Voice quality analysis device and method thereof

• US 8,908,542 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Prerak
• Primary Examiner(s): RIYAMI, ABDULLAH A
• Application Number:
  US12/644,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/252, 370/259, 370/390, 370/389, 370/352, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 379/32.01, 379/32.02, 379/32.03, 379/35, 379/85, 379/207.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/221.15, 455/9, 455/67.12, 455/414.1, 455/417, 709/227, 709/230, 726/1, 726/21, 726/23
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1023 Media gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2236 Quality of speech transmission monitoring

Abstract

A portion of a voice call is forked by copying packets associated with voice call at a device providing an interface between two networks. The packets to be copied are identified based on address and port information associated with the voice call. The portion of the voice call is analyzed to determine the source of any voice quality issues associated with the call.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first packet at a processing device, wherein the first packet is associated with a voice call;

copying, in response to determining that a first address associated with the first packet matches a second address identified for call forking, a payload of the first packet to a second packet at the processing device;

communicating the first packet from the processing device to a target associated with the first address;

determining a voice quality characteristic of the voice call based on the second packet;

determining an identity of a network responsible for the voice quality characteristic;

instructing the network responsible for the voice quality characteristic to reconfigure a switch in the network to create a different connection between a media gateway and the target so as to prevent crosstalk; and

taking a remedial measure based on the voice quality characteristic and based on the identity of the network, wherein the remedial measure is selected from the group consisting of rerouting a third packet associated with the voice call, changing a quality of service policy associated with the voice call, and changing a connection at a first public switched telephone network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the voice quality characteristic comprises:

constructing a copy of a portion of the voice call based on the second packet; and

determining the voice quality characteristic of the copy of the voice call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first packet comprises receiving the first packet from a first network associated with a first communication protocol and wherein communicating the first packet from the processing device comprises communicating the first packet via a second network associated with a second communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first network is the public switched telephone network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second network is a packet-switched network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing device comprises the media gateway device that provides an interface between two networks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein copying the first packet comprises copying the first packet in response to determining a first port number associated with the first packet matches a second port number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice quality characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a signal-to-noise ratio and a percentage of lost information.

9. A device, comprising:

a processor that executes instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a first packet;

communicating the first packet to a target associated with a first address, the first packet associated with a voice call;

copying, in response to determining that the first address matches a second address identified for call forking, the first packet to a second packet; and

forwarding the second packet for analysis of voice quality of the voice call, wherein a remedial measure is taken based on the analysis of voice quality and based on an identification of a network responsible for a problem detected in the voice quality of the voice call, wherein the remedial measure is selected from the group consisting of rerouting a third packet associated with the voice call, changing a quality of service policy associated with the voice call, and changing a connection at a public switched telephone network, and wherein an instruction is sent to the network responsible for the problem to reconfigure a switch in the network to create a different connection between a media gateway and the target so as to prevent crosstalk.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise constructing a copy of a portion of the voice call based on the second packet and a third packet.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the first packet from a first network associated with a first communication protocol and communicating the first packet to the target via a second network associated with a second communication protocol.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first network is the public switched telephone network.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the second network is a packet-switched network.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the analysis of voice quality is selected from the group consisting of a signal-to-noise ratio and a percentage of lost information.