Patent Application
20060067301
None
The present invention relates generally to real-time facsimile transmissions over a packet network, and more specifically involves a technique for gracefully forcing two V.34 fax devices to use legacy modulations when communicating over a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
A fax over packet application enables the interworking of standard fax machines with packet networks. The traditional method extracts the fax image from a fax machine's analog signal and carries it as digital data over the packet network. Packet networks that can be used to transport a fax include Internet (IP), Frame Relay, and ATM. Fax data in its original form is digital, however it is modulated and converted to analog for transmission over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The fax over packet interworking functions reverses the analog conversion, instead transmitting digital data over the packet network, and then reconverting the digital data to analog for the receiving fax machine. This conversion process reduces the overall bandwidth required to send the fax because the digital form is much more efficient and allows for improved transmission reliability by employing mechanisms specific to fax for compensating packet network impairments.
Various protocols exist for transmission and receipt of facsimiles over low-delay analog voice-grade telephone lines. Once such protocol is Group 3 (G3), defined in Recommendation T.30, “Procedures for document facsimile transmission in the general switched telephone network”, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. T.30 is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recommendation for facsimile transmissions over a telephone network. The T.30 protocol describes the formatting of non-page data, such as messages that are used for capabilities negotiation. The recommendation defines three different protocols for facsimile transfer, Group 1, 2 and 3. Only Group 3 (G3) is in common use today.
Over recent years, the deployment of V.34 fax devices has been growing as the cost to the consumer has as dropped. V.34 fax devices offer consumers increased transmission speeds which offset the bandwidth cost of advanced image coding features. A V.34 fax session uses V.34 Half-duplex physical layer modulation to exchange both T.30 control information as well as image data. This is markedly different from legacy G3 fax devices which used V.21 modulation for T.30 control information exchange and V.27, V.29, or V.17 for image data transmission.
While the G3 protocol is defined for analog transmission, the backbone network for modern telephone systems is generally digital. In addition, the ITU Recommendation T.38 “Procedures for real-time Group 3 facsimile communication over IP networks” defines realtime protocols for transmission of realtime fax over an IP network. When facsimile devices are connected through a packet-based network, such as packet, ATM, or Frame Relay, the sending and receiving devices are not directly connected. In a packet network, the facsimile information is packetized at a sending end, sent over the packet network, and reassembled into a facsimile format at the receiving end before presentation to the receiving facsimile device. The connection over a packet network experiences packet delays, jitter errors, and/or loss that must be hidden from the facsimile device by a gateway in order to ensure reliability of the fax transmission.
Most fax relay support deployed today is currently limited to non-V.34 fax transmissions. The capability for V.34 fax relay has only recently been standardized. As a result, today, V.34 fax relay calls are treated by a gateway identically as a high-speed data modem call using an operational mode typically referred to as Voice-Band Data (VBD). VBD consists of using a high data rate codec (e.g., G.711) that causes minimum signal distortion and is appropriate for passing modem signals. VBD modes of operation have higher network bandwidth utilization and are not as robust as fax relay techniques to packet network impairments (e.g., packet loss).
Even with the standardization of V.34 fax relay techniques, the V.34 fax relay capability comes with a high implementation cost (e.g., memory) due to the complexity of the V.34 modulation standard.
In some instances, it may be desirable to have low-cost product solutions not having V.34 support, but having the capability to exploit the bandwidth efficiency and robustness of fax relay techniques by forcing V.34 fax devices to lower modulations. The preferred embodiment includes a technique for gracefully forcing two V.34 fax devices to use legacy modulations (e.g., V.21, V.27ter, V.29, V.17) when communicating over a packet network (e.g., voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network). Advantages of this approach include the benefit of allowing effective alternative solutions to supporting V.34 fax terminals over VoIP networks. Instead of implementing conventional V.34 fax relay support, a gateway can employ the present invention described by this paper to provide an alternative solution for handling V.34 fax terminals.
Advantages of the present invention include packet network impairment robustness over standard VBD techniques, lower network bandwidth utilization than VBD techniques, and lower implementation cost than a V.34 fax relay solution. The present invention also allows a VoIP network to continue to support data modems through standard VBD techniques.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are discussed hereinafter in reference to the drawings, in which:
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a technique for gracefully forcing two V.34 fax devices to use legacy modulations (e,g., V.21, V.27ter, V.29, V.17) when communicating over a VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) network.
The preferred techniques for forcing V.34 fax terminals to fallback to legacy G3 modulations is illustrated in the flowchart of
After the answering V.34 fax terminal 18 goes off-hook and initiates a setup procedure S30 with the calling V.34 fax terminal 10, answering terminal 18 transmits an answer tone 52 that passes transparently as ANSam 50 through gateway 16 and as ANSam 48 through gateway 12 using the audio codec S32. Detection of the ANSam signal S34 by calling V.34 fax terminal 10 indicates that the answering fax terminal 18 is a V.34 fax terminal. The calling V.34 fax terminal 10 transmits a V.8 CM signal S36 to the answering V.34 terminal 18. In
To force originating fax terminal 10 and receiving fax terminal 18 to fallback to legacy modulation procedures, transmission of the CM “FAX” signal 54 transmitted by the originating fax device is suppressed S38 at either the originating VoIP/FoIP gateway 12 or answering VoIP/FoIP gateway 16. The suppression of the CM signal 54 forces the answering V.34 fax device 18 to timeout and fallback to non-V.34 fax modulations S40 as if the calling terminal 10 was not V.34-capable. Likewise, upon detecting the non-V.34 fax signals, the originating V.34 fax device 10 will fallback to non-V.34 fax procedures S42. Thus, the two V.34 fax terminals will continue the fax transmission using non-V.34 modulations S44. In the case of a data modem, the CM signal would be allowed to pass through the gateways.
Referring again to
If the call function identified by the CM signal is not FAX, then the CM signal is allowed to pass toward the answering fax 18 transparently. The suppression of the CM signal to the answering V.34 fax terminal 18 by either the answering 16 or originating 12 gateways will force the answering V.34 fax terminal 18 to fallback to non-V.34 fax procedures S40. The answering V.34 fax terminal 18 will timeout and begin transmitting the fax control signals, using V.21 modulation 62. In accordance with T.30, answering terminal 18 will transmit a Digital Identification Signal (DIS) 70 to calling terminal 10 using V.21 modulation. A DIS signal is a signal sent by an answering fax terminal unit specifying the unit's capabilities. Answering gateway 16 and originating gateway 12, upon detecting the V.21 flag data sequence, will switch the gateway to fax relay processing 64. Gateway 16 and gateway 12 will begin trading network fax relay signals 68.
Next, originating gateway 12 will transmit a locally generated V.21 to originating V.34 fax terminal 10. In response, the originating V.34 fax terminal 10 will fallback to legacy G3 fax procedures upon receiving V.21 fax signals 66 (S42). Gateway 12 and/or gateway 16 must ensure that Bit 6 of the DIS fax control signal is set to zero. This bit indicates that the gateway is V.8 capable and thus V.34 capable. If set, a fax terminal could attempt to go back and re-attempt V.34 start-up procedures.
After the originating fax terminal 10 and receiving fax terminal 18 are transmitting legacy G3 fax signals, the fax transmission is then continued using non-V.34 modulations S46.
The present invention offers the advantages of allowing effective alternative solutions to supporting V.34 fax terminals transmitting data over packet (e.g., VoIP) networks. The invention provides packet network impairment robustness exceeding standard voice band data (VBD) techniques. Further, the present invention has lower network bandwidth utilization than VBD methods, has lower implementation costs than a V.34 fax relay solution, and allows a VoIP network to continue to support data modems through standard VBD techniques.
Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
