System and method for voice over IP

• US 7,590,143 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2001
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Vassilovski, Dan, Daley, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elallam; Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US09/900,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20030007469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,994 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-350, 370/352, 370/401, 370466-477
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6475 N-ISDN, Public Switched Telephone Network [PSTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6486 Signalling Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices

Abstract

A wireless telephone without IP capability nonetheless communicates with an infrastructure that uses IP. An infrastructure component assigns the wireless telephone a temporary EP address based on the location of the telephone, and then transforms over-the-air (OTA) voice protocol packets, such as IS-95 packets, from the wireless telephone to IP packets. The IP packets are sent through the infrastructure to another communication device. In turn, IP packets representing voice communication from the communication device are sent through the infrastructure, transformed to OTA packets, and transmitted to the wireless telephone.

Claims

1. A voice over Internet (VOIP) system, comprising:

at least one infrastructure component communicating with one or more wireless devices using a wireless device over-the-air (OTA) protocol different from Internet protocol (IP), the infrastructure component including;

at least one logic component facilitating communication between a target wireless device and a communication device, the target wireless device not supporting IP, the logic component being configured to;

receive communication device-generated voice data in IP protocol, wherein the voice data in IP protocol is received by the infrastructure component based on an IP address allocated from the infrastructure component and temporarily assigned to the target wireless device based on the location of the target wireless device, wherein the infrastructure component functions as a virtual IP endpoint for the target wireless device;

transform the voice data in IP protocol to the wireless device OTA protocol without vocoding the voice data;

send the voice data in the wireless device OTA protocol to the target wireless device;

transform voice data in the wireless device OTA protocol received from the target wireless device to IP protocol without devocoding the voice data; and

send the voice data in IP protocol toward the communication device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is a code division multiple access (CDMA) air interface protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure component is a base station (BTS).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure component is a base station controller (BSC).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is an over-the-air (OTA) voice protocol.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic component converts OTA protocol packets to IP packets.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic component converts IP packets to OTA protocol packets.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is a spread spectrum protocol.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure component is a gateway for a satellite communication system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice data represents digitized voice, or digital data.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is a protocol selected from the group of protocols consisting of:

CDMA, WCDMA, TDMA, TD-SCDMA, UMTS.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the logic component converts IP packets to OTA protocol packets.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein an OTA protocol voice packet has a size less than the size of an IP packet.

14. A method for communicating voice data in IP to a wireless device not supporting Internet protocol (IP), comprising:

determining a location of the wireless device;

temporarily associating a first IP address with the wireless device based at least in part on the location of the wireless device, wherein the first IP address is allocated from a first infrastructure component communicating with the wireless device, and wherein the first infrastructure component functions as a virtual IP endpoint for the wireless device;

receiving, at the first infrastructure component from which the first IP address is allocated, communication device-generated voice data in IP protocol;

transforming, at the first infrastructure component, the voice data in IP protocol to an over-the-air (OTA) protocol different from IP protocol without vocoding the voice data;

transmitting the voice data in the OTA protocol to the wireless device;

transforming, at the first infrastructure component, voice data in the OTA protocol received from the wireless device to IP protocol without devocoding the voice data; and

sending the voice data in IP protocol toward the communication device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is undertaken by a one or more communication system infrastructure components.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the infrastructure components are base stations (BTSs).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the infrastructure components are base station controllers (BSCs).

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first infrastructure component is a gateway for a satellite communication system.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the OTA protocol is a CDMA protocol.

20. The method of claim 14, comprising converting OTA protocol packets to IP packets.

21. The method of claim 14, comprising converting IP packets to OTA protocol packets.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the OTA protocol is a CDMA voice protocol.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein an OTA protocol voice packet has a sizeless than the size of an IP packet.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is a protocol selected from the group of protocols consisting of:

CDMA, WCDMA, TDMA, TD-SCDMA, UMTS.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless device is a first wireless device and the first wireless device communicates with a second wireless device in a call.

26. The method of claim 14, Wherein determining a location of the wireless, device;

further comprises continually determining the location of the wireless device during a voice call and associating second IP address with the wireless device based at least in part on movement of the wireless device during the voice call.

27. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that the wireless device has moved to a location supported by a second infrastructure component;

associating a second IP address with the wireless device allocated from the second infrastructure component;

receiving, at the second infrastructure, the communication device-generated voice data in IP protocol;

transforming, at the second infrastructure component, the voice data in IP protocol to the OTA protocol; and

transmitting the voice data in the OTA protocol to the wireless device.

28. At least one computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium embodying a computer program including;

codes for causing a computer to determine a location of a wireless device that does not support IP;

codes for causing the computer to temporarily associate a first IP address with the wireless device based at least in part on the location of the wireless device, wherein the first IP address is allocated from a first infrastructure component communicating with the wireless device, and wherein the first infrastructure component functions as a virtual IP endpoint for the wireless device;

codes for causing the computer to receive at the first infrastructure component from which the first IP address is allocated, communication device-generatedvoice data in IP protocol communicated;

codes for causing the computer to convert, at the first infrastructure component, the voice data in Internet protocol (IP) to voice data in over-the-air (OTA) protocol packets, without vocoding the voice data, to render first converted packets, wherein the OTA protocol is different from IP and supported by the wireless device;

codes for causing the computer to convert voice data in OTA protocol packets from the wireless device not supporting IP to IP packets, without devocoding the voice data, to render second converted packets; and

codes for causing the computer to provide communication between the wireless device and the infrastructure component using the first and second converted packets.

29. The product of claim 28, wherein a first converted packet has a size smaller than a second converted packet.

30. The product of claim 29, wherein a first converted packet has a size smaller than a header of a second converted packet.

31. The product of claim 28, wherein the OTA protocol is a CDMA protocol.

32. The product of claim 28, wherein the computer is a base station or a base station controller.

33. The product of claim 28, further comprising

codes for causing a computer to determine that the wireless-device has moved to a location supported by a second infrastructure component;

codes for causing the computer to associate a second IP address with the wire1ess device allocated from the second infrastructure component;

codes for causing the computer to receive, at the second infrastructure, the communication device-generated voice data in IP protocol;

codes for causing the computer to transform, at the second infrastructure component, the voice data IP protocol to the OTA protocol; and

codes for causing the computer to transmit the voice data in the OTA protocol to the wireless device.

34. A voice over Internet (VOIP) system, comprising:

at least one infrastructure component communicating with one or more wireless devices using a wireless device over-the-air (OTA) protocol different from Internet protocol (IP);

at least one wireless communication device communicating with the infrastructure, the wireless communication device not supporting IP;

wherein the wireless communication device is a target wireless device and is temporarily assigned with an IP address that is allocated from the infrastructure component based on the location of the wireless communication device, wherein the infrastructure component functions as a virtual IP endpoint for the target wireless device; and

wherein the infrastructure component includes at least one logic component facilitating communication between the target wireless device and another communication device, the target wireless device not supporting IP, the logic component being configured to

receive, at the infrastructure component, voice data in IP protocol from the communication device based on the IP address;

transform voice data in IP protocol to the wireless device OTA protocol without vocoding the voice data;

send the voice data in wireless device OTA protocol to the target wireless device;

transform voice data in wireless device OTA protocol from the target wireless device to IP protocol without devocoding the voice data; and

send the voice data in IP protocol toward the other communication device.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is a code division multiple access (CDMA) air interface protocol.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the infrastructure component is a base station (BTS).

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the infrastructure component is a base station controller (BSC).

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is a spread spectrum protocol.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the infrastructure component is a gateway for a satellite communication system.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the logic component converts if packets to OTA protocol packets.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein an OTA protocol voice packet has a size less than the size of an IP packet.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the wireless device OTA protocol is an over-the-air (OTA) voice protocol.

43. The system of claim 34, wherein the logic, component converts OTA protocol packets to IP packets.

44. The system of claim 34, wherein the logic component converts IP packets to OTA protocol packets.

45. The system of claim 34, wherein the IP address assigned to the wireless device can change during a voice call based on the wireless device changing location during the voice call.