Buffering initial talk burst

• US 20050032538A1
• Filed: 08/06/2003
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sand, Donna Michaels, Vollman, David Walter, Riley, Bruce M., Salvador, Laurel, Zhou, Joe Ping, Noel, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• 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

Abstract

In a telecommunications system (100), a method and apparatus for buffering the initial speech of an initial speaker in a push-to-talk call is disclosed. The method includes the steps of determining at least one participant or group to call (410, 510), sending a call request to the at least one participant or group (520), determining if the at least one participant or group is registered with the telecommunications system, notifying the initial speaker to begin speaking after determining at least one participant is registered with the telecommunications system but prior to connecting all called parties, receiving and digitizing voice packets from the initial speaker, storing the digitized data packets in a storage medium and transmitting the digitized voice packets when a predetermined packet transmission triggering event occurs. The apparatus for buffering the initial speech burst of an initial speaker in a call includes a first server (140) and a second server (150) communicatively connected to the first server. The second server is programmed to execute the steps of the method described above.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system using half-duplex communications and a push-to-talk feature, where communications channel resources are not always dedicated for a push-to-talk call, a method for buffering the initial speech of an initial speaker in a push-to-talk call, the method comprising the steps of:

determining at least one participant or group to call;

receiving a call request from the initial speaker to the at least one participant or group;

determining if the at least one participant or group is registered with the telecommunications system;

if one of the at least one participant or group is registered with the telecommunications system, then notifying the initial speaker to begin speaking prior to all called parties being connected to the call;

receiving and digitizing voice packets from the initial speaker;

storing the digitized data packets in a storage medium; and

transmitting the digitized voice packets when a predetermined packet transmission triggering event occurs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

inviting called parties to participate in the call; and

duplicating the stored digitized voice packets for each of the called parties.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting the stored digitized voice packets further comprises the step of transmitting the stored digitized voice packets when a predetermined percentage of the called parties begin participation in the call.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined packet transmission triggering event is when a predetermined time period expires.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting the stored digitized voice packets further comprises the step of transmitting the stored digitized voice packets when all of the called parties begin participation in the call.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting the stored digitized voice packets further comprising the step of transmitting the stored digitized voice packets at a predetermined rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the digitized voice packets further comprising the step of storing the digitized voice packets until a predetermined amount of digitized voice packets have been received.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of allocating resources for the call, including assigning a means for duplicating the digitized voice packets and a voice packet transfer medium to the call.

9. In a telecommunications system using half-duplex communications and a push-to-talk feature, where communications channel resources are not always dedicated for a push-to-talk call, an apparatus buffering the initial speech burst of an initial speaker in a call, the apparatus comprising:

a first server; and

a second server communicatively connected to the first server and wherein the second server is programmed to;

determine at least one participant or group to call;

send a call request to the at least one participant or group in response to a push-to-talk request;

determine if one of the at least one participant or group is registered with the telecommunications system;

receive and digitize voice packets from the initial speaker after the second server determines that one of the at least one participant or group is registered with the telecommunications system and prior to connecting all called parties to the call;

store the digitized data packets in a storage medium; and

transmit the digitized voice packets from the storage medium to a mobile device upon the occurrence of a transmission triggering event.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second server is programmed to invite called parties to participate in the call.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first server is programmed to duplicate the received digitized voice packets.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transmission triggering event is when a predetermined percentage of the called parties begin participation in the call.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transmission triggering event is when a predetermined time period expires.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second server is programmed to transmit the stored digitized voice packets at a predetermined rate.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transmission triggering event is when all called parties are connected to the call.