Patent Application
20080040419
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
In the following description of various alternative implementations, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific implementation in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
The invention is described with reference to various functional block diagrams, which illustrate possible applications of and embodiments of the invention from a functional perspective. These functional block diagrams should not be interpreted to imply or otherwise require a particular physical architecture in accordance with the partitioning of the functionality depicted therein. Instead, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that various alternative physical architectures (whether hardware, software or a combination thereof) may be used to implement the described functionality. For example, the invention may be implemented using various hardware and software components, including, for example, using a semiconductor integrated circuit (e.g., a chip) or a combination of semiconductor integrated circuits (e.g., a chipset or multi-chip module), or in associated circuitry, or in the software, firmware, protocol stacks, libraries, algorithms or other processes operating thereon (or in any configuration of one or more of the foregoing). The chip or chipset implementation may include an integrated circuit, including, for example, any of the following alone or in combination: an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), a digital signal processor (“DSP”), or another general-purpose or specific-purpose processor, and associated circuitry (e.g., memory, co-processors, busses, etc.).
In general, a custom Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”) for embedding VoIP packets into streaming data packets for transmission to a central server hosting an MMP game application utilized in a VoIP/gaming system is disclosed. The custom ASIC may be also configured to receive VoIP packets embedded with streaming data packets from the central server and to filter the VoIP packets so that only certain predetermined users are able to receive and hear voice communications from the other players. As an example implementation, the custom ASIC may be embedded in a video gaming card used in a PC or may be a separate component used in a PC or a game console. In another example implementation, the custom ASIC may be a component in a configurable System-On-a-Chip (“SoC”) platform, such as a set-top box (“STB”), a device configured to process concurrent streams of audio and video data associated with broadband multimedia services, as well as network packets processed in support of high-speed Internet access.
As an example of the processes that may be performed by the custom ASIC, it may include an integrator module that acts as an interface and receives both data and voice packets from a user and integrates these streams for transmission to a central server. The custom ASIC may also include a routing module that acts as an interface to the central server and receives voice packets embedded into a stream of data packets from the central server over an Internet connection, another module that determines the type of packet received, and if a voice packet is found, then determines through a unique identifier code if the voice packet is intended for its user, and either accepts or rejects the voice packets responsive to this determination. The custom ASIC may also contain an outgoing module that encodes voice packets for transmission to the central server with a unique identifier, as well as ranking the priority of the various packets and scheduling their transmission according to certain predetermined priorities.
In
In MMP gaming system 200, a VoIP capability is integrated into the gaming system. IP telephony may be implemented in several ways. In one such configuration, the Internet connection, link 112, is to broadband router 202, and from the broadband router 202, there are connections to the workstation 102 and an IP telephone 204, which will act and perform like a regular PSTN phone. In an alternative configuration, using a so-called “softphone,” software may be downloaded into workstations 104 and 106 that may, for example, have an interface that includes a telephone keypad displayed on the monitor. Rather than an IP telephone, the user may speak into and listen over a computer headset with a microphone 206 and 208.
In an example of operation of MMP gaming system 200, the users of workstations 102 and 106 may be on the same team. Therefore, these 2 users will be able to communicate over the MMP gaming system 200 with each other, without the user of workstation 104 being able to hear their communications. Conversely, the user of workstation 104 may be a member of a competing team with other users (not shown) and the voice communications between these team members will also be secure and not accessible to non-members.
In
Whenever the user interacts with game, e.g., inputs responses through a mouse or a game console, packets of data (streams) pass over communication link 302 to integrator module 304 of the ASIC-VoIP 300, which acts as an interface to the user. At the same time, the user may also communicate with a team member over a headset while playing the game, in which case VoIP packets also pass over communication link 304 to integrator module 306.
Thus, in general the integrator module 306 is configured to enable the ASIC-VoIP 300 to receive packets of data (streams) that may originate from various multimedia and data sources, including IP telephony. From the integrator module 306, the data packets and the VoIP packets are transmitted to the encoding/decoding module 310 via communication link 308. The encoding/decoding module 310 may be configured to encode the packets with identifiers that differentiate each packet from the others based on predetermined criteria. As an example of operation, the encoding/decoding module 310 may attach an identifier, such as the IP address of the user's IP telephone, to any VoIP packets being transmitted through the encoding/decoding module 310. Thus when the VoIP packet arrives at the central server (not shown), the central server, which may be configured to identify the user sending the VoIP packet using stored data, may then determine the other users authorized to receive the VoIP packet and in turn transmit the VoIP packet to the appropriate user.
Additionally, there may be levels of communication between team members. That is, each team may be further subdivided into two or more levels where the receipt of messages are further restricted within levels of the team, which may be configured through the entry of parameters into the key module 314. It is also appreciated by those skilled in the art that the restriction of the transmission of data packets may also be implemented by attaching keys or codes to headers on the packets, based on criteria input into the ASIC-VoIP 300 that may be stored in either the key module 314 or the optional log module 318.
The ASIC-VoIP 300 may also contain an optional outgoing/routing module 324 that receives data and VoIP packets via connection link 320 and transmits the data and VoIP packets to the central server (not shown) via connection link 326. As an alternative to the central server receiving and routing VoIP packets, the outgoing/routing module 324 may generate additional VoIP packets using data prestored in the key module 314. As an example of operation, the key module 314, which may be in signal communication with the encoding/decoding module 310 via communication link 312, may contain unique identifiers that apply to the user's other team members and a separate VoIP packet may be generated for each such member. The outgoing/routing module 324 may also be configured so that while all data packets must go directly to the central server for processing, with the proper responses being returned to the appropriate users, VoIP packets may bypass the central server and be routed directly to each designated user. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that other functions may be performed by the outgoing/routing module 324, such as assigning priorities to packets, storing packets in cache, and re-sequencing the transmission of the packets.
Incoming packets from the central sever (not shown) may be received and transmitted as appropriate to the user's PC or game console, as the case may be, or to the user's IP phone. As noted above, the ASIC-VoIP 300 may be configured to classify and restrict the transmission of data and VoIP packets, in which case the incoming packets may be transmitted to the encoding/decoding module 310 for a determination of the ultimate source of the packets. In an example implementation, codes and identifiers may have been attached to the packets when they were transmitted to the ASIC-VoIP 300, in which case, incoming packets may be examined by the encoding/decoding module 310 to determine the type of packet, e.g., the intended recipient, the classification level of the data, etc. In other implementations, codes and identifiers may also have been inserted by the central server and may also be decoded by the encoding/decoding module 310. The ASIC-VoIP 300 may also contain an optional log module 318 in signal communication with the encoding/decoding module 310 via communication link 316. Log module 318 may store game histories, team member information, and any other data or information that may need to be saved and retrieved for later sessions.
In
The example process 400 starts in step 402. In decision step 404, a check is made to see if there are any packets to be processed by the ASIC-VoIP 300,
In the case of an incoming packet from a central server, i.e., data or VoIP packets received by the Outgoing/Routing module 324 of ASIC-VoIP 300,
In the case of an outgoing packet to the central server, in decision step 408, a determination is again made as to whether the packet is a data packet or a VoIP packet. In the case of a VoIP packet, in step 412, the IP address of the user's IP telephone may be embedded, for example, in a header attached to the VoIP packet, together with the IP addresses of the user's team members taken from the Key module 314,
While the foregoing description refers to the use of a custom ASIC in an online MMP gaming environment wherein VoIP capability is seamlessly integrated into an MMP online game, the subject matter is not limited to the use of the custom ASIC in the gaming environment only. Any online, real-time multiple-user distributed system that could benefit from the functionality provided by the custom ASIC described above may be implemented to include the custom ASIC to combine VoIP capability with any distributed system that may benefit from the added VoIP capability.
Persons skilled in the art will also understand and appreciate that one or more processes, sub-processes, or process steps described above may be performed by hardware and/or software. Additionally, the system may be implemented completely in software that would be executed within a microprocessor, a general purpose processor, a combination of processors, a digital signal processor (“DSP”), and/or one or more ASICs. If the process is performed by software, the software may reside in software memory in the controller. The software in software memory may include an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions (i.e., “logic” that may be implemented either in digital form such as digital circuitry or source code or in analog form such as analog circuitry or an analog source such as an analog electrical, sound or video signal), and may selectively be embodied in any computer-readable (or signal-bearing) medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that may selectively fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” and/or “signal-bearing medium” is any means that may contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium may selectively be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples, but nonetheless a non-exhaustive list, of computer-readable media would include the following: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires; a portable computer diskette (magnetic); a RAM (electronic); a read-only memory “ROM” (electronic); an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) (electronic); an optical fiber (optical); and a portable compact disc read-only memory “CDROM” (optical). Note that the computer-readable medium may even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.
While various preferred and alternative embodiments of the present intention are described herein, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this description that there are various modifications and extensions of the above described technology that may be implemented using these teachings without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the breadth and scope of which shall be defined by following claims.
