Method and apparatus for transferring data over a voice channel

A communications receiver for receiving data on a voice channel, the communications receiver comprising:

• a receiver for receiving a signal comprising a voice frame, the voice frame including at least one vocoder parameter;
• a voice channel data processor, coupled to the receiver, further including:
• a parser for parsing the voice frame to obtain the at least one vocoder parameter,
• a comparator for comparing the at least one vocoder parameter to a predetermined parameter to provide a comparison;
• and
• a data unit for processing the voice frame as data traffic when the comparison indicates the at least one vocoder parameter is the same as the predetermined parameter.

A communications transmitter operable to transmit data on a voice channel, the communications transmitter comprising:

• a vocoder for processing a voice signal and generating a plurality of voice frames with voice traffic;
• a voice channel data processor for encoding data traffic as a voice frame including a predetermined vocoder parameter for indicating the voice frame includes data traffic, and for inserting the voice frame including the predetermined vocoder parameter into the plurality of voice frames with the voice traffic;
• and
• a transmitter amplifier, coupled to the voice channel data processor, for transmitting a signal comprising the voice frame including the predetermined vocoder parameter and the plurality of other voice frames with voice traffic.

A voice channel data processor operable in a wireless communications unit, to facilitate data transmission on a voice channel, the voice channel data processor comprising:

• an encoder for;
• encoding data traffic as a transmit voice frame including a predetermined vocoder parameter, and
• inserting the transmit voice frame including the predetermined vocoder parameter into a stream of transmit voice frames with voice traffic;
• and
• a decoder for;
• parsing a stream of received voice frames to obtain a vocoder parameter for each received voice frame,
• comparing the vocoder parameter for each received voice frame to the predetermined vocoder parameter to provide a comparison,
• routing the received voice frame for processing as data traffic when the comparison indicates the vocoder parameter is the same as the predetermined vocoder parameter, and
• routing the received voice frame for processing as a voice traffic when the comparison indicates the vocoder parameter is not the same as the predetermined vocoder parameter.