System and method for music-on-hold in a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) environment

• US 7,173,911 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2001
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarkar, Shantanu, Shaffer, Shmuel, Ramalingam, Thiyagesan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose; Kerri M.
• Application Number:
  US10/035,573
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 370/353, 370/355, 370/389, 370/395.4, 370/395.43, 370/252, 379 103- 104, 379/215.01
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

This method for music-on-hold in a voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) environment includes determining a quality value for each of a plurality of audio streams communicated in the VoIP format. One of the audio streams may be selected for playing to a call on hold based on the quality values for the audio streams. In that particular embodiment, the quality values may be determined at and/or near the endpoint handling that call on hold.

Claims

1. A method for providing an audio stream in a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) environment, comprising:

determining a quality value for each of a plurality of audio streams communicated in a VoIP format;

selecting one of the audio streams based on the quality values for the audio streams; and

facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio stream comprises a music-on-hold channel from a music-on-hold server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality value for an audio stream comprises at least one of packet jitter and packet loss for the audio stream.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the audio stream comprising a highest quality value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality value for an audio stream comprises a current value for the audio stream determined based on real-time performance of the audio stream at a point at least proximate to a device playing the selected audio stream to the call on hold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected audio stream comprises a first audio stream, further comprising:

in response to at least degradation of the first audio stream below a threshold, selecting a second audio stream based on a then current quality value for each of the remaining audio streams; and

facilitating playing of the second audio stream.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the quality value for each audio stream based on a sliding window of quality metrics for the audio stream.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein facilitating playing of the second audio stream comprises switching from the first audio stream to the second audio stream at an endpoint playing the first and second audio streams to the call on hold.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting to users for selection only audio streams with a quality value above a threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the quality value for each of the plurality of audio streams comprises:

receiving the plurality of audio streams; and

monitoring each of the quality streams based on at least one of packet jitter and packet loss of the audio stream.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold comprises communicating at least an identifier of the selected audio stream to an endpoint handling the call on hold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the quality value for each of the plurality of audio streams comprises receiving the quality values for the audio streams from an upstream device in an Internet Protocol network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the upstream device comprises an edge router of the Internet Protocol network.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a locally stored audio file in response to at least the quality values for the audio streams being below a threshold value; and

facilitating playing of the stored audio file to a call on hold.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a list of audio streams, the plurality of audio streams including at least one of the audio streams identified by the list.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the list is generated by a call manager.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a list of locally used audio streams, the plurality of audio streams including at least one of the locally used audio streams.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a poor quality audio stream based on the quality value for the audio stream; and

communicating an identifier of the poor quality stream to an upstream router for discard of the poor quality audio stream.

56. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold comprises playing the selected audio stream at an endpoint.

19. A system for providing an audio stream in a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) environment, comprising:

means for determining a quality value for each of a plurality of audio streams communicated in a VoIP format;

means for selecting one of the audio streams based on the quality values for the audio streams; and

means for facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the audio stream comprises a music-on-hold channel from a music-on-hold server.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the quality value for an audio stream comprises at least one of packet jitter and packet loss for the audio stream.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for selecting the audio stream comprising a highest quality value.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the quality value for an audio stream comprises a current value for the audio stream determined based on real-time performance of the audio stream at a point at least proximate to a device playing the selected audio stream to the call on hold.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the selected audio stream comprises a first audio stream, further comprising:

means for, in response to at least degradation of the first audio stream below a threshold, selecting a second audio stream based on a then current quality value for each of the remaining audio streams; and

means for facilitating playing of the second audio stream.

25. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for determining the quality value for each audio stream based on a sliding window of quality metrics for the audio stream.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein facilitating playing of the second audio stream comprises means for switching from the first audio stream to the second audio stream at an endpoint playing the first and second audio streams to the call on hold.

27. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for presenting to users for selection only audio streams with a quality value above a threshold.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for determining the quality value for each of the plurality of audio streams comprises:

means for receiving the plurality of audio streams; and

means for monitoring each of the quality streams based on at least one of packet jitter and packet loss of the audio stream.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold comprises communicating at least an identifier of the selected audio stream to an endpoint handling the call on hold.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for determining the quality value for each of the plurality of audio streams comprises means for receiving the quality values for the audio streams from an upstream device in an Internet Protocol network.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the upstream device comprises an edge router of the Internet Protocol network.

32. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for selecting a locally stored audio file in response to at least the quality values for the audio streams being below a threshold value; and

means for facilitating playing of the stored audio file to a call on hold.

33. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for receiving a list of audio streams, the plurality of audio streams including at least one of the audio streams identified by the list.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the list is generated by a call manager.

35. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for generating a list of locally used audio streams, the plurality of audio streams including at least one of the locally used audio streams.

36. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for identifying a poor quality audio stream based on the quality value for the audio stream; and

means for communicating an identifier of the poor quality stream to an upstream router for discard of the poor quality audio stream.

57. The system of claim 19, wherein facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold comprises playing the selected audio stream at an endpoint.

37. A system for providing an audio stream in a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) environment, the system comprising instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, which when executed by a computer are operable to:

determine a quality value for each of a plurality of audio streams communicated in a VoIP format;

select one of the audio streams based on the quality values for the audio streams; and

facilitate playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the audio stream comprises a music-on-hold channel from a music-on-hold server.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the quality value for an audio stream comprises at least one of packet jitter and packet loss for the audio stream.

40. The system of claim 37, the instructions further operable to select the audio stream comprising a highest quality value.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the quality value for an audio stream comprises a current value for the audio stream determined based on real-time performance of the audio stream at a point at least proximate to a device playing the selected audio steam to the call on hold.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein the selected audio stream comprises a first audio stream, the instructions further operable to:

in response to at least degradation of the first audio stream below a threshold, select a second audio stream based on a then current quality value for each of the remaining audio streams; and

facilitate playing of the second audio stream.

43. The system of claim 37, the instructions operable to determine the quality value for each audio stream based on a sliding window of quality metrics for the audio stream.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein facilitating playing of the second audio stream comprises switching from the first audio stream to the second audio stream at an endpoint playing the first and second audio streams to the call on hold.

45. The system of claim 37, the instructions further operable to present to users for selection only audio streams with a quality value above a threshold.

46. The system of claim 37, the instructions operable to determine the quality value for each of the plurality of audio streams by:

receiving the plurality of audio streams; and

monitoring each of the quality streams based on at least one of packet jitter and packet loss of the audio stream.

47. The system of claim 37, wherein facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold comprises communicating at least an identifier of the selected audio stream to an endpoint handling the call on hold.

48. The system of claim 37, the instructions operable to determine the quality value for each of the plurality of audio streams by receiving the quality values for the audio streams from an upstream device in an Internet Protocol network.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the upstream device comprises an edge router of the Internet Protocol network.

50. The system of claim 37, the instructions further operable to:

select a locally stored audio file in response to at least the quality values for the audio streams being below a threshold value; and

facilitate playing of the stored audio file to a call on hold.

51. The system of claim 37, the instructions further operable to receive a list of audio streams, the plurality of audio streams including at least one of the audio streams identified by the list.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the list is generated by a call manager.

53. The system of claim 37, the instructions further operable to generate a list of locally used audio streams, the plurality of audio streams including at least one of the locally used audio streams.

54. The system of claim 37, the instructions further operable to:

identify a poor quality audio stream based on the quality value for the audio stream; and

communicate an identifier of the poor quality stream to an upstream router for discard of the poor quality audio stream.

58. The system of claim 37, wherein facilitating playing of the selected audio stream to a call on hold comprises playing the selected audio stream at an endpoint.

55. A method for providing music-on-hold at an endpoint of an Internet Protocol network, comprising:

receiving a plurality of music-on-hold streams;

repetitively determining a real-time quality value for each of the audio streams based on at least one of packet jitter and packet loss for the music-on-hold stream;

in response to at least a call being placed on hold, selecting one of the music-on-hold streams as a high quality stream based on the real-time quality values for the music-on-hold streams; and

playing the high quality stream to the call on hold.