communicated to the public switch telephone network through the interface and the real-time protocol path.

Claims

1. A method for providing a voice session in a micro wireless network, comprising:

providing at an access router of a micro wireless network an interface for communication with a service node of a macro wireless network coupled to the micro wireless network, the interface of a same type as used by a radio access network of the macro wireless network to communicate with the service node;

establishing a real-time protocol communication path from the interface at the access router of the micro wireless network through a voice module of the service node of the macro wireless network to a public switched telephone network associated with the macro wireless network; and

communicating voice traffic to the public switched telephone network through the interface and the real-time protocol communication path, wherein the voice module is operable to instruct the access router of the micro wireless network to establish real time protocol streaming connections to a gateway of the public switched telephone network associated with the macro wireless network, and wherein the voice module is further operable to connect incoming voice traffic to a vocoder that is operable to convert incoming voice traffic from a compression format of the router to a compression format used by the public switched telephone network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro wireless network comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the macro wireless network comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a packet control function (PCF).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service node comprises a packet data serving node (PDSN).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at the service node converting the voice traffic from a mobile station format to a network format.

7. A system for providing a voice session in a micro wireless network, comprising:

means for providing at a router of a micro wireless network an interface for communication with a service node of a macro wireless network coupled to the micro wireless network, the interface of a same type as used by a radio access network of the macro wireless network to communicate with the service node;

means for establishing a real-time protocol communication path from the interface through a voice module of the service node to a public switched telephone network; and

means for communicating voice traffic to the public switched telephone network through the interface and the real-time protocol communication path, wherein the voice module is operable to instruct the access router of the micro wireless network to establish real time protocol streaming connections to a gateway of the public switched telephone network associated with the macro wireless network, and wherein the voice module is further operable to connect incoming voice traffic to a vocoder that is operable to convert incoming voice traffic from a compression format of the router to a compression format used by the public switched telephone network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the micro wireless network comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN).

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the macro wireless network comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless network.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the interface comprises a packet control function (PCF).

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the service node comprises a packet data serving node (PDSN).

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising means at the service node for converting the voice traffic from a mobile station format to a network format.

13. A system for providing a voice session in a micro wireless network, comprising:

logic encoded media; and

the logic operable to communicate between a micro wireless network and a service node of a macro wireless network coupled to the micro wireless network through an interface of a same type as used by a radio access network of the macro wireless network to communicate with the service node, to establish a real-time protocol communication path from the interface through a voice module of the service node to a public switched telephone network and to communicate voice traffic to the public switched telephone network through the interface and the real-time protocol communication path, wherein the voice module is operable to instruct the access router of the micro wireless network to establish real time protocol streaming connections to a gateway of the public switched telephone network associated with the macro wireless network, and wherein the voice module is further operable to connect incoming voice traffic to a vocoder that is operable to convert incoming voice traffic from a compression format of an access router of the micro wireless network to a compression format used by the public switched telephone network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the micro wireless network comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN).

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the macro wireless network comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless network.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the interface comprises a packet control function (PCF).

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the service node comprises a packet data serving node (PDSN).

18. The system of claim 13, the logic further operable at the service node to convert the voice traffic from a mobile station format to a network format.

19. A packet data serving node (PDSN) for a wireless communication system, comprising:

a voice module operable to establish a real-time protocol path between a router of a disjoint micro wireless network and a public switched telephone network; and

a vocoding function operable to convert voice traffic received from the micro wireless network in a real-time protocol path from a mobile node format to a format for communication in a public switched telephone network, wherein the voice module is operable to instruct the access router of the micro wireless network to establish real time protocol streaming connections to a gateway of the public switched telephone network associated with the macro wireless network, and wherein the voice module is further operable to connect incoming voice traffic to the vocoder that is operable to convert incoming voice traffic from a compression format of the router to a compression format used by the public switched telephone network.

20. The PDSN of claim 19, wherein the micro wireless network comprises a wireless local access network (WLAN).