System and method for applications based on voice over internet protocol (VoIP) Communications

• US 8,630,283 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Breau, Jeremy R., Miller, Eric E., Ng, Sei Y., Persson, Carl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kassim, Khaled
• Application Number:
  US12/718,420
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

A system is provided comprising an application server and a media proxy. The application server comprises a first processor, a first memory, and a first application stored in the first memory that, when executed by the first processor, transmits a first digital media stream for mixing with a first voice over internet protocol (VoIP) stream. The media proxy is stored in a second memory and, when executed by a second processor, receives the first voice over internet protocol stream, mixes the first digital media stream with the first voice over internet protocol stream to produce a second voice over internet protocol stream, transmits the second voice over internet protocol stream, receives a third voice over internet protocol stream, produces a fourth internet protocol stream based on the third internet protocol stream, and transmits the fourth internet protocol stream.

Claims

1. A method for providing voice over internet protocol applications, comprising:

receiving, by an activation server, a subscription message transmitted by a first portable electronic device, wherein the subscription message identifies a selected voice over internet protocol application service and a trigger signal that the first portable electronic device will send to invoke the selected voice over internet protocol application service;

transmitting, by the activation server, a subscribe information message to a voice over internet protocol application server, wherein the subscribe information message contains information identifying the first portable electronic device, information identifying the trigger signal, and information identifying the selected voice over internet protocol application service;

transmitting, by the voice over internet protocol application server, a set up message to a home subscription server (HSS), wherein the set up message contains the information identifying the trigger signal and session initiation protocol routing information;

establishing, by a media proxy application, a voice over internet protocol call from the first portable electronic device to a second portable electronic device, wherein establishing the voice over internet protocol call from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device comprises;

opening, by the media proxy application, a first receive port and a first transmit port coupling the first portable electronic device to the media proxy application;

opening, by the media proxy application, a second receive port and a second transmit port coupling the second portable electronic device to the media proxy application; and

reserving, by the media proxy application, at least one set of voice over internet protocol application ports at a predefined offset from the first transmit port, the second transmit port, the first receive port, and the second receive port;

receiving, by the voice over internet protocol application server, the trigger signal transmitted by the home subscription server;

providing, by the voice over internet protocol application server to the media proxy application, the selected voice over internet protocol application service, wherein the selected voice over internet protocol application service comprises a digital media stream of audio content that is configured to be mixed with a voice over internet protocol stream; and

mixing, by the media proxy application, the audio content with the voice over internet protocol stream to produce a mixed voice over internet protocol stream, wherein the mixed voice over internet protocol stream is transmitted to the first portable electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying payment by the activation server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein verifying payment comprises the activation server communicating with a billing server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the voice over internet protocol application server provides the selected voice over internet protocol service as one of a pre-paid service and a post-paid service.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the voice over internet protocol application server provides the selected voice over internet protocol service as a single use service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the trigger signal comprises receiving from the first portable electronic device audio content comprising speech and analyzing the speech to identify at least one command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected voice over internet protocol application service is provided by the voice over internet protocol application server via the media proxy application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media proxy application is stored in a memory in the voice over internet protocol application server, and wherein the voice over internet protocol stream is transmitted from the first portable electronic device to another the second portable electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the media proxy application is stored in a memory in the first portable electronic device, and wherein the mixed voice over internet protocol stream is transmitted from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the media proxy application, a second digital media stream from the voice over internet protocol application server;

receiving, by the media proxy application, a second voice over internet protocol stream from the second portable electronic device;

mixing, by the media proxy, the second voice over internet protocol stream with the second digital media stream to produce a second mixed voice over internet protocol stream; and

transmitting, by the media proxy, the second mixed voice over internet protocol stream.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital media stream is a real time protocol (RTP) stream.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the voice over internet protocol stream, the second voice over internet protocol stream, the mixed voice over internet protocol stream, and the second mixed voice over internet protocol stream are real time protocol (RTP) streams.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice over internet protocol application server transmits the digital media stream based at least in part on digital media received from at least one of a calendar application, a real simple syndication (RSS) feed, a content server, and a subscription news service.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the media proxy application executes on at least one of a server in a call path between the first portable electronic device and the second portable electronic device, the voice over internet protocol application server, and the first portable electronic device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing, by the media proxy application, the audio content with a second voice over internet protocol stream to produce a second mixed voice over internet protocol stream, wherein the second mixed voice over internet protocol stream is transmitted to the second portable electronic device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice over internet protocol application server transmits the audio content to the media proxy application over one port of the at least one set of reserved voice over internet protocol application ports.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the home subscription server uses the session initiation protocol routing information to transmit the application initiation message to the voice over internet protocol application server.