Wireless push-to-talk internet broadcast

• US 20020039895A1
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Published: 04/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gum, Arnold J., Jacobs, Paul E., Ross, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,917,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video

Abstract

A wireless telephone (302) digitizes the voice of the user in response to the depression of a push-to-talk button (110), either physical or virtual. It sends the digitized voice, in data mode, to a base station (308). The base station places the data, through the Internet, or an Intranet or Extranet, on a server (312). Other wireless phones (304)-(306) recover the data from the server through the same (308) or different (310) base station, through the Internet, Intranet, or Extranet, and convert the data back to digitized voice. The base stations transmit the digitized voice to other wireless telephones (306), which convert them back to voice in response to the recognition of voice frames on the data channel by the CODEC manager software. Networked computers (314) may be configured to emulate a combined base station and wireless telephone. The server can dynamically designate any wireless telephone (or landline emulation) as the broadcaster, and can dynamically configure any set of telephones/emulations as the receivers of the broadcast.

Claims

1. A wireless telephone, wherein:

(a) the wireless telephone includes;

(1) a speaker; and

(2) a microphone; and

(b) the wireless telephone is characterized in that it includes;

(1) a micro-browser or micro-client software having an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet address;

(2) a voice CODEC manager software to the micro-browser or micro-client software;

(3) a real or virtual push-to-talk (PTT) button;

(4) means for sending;

(A) an outgoing streaming voice data message from the microphone through the voice CODEC manager software; and

(B) an indication that the PTT button has been depressed;

in response to a depression of the PTT button; and

(5) means for sending an incoming streaming voice data message through the voice CODEC manager software to the speaker, in response to a release of the PTT button.

2. An Internet, Intranet, or Extranet server, wherein:

(a) the Internet, Intranet, or Extranet server includes means for storing a plurality of Internet, or Intranet or Extranet, addresses; and

(b) the server is characterized in that it includes;

(1) means for receiving an indication that a push-to-talk (PTT) button has been depressed at a wireless telephone at each address;

(2) means for determining whether more than one wireless telephone has a depressed PTT button indication;

(3) means, responsive to more than one wireless telephone having a depressed PTT button indication, for arbitrating which wireless telephone is allowed to place a streaming voice data message on the server;

(4) means for placing a streaming voice data message on the server from the arbitrated wireless telephone or from a sole wireless telephone;

(5) means for sending the placed data to the wireless telephones at the other addresses; and

(6) means for dynamically grouping wireless telephones and networked computers into conferences.

3. A system, wherein:

(a) the system includes a first wireless telephone, a second wireless telephone or networked computer, a first base station, a second base station, and an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet server;

(b) each wireless telephone includes;

(1) a speaker; and

(2) a microphone;

(c) the first wireless telephone is in wireless communication with a first base station;

(d) the first base station is in communication, through the Internet, or an Intranet or Extranet, with the server;

(e) the second wireless telephone is in wireless communication with a second base station;

(f) the second base station or networked computer is in communication, through the Internet, or an Intranet or Extranet, with the server;

(g) the server includes means for storing a plurality of Internet, or Intranet or Extranet, addresses;

(h) each wireless telephone is characterized in that it includes;

(1) a micro-browser or micro-client software having an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet address;

(2) a voice CODEC manager software to the micro-browser or micro-client software;

(3) a real or virtual push-to-talk (PTT) button;

(4) means for sending;

(A) an outgoing streaming voice data message from the microphone through the voice CODEC manager software; and

(B) an indication that the PTT button has been depressed;

in response to a depression of the PTT button; and

(5) means for sending an incoming streaming voice data message through the voice CODEC manager software to the speaker, in response to a release of the PTT button; and

(i) the server is characterized in that it includes;

(1) means for receiving an indication that a push-to-talk (PTT) button has been depressed at a wireless telephone at each address;

(2) means for determining whether more than one wireless telephone has a depressed PTT button indication;

(3) means, responsive to more than one wireless telephone having a depressed PTT button indication, for arbitrating which wireless telephone is allowed to place a streaming voice data message on the server;

(4) means for placing a streaming voice data message on the server from the arbitrated wireless telephone or from a sole wireless telephone;

(5) means for sending the placed data to the wireless telephones at the other addresses; and

(6) means for dynamically grouping wireless telephones and networked computers into conferences.

4. The system of claim 3, further characterized in that the first base station is the same as the second base station.

5. The system of claim 3, further characterized in that the first base station is different from the second base station.

6. The system of claim 3, further characterized in that the server is configured to add or remove the address of a wireless telephone on request from that wireless telephone.

7. The system of claim 3, further characterized in that the server is configured to add or remove the address of a wireless telephone on request from a device other than that wireless telephone.

8. The system of claim 3, further characterized in that the server is configured, on request from a wireless telephone, to store one or more streaming voice data messages and to forward them to the wireless telephone on subsequent request.

9. The system of claim 3, further characterized in that the system further includes at least one additional device, which is not a wireless telephone, but which has been constructed, and has been connected to the server, so as to emulate a wireless telephone.

10. The system of claim 9, further characterized in that the server is configured to add or remove the address of a wireless telephone or first device on request from a second device.

11. A method for operating a wireless telephone, wherein:

(a) the wireless telephone includes;

(1) a speaker; and

(2) a microphone;

(b) the wireless telephone is characterized in that it includes;

(1) a micro-browser or micro-client software having an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet address;

(2) a voice CODEC manager software to the micro-browser or micro-client software; and

(3) a real or virtual push-to-talk (PTT) button; and

(c) the method is characterized in that it includes;

(1) depressing the PTT button;

(2) sending;

(A) an outgoing streaming voice data message from the microphone through the voice CODEC manager software; and

(B) an indication that the PTT button has been depressed;

in response to a depression of the PTT button;

(3) releasing the PTT button; and

(4) sending an incoming streaming voice data message through the voice CODEC manager software to the speaker, in response to a release of the PTT button.

14. The method of claim 13, further characterized in that the first base station is the same as the second base station.

15. The method of claim 13, further characterized in that the first base station is different from the second base station.

16. The method of claim 13, further characterized in that the method further includes adding or removing the address of a wireless telephone on request from that wireless telephone.

17. The method of claim 13, further characterized in that the method further includes adding or removing the address of a wireless telephone on request from a device other than that wireless telephone.

18. The method of claim 13, further characterized in that the method further includes, on request from a wireless telephone, the server storing one or more streaming voice data messages and forwarding them to the wireless telephone on subsequent request.

19. The method of claim 13, further characterized in that the system further includes at least one additional device, which is not a wireless telephone, but which has been constructed, and has been connected to the server, so as to emulate a wireless telephone.

20. The method of claim 19,further characterized in that:

(a) the server is configured to add or remove the address of a wireless telephone or first device on request from a second device; and

the method includes, at the second device, clicking on an avatar representing the wireless telephone or first device.

12. A method for operating an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet server, wherein:

(a) the method includes storing a plurality of Internet, Intranet, or Extranet addresses; and

(b) the method is characterized in that it further includes;

(1) receiving an indication that a push-to-talk (PTT) button has been depressed at a wireless telephone at each address;

(2) determining whether more than one wireless telephone has a depressed PTT button indication;

(3) if more than one wireless telephone has a depressed PTT button indication, arbitrating which wireless telephone is allowed to place a streaming voice data message on the server;

(4) placing a streaming voice data message on the server from the arbitrated wireless telephone or from a sole wireless telephone;

(5) sending the placed streaming voice data message to the wireless telephones at the other addresses; and

(6) dynamically grouping wireless telephones and networked computers into conferences.

13. A method for operating a system, wherein:

(a) the system includes a first wireless telephone, a second wireless telephone, a first base station, a second base station, and an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet server;

(b) each wireless telephone includes;

(1) a speaker; and

(2) a microphone;

(c) the first wireless telephone is in wireless communication with a first base station;

(d) the first base station is in communication, through the Internet, Intranet or Extranet, with the server;

(e) the second wireless telephone is in wireless communication with a second base station;

(f) the second base station is in communication, through the Internet, Intranet or Extranet, with the server;

(g) the server includes means for storing a plurality of Internet, or Intranet or Extranet, addresses;

(h) each wireless telephone is characterized in that it includes;

(1) a micro-browser or micro-client software having an Internet, Intranet, or Extranet address;

(2) a voice CODEC manager software to the micro-browser or micro-client software; and

(3) a real or virtual push-to-talk (PTT) button; and

(i) the method is characterized in that it includes;

(1) depressing the PTT button on the first wireless telephone;

(2) the first wireless telephone sending;

(A) an outgoing streaming voice data message from the microphone through the voice CODEC manager software; and

(B) an indication that the PTT button has been depressed;

in response to a depression of the PTT button, to the first base station;

(3) the first base station sending an indication to the server that the PTT button has been depressed at the first wireless telephone;

(4) the server arbitrating, if more than one wireless telephone has a depressed PTT button indication, which wireless telephone is allowed to place a streaming voice data message on the server;

(5) placing the streaming voice data message on the server from the arbitrated wireless telephone or from a sole wireless telephone;

(6) the server sending the placed streaming voice data message to the second wireless telephone through the second base station;

(7) the second wireless telephone sending the placed streaming voice data message through the voice CODEC manager software, in response to a release of the PTT button, to the speaker; and

(8) the server sending the placed streaming voice data message to the wireless telephones at the other addresses, if any.