Group communication in a communication system

• US 20050267936A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Poikselka, Miikka
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• 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 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

A resource list or a user profile is provided with a new parameter, called a group advertisement parameter, which indicates whether a user allows a group advertisement for an individual communication group or not. The user can set the group advertisement parameter in a resource list when he/she creates the communication group. When the user has created a communication group, a group communication server processes the group further as any other group. If the group communication server observes that a group advertisement parameter is present or set active, the server starts advertising the communication group to all group members or to a selected subset of group members.

Claims

1. A method of managing a communication group, the method comprising:

creating a communication group definition in a group communication service by a first user,

providing the group communication definition with a group advertisement parameter indicating that the communication group is to be advertised to at least one member of the communication group, and

sending advertisement from the group communication service to the at least one member of the communication group in response to the group advertisement parameter.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of creating comprises creating a resource list containing the group advertisement parameter.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said communication group definition comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) data structures, and wherein the step of creating comprises creating a resource list containing the group advertisement parameter by means of An Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP).

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the XML data structure comprises a urn:

ietf;

params;

xml;

ns;

conference-settings namespace containing a Conference-settings element, and wherein the group advertisement parameter comprises an attribute to the Conference-settings element.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the XML data structure comprises a urn:

ietf;

params;

xml;

ns;

conference-info namespace containing a Conference-info element, and wherein the group advertisement parameter comprises an attribute to the Conference-info element.

6. A method of managing a communication group, the method comprising:

creating a communication group definition in a group communication service by a first user,

checking a status of a group advertisement parameter in a user profile by the group communication service, said group advertisement parameter indicating whether the communication group is to be advertised, and

sending advertisement from the group communication service to at least one member of the communication group in response to an active status of the group advertisement parameter.

7. User equipment for a communication system, the user equipment comprising:

means for creating a communication group definition in a remote group communication server system, and

means for providing the communication group definition with a group advertisement parameter indicating to the remote group communication server system that the communication group is to be advertised to at least one member of the communication group.

8. User equipment according to claim 7, wherein the creating means comprises means for creating a resource list containing the group advertisement parameter.

9. User equipment according to claim 7, wherein said communication group definition comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) data structure, and the creating means comprises means for creating a resource list containing the group advertisement parameter by means of An Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP).

10. User equipment according to claim 9, wherein the XML data structure comprises a urn:

ietf;

params;

xml;

ns;

conference-settings namespace containing a Conference-settings element, and wherein the group advertisement parameter comprises an attribute to the Conference-settings element.

11. User equipment according to claim 9, wherein the XML data structure comprises a urn:

ietf;

params;

xml;

ns;

conference-info namespace containing a Conference-info element, and wherein the group advertisement parameter comprises an attribute to the Conference-info element.

12. User equipment according to any claim 7, wherein the user equipment comprises a push-to-talk over cellular client.

13. A group communication server system, comprising:

first means enabling a user to create a communication group definition, said communication group definition containing a group advertisement parameter indicating that a communication group is to be advertised to at least one member of the communication group, and

second means for sending a group advertisement to some at least one member of the communication group in response to the group advertisement parameter.

14. A server system according to claim 13, wherein the first means are located in a group and list management server in a push-to-talk over cellular system, and wherein the second means are located in a push-to-talk over cellular server.

15. A server system according to claim 13, wherein the first and second means are located in a group and list management server in a push-to-talk over cellular system.

16. A server system according to claim 13, wherein the first and second means are located in a push-to-talk over cellular server.

17. A server system according to claim 13, wherein the communication group definition comprises a resource list containing the group advertisement parameter.

18. A server system according to claim 13, wherein said communication group definition comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) data structure, and the creating means comprises means for creating a resource list containing the group advertisement parameter by means of An Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP).

19. A server system according to claim 18, wherein the XML data structure comprises a urn:

ietf;

params;

xml;

ns;

conference-settings namespace containing a Conference-settings element, and wherein the group advertisement parameter comprises an attribute to the Conference-settings element.

20. A server system according to claim 19, wherein the XML data structure comprises a urn:

ietf;

params;

xml;

ns;

conference-info namespace containing a Conference-info element, and wherein the group advertisement parameter comprises an attribute to the Conference-info element.

21. A group communication server system, comprising:

first means enabling a user to create a communication group definition,

second means for checking a status of a group advertisement parameter in a user profile, said group advertisement parameter indicating whether the communication group is to be advertised, and

third means for sending advertisement to at least one member of the communication group in response to an active status of the group advertisement parameter.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the first means are located in a group and list management server in a push-to-talk over cellular system, and wherein the second and third means are located on a push-to-talk over cellular server.

23. A system according to claim 21, wherein the first, second and third means are located on a group and list management server in a push-to-talk over cellular system.

24. A system according to claim 21, wherein the first, second and third means are located on a push-to-talk over cellular server.