System and method for limiting the bit rate of enhanced voice services (EVS) - Patents.com

Abstract

The present disclosure enables providing bit rate limiting for voice services originating from and received by a wireless device. The system and method facilitate receiving, by a communication server, a data packet from a user equipment (UE) associated with the communication server. The data packet includes a bit rate value of an EVS codec. Further, the bit rate value of the received data packet is compared with at least one predefined bit rate configuration. In addition, to enhance the EVS, if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations, the bit rate value of the received data packet is modified.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Reservation of Rights Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyright, designs, trademarks, integrated circuit (IC) layout designs, and / or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred to as the Owner). The Owner has no objection to anyone copying this patent document or the patent disclosure to the extent that it appears in a Patent and Trademark Office patent application or records, but otherwise reserves all rights. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the Owner.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to wireless devices, and more particularly, to a system and method for providing bit rate limiting for voice services originating from and received by a wireless device in an LTE network. [Background technology]

[0003] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information regarding the field of the present disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, this section should be understood as being used only to enhance the reader's understanding of the present disclosure and not as an admission of prior art.

[0004] The Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec is a conversational multi-rate codec that provides enhanced voice services over LTE (Long Term Evolution), especially in IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) with packet-based access. In general, the EVS codec supports 12 bit rates ranging from 5.9 kbps to 128 kbps. Depending on the application, the received input signal can be sampled at four sampling rates, namely 8KHz (narrowband), 16KHz (wideband), 32KHz (super-wideband), and 48KHz (fullband). The NG114 specification requires global carriers to support super-wideband (SWB) voice, but limits the available bit rate to 24.4 kbps. Furthermore, a comparison of voice quality with the Adaptive Multi-Rate-Wideband (AMR-WB) voice codec suggests that bit rates below 24.4 kbps can provide the best quality Mean Opinion Score (MOS) while providing optimal use of network bandwidth.

[0005] On the contrary, during the codec negotiation procedure, end-user equipment involved in the communication within the communication network is allowed to transmit and receive voice services at any bit rate, leading to excessive consumption and waste of bandwidth which may be undesirable.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for techniques to control the bit rate of voice-based services to avoid consuming excessive bandwidth in wireless networks. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for limiting a bit rate of an Enhanced Voice Service (EVS). The system may include a communication server communicatively coupled to a communication network. The communication server may include one or more processors coupled to a memory. The memory may store instructions executed by the one or more processors. The communication server may be configured to receive a data packet from a user equipment (UE) via the communication network. The data packet may include a bit rate value of an EVS codec, and the EVS codec may enhance communication quality of the voice service. The communication server may be configured to compare the bit rate value of the received data packet with at least one predefined bit rate configuration. Furthermore, the communication server may modify the bit rate value of the received data packet when the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations for enhancing the EVS.

[0008] In one embodiment, the predefined bitrate configuration may include multiple possible variations of bitrate values ​​for the EVS codec.

[0009] In one embodiment, the communication server may facilitate reducing the maximum bit rate of the EVS codec to a predetermined value when a bit rate value of a received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations.

[0010] In one embodiment, based on the bit rate value of the received data packet not matching each of the predefined bit rate configurations, the one or more processors may reduce the maximum bit rate value to a predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is less than the predetermined value. Additionally, the one or more processors may replace the received bit rate value with the predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is equal to the predetermined value. The one or more processors may maintain the received bit rate value if the minimum bit rate value is greater than the predetermined value.

[0011] In one embodiment, the communication server may correspond to a Converge Telephony Application Server (CTAS).

[0012] In one embodiment, the communication server may be configured to modify a bit rate parameter of the received data packets.

[0013] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for limiting a bit rate of Enhanced Voice Services (EVS). The method may include receiving, by a communication server, a data packet from a user equipment (UE) associated with the communication server. The data packet may include a bit rate value of an EVS codec. The method may include comparing, by the communication server, the bit rate value of the received data packet with at least one predefined bit rate configuration. The method may further include modifying, by the communication server, the bit rate value of the received data packet when the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations for enhancing the EVS.

[0014] In one embodiment, the predefined bitrate configuration may include multiple possible variations of bitrate values ​​for the EVS codec.

[0015] In one embodiment, the method may include facilitating, by the communication server, lowering a maximum bit rate of the EVS codec to a predetermined value when a bit rate value of a received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations.

[0016] In one embodiment, based on the bit rate value of the received data packet not matching each of the predefined bit rate configurations, the method may include decreasing, by the communication server, the maximum bit rate value to a predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is less than the predetermined value. The method may include replacing, by the communication server, the received bit rate value with the predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is equal to the predetermined value. Additionally, the method may include maintaining, by the communication server, the received bit rate value if the minimum bit rate value is greater than the predetermined value.

[0017] In one embodiment, the communication server corresponds to a Converge Telephony Application Server (CTAS).

[0018] In one embodiment, the method may include modifying, by the communications server, a bit rate parameter of the received data packets.

[0019] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a user equipment communicatively coupled to a communication server. The user equipment may include one or more primary processors communicatively coupled to one or more processors of the communication server, the one or more primary processors being coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions executed by the one or more primary processors to cause the user equipment to transmit data packets to the communication server over a communication network. The communication server may be configured to receive, from the UE, a data packet including a bit rate value of an Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec, compare the bit rate value of the received data packet with at least one predefined bit rate configuration, and modify the bit rate value of the received data packet if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations for enhancing the EVS.

[0020] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes processor-executable instructions that cause a processor to perform the steps of the method, as discussed above.

[0021] An object of the present disclosure is to provide bit rate limiting for voice services originating from and received by a wireless device.

[0022] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a codec selection mechanism for improving bandwidth consumption in wireless networks.

[0023] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a mechanism for selecting between different Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codecs for a voice call.

[0024] The objective of this disclosure is to provide a bitrate limit for the EVS codec in the signaling path.

[0025] An objective of the present disclosure is to provide bit rate limiting at border gateways without affecting voice quality and without reducing the capacity of voice services.

[0026] An object of the present invention is to enhance network capacity and provide better communication services.

[0027] In the drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes between the similar components. If only a first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label.

[0028] The figures are for illustrative purposes only and are therefore not limiting of the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture in which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented or with which the proposed system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B] 1A illustrates a conceptual exemplary network architecture in which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented or with which the proposed system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram showing network elements of a CTAS server, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation of a CTAS server (communication server), according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an example representation of a mechanism for determining and applying bitrate limits by a CTAS server, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5]1 illustrates a process flow mechanism for limiting the bit rate of Enhanced Voice Services (EVS), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an exemplary computer system in accordance with, or with which, embodiments of the present disclosure can be utilized; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are detailed so as to clearly convey the present disclosure. However, the amount of detail provided is not intended to limit the expected variations of the embodiments, but rather to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

[0031] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, various specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Each of the several features described below may be used alone or in any combination with other features. Individual features may not address all of the above problems, or may address only some of the above problems. Some of the above-described problems may not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0032] The following description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with a helpful description for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It will be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.

[0033] In the following description, specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the present embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, components such as circuits, systems, networks, processes, etc. may be shown as components in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other examples, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0034] It should also be noted that the particular embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, many operations may occur in parallel or concurrently. Additionally, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when an operation of a process is completed, but there may be additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, or the like. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or to the main function.

[0035] The words "exemplary" and / or "demonstrative" are used herein in the sense of serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. Moreover, any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" and / or "illustrative" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to exclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, to the extent the detailed description or claims use similar terms, such terms, such as "includes," "has," "contains," and the like, are intended to be inclusive in the same manner as the open-ended transitional term "comprising," without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0036] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" or "aspect" or "one aspect" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0037] The terms used herein are merely for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" as used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0038] The present disclosure relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to a system and method for providing bit rate limiting for voice services originating from and received by wireless devices. Since wireless devices in a network are free to transmit any bit rate during codec negotiation procedures, it is essential for the operator (IP Multimedia Subsystem) network to limit the bit rate offered by user equipment for voice communication to 13.2 kbps so that excessive bandwidth consumption can be avoided. One possible solution to achieve this is transcoding higher bit rates to lower bit rates at the border gateway. However, transcoding RTP packets encoded with a higher mode set is not recommended because transcoding degrades voice quality and also significantly reduces the capacity of the border gateway. Therefore, it is preferable to limit the bit rate on the signaling path rather than the media path. To support this, it has been mutually agreed with the network operator that the Converge Telephony Application Server (CTAS) will limit the bit rate value of all incoming and outgoing calls to 13.2 kbps. CTAS suggests that all incoming off-net calls will have a maximum EVS bitrate of 13.2kbps, as the Private Session Border Controller (PSBC) acts as a media anchor point and therefore manipulates incoming Session Description Protocol (SDP) functions. In addition, the PSBC manipulates approximately 25% (percentage of incoming calls from other operators) of the additional computational costs associated with optimal bitrate utilization to optimize network bandwidth efficiency.

[0039] Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) solutions place a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application server (e.g., CTAS) at the center of the voice core network to manage connections between subscribers and the implementation of supplementary services. Ro interface-based online charging can be implemented in the telecommunications network, and the charging data records (CDRs) generated by application servers such as CTAS can be used by the arbitration system for reconciliation purposes.

[0040] The EVS codec supports the operating points shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture 100 in which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented or with which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the representation 100, shown in FIG. 1 is a communication server 102 (hereinafter, the communication server is interchangeably referred to as a converged telephony application server, CTAS server 102, or system 102) that may be communicatively coupled to limit the bit rate provided to a user equipment (UE) 104 during voice-based services, thereby avoiding excessive bandwidth consumption of the wireless network. Various functional components of the CTAS solution include, for example, a converged telephony application server (CTAS), a serving-call session control function (SCSCF), access control and clients: VoLTE devices and operator 5G voice clients, operation, administration, and management via an operator element management system (EMS), a converged data layer (CDL), a UtGW (Network Application Function (NAF) and Binding Support Function (BSF)), and an IMS network. VoLTE solutions support 5G LTE devices, and Voice over LTE occurs when carriers allow users to make calls over LTE connections instead of older legacy voice networks.

[0042] In one embodiment, the communication server 102 may be operable to a Serving Call Session Control Function (SCSCF) 106 via a communication network 122. The SCSCF 106 provides session and service control while using standard interfaces and application trigger mechanisms. Additionally, the communication server 102 may be operable to a UtGW 108 including a Network Application Function (NAF) and a Bootstrapping Service Function (BSF) via the communication network 122. The NAF constitutes HTTP or HTTPS based services that require authentication. Additionally, the BSF is an authenticator where the user equipment 104 must perform the authentication. In another embodiment, the communication server 102 may be operable to communicate and may be integrated with an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server 110 via the communication network 122. Typically, an application server executes and hosts services within the IMS server 110, and the IMS application server may provide specific services to end users. The specific services may include, for example, multi-party gaming, video conferencing, messaging, community services, presence, and content sharing. Depending on its implementation, an IMS application server can host one or more IMS applications.

[0043] Further, the communication server 102 may be configured to operate with user equipment 104. The UE 104 (also referred to interchangeably as user device 104, terminal 104) may be a wireless device. The wireless device may be a mobile device that may include, for example, a mobile phone, such as a feature phone or a smartphone, and other devices. The UE 104 may not be limited to the above-mentioned devices and may include any type of device capable of providing wireless communications, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a media center, a workstation, and other devices.

[0044] In one embodiment, the communication server 102 may be operatively configured to communicate with a Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) server 114. The CRBT server 114 may provide services that enable customization of ring back tones on the UE 104. Additionally, the communication server 102 may be operatively configured to communicate with a Lawful Interception Management System (LIMS) server 116. The LIMS server 116 may enable functionality to provide Lawful Interception (LI). LI is a security process that allows a service provider or network operator to collect and provide intercepted communications occurring within a wireless network. In one embodiment, the CTAS server 102 may be connected to the server 120 via a communication network 122.

[0045] Further, the communication server 102 may be operatively configured to communicate with a centralized data layer (CDL) server 118. The CDL server 118 is configured to receive data access requests from CDL agents and interfaces with a service layer that responds to the data access requests. The CDL agents and the CDL server 118 act as a backbone for providing transport of services between the client side and the server side. In addition, the CDL server 118 instances expose a virtual IP to the CDL agents and operate in a redundant mode, thereby providing high availability of the CDL server 118 instances.

[0046] In one embodiment, the communication network 122 may be a 5G network, which may include at least one of a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof. The communication network 122 may be implemented as one of different types of networks, such as an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, etc. Furthermore, the communication network 122 may be either a dedicated network or a shared network. A shared network may represent an association of different types of networks that may use different protocols, such as, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), etc. In one embodiment, the communication network 122 may relate to a 5G network, which may be facilitated over a terrestrial wide area access network, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a universal terrestrial radio network (UTRAN), an Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) radio access network (GERAN), an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a WIFI or other LAN access network, or a satellite or wireless microwave access (WIMAX) network. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication network may enable the 5G network based on a subscription for a user / user device and / or via a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. Various other types of communication networks or services may be possible.

[0047] In one example, the communications network 122 may utilize different types of air interfaces, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) air interfaces, and other implementations. In an exemplary embodiment, wired user devices may use wired access networks alone or in combination with wireless access networks, including, for example, plain old telephone service (POTS), public switched telephone network (PSTN), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and other network technologies configured to transport Internet Protocol (IP) packets.

[0048] FIG. 1B illustrates a conceptual exemplary network architecture 150 with reference to FIG. 1A, in which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented or with which the proposed system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the communication server 102 is operatively configured to communicate with the communication network 122. Furthermore, the communication server 102 corresponds to a Converge Telephony Application Server (CTAS). The communication server 102 may include one or more processors coupled to a memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication server 102 to receive data packets from a UE 104 in communication with the communication server 102. In one embodiment, the data packets include a bit rate value of an EVS codec. The communication server 102 (or a processor therein) further compares the bit rate value of the received data packets with at least one of predefined bit rate configurations. The predefined bit rate configurations include a plurality of possible variations of the bit rate value of the EVS codec. Additionally, if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations, the communication server 102 modifies the bit rate value of the received data packet to enhance EVS. In one embodiment, the communication server 102 facilitates reducing the maximum bit rate of the EVS codec to a predetermined value if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations.

[0049] In another embodiment, upon determining a mismatch between the bit rate value of the received data packet and each of the predefined bit rate configurations, the communication server 102 performs at least one of the following: (a) reduces the maximum bit rate value to a predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is less than the predetermined value, (b) replaces the received bit rate value with the predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is equal to the predetermined value, and (c) maintains the received bit rate value if the minimum bit rate value is greater than the predetermined value. In addition, the communication server 102 only modifies the bit rate parameters of the received data packet.

[0050] FIG. 2, referring to FIG. 1, illustrates a block diagram 200 of a network element of a CTAS server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, a centralized TAS (CTAS) may be an application server that can simultaneously handle VoLTE, machine-to-machine (M2M), fixed line (FLP), and enterprise subscribers. This makes the CTAS a unique type of TAS, providing operational and engineering advantages in managing subscriber growth in VoLTE, fixed and enterprise domains in the most efficient manner. The CTAS can support online and offline charging of subscribers. However, Ro interface based online charging may be implemented in the network. The CDRs generated by the CTAS may be used by the arbitration system for reconciliation purposes.

[0051] In one embodiment, the CTAS server is implemented as a CTAS application solution in the system 100. In another embodiment, the CTAS application solution is a cluster-based solution that can be hosted on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. Each server in the CTAS cluster 202 can consist of either eight servers or eight blades. As shown, each server has four logical interfaces (e.g., bond 0, bond 1, bond 2, and bond 3), with each bond logically paired with two Ethernet ports to provide link-level redundancy. The bond 0 interface is used for internal and database communication on all eight blades. The bond 1 interface is used by the SIP applications present on all eight servers for SIP signaling. The bond 2 interface is used for Diameter communication by applications present on blades 3 and beyond (blade 3 to blade 8), and the bond 3 interface is used for communication with the element management system.

[0052] 10G optical NIC cards may be used for bond 0, bond 1, and bond 2, and 1G electrical NIC cards may be used for bond 3. In one embodiment, the CTAS may support both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, the bond 2 and bond 3 interfaces may listen on either IPv6 or IPv4 at a given time, and the bond 1 interface may listen on IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously. The bond 0 interface may only support IPv4 since it is not used for external communication. In the early stages of deployment, the CTAS may use the IPv4 protocol since not all elements of the current ecosystem support IPv6.

[0053] In one embodiment, the CTAS server may be integrated with a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) to provide Multimedia Telephony Services (MMTel) supplementary services to VoLTE customers as well as customers using 5G voice clients over LTE or Wi-Fi. In addition, the CTAS server may be used to provide services related to M2M communications.

[0054] 2, in one embodiment, the CTAS server is shown in a NIC configuration with 1G electrical ports connected to active electrical TOR 206 and standby electrical TOR 208. Additionally, 10G optical ports can be connected to active optical TOR 210 and standby optical TOR 212.

[0055] 3 illustrates an example representation 300 of a CTAS server 102 (communications server 102) according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the CTAS server 102 may include one or more processors 302 coupled to a memory 304. The memory 304 may store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 302, cause the CTAS server 102 to perform one or more functions.

[0056] The one or more processors 302 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuits, and / or any device that manipulates data based on operational instructions. Among other functions, the one or more processors 302 may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 304 of the CTAS server 102. The memory 304 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines that may be fetched and executed to create or share data units via the network service. The memory 304 may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, a volatile memory such as RAM, or a non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, etc. The memory 304 may further store results after execution of the instructions or routines, as previously described.

[0057] The CTAS server 102 may also include interface(s) 306. The interface(s) 306 may include various interfaces, such as interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I / O devices, storage devices, SCADA, sensors, etc. The interface(s) 306 may facilitate communication between the CTAS server 102 and various devices coupled thereto. The interface(s) 306 may also provide a communication path to one or more components of the CTAS server 102. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) 308 and database 310.

[0058] The one or more processors 302 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of the one or more processors 302. In the examples described herein, such a combination of hardware and programming may be implemented in a number of different ways. For example, the programming for the one or more processors 302 may be processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware of the one or more processors 302 may include processing resources (e.g., one or more processors) to execute such instructions. In this example, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resources, implement the one or more processors 302. In such an example, the CTAS server 102 may comprise a machine-readable storage medium that stores instructions and the processing resources to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the CTAS server 102 and the processing resources. In other examples, the one or more processors 302 may be implemented by electronic circuitry. In one aspect, database 310 may include data that may be stored or generated as a result of functions implemented by processor 302 or any of the components of processing engine 308.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) 308 of the CTAS server 102 may include a data packet reception engine 312, a bit rate comparison engine 314, a bit rate modification engine 316, and other engine(s) 318, which may further include, but are not limited to, a data reception engine, a storage engine, a computing engine, or a signal generation engine. The CTAS server 102 may be implemented using any or a combination of hardware and software components.

[0060] In one implementation, the data packet receiving engine 312 can receive a data packet from a UE associated with the communication server. The data packet can include a bit rate value of the EVS codec.

[0061] In one embodiment, the bitrate comparison engine 314 can compare the bitrate value of the received data packet to at least one of the predefined bitrate configurations. The predefined bitrate configurations can include multiple possible variations of the bitrate value of the EVS codec.

[0062] In another embodiment, the bitrate modification engine 316 can modify the bitrate value of the received data packet if the bitrate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bitrate configurations for enhancing EVS. The bitrate modification engine 316 can reduce the maximum bitrate of the EVS codec to a predetermined value if the bitrate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bitrate configurations. Furthermore, upon determining a mismatch between the bitrate value of the received data packet and each of the predefined bitrate configurations, the CTAS server 102 can either reduce the maximum bitrate value to a predetermined value if the minimum bitrate value is less than the predetermined value, or replace the received bitrate value with the predetermined value if the minimum bitrate value is equal to the predetermined value. Furthermore, the CTAS server 102 can maintain the received bitrate value if the minimum bitrate value is greater than the predetermined value.

[0063] As will be appreciated, the CTAS server 102 may include a Session Manager (SM) that may act as a core functionality delivery module responsible for executing call processing and service chaining logic for the CTAS server 102. The SM may further include sub-modules such as a call initiation module (not shown) for initiating communication with multiple emergency services. The CTAS server 102 may further include an Operations and Administration (OAM) manager that may be configured to manage fault, configuration, and performance aspects of the CTAS / network devices. The OAM manager may provide an operations and maintenance touchpoint for the system or the CTAS server 102. Additionally, the CTAS server 102 may include a Database Manager (DM) that may manage database clusters in which the CTAS server 102 may store subscriber-specific service information. In one embodiment, enhancement requests that may be received may be persistently stored using the DM. Additionally, the default RBT may be replaced with sponsored advertisements, and advertisements may be displayed to the caller. Additionally, advertisements may be displayed to users who have not signed up for a CRBT subscription. The advertisements may be sponsored by businesses and may provide financial benefits to the service provider(s). Users may be provided with the option to opt out of either or both of the offered advertising options and the CRBT service. Additionally, the service provider(s) may choose not to charge users for the presentation of advertisements.

[0064] In one implementation, a troubleshooting manager (TM) can aggregate log and debug information from all feature managers for troubleshooting. The TM also provides the flexibility to generate debug information in a per-module, per-process, or per-system manner, for example.

[0065] 4 illustrates an example representation 400 of a mechanism for determining and applying bitrate limits by a CTAS server, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 4, the CTAS server 102 may check 402 the Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec in the INVITE and compare the proposed EVS codec with the following five configurations defined as supported by the NG114 specification: i).EVS configuration A1: bitrate(br)=5.9-13.2;bandwidth(bw)=(narrowband)nb-(superwideband)swb. ii).EVS configuration A2:br=5.9-24.4;bw=nb-swb. iii).EVS configuration B0:br=13.2;bw=swb. iv).EVS configuration B1:br=9.6-13.2;bw=swb. v).EVS configuration B2:br=9.6-24.4;bw=swb. With respect to the determined EVS configuration, the CTAS server 102 performs one of the following functions: a) If the received BR value matches any of the five configurations mentioned above at 404, then the CTAS server 102 may reduce the maximum bit rate to 13.2 Kbps at 406 only in the case of A2 and B2 configurations. b) However, if the received BR value does not match any of the above five configurations, the CTAS server 102 considers the offer to be a wildcard. Further, these wildcard offers are as follows: a) If the minimum bit rate is less than 13.2 Kbps, the CTAS server 102 reduces the maximum bit rate to 13.2 Kbps at 408. b) If the minimum bitrate value is equal to 13.2 Kbps, the CTAS server 102 replaces the received br value with br=13.2 Kbps at 410. c) If the minimum bit rate is greater than 13.2 Kbps, the CTAS server 102 makes no changes and forwards the codec as received at 412.

[0066] In one embodiment, each of the above mentioned features can be individually enabled or disabled by setting the value of the parameter RT_DO_EVS_BIT_RATE_CHANGES to either TRUE or FALSE. As can be understood, the CTAS server 102 does not add or modify any other parameters except for the "br" parameter in the fmtp line corresponding to the EVS codec. Also, if the received SDP offer contains multiple EVS codecs, the solution proposed herein can be applied to all EVS codecs received in the offer.

[0067] FIG. 5 illustrates a process flow mechanism 500 for limiting a bit rate of Enhanced Voice Services (EVS), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 5, at block 502, a communication server (e.g., 102) may receive a data packet from a user equipment (UE) (e.g., 104) associated with the communication server 102. A UtGW 108 operatively connected to the communication server 102 may authenticate the UE (104). Further, an IMF server 110 operatively coupled to the communication server 102 may process a request generated by the UE (e.g., 104) and limit a bit rate offered by the UE 104 (end user) to 13.2 so as to avoid excessive bandwidth consumption. Further, the data packet received by the communication server 102 may include a bit rate value of the EVS codec. At block 504, the bit rate value of the received data packet may be compared by the communication server 102 to at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations. At block 506, if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations for enhancing the EVS, the bit rate value of the received data packet may be altered by the communication server 102.

[0068] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which may utilize or with which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be utilized. As shown in FIG. 6, the computer system 600 may include an external storage device 610, a bus 620, a main memory 630, a read-only memory 640, a mass storage device 670, a communication port(s) 660, and a processor 670. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a computer system may include more than one processor and communication port. The processor 670 may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. The communication port 680 may be an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dial-up connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a gigabit or 10 gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or any other existing or future port. The communication port 680 may be selected depending on the network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system connects. The memory 630 may be a random access memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read-only memory 640 may be any static storage device(s), such as, but not limited to, a programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip for storing static information, such as boot-up instructions or BIOS instructions for processor 670. Mass storage 650 may be any current or future mass storage solution that can be used to store information and / or instructions.Examples of mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, a Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drive or solid state drive (internal or external, e.g., having a Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interface), one or more optical disks, and Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g., an array of disks (such as a SATA array).

[0069] Bus 620 communicatively couples processor(s) 670 to other memory, storage, and communication blocks, and may be other buses such as, for example, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB, etc., as well as a front side bus (FSB) that connects processor 670 to a software system.

[0070] Optionally, operator and management interfaces, such as a display, keyboard, joystick, and cursor control devices, may also be coupled to bus 620 to support direct operator interaction with the computer system. Other operator and management interfaces may be provided through a network connection connected through communication port 660. External storage device 610 may be any type of external hard drive, floppy drive, IOMEGA® Zip drive, compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-rewriteable (CD-RW), digital video disk-read only memory (DVD-ROM). The above components are intended only to illustrate various possibilities. The foregoing exemplary computer system is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0071] While the above describes various embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples, which, when combined with information and knowledge available to those skilled in the art, are included to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention.

[0072] Advantages of the present disclosure The present disclosure provides bit rate limiting for voice services originating from and received by a wireless device.

[0073] The present disclosure provides a codec selection mechanism for improving bandwidth consumption in wireless networks.

[0074] This disclosure provides a mechanism for selecting between different Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codecs for a voice call.

[0075] This disclosure provides a bit rate limit for the EVS codec in the signaling path.

[0076] The present disclosure provides bit rate limiting at border gateways without impacting voice quality and without reducing capacity of voice services.

[0077] The present disclosure enhances network capabilities and provides better communication services.

Claims

1. 1. A system for limiting an Enhanced Voice Service (EVS) bit rate, comprising:

1. A communications server communicatively coupled to a communications network, the communications server comprising one or more processors coupled to a memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communications server to: receiving a data packet from a user equipment (UE) in communication with the communication server, the data packet including a bit rate value for an EVS codec; comparing the bit rate value of the received data packet to at least one predefined bit rate configuration; the communication server storing instructions for modifying the bit rate value of the received data packet if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches the at least one predefined bit rate configuration for enhancing the EVS. The system comprising:

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predefined bitrate configurations include a plurality of possible variations of bitrate values ​​for the EVS codec.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the EVS codec improves communication quality of voice services.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations, a maximum bit rate of the EVS codec is reduced to a predetermined value.

5. In response to the bit rate value of the received data packet not matching each of the predefined bit rate configurations, the one or more processors may cause the communications server to: if the minimum bitrate value is less than said predetermined value, reducing the maximum bitrate value to said predetermined value; if said minimum bitrate value is equal to said predetermined value, replacing said received bitrate value with said predetermined value; maintaining the received bit rate value if the minimum bit rate value is greater than the predetermined value; The system of claim 4 , further comprising:

6. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication server corresponds to a Converge Telephony Application Server (CTAS).

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication server is configured to modify a bit rate parameter of the received data packets.

8. 1. A method for limiting an Enhanced Voice Service (EVS) bit rate, comprising: receiving, by a communication server, a data packet from a user equipment (UE) associated with the communication server, the data packet including a bit rate value of an EVS codec, the EVS codec improving communication quality of a voice service; comparing, by the communication server, the bit rate value of the received data packet with at least one predefined bit rate configuration; modifying, by the communication server, the bit rate value of the received data packet when the bit rate value of the received data packet matches the at least one predefined bit rate configuration for enhancing the EVS; The method comprising:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predefined bitrate configurations include a number of possible variations of bitrate values ​​for the EVS codec.

10. reducing, by the communication server, a maximum bit rate of the EVS codec to a predetermined value if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches at least one of the predefined bit rate configurations; The method of claim 8 further comprising:

11. If the bit rate value of the received data packet is inconsistent with each of the predefined bit rate configurations, the method further comprises: in the communication server, if the minimum bit rate value is less than the predetermined value, reducing the maximum bit rate value to the predetermined value; replacing, at the communication server, the received bit rate value with the predetermined value if the minimum bit rate value is equal to the predetermined value; maintaining, at the communication server, the received bit rate value if the minimum bit rate value is greater than the predetermined value; The method of claim 10 , further comprising at least one of:

12. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication server corresponds to a Converge Telephony Application Server (CTAS).

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the communication server is configured to modify a bit rate parameter of the received data packets.

14. A user equipment (UE) communicatively coupled to a communications server, the UE comprising: one or more primary processors communicatively coupled to one or more processors of the communications server, the one or more primary processors coupled to a memory, the memory, when executed by the one or more primary processors, providing to the UE: transmitting data packets to said communications server over a communications network; and storing instructions for the one or more primary processors, the communications server comprising: receiving, from the UE, the data packet including an Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec bit rate value; comparing the bit rate value of the received data packet to at least one predefined bit rate configuration; modifying the bit rate value of the received data packet if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches the at least one predefined bit rate configuration for enhancing the EVS; The UE is configured as follows.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising: receiving data packets from a user equipment (UE) in communication with a communications server, the data packets including bit rate values ​​for an Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec; comparing the bit rate value of the received data packet to at least one predefined bit rate configuration; modifying the bit rate value of the received data packet if the bit rate value of the received data packet matches the at least one predefined bit rate configuration for enhancing the EVS; The non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises processor-executable instructions.

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