Communication system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9332094-B2
Application number	US-201514601988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2015
Priority date	Feb 21, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A modem is disclosed. An embodiment thereof includes: a first interface arranged to connect to a network, a second interface arranged to connect to a host processor on the terminal, an audio interface arranged to connect to an audio processing means and a processing unit arranged to receive a plurality of parameters from the terminal via the second interface. The plurality of parameters are associated with a call established by the host processor to at least one further terminal connected to the network; wherein the processing unit is further arranged to receive input voice data from the audio processing means, process the input voice data in dependence on at least one of said parameters; and transmit the processed input voice data via the first interface to the at least one further terminal over said network during the call in dependence on a further at least one of said parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modem for use at a terminal, the modem comprising:
a first interface arranged to connect to a network;
a second interface arranged to connect to a host processor on the terminal;
an audio interface arranged to connect to an audio processing means; and
a processing unit arranged to receive a plurality of parameters from the host processor via the second interface, the plurality of parameters associated with a call established by the host processor to at least one further terminal connected to the network;
a memory coupled to the processing unit, the memory arranged to store code which when executed by the processing unit encodes input voice data;
wherein the processing unit is further arranged to receive the input voice data from the audio processing means via the audio interface and process the input voice data in dependence on at least one of said parameters;
wherein the processing unit is further arranged to transmit the processed input voice data via the first interface to the at least one further terminal over said network during the call in dependence on a further at least one of said parameters.

2. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprise a parameter indicating a type of audio codec to be used to encode audio data in the call, and the processing unit is arranged to encode the input voice data in dependence on the type of audio codec.

3. The modem of claim 2 , wherein the audio codec to be used to encode audio data in the call is arranged to encode audio data at variable bit rates, the plurality of parameters further comprise a parameter indicating the bit rates available to the audio codec to encode audio data and the processing unit is arranged to encode the input voice data at one of the available bit rates.

4. The modem of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit comprises a hardware codec module to encode the input voice data.

5. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprise at least one destination Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the at least one further terminal, and the processing unit is arranged to transmit the processed input voice data via the first interface over said network to the at least one destination IP address during the call.

6. The modem of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of parameters further comprise at least one destination User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port number each corresponding to one of the at least one destination Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and the processing unit is arranged to transmit the processed input voice data via the first interface over said network to the UDP port number associated with the destination IP address during the call.

7. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is further arranged to form the processed input voice data into IP packets in accordance with Internet Protocols for transmission to the at least one further terminal over said network.

8. The modem of claim 7 , wherein the processing unit is further arranged to form the processed input voice data into Internet Protocol (IP) packets in accordance with the Real Time Protocol (RTP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Internet Protocol (IP) standards.

9. The modem of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprise:
a Synchronisation Source (SSRC) identifier, the SSRC identifier transmitted to the at least one further terminal in an RTP header of the IP packets; and
at least one source UDP port number associated with said terminal, the at least one source UDP port number transmitted to the at least one further terminal in a UDP header of the IP packets; and a source IP address associated with said terminal, the source IP address transmitted to the at least one further terminal in an IP header of the IP packets.

10. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is arranged to receive the plurality of parameters from the host processor via the second interface in an Attention (AT) Command.

11. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is arranged to receive data from the network via the first interface and the processing unit is further arranged to route the received data to the host processor via the second interface or route the received data within the modem for further processing.

12. The modem of claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is arranged to route received audio data within the modem for further processing, and route all other data to the host processor via the second interface.

13. The modem of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprise a parameter indicating a type of audio codec to be used to decode the received audio data in the call, and the processing unit is arranged to decode the received voice data in dependence on the type of audio codec.

14. The modem of claim 13 , wherein the processing unit is arranged to transmit decoded voice data to the audio processing means via the audio interface.

15. The modem of claim 11 , wherein the processing unit is arranged to receive audio data in the form of IP packets and the processing unit is arranged to route the received IP packets based on:
i) a protocol transported by the received IP packets;
ii) a UDP source port number transported in a UDP header of the received IP packets; or
iii) a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) bearer on which the audio data was received at the modem.

16. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the terminal comprises a housing and the modem is an internal module within said terminal housing.

17. The modem of claim 16 , wherein the second interface comprises a wired connector or connection within said terminal housing to connect to the host processor.

18. The modem of claim 16 , wherein the first interface connects to a first wireless transceiver of said terminal for connecting to the network.

19. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the modem comprises an external unit for use at the terminal.

20. The modem of claim 19 , wherein the second interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

21. The modem of claim 19 , wherein the modem comprises a dongle housing, said modem for plugging into said terminal via the second interface.

22. The modem of claim 19 , wherein the first interface comprises a first wireless transceiver for connecting to the network.

23. The modem of claim 19 , wherein the second interface comprises a second wireless transceiver for connecting to the terminal via a local wireless connection.

24. The modem of claim 1 , wherein the modem comprises a mobile phone housing for connecting to said terminal via the second interface, the mobile phone thus being operable as a telephone and as an external wireless cellular modem for the terminal.

25. A computer program product for operating a modem for use at a terminal, the modem having a processing unit, a first interface arranged to connect to a network, a second interface arranged to connect to a host processor on the terminal, an audio interface arranged to connect to an audio processing means, and memory arranged to couple to the processing unit;
wherein the computer program product comprises code embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and configured so as when executed on the processing unit of said modem to:
receive a plurality of parameters from the host processor via the second interface, the plurality of parameters associated with a call established by the host processor to at least one further termin

Assignees

• Nvidia Corp

Inventors

• Belghoul Farouk
• Cumming Pete
• Delorme Flavien
• Besson Fabien
• De Smet Bruno
• Cormack Callum

Classifications

• H04M11/06

  Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors · CPC title

• H04M1/0202 Primary

  Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets (constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03) · CPC title

• H04M1/2535 Primary

  adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network (Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16) · CPC title

• H04M1/60

  including speech amplifiers · CPC title