(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0111729 A1 Poltorak Et Al

US 2011 011 1729A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0111729 A1 POltorak et al. (43) Pub. Date: May 12, 2011 (54) MULTI-TIER QUALITY OF SERVICE (52) U.S. Cl. ....................... 455/406; 455/435.1:455/424 WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS (76) Inventors: Alexander Poltorak, Monsey, NY (US); Vladimir Kaminsky, (57) ABSTRACT Washington, NJ (US) The present invention pertains to improved communication quality of service (QoS) in cellular communication networks (21) Appl. No.: 12/989,859 (10) and the like. A customer has the option to pay different 1-1. fees for different tiers of service relating to voice quality and (22) PCT Filed: Apr. 29, 2009 bandwidth access (S102). Higher service tiers may guarantee (86). PCT No.: PCT/US09/02676 that a specific vocoder O bit rate is used; they may also guarantee that communication is Supported by Such param S371 (c)(1), eters as maximum allowed dropped calls rate, maximum (2), (4) Date: Jan. 13, 2011 worktly availabilityR mayAs be guaranteedattery as per 'sService E.Leve Related U.S. Application Data Agreements that are the part of the contract between a Sub scriber and a service provider. Different tiers may be associ (60) Provisional application No. 61/125,971, filed on Apr. ated with customers’ records (208) for billing purposes. The R o, proys, applit, N. R network (200) may also afford high end cellular phones ed. On Apr. 3, proV1S1onal appl1cauon No. higher voice quality by comparing a given high end phone to 61/167,580, filed on Apr. 8, 2009. a look up table (FIG. 6), which indicates what level of service Publication Classification is associated with the given phone. A calling mobile station (312) or a receiving mobile station (302) may ask the other (51) Int. Cl. mobile station to change to a more robust vocoder (410) orbit H0474/00 (2009.01) rate (S508) to ensure a higher quality phone call. Further H04W 28/00 (2009.01) more, the user may also opt to change the quality level before H04/24/00 (2009.01) or during a call. 100 Purchase/select mobile device U/Y S100 Purchase a predetermined level of U/N S102 Service Set up/update customer record to reflect selected S104 level of Service Set up/update billing record with fee for Current S106 Service level S108 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 1 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 1 (Prior Art) Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 2 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG 2 Purchase/select mobile device S100 Purchase a predetermined level of S102 Service Set up/update Customer record to reflect Selected S104 level of Service Set up/update billing record with fee for Current S106 Service level S108 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 3 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FG, 3 Start Outgoing Call Initiation S120 S122 LOCal Network LOCal Or NetWork Mode? S132 S124 Send level of Service Check Customer record to identifier to serving base identify current service Station level S134 - S126 Select CodeC/vocoder Validate identifier and/or bit rate to satisfy Current Service level S136 S128 Select CodeC/vocoder and/or bit rate to satisfy Conduct call Current Service level S138 S130 Send CodeC/VOCOder and/ Orbitrate Selection to mobile station S140 Conduct Call S142 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 4 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 4 2O2 205 206 MS Customer Record Database Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 5 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 5 240 to 204 206 MS 242 BS MSC f 252 Customer Record Database Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 6 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 6 Make/Model Lookup Table Make Quality of Service Motorola MotoraZr2 V8 Middle Tier Motorola SLVRL7 Diamond Highest Tier Samsung SCH-u540 LOWest Tier Samsung Gleam Middle Tier LG Chocolate Middle Tier Vertu Constellation Highest Tier Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 7 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 8 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 S S. S S. C - S. 85 E 9 d. O g : Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 9 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 9 418 Application User Interface Software 408 410 412 4O6 CPU 404 Z-7 RF 1 Wireless Subsystem Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 10 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 10 Application User Interface Software Peripherals 408 41 O 412 -/ Z-7 -/ Digital Signal Vocoder(s) AVD Converters PrOCeSSOr 420 402 Service Level indicator(s) RF / Wireless Subsystem Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 11 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG 11 Initiate Outgoing Call S500 User interface alerts S502 processor of call initiation Select appropriate service level indicator from S504 memory Select VOCOder S506 Set VOCOcer to predetermined bit rate/ S508 quality level using service level indicator instruct base Station about VOCOcder and/or S51O bit rate Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 12 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 12 Receive incoming call S520 Alert processor of Call S522 initiation Select appropriate service level indicator from S524 memory Select VOCOder S526 Set vocoder to predetermined bit rate/ S528 quality level using Service level indicator Instruct base Station about VOCOder and/or S530 bit rate S532 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 13 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 13 Initiate outgoing Call S540 User interface alerts S542 processor of call initiation Select appropriate service level indicator from S544 memory Send command/request to base Station based On S546 Service level indicator Base station (network) Selects appropriate level S548 Of Service Receive Service level message from base S550 Station S552 Select VOCOder Set VOCOder to predetermined bit rate/ S554 quality level Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 14 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 F.G. 14 Receive incoming call S561 Alert processor of Call S562 initiation Select appropriate service level indicator from S564 memory Send command/request to base Station based On S566 Service level indicator Base station (network) selects appropriate level S568 of Service Receive Service level message from base S570 station Select vocoder S572 Set VOCOder to predetermined bit rate? S574 quality level End S576 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 15 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 099 999 079 099 0/19099~,,~09 Lu??SÁSJasn JOSS300.Jeff 079 OZ9 099 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 16 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FG 16 Call initiation NU/N S700 Determine calling party tier of Service MY S702 Determine called party tier of Service NU/Y S704 S708 Commence Call without DO tiers of service level intervention ervice match? N/Y S706 by network Base station (network) selects appropriate level of S712 Service for OWertier device Select VOCOder/bandwidth S714 to match higher tier Set VOCOder/bandwidth to predetermined bit rate? S716 quality level Bill Customer in S718 accordance with upgrade S710 Patent Application Publication May 12, 2011 Sheet 17 of 17 US 2011/011 1729 A1 FIG. 17 750 Call initiation S750 Determine calling party S752 tier of Service Determine called party S754 tier of service Yes DO tiers of ervice match? MY S756 NO Notify one or both parties S762 about difference in service tiers S764 Offer one or both parties option to upgrade lower tier user to match higher tier service S768 S766 Did either NO Yes Bill Customer in Choose to accordance with upgrade S758 upgrade? Commence Call without serviceel inteseen ti O Select vocoder/bandwidth to match higher tier S770 Set vocoder/bandwidth to predetermined bit rate? quality level S772 End S760 US 2011/011 1729 A1 May 12, 2011 MULTI-TIER QUALITY OF SERVICE base station, commonly referred to as the 'serving base sta WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS tion.” The serving base station may change from a first base station to a second base station as the location of the mobile CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED station changes or other factors impinge on the signal APPLICATIONS between the mobile station and first base station. This process 0001. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provi of switching between base stations is called handoff. sional Application No. 61/125,971, entitled “Multi-Tier Ser 0006. One of the major problems in cellular communica vice Wireless Communications Network filed Apr. 30. tion may be the unsatisfactory quality of service for subscrib 2008, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/166.344, entitled ers. The signals transmitted between users’ mobile stations “Multi-Tier Quality of Service Wireless Communications and the network's base stations may be affected by a number Networks, filed Apr. 3, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Applica of different factors, including blockage by buildings or ter tion No. 61/167,580, entitled “Multi-Tier and Secure Service rain, multipath interference, movement and speed of the Wireless Communications Networks, filed Apr. 8, 2009, the mobile station, handoffs between base stations, other mobile entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by refer stations, etc.; other network transmission characteristics. Such ence herein. as delay, jitter and uptime (availability) of the network affect signal quality as well. Furthermore, there is a finite bandwidth FIELD OF THE INVENTION available at each base station or for a given cell in the wireless system. Thus, users are often Subject to dropped calls and 0002 The present invention relates generally to wireless inferior Voice quality, in contrast to the general high reliabil communications, and, more particularly, to creating multi ity of landline phone communications with plain old tele tier cellular phone communications system with different phone service (“POTS).

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