Group communication in a communication network

• US 20040190468A1
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Saijonmaa, Jaakko
• Application Number:
  US10/441,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190468A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A group communication gateway is provided between a direct-mode network and a packet based group communication service in a cellular network. The communication gateway communicates with the packet based group communication service over a cellular air interface and with direct-mode terminals over a direct-mode air interface for interchanging group packet control signalling and group packet speech and/or data traffic, thereby enabling the direct-mode user terminals to participate in a packet based cellular group communication. The group communication gateway relays group attachments/detachments, handles group speech item reservations, and forwards group packet speech and data traffic between the direct mode network and the packet based group service in the cellular network.

Claims

1. A wireless communications system, comprising:

a cellular communications network having a cellular air interface for communication with cellular user terminals, and a packet-based group communication service;

a direct mode network including direct-mode user terminals capable of permitting communication directly between the direct-mode user terminals over a direct-mode air interface; and

a group communications gateway configured to communicate with the packet-based group communication service over the cellular air interface and with the direct-mode user terminals over the direct-mode air interface and to interchange at least one of group packet control signalling, group packet speech and data traffic, whereby enabling the direct-mode user terminals to participate in a packet-based cellular group communication.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the group communications gateway is configured to relay group attachments and group detachments from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in said packet-based group communication service.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the group communications gateway is configured to authenticate and register to said packet-based group communications service on behalf of the direct-mode user terminals.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the group communications gateway is configured to handle-speech item reservations from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the group communications gateway is configured to locally accept or reject speech item reservations from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service and to send accepted speech item reservations to the packet-based group communication service.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the direct-mode user terminals communicate on a shared circuit-mode radio channel.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the direct-mode user terminals communicate with the group communications gateway according to a group or individual communication protocol of the direct mode network, and wherein the group communications gateway comprises a packet-mode group communication agent that emulates a respective number of cellular group members towards the packet-based group communication service in the cellular network.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the direct mode network comprises a packet-based ad-hoc network.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the direct-mode terminals comprise a packet-mode group communication agent, and wherein the group communications gateway comprises packet-mode group communication proxy emulating a respective number of cellular group members towards the packet-based group communication service in the cellular network.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the direct-mode terminal agent authenticates and registers to the packet-based group communications service.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one agent of a plurality of packet-mode group communication agents in the direct-mode user terminals is configured to locally accept or reject speech item reservations from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service, and wherein the group communications gateway is configured to send accepted speech item reservations to the packet-based group communication service.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the direct-mode network comprises a multihop direct-mode network.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the direct-mode network comprises direct-mode terminals of a TETRA system.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein the packet-based group communication service comprises a push-to-talk over cellular type group communication service.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the packet-based group communication service comprises a group communications IP server system overlaying the cellular communications network.

16. A direct mode network, comprising:

direct-mode user terminals capable of permitting communications between the direct-mode user terminals over a direct-mode air interface; and

a group communications gateway communicating with a packet-based group communication service in a cellular network over a cellular air interface and with the direct-mode user terminals over the direct-mode air interface for interchanging at least one of group and individual call control signalling, group packet speech and data traffic, whereby enabling the direct-mode user terminals to participate in a packet-based cellular group communication.

17. A network according to claim 16, wherein the direct-mode user terminals group and direct call control signalling is based on Session Initiation Protocol.

18. A network according to claim 16, wherein at least part of the direct-mode user terminals comprise a packet-mode group communication agent, and wherein the group communications gateway comprises packet-mode group communication proxy emulating a respective number of cellular group members towards the packet-based group communication service in the cellular network.

19. A network according to claim 16, wherein at least one agent of a plurality of packet-mode group communication agents in the direct-mode terminals is configured to locally accept or reject speech item reservations from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service, and wherein the group communications gateway is configured to send accepted speech item reservations to the packet-based group communication service.

20. A network according to claim 16, wherein the group communications gateway is configured to locally accept or reject speech item reservations from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service and to send accepted speech item reservations to the packet-based group communication service.

21. A wireless device, comprising:

means for communicating with direct-mode user terminals in a direct mode network over a direct-mode air interface, and

means for interchanging at least one of group control signalling, group packet speech and data traffic with a packet-based group communication service of a cellular communications network over a cellular air interface of the cellular communications network, whereby enabling the direct-mode user terminals to participate in a packet-based cellular group communication.

22. A device according to claim 21, further comprising at least one of the following:

means for relaying group attachments and group detachments from the direct-mode user equipments to a communication group in said packet-based group communication service;

means for controlling speech item reservations from the direct-mode user equipments to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service; and

means for routing at least one of group packet speech and data traffic between the direct-mode user equipments and the packet-based group communication service.

23. A device according to claim 21, further comprising means for locally accepting or rejecting speech item reservations from the direct-mode user terminals to a communication group in the packet-based group communication service and for sending accepted speech item reservations to the packet-based group communication service.

24. A device according to claim 21, wherein the device comprises a dual-mode terminal for cellular and direct-mode networks.