Method and apparatus for accessing a network computer to establish a push-to-talk session

• US 20040192364A1
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetNumber Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetNumber Inc.
• Inventors: Ranalli, Douglas J., Walter, Robert H., Peek, David P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A wireless phone user registered for push-to-talk (PTT) services desires a push-to-talk session with a party on a network computer accessible via a public data network (like the Internet) that is not registered with any PTT service. The registered user enters a unique identifier, as a destination address for such computer, and a PTT server uses the unique identifier to query a Directory Service available on the public data network to obtain a PTT address for the destination computer. The PTT server then forwards or proxies the PTT request to the destination computer. As a result, the number of push-to-talk destinations available to the wireless phone user is expanded to include any number of push-to-talk enabled computers available on the Internet that are known to the Directory Service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a wireless phone, having push-to-talk (PTT) functionality and registered with a PTT server, sending a request for a PTT session to the PTT server, the request including a unique identifier of a destination network computer, accessible on a public data network, having PTT functionality and not registered with a PTT server;

the PTT server receiving the request and sending a query for a PTT address for the destination network computer to a directory service accessible on the public data network;

the directory service receiving the query and returning the PTT address to the PTT server; and

the PTT server receiving the PTT address and sending a request for a PTT session to the destination network computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the public data network is the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the PTT address is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) address.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the SIP address is a SIP-URI that can be further resolved into an IP address and a port number for receiving PTT sessions at the destination network computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the directory service issues the unique identifier to the destination network computer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the unique identifier is a telephone number with a # prefix.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a fixed or variable length number or name with a # or * prefix.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a push-to-talk (PTT) server,

containing means for querying a directory service, accessible on a public data network, with a unique identifier to obtain a PTT address for initiating a PTT session with a destination network computer not registered with a PTT server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for querying includes means for querying a DNS directory service.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for querying includes means for receiving the PTT address.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, including means for sending a PTT session request to the destination network computer.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, including means for receiving a PTT session response from the destination network computer.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, including means for accessing a user equipment registered with the PTT server, means for receiving a request for a PTT session with the unique identifier, and means for sending the user equipment a session response.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a directory service,

residing on a computer,

accessible on a public data network, and

containing a unique identifier and an associated PTT address of a network computer having PTT functionality and accessible on the public data network.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the public data network is the Internet.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the destination address is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) address.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the SIP address is a SIP-URI that can be resolved into an IP address and a port number for receiving PTT sessions at the network computer.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the unique identifier is a number or name.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the directory service is a domain name system (DNS) directory service.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the directory service stores the PTT address as a resource record.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the format of the resource record is one or more of a Naming Authority Pointer (NAPTR), Service (SRV), and A record.

22. A method of establishing a push-to-talk session between an inviting user and an invited user, the improvement comprising:

when the invited user is not available to accept a push-to-talk session, the user equipment of the invited user signaling the inviting user to record a push-to-talk message.