Network telephony devices, softwares and methods for discontinuing transmitting music-on-hold

• US 7,085,263 B1
• Filed: 01/03/2002
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fitzgerald, Cary
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US10/038,440
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5027 Dropping a party from a conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

Devices, softwares and methods for network telephony sense if a party that has been placed on hold is talking. If it does, transmitting on hold music or other characteristic sound is discontinued. Accordingly, the other party is not annoyed, such as in a conference call scenario.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a network interface for coupling to a network; and

a processor coupled with the network interface, in which the processor is adapted to;

establish a VoIP connection;

place the VoIP connection on hold;

detect whether there is return speech from the VoIP connection that has been placed on hold;

measure how long the detected return speech is sustained;

determine whether the detected return speech is sustained for at least a predetermined amount of time;

withhold transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection when the detected return speech is sustained for at least a predetermined amount of time; and

continue transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection when the detected return speech is not sustained for at least a predetermined amount of time.

2. The device of claim 1, in which

detecting is performed by interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

3. The device of claim 1, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and detecting is performed by:

monitoring the voice path for return packets; and

analyzing to determine whether the return packets encode speech.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the predetermined period of time is equal to three seconds.

5. The device of claim 1, in which the processor is further adapted to:

silence-monitor to determine whether prior detected return speech has discontinued; and

if so, transmit on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection.

6. The device of claim 5, in which

silence-monitoring is performed by interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

7. The device of claim 5, in which

silence-monitoring is performed by interpreting a received Silence Identification (SID) packet.

8. The device of claim 5, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

silence-monitoring is performed by:

monitoring the voice path for return packets; and

analyzing to determine whether the return packets encode silence.

9. The device of claim 8, in which

analyzing is for speech energy that corresponds to silence sustained for a predetermined time minimum.

10. A device comprising:

means for establishing a VoIP connection;

means for placing the VoIP connection on hold;

means for monitoring the VoIP connection that has been placed on hold to determine, according to a Silence identification (SID) packet, whether there is return speech;

means for withholding transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection in response to the SID packet determination indicating that there is return speech; and

means for continuing transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection when the SID packet determination indicates that there is no return speech.

11. The device of claim 10, in which

the means for monitoring includes means for interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

12. The device of claim 10, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

the means for monitoring includes means for analyzing to determine whether return packets encode speech.

13. The device of claim 12, in which

the means for analyzing is for speech energy analyzes for speech sustained for a predetermined time minimum.

14. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

means for silence-monitoring to determine whether prior return speech has discontinued; and

if so, means for transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection.

15. The device of claim 14, in which

the means for silence-monitoring includes means for interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

16. The device of claim 14, in which

the means for silence-monitoring includes means for interpreting a received Silence Identification (SID) packet.

17. The device of claim 14, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

the means for silence-monitoring includes:

means for monitoring the voice path for return packets; and

means for analyzing to determine whether the return packets encode silence.

18. The device of claim 17, in which

the means for analyzing is for speech energy analyzes for speech sustained for a predetermined time minimum.

19. An article comprising:

a storage medium, the storage medium having instructions stored thereon, in which when the instructions are executed by at least one device, they result in;

establishing a VoIP connection;

placing the VoIP connection on hold;

monitoring the VoIP that has been placed on hold to determine according to a Silence Identification (SID) packet, whether there is return speech;

withholding transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection in response to the SID packet determination indicating that there is return speech; and

continuing transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection when the SID packet determination indicates that there is no return speech.

20. The article of claim 19, in which monitoring is performed by interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

21. The article of claim 19, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

monitoring is performed by:

checking the voice path for return packets; and

analyzing whether the return packets encode speech.

22. The article of claim 21, in which

analyzing is for speech energy that corresponds to speech sustained for a predetermined time minimum.

23. The article of claim 19, in which the instructions further result in:

silence-monitoring to determine whether prior return speech has discontinued; and

if so, transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection.

24. The article of claim 23, in which

silence-monitoring is performed by interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

25. The article of claim 23, in which

silence-monitoring is performed by interpreting a received Silence Identification (SID) packet.

26. The article of claim 23, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

silence-monitoring is performed by:

checking the voice path for return packets; and

analyzing whether the return packets encode silence.

27. The article of claim 26, in which

analyzing is for speech energy that corresponds to silence sustained for a predetermined time minimum.

28. A method comprising:

establishing a VoIP connection;

placing the VoIP connection on hold;

detecting, according to a Silence Identification (SID) packet determination, whether there is return speech from the VoIP connection that has been placed on hold; and

measuring how long the detected return speech is sustained;

determining whether the detected return speech is sustained for at least a predetermined amount of time;

withholding transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection in response to a determination that the detected return speech is sustained for at least a predetermined amount of time; and

continuing transmitting on-hold music/sound through the VoIP connection when the detected return speech is not sustained for at least a predetermined amount of time.

29. The method of claim 28, in which

detecting is performed by interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

30. The method of claim 28, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

detecting is performed by:

monitoring the voice path for return packets; and

analyzing to determine whether the return packets encode speech.

31. The method of claim 30, in which

analyzing is for speech energy that corresponds to speech sustained for a predetermined time minimum.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

silence-monitoring to determine whether prior detected return speech has discontinued; and

if so, transmitting on-hold music/sound trough the VoIP connection.

33. The method of claim 32, in which

silence-monitoring is performed by interpreting a Voice Activation Detection (VAD) ON/OFF event.

34. The method of claim 32, in which

silence-monitoring is performed by interpreting a received Silence Identification (SID) packet.

35. The method of claim 32, in which

the VoIP connection is over a network voice path, and

silence-monitoring is performed by:

monitoring the voice path for return packets; and

analyzing to determine whether the return packets encode silence.

36. The method of claim 35, in which

analyzing is for speech energy that corresponds to silence sustained for a predetermined time minimum.