Infrastructure for enabling high quality real-time audio

• US 20070116186A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhong, Wei, Han, Mu, Barkley, Warren, Pall, Gurdeep
• Granted Patent: US 7,804,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/9.60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0072 Speech codec negotiation H04L65/1069 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1225 Details of core network interconnection arrangements

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that improve media communications. In one embodiment, a media server receives a media communication with a first quality from a personal computer with VoIP telephone capabilities. The media server translates the media (e.g., audio, visual, etc.) communication into a second quality, and forwards the media communication to a communication gateway. The translation to improve communications can also be done when receiving the media communication from the communication gateway for forwarding to the persona computer having VoIP telephone capability. In some embodiments, a media server sits in the communication channel between a personal computer with VoIP telephone capabilities and a communication gateway and is able to translate communications into codec protocols they each understand.

Claims

1. A media server for use in a communications system, comprising:

a media server configured to be inserted into a communication path between at least one personal computer having VoIP capability and at least one communication gateway;

wherein the media server is operable to improve a quality of communications between the computer having VoIP capability and the communication gateway; and

wherein the media server is operable to receive a media communication encoded according to a first codec from the personal computer having VoIP capability, translate the audio communication according to a second codec, and forward the translated audio communication to the communication gateway.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first codec is RTAudio.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second codec is selected from the group of G.7XX codecs.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication gateway is selected from the group of a fixed communication gateway and a mobile communication gateway.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mobile communication gateway is selected from the group of a cellular gateway, a mesh network gateway, a wireless metropolitan area network, and a wireless local area network.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the fixed communication gateway is selected from the group of a public switched telephone network gateway and a cable network gateway.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the media server is operable to communicate with the personal computer to determine which particular codec protocol from a plurality of codec protocols to use as the second codec for translating the media communication.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first codec and the second codec are based on a same codec protocol, wherein the media communication is decoded according to a first codec to generate media data, wherein the media data is modified to increase the quality, and wherein the modified media data is encoded according to the first codec protocol and forwarded to the communication gateway.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the media data includes at least one selected from the group of audio data and video data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the media communication is at least one selected from the group of audible, visual, and multimedia communications.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the media server is further operable to facilitate a three-way communication between a first person, a second person, and a third person, and wherein the first person participates in the three-way communication using the personal computer having VoIP capability.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the media server is operable to allow the second person to participate in the three-way communication using a telephone selected from the group consisting of a wired telephone and a wireless telephone.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the media server is operable to allow the third person to participate in the three-way communication using instant messaging.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the media server is operable to traverse a firewall in a secure fashion to allow the audio communication to go through securely.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the media server is operable to improve the quality of communications between the personal computer and the communication gateway because of the translation of the audio communication from the first codec into the second codec, wherein the first codec is not supported on the communication gateway and the second codec is supported on the communication gateway.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

translating an audio communication received from a personal computer with VoIP communication capabilities from a first codec protocol to a second codec protocol and forwarding the translated call to a telephone gateway; and

if the audio communication would be unable to reach an intended destination because of a firewall block, providing a feature to traverse the firewall in a secure fashion so the translated communication can pass through.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

providing a feature to enable three-way communication between three parties, with at least one of the three parties using the personal computer having VoIP capability.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second codec protocol has the higher quality because quality parameter are adjusted during the translation to the second codec protocol.

19. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a media server, an audio communication having a first quality from a personal computer with VoIP telephone capabilities;

adjusting the audio communication to a second quality at the media server; and

forwarding, from the media server, the second quality audio communication to a communication gateway.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the adjusting further comprises correcting the audio communication for jitter.