Phone messaging using audio streams

• US 8,712,451 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dhanakshirur, Girish, Wilson, Leslie Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US11/927,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20090111432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412, 455/1, 455/413, 455/414.1, 379 8804- 8818
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method of phone messaging includes encoding a data packet into an audio stream, said data packet comprising a message addressed to a mobile device operating in a wireless network, placing a call to said mobile device using a voice channel of said wireless network, transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device, and reconstructing said data packet from said audio stream.

Claims

1. A method of phone messaging, the method comprising:

receiving a data packet, the data packet including a non-voice message for a recipient;

analyzing the data packet to identify the mobile device associated with the recipient, a message type of the non-voice message, a current location of the mobile device, and a wireless network currently serving the mobile device;

determining whether the mobile device is accessible for messaging;

determining whether the wireless network supports the message type;

if it is determined that the mobile device is accessible for messaging and the wireless network supports the message type, delivering the non-voice message over a data channel of the wireless network; and

if it is determined that the mobile device is not accessible for messaging or the wireless network does not support the message type, performing the following steps;

encoding the data packet into an audio stream, the encoding comprising converting said data packet into a stream of characters corresponding to characters in a character set; and

generating said audio stream using a plurality of different sounds associated with each of said characters in said character set;

responsive to the encoding, placing a call to said mobile device using a voice channel of said wireless network; and

responsive to the placing of the call, storing said audio stream for later access by the recipient as a voice message in a voice mail system associated with the mobile device if the mobile device is unavailable for a voice call, else transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device,

wherein the audio stream is encoded such that the mobile device can reconstruct said data packet from said audio stream to retrieve the non-voice message, and wherein the placing comprises configuring the call to signal to the mobile device that the audio stream comprises the non-voice message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said different sounds comprises a distinct DTMF tone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each one said different sounds comprises an utterance of said one associated one of said characters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said reconstructing step further comprises speech recognition of each of said utterances.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prior to said transmitting step, negotiating transmission parameters for transmitting said audio stream.

6. A system for phone messaging, the system comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive a data packet, the data packet including a non-voice message for a recipient;

analyze the data packet to identify the mobile device associated with the recipient, a message type of the non-voice message, a current location of the mobile device, and a wireless network currently serving the mobile device;

determine whether the mobile device is accessible for messaging;

determine whether the wireless network supports the message type;

if it is determined that the mobile device is accessible for messaging and the wireless network supports the message type, deliver the non-voice message over a data channel of the wireless network; and

if it is determined that the mobile device is not accessible for messaging or the wireless network does not support the message type, perform the following steps;

encoding the data packet into an audio stream, the encoding comprising converting said data packet into a stream of characters corresponding to characters in a character set; and

generating said audio stream using a plurality of different sounds associated with each of said characters in said character set;

responsive to the encoding, placing a call to said mobile device using a voice channel of said wireless network; and

responsive to the placing of the call, storing said audio stream for later access by the recipient as a voice message in a voice mail system associated with the mobile device if the mobile device is unavailable for a voice call, else transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device,

wherein the audio stream is encoded such that the mobile device can reconstruct said data packet from said audio stream to retrieve the non-voice message, and wherein the placing comprises configuring the call to signal to the mobile device that the audio stream comprises the non-voice message.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of said different sounds comprises a distinct multi-frequency tone.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each one said different sounds comprises an utterance of said one associated one of said characters.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein prior to transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device, the system negotiates transmission parameters for transmitting said audio stream.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a computer for causing the computer to perform the steps of:

receiving a data packet, the data packet including a non-voice message for a recipient;

analyzing the data packet to identify the mobile device associated with the recipient, a message type of the non-voice message, a current location of the mobile device, and a wireless network currently serving the mobile device;

determining whether the mobile device is accessible for messaging;

determining whether the wireless network supports the message type;

if it is determined that the mobile device is accessible for messaging and the wireless network supports the message type, delivering the non-voice message over a data channel of the wireless network; and

if it is determined that the mobile device is not accessible for messaging and/or the wireless network does not support the message type, performing the following steps;

encoding the data packet into an audio stream, the encoding comprising converting said data packet into a stream of characters corresponding to characters in a character set; and

generating said audio stream using a plurality of different sounds associated with each of said characters in said character set;

responsive to the encoding, placing a call to said mobile device using a voice channel of said wireless network; and

responsive to the placing of the call, storing said audio stream for later access by the recipient as a voice message in a voice mail system associated with the mobile device if the mobile device is unavailable for a voice call, else transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device,

wherein the audio stream is encoded such that the mobile device can reconstruct said data packet from said audio stream to retrieve the non-voice message, and wherein the placing comprises configuring the call to signal to the mobile device that the audio stream comprises the non-voice message.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each of said different sounds comprises a distinct multi-frequency tone.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each one said different sounds comprises an utterance of said one associated one of said characters.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein said reconstructing step further comprises codes sections for speech recognition of each of said utterances.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising code sections for:

prior to said transmitting step, negotiating transmission parameters for transmitting said audio stream.