Error correction for DTMF corruption on uplink

• US 8,423,102 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• 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:
  US13/494,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20120258698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 455/415, 455/456.4, 455/417, 455/414.1
• 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 method of receiving commands during a call over a channel, the commands based on tone description data for at least one feature code, each at least one feature code defined by a start delimiter tone, a stop delimiter tone, and a pre-determined number of at least two informational tones, the method comprising:

receiving a signal over the channel;

identifying, in the received signal, a delimiter tone and at least one 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 signal; and

determining a feature code based on the identified delimiter tone and the identified at least one informational tone.

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

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the state of the call comprises a call transfer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determined feature code is indicative of a cancellation of the 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 an acknowledgment feature code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature code comprises a cancel transfer code, which is defined as a start 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 about 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the delimiter tone comprises identifying either the start delimiter tone or the stop delimiter tone, and the identifying of the at least one informational tone comprises identifying one of two or more repeating DTMF tones.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying 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 exactly one or exactly two of two or more available repeating DTMF tones, and the determining comprises matching the sequence of the start delimiter tone, the at least one informational tone, and the stop delimiter tone to a corresponding feature code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature code comprises a finish transfer code, which is defined as a start delimiter tone comprising a combination of (1) a 1633 Hz tone and (2) two repeating DTMF tones and (3) a stop delimiter tone comprising a combination of (1) a 1633 Hz tone and (2) a tone selected from the set consisting of about 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz.

10. A system for providing enterprise services, comprising:

an electronic device comprising;

a channel interface,

a processor coupled to the interface, and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a control command through the interface,

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

causing the sequence descriptive of DTMF tones to be modulated via the channel interface; and

a server comprising;

a first channel interface configurable to communicate over a channel with the channel interface of the electronic device,

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing sequences descriptive of DTMF tones composing each of a group of feature codes,

a detection module operable to detect tones on the first channel interface, and

a translation module configurable for mapping 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 one of the group of feature codes by matching the composition either to the start delimiter and an informational tone that follows or the stop delimiter and a preceding informational tone.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the translation module is further configurable to map based on a current call state.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the translation module is operative to map the detected delimiter tone and the detected informational tone to at least one tone corresponding to at least one feature code available during a current call state.

13. A method comprising:

determining, at an electronic device, a command for controlling a voice telephone call between the electronic device and a terminating entity;

formulating a DTMF tone sequence indicative of a feature code, the DTMF tone sequence comprising a start delimiter tone, at least two informational tones such that a feature code is determinable by the terminating entity even if one or more of the at least two information tones is not detected, and a stop delimiter tone, each of the start delimiter tone and the stop delimiter tone comprising a DTMF tone defined by a combination of a 1633 Hz tone and a tone selected from the set consisting of about 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz; and

modulating the DTMF tone sequence on a voice channel between the electronic device and the terminating entity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control command comprises a cancel of a transfer operation command, and the at least two informational tones comprise at least two repeating DTMF tones.

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

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 delimiter tone and at least one informational tone but fewer than the pre-determined number of informational tones;

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,

wherein the 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 about 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz.

16. The method of claim 15, 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, and 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.

17. The method of claim 15, 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.

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

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 and at least one received informational tone but fewer than the pre-determined number of informational tones;

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,

wherein the group of feature codes comprises a finish transfer code corresponding to 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 about 697 Hz, 770 Hz, 852 Hz, and 941 Hz.

19. The method of claim 18, 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, and the identifying of the at least one received 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.

20. The method of claim 18, 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.