Systems, methods and apparatus for transmitting data over a voice channel of a wireless telephone network using multiple frequency shift-keying modulation

• US 8,717,971 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Manne, Gopi K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Renner, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUSA, ABDELNABI O
• Application Number:
  US12/058,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20090247152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: 370/322, 370/348, 370/343, 455/400, 455/450, 455/464, 455/509, 455/511, 455/158.2
• US Class Current: 370/322
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus, systems and methods which facilitate the transmission of data between a client device and a remote device over a voice channel of a telephone network. More particularly, data from a client device is modulated into an audio signal using multiple frequency shift keying (MFSK) techniques and transmitted to the remote device over a voice channel of a wireless telephone network during a phone call. The frequency of the audio signal is selected based on the value of the data to be transmitted. The remote device receives the audio signal and determines the frequency of the audio signal to extract the transmitted data.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data between a client device and a remote device, the method comprising:

defining a set of bit patterns, each bit pattern having M bits, M being an integer greater than 1;

assigning a different discrete frequency tone of a plurality of discrete frequency tones to each bit pattern of the set of bit patterns, each assigned frequency tone corresponding to M bits of data, wherein M is associated with an amount of frequency separation between each discrete frequency tone of the plurality of discrete frequency tones and wherein the amount of frequency separation is detectable within a single voice frame of a wireless telephone network;

identifying multiple bits of input data for transmission from a client device to a remote device;

dividing the multiple bits of input data for transmission into a plurality of output bit patterns when the input data is greater than M bits, each output bit pattern having M bits;

selecting, for each of the divided output bit patterns, the corresponding discrete frequency tone from the plurality of discrete frequency tones that is assigned to the respective output bit pattern;

modulating the selected discrete frequency tones into an audio signal for a selected period of time, wherein the period of time corresponds with a size of a frame utilized by the wireless telephone network; and

transmitting the audio signal from the client device to the remote device over a voice channel of the wireless telephone network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the audio signal further comprises:

transmitting the audio signal from the client device to a wireless telephone; and

transmitting the audio signal from the wireless telephone to the remote device over the wireless telephone network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the audio signal from the client device to a wireless telephone further comprises:

transmitting the audio signal from the client device to the wireless telephone over a wireless connection.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the audio signal from the client device to a wireless telephone further comprises:

transmitting the audio signal from the client device to the wireless telephone over a cable communicatively coupled between the client device and the wireless telephone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the audio signal at the remote device;

performing a frequency selection analysis on the audio signal to identify a bin corresponding with the audio signal; and

decoding the data based on the identified bin.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the frequency selection analysis includes a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis.

7. A method for receiving data from a remote device over a telephone network, the method comprising:

defining a set of bit pattern indexes, each bit pattern index corresponding to one of a plurality of bins, each bin corresponding to an M bit pattern, M being an integer greater than 1;

assigning a different discrete frequency tone of a plurality of discrete frequency tones to each bit pattern index, each assigned frequency tone corresponding to M bits of data, wherein M is associated with an amount of frequency separation between each discrete frequency tone of the plurality of discrete frequency tones and wherein the amount of frequency separation is detectable within a single voice frame of a wireless telephone network;

receiving an audio signal from a remote device through a telephone network, the audio signal representing multiple bits of data, wherein the audio signal is transmitted from the remote device to the telephone network through a wireless telephone network;

performing a frequency selection analysis on the audio signal to identify discrete frequency tones of the audio signal, wherein each discrete frequency tone corresponds with a bit pattern index value of a bin utilized in the frequency selection analysis; and

decoding each bit pattern index value into M bits of the multiple bits of data transmitted by the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data includes ordering information, and wherein the method further comprises:

generating a bill for a user of the client device based on the ordering information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the frequency selection analysis includes a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis.

10. An entertainment device comprising:

an input module that receives video content from a content source;

a processor communicatively coupled to the input module that outputs the video content for presentation on a presentation device and further aggregates data regarding the video content;

an interface module communicatively coupled to the processor and communicatively coupled to a wireless telephone that;

defines a set of bit patterns, each bit pattern having M bits, M being an integer greater than 1;

assigns a different discrete frequency tone of a plurality of discrete frequency tones to each bit pattern of the set of bit patterns, each assigned frequency tone corresponding to M bits of data, wherein M is associated with an amount of frequency separation between each discrete frequency tone of the plurality of discrete frequency tones and wherein the amount of frequency separation is detectable within a single voice frame of a wireless telephone network;

initiates a voice phone call to a remote device through the wireless telephone;

identifies multiple bits of the aggregated data for transmission to the remote device;

divides the multiple bits of aggregated data for transmission into a plurality of output bit patterns when the aggregated data is greater than M bits, each output bit pattern having M bits;

selects, for each of the divided output bit patterns, the corresponding discrete frequency tone from the plurality of discrete frequency tones assigned to the respective output bit pattern;

modulates the selected discrete frequency tones into an audio signal for a selected period of time, wherein the period of time corresponds with a size of a frame utilized by the wireless telephone network; and

transmits the audio signal to the wireless telephone, wherein the wireless telephone transmits the audio signal to the remote device over the wireless telephone network during the voice phone call.

11. The entertainment device of claim 10, wherein the interface module includes a wireless transceiver that communicates with the wireless telephone.

12. The entertainment device of claim 11, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured as a wireless headset of the wireless telephone.

13. The entertainment device of claim 10, wherein the interface module includes an input port that receives a cable, the cable communicatively coupling the interface module and the wireless telephone.

14. The entertainment device of claim 10, wherein the interface module:

receives a second audio signal from the wireless telephone, the second audio signal originating from the remote device and representing the multiple bits of received data;

identifies a frequency of the second audio signal;

performs a frequency selection analysis on the audio signal to identify an index value of a bin corresponding with the audio signal; and

decodes the index value into the multiple bits of the received data transmitted by the entertainment device.

15. The entertainment device of claim 14, wherein the frequency selection analysis includes a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis.

16. A call processing system comprising:

an interface module configured to receive a phone call from a client device, the phone call including data modulated into an audio signal, the audio signal representing multiple bits (M) of data, wherein the audio signal is transmitted from the client device to the interface module through a wireless telephone network;

a storage medium configured to store information regarding the client device;

a decoder communicatively coupled to the interface module, the decoder configured to;

identify a frequency of the audio signal, the frequency of the audio signal including one discrete frequency of two to the power of M discrete frequencies, wherein the one discrete frequency corresponds to M bits of data, wherein M is associated with an amount of frequency separation between each discrete frequency of the two to the power of M discrete frequencies and wherein the amount of frequency separation is detectable within a single voice frame of a wireless telephone network;

perform a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis on the audio signal to identify an index value of a bin corresponding with the audio signal; and

decode the index value into the multiple bits (M) of the data transmitted by the client device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage medium and communicatively coupled to the decoder, the processor configured to associate the data with the stored information regarding the client device.

17. The call processing system of claim 16, wherein:

the client device includes an entertainment device;

the data includes video ordering information; and

the processor is configured to generate a bill for a user of the entertainment device based on the video ordering information and the stored information.

18. The call processing system of claim 16, wherein a number of bins utilized in the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis is two to the power of M.

19. The call processing system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to identify second data for transmission to the client device, and wherein the interface module is configured to:

identify multiple bits (M) of the second data for transmission to the client device;

select a second frequency corresponding with a value of the second data from a plurality of discrete frequency tones, each of the discrete frequency tones representing multiple bit (M) values of input data;

modulate a second audio signal based on the second frequency; and

transmit the second audio signal to the client device over the wireless telephone network.