Error correction for DTMF corruption on uplink

• US 8,233,951 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Kramarenko, Valentina Iqorevna, Zeng, Ximing, Ruan, Zhigang
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US12/692,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20110183653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 455701-703, 379/31, 379/77, 379/88.24, 379 9326- 9337, 379/283
• US Class Current: 455/702
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/122 where the PSTN/ISDN access is used as an access to networks other than PSTN/ISDN access arrangements to networks other than PSTN/ISDN H04M7/0066; access arrangements to public data networks H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 for connecting to private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Aspects relate to provision of enterprise call capabilities to mobile devices. For example, a mobile device can indicate, over a data channel, that a PBX is to make a call on its behalf to a called party. The PBX can call back the mobile device, call the called party, and bridge those call legs to establish the call. The mobile device can employ mechanisms that a particular incoming call is made by the PBX. These mechanisms can include using ANI information, sending, and receiving audible verification codes over the voice channel established after answering the incoming call. The verification codes can be selected based different behaviors of the mobile devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of receiving commands during an in-progress call over a voice channel, comprising:

accessing tone description data for a group of feature codes, each feature code of the group respectively defined by a start delimiter tone, a stop delimiter tone, and a pre-determined number of informational tones;

receiving voice band signals over the voice channel established for the in-progress voice call between a mobile device and a terminating entity;

identifying, in the received voice band signals, a received delimiter tone;

identifying at least one received informational tone but fewer than the pre-determined number of informational tones when one or more of the at least two informational tones is not detected in the received voice band signals;

determining a feature code from the group of feature codes based on the received delimiter tone and the received informational tones; and

outputting the determined feature code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises using a state of the voice call in determining candidate feature codes for commands that would be expected during that voice call state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the state of the call comprises an in-progress call transfer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the matched feature code is indicative of a cancellation of the in-progress call transfer.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the state of the call comprises that the call has been connected, and the at least one informational tone comprises one tone which is matched to a call connection acknowledgment feature code, comprising a repeating plurality of the at least one informational tone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined group of feature codes comprises a cancel transfer code, which is defined as a starting delimiter tone comprising a combination of (1) a 1633 Hz tone and (2) two repeating DTMF tones and (3) an ending delimiter tone comprising a combination of (1) a 1633 Hz tone and (2) a tone selected from the set consisting of 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying, in the received voice band signals, of the delimiter tone comprises identifying either the starting delimiter tone or the ending delimiter tone, the identifying of the at least one informational tone comprises identifying one of two or more repeating DTMF tones, and the determining comprises matching the sequence of the identified delimiter and the one identified informational tone to corresponding tones of the cancel transfer code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying, in the received voice band signals, of the delimiter tone comprises identifying the starting delimiter tone and the ending delimiter tone, and the identifying of the at least one informational tone comprises identifying only one of two or more available repeating DTMF tones, and the determining comprises matching the sequence of the starting delimiter tone, the one informational tone, and the ending delimiter tone to a corresponding feature code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-defined group of feature codes comprises a finish transfer code, which is defined as a starting delimiter tone comprising a combination of (1) a 1633 Hz tone and (2) two repeating DTMF tones and (3) an ending delimiter tone comprising a combination of (1) a 1633 Hz tone and (2) a tone selected from the set consisting of 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz.

10. A system for providing enterprise voice services to mobile phones, comprising:

a mobile device comprising

a voice channel interface,

a processor, and

a computer readable medium storing instructions for configuring the processor to perform a method comprising

receiving a control command through the user interface,

mapping the control command to a sequence of DTMF tones comprising a start delimiter, at least two informational tones-, and a stop delimiter, and

causing the sequence of DTMF tones to be modulated over the voice channel interface; and

a server comprising

a voice channel interface for communicating over a voice channel with the voice channel interface of the mobile device,

a computer readable medium storing respective descriptions for DTMF tones composing each of a group of feature codes,

a DTMF detector module operable for detecting delimiter tones and informational tones on the voice channel interface,

a DTMF tone translator operable for mapping a composition of a detected delimiter tone and at least one detected informational tone, when one or more of the at least two informational tones is not detected, into a feature code by matching the composition either to the start delimiter and the informational tone that follows or the stop delimiter and the preceding informational tone and outputting the mapped feature code.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the DTMF tone translator module is operable to perform the mapping based on a current call state.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the DTMF tone translator maps the composition of the detected delimiter tone and the detected informational tone to tones for feature codes available during the current call state.