Method and apparatus for speaker arbitration in a multi-participant communication session

• US 20030235184A1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Upp, Steven D., Hallin, Thomas G., Dorenbosch, Jheroen P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,688,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A communication system provides in-band speaker arbitration in a multi-participant communication session by use of RTP floor control messages that include a speaker arbitration command embedded in a data packet header extension.

Claims

1. A method for providing speaker arbitration in a communication session involving multiple participants, the method comprising steps of:

assembling a Real Time Protocol (RTP) data packet;

adding a header extension to the Real Time Protocol data packet; and

embedding a speaker arbitration command in the header extension to produce an RTP floor control message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of utilizing the Real Time Protocol floor control message to request to reserve a floor of the communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of utilizing the Real Time Protocol floor control message to grant a reservation of a floor of the communication session.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a step of replicating the Real Time Protocol floor control message by use of Internet Protocol (IP) multicast in order to grant a reservation of a floor to a participant of the multiple participants.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of utilizing the Real Time Protocol floor control message to identify a beginning of a data transmission by a grantee of a floor of the communication session.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of utilizing the Real Time Protocol floor control message to relinquish a reservation of a floor of the communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of utilizing the Real Time Protocol floor control message to deny a request to reserve a floor of the communication session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a second RTP floor control message and wherein the method further comprises steps of:

receiving a first RTP floor control message that comprises a speaker arbitration command; and

utilizing the second RTP floor control message to acknowledge the first RTP floor control message.

9. A method for speaker arbitration in a communication session involving a plurality of participants, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a request to reserve a floor of the communication session;

assembling a Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprising a request to reserve the floor; and

transmitting the RTP floor control message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a first RTP floor control message and wherein the method further comprises a step of, in response to transmitting the first RTP floor control message, receiving a second RTP floor control message denying the request to reserve the floor.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a first RTP floor control message and wherein the method further comprises a step of, in response to transmitting the first RTP floor control message, receiving a second RTP floor control message that fails to grant the request to reserve the floor.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a first RTP floor control message and wherein the method further comprises a step of, in response to transmitting the first RTP floor control message, receiving a second RTP floor control message granting the request to reserve the floor.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising steps of:

in response to receiving the second RTP floor control message, assembling a third Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message that identifies the start of a data transmission; and

transmitting the third RTP floor control message.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising steps of:

receiving an indication of a desire to release the floor reservation;

assembling a fourth Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message that relinquishes control of the floor; and

transmitting the fourth RTP floor control message.

15. A method for speaker arbitration in a communication session involving a plurality of participants and a plurality of nodes associated with the plurality of participants, the method comprising steps of:

receiving, from a participant of the plurality of participants in the communication session, a first Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprising a request to reserve a floor of the communication session;

determining whether the floor is available;

when the floor is available, transmitting a second RTP floor control message granting the request to reserve the floor; and

when the floor is not available, transmitting a third RTP floor control message that fails to grant the request to reserve the floor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of transmitting a third Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a step of, when the floor is not available, transmitting a third RTP floor control message denying the request to reserve the floor.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the participant comprises a first participant and wherein the step of transmitting a second Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a step of, when the floor is available, transmitting, to each participant of the plurality of participants, a second RTP floor control message granting the request to reserve the floor to the first participant.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving a first Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a step of receiving, from each of at least two participants of the plurality of participants in the communication session, a first RTP floor control message comprising a request to reserve a floor of the communication session, and wherein the step of transmitting a second RTP floor control message comprises steps of:

when the floor is available, determining a first participant of the at least two participants to whom to grant the request to reserve the floor to produce a grantee; and

transmitting, to the grantee, a second RTP floor control message granting the request to reserve the floor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message further identifies the grantee and wherein the step of transmitting a second RTP floor control message comprises a step of transmitting, to a second participant of the at least two participants, a duplicate of the second Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of transmitting a second Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control message comprises a step of replicating and transmitting, by use of Internet Protocol (IP) multicast, a second RTP floor control message granting the request to reserve the floor.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising steps of:

determining whether a first node of the plurality of nodes utilizes a first message format that is different than a second message format utilized by each of a second node of the plurality of nodes and a third node of the plurality of nodes;

assigning a first gateway to receive RTP data packets from the first node; and

in response to determining that the second node and the third node each utilize a second message format, assigning a second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the second node and the third node.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising steps of:

assigning a first gateway to receive RTP data packets from a first node of the plurality of nodes;

determining whether a second node of the plurality of nodes and a third node of the plurality of nodes are proximate to a second gateway; and

in response to determining that the second node and the third node are proximate to the second gateway, assigning a second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the second node and the third node.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein two participants of the plurality of participants exchange Real Time Protocol (RTP) floor control messages without an intervening media gateway explicitly providing the speaker arbitration services.

24. An apparatus for providing floor control for a communication session involving a plurality of participants and a plurality of nodes associated with the plurality of participants, the apparatus comprising a gateway having a signal processing unit that assembles a Real Time Protocol (RTP) data packet, adds a header extension to the RTP data packet, and embeds a speaker arbitration command in the header extension to produce an RTP floor control message.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising arbitration logic that executes an arbitration algorithm, wherein the arbitration algorithm selects a participant to be granted a floor of a communication session from among a plurality of participants requesting the floor.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the gateway further utilizes Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to set up the communication session.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the gateway further comprises:

means for receiving a Real Time Protocol (RTP) data packet;

means for creating one or more duplicates of the received RTP data packet; and

means for transmitting the one or more duplicates of the received RTP data packet.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the gateway further allocates a plurality of gateway routing addresses to the communication session and wherein the apparatus further comprises a controller coupled to the gateway that assigns a gateway routing addresses of the plurality of gateway routing addresses to each node of the plurality of associated nodes.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the gateway further conveys to each node of the plurality of associated nodes a Real Time Protocol (RTP) data packet that comprises the routing address assigned by the controller to the node.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the gateway comprises a first gateway and the gateway routing addresses comprise first gateway routing addresses, wherein the controller further determines that a first node of the plurality of nodes utilizes a first message format that is different than a second message format utilized by each of a second node of the plurality of nodes and a third node of the plurality of nodes, and wherein the controller, in response to determining that the second node and third node each utilize a second message format, assigns a second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the second node and the third node.

31. The apparatus for claim 30, wherein the controller assigns a first gateway routing address of the plurality of first gateway routing addresses to the second gateway.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the second gateway allocates a plurality of second gateway routing addresses to the communication session and wherein the controller assigns a second gateway routing addresses of the plurality of second gateway routing addresses to each of the second node and the third node.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the gateway comprises a first gateway and the gateway routing addresses comprise first gateway routing addresses, wherein the controller further determines that a first node of the plurality of nodes and a second node of the plurality of nodes are proximate to a second gateway, and wherein the controller, in response to determining that the first node the second node are proximate to the second gateway, assigns the second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the first node and the second node.

34. The apparatus for claim 33, wherein the controller assigns a first gateway routing address of the plurality of first gateway routing addresses to the second gateway.

35. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a means for determining that a first node of the plurality of nodes operates pursuant to a first message format that is different than a second message format utilized by a second node of the plurality of nodes; and

a translator capable of translating a message from the first message format to the second message format; and

a means for assigning the translator to translate messages exchanged between the first node and the second node.

36. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

a means for determining that a first node of the plurality of nodes operates pursuant to a first message format that is different than a second message format utilized by a second node of the plurality of nodes; and

an interworking finction unit capable of translating a message from the first message format to the second message format; and

a means for assigning the translator to translate messages exchanged between the first node and the second node.