Method, system, and device for provisioned talkgroup identifier discovery

• US 20050197146A1
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Rao, Padakandla Krishna, Yau, Sing Janus
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A method, system, and user device are provided for provisioned talkgroup identifier discovery in a dispatch or similar network, in which a user is provided with a list of talkgroups provisioned for the user device. In some embodiments a new request message sent from the user device is implemented to effect a response from the network providing the information. In other embodiments the provision of the information is provided by a new message automatically sent from the network to the user device at a specific time. In yet other embodiments, the user device attempts to join every group to test which groups are provisioned for it.

Claims

1. A user device capable of walkie-talkie-like functionality adapted to participate in dispatch calls through a dispatch network, the user device being further adapted to obtain from the dispatch network a respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device, and to make information pertaining to the provisioned talkgroup identifiers available to a user of the user device.

2. A user device according to claim 1 wherein the user device is a wireless device.

3. A user device according to claim 2 wherein the information pertaining to the provisioned talkgroup identifiers is selected from a group consisting of:

the provisioned talkgroup identifiers themselves;

a respective corresponding name for each provisioned talkgroup identifier;

a combination of some of the provisioned talkgroup identifiers themselves and a respective corresponding name for some of the provisioned talkgroup identifiers.

4. A user device according to claim 2 comprising a message generation and processing function adapted to:

transmit a first message to the dispatch network to request the respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device; and

receive at least a second message from the dispatch network containing the provisioned talkgroup identifier(s).

5. A user device according to claim 4 wherein the first and second messages are layer 3 messages.

6. A user device according to claim 4 comprising:

a user interface for receiving an input from a user requesting that the first message be transmitted, and in response to which input transmits the first message.

7. A user device according to claim 4 adapted to transmit the first message automatically upon being powered on.

8. A user device according to claim 2 which is compliant with an iDEN™

standard.

9. A user device according to claim 2 adapted to obtain from the network a respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device by automatically trying to join each of a plurality of talkgroups that could possibly be provisioned, and maintaining a record of which talkgroups were successfully joined.

10. A system comprising at least one user device according to claim 2 in combination with

the dispatch network adapted to provide to each user device a respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein the dispatch network provides each user device the respective provisioned talkgroup identifiers in response to a request from the user device.

12. A system comprising at least one user device according to claim 4 in combination with the dispatch network adapted to provide to the at least one user device the respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisional for the user device.

13. A dispatch network adapted to provide dispatch services to user devices capable of walkie-talkie-like functionality, the dispatch network being adapted to provide to each user device a respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device.

14. A dispatch network according to claim 13, wherein the user devices are wireless devices.

15. A dispatch network according to claim 14 comprising a message generation and processing function adapted to:

receive a first message from a particular user device requesting the respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device; and

transmit at least a second message containing the provisioned talkgroup identifier(s).

16. A dispatch network according to claim 15 adapted to transmit a message containing the provisioned talkgroup identifier(s) to a given user device automatically upon power on of the given user device.

17. A dispatch network according to claim 14 comprising a dispatch controller, the dispatch server comprising:

a D-HLR (dispatch-home location register) maintaining for each user device a respective list of provisioned talkgroup identifiers; and

a DAP (dispatch application processor) adapted to process a first message from a particular user device to request the respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device to obtain the provisioned talkgroup identifiers from the D-HLR, and to transmit at least a second message containing the provisioned talkgroup identifier(s).

18. A dispatch network according to claim 17 further comprising at least one EBTS through which messages are routed between user devices and the dispatch application processor.

19. A dispatch network according to claim 14 adapted to transmit a message containing the provisioned talkgroup identifier(s) to a given user device automatically whenever there has been a change in the provisioned talkgroup identifier(s) of the given user device.

20. A method of provisioned talkgroup discovery comprising:

a user device capable of walkie-talkie-like functionality transmitting a request to a dispatch network;

the dispatch network receiving the request and responding with a response containing a respective provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device; and

the user device receiving the response and making the provisioned talkgroup identifiers available to a user of the user device.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the user device is a wireless device.

22. A method according to claim 21 further comprising:

the user device receiving an input from a user in response to which input the request is transmitted.

23. A method according to claim 21 wherein the request and response are sent using layer 3 messages.

24. A method according to claim 21 wherein the request is a registration request and the response is an enhanced registration accept message.

25. A memory for storing data for access by a user device of a dispatch network, comprising:

a data structure stored in said memory, said data structure being a message containing a provisioned talkgroup identifier for each talkgroup provisioned for the user device.

26. A memory according to claim 25 wherein the data structure is an enhanced registration accept message.