Method and apparatus for interactive communication between half-duplex and full-duplex systems

• US 20030224825A1
• Filed: 06/03/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eschbach, Jeffrey T., Mysore, Jayanth P., Rohles, Frederick H., Cox, Gregory W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/560
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72505 Radio link set-up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A communication system (100) includes a first communication unit (101, 102, 103, 104) capable of communicating over a full-duplex persistent-connection link provided by a full-duplex network (105) and a second communication unit (151, 152) capable of communicating over a half-duplex dispatch link provided by a dispatch RF system (150). The system (100) also includes a dispatch gateway (120). The dispatch gateway (120) receives signals from a first communication unit (101, 102, 103, 104) over a full-duplex persistent link through a full-duplex network (105) and provides communication between the first communication unit and a single dispatch communication unit (151, 152) or a group of dispatch communication units (151, 152) over a half-duplex communication link through a dispatch RF system (150). The gateway operates in a manner so as to permit communication between full-duplex terminals (101, 102, 103, 104) and half-duplex terminals (151, 152).

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first communication unit capable of communicating over a persistent-connection link;

a second communication unit capable of communicating over a half-duplex link; and

a state machine coupled to the first communication unit over a persistent-connection link and coupled to the second communication unit over a half-duplex link, wherein the state-machine comprises a processor and a memory, and the processor is programmed to receive signals from the first communication unit over a persistent-communication link and to simulate half-dulplex communication according to the signals received from the first communication unit to permit there first communication unit to communicate with the second communications unit over the half duplex link.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit is a persistent-connection based full-duplex terminal.

3. The communications system according to claim 2, wherein the first communications unit is one of a central switched based full-duplex terminal, a proxy controlled terminal and an intermediate call agent controlled terminal.

4. The communications system of claim 3, wherein one of the proxy controlled terminal and the intermediate call agent controlled terminal comprises either a SIP terminal or an H.323 terminal.

5. The communications system according to claim 3, further comprising an intermediate switching system associated with one of the full-duplex ling and the half-duplex link.

6. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit communicates over the persistent-connection link using dual tone multifrequency format DTMF.

7. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein:

the state machine processor is programmed to receive a DTMF signal; and

the state-machine is programmed to begin communication with the second communication unit over the half-duplex link in response to the DTMF signal.

8. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein;

the state-machine processor is programmed to store call data concerning the half-duplex link;

the state machine processor is programmed to receive a DTMF signal; and

the state-machine processor is programmed, in response to the second DTMF signal, to receive the call data, to generate an audio message using the call data, and to transmit the audio message over the persistent-connection link.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication over the half-duplex links uses a packet-driven format.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second communication unit is a mobile terminal.

11. The communications system according to claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal is a radio frequency communication device selected from the group of radio frequency communication devices consisting of radio frequency telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants and radios.

12. An apparatus for permitting communications between a first communication unit capable of communicating over a persistent-connection link and a second communication unit capable of communicating over a half-duplex link, the apparatus comprising:

a state machine coupled to the first communication unit over a persistent-connection link and coupled to the second communication unit over a half-duplex link;

the state machine compromising a processor and a memory, the processor being programmed to receive signals from the first communication unit over the persistent-communication link and to simulate half-duplex communication according to signals received from the first communication unit to permit the first communication unit to communicate with the second communications over the half-duplex link.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the first communication unit comprises a persistent connection based full-duplex terminal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first communication unit comprises one of an intermediary device, a switch and a call agent.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the call agent comprises one of a H.323 terminal and a SIP terminal.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal comprises one of a radio frequency telephone, a pager and a personal digital assistant.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, in combination with an intermediary call agent.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first communication units comprises either a SIP terminal or a H.323 terminal.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first communication unit communicates over the persistent connection link using dual tone multifrequency format DTMF.

20. A method for interworking a first communication unit capable of communicating over a persistent-connection link and a second communication unit capable of communicating over a half-duplex link, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving signals from the first communication unit over the persistent-connection communication link;

simulating half-duplex communication according to the signals received from the first communication unit; and

communicating between the first communication unit and the second communication unit using the half-duplex link.