System and method for voice and text based service interworking

• US 20060052127A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Wolter, David Randall
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/519
• 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: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A method of communication includes receiving a request to initiate a push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange from a push-to-talk device. A determination is made in order to ascertain if an instant messaging device is available to partake in the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange. If the instant messaging device is available, the push-to-talk device is notified that the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange has begun. Voice packets are received from the push-to-talk device after a push to talk button is pressed and released. The voice packets from the push-to-talk device are converted to text packets. Then, the converted text packets are transmitted to the instant messaging device. The method further includes determining whether the push-to-talk device is blocked by the instant messaging device. If the push-to-talk device is not blocked, text packets are received from the instant messaging device and converted to voice packets. Further, the converted voice packets are transmitted to the push-to-talk device.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange from a push-to-talk device;

determining if an instant messaging device is available to partake in the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange; and

notifying the push-to-talk device that the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange has begun after determining that the instant messaging device is available.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving voice packets from the push-to-talk device after a push to talk button is pressed and released.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

converting the voice packets from the push-to-talk device to text packets.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the converted text packets to the instant messaging device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the push-to-talk device is blocked by the instant messaging device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving text packets from the instant messaging device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

converting the text packets from the instant messaging device to voice packets.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the converted voice packets to the push-to-talk device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving multimedia content from the push to talk device; and

transmitting the multimedia content to the instant messaging device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving multimedia content from the push to talk device; and

storing the multimedia content at a database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting a link to the multimedia content to the instant messaging device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

communicating the multimedia content from the database to the instant messaging device.

13. A method of communication, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange from an instant messaging device;

determining if a push-to-talk device is available to partake in the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange; and

notifying the instant messaging device that the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange has begun after determining that the push-to-talk device is available.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving text packets from the instant messaging device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

converting the text packets from the instant messaging device to voice packets.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the converted voice packets to the push-to-talk device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the instant messaging device is blocked by the push-to-talk device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving voice packets from the push-to-talk device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

converting the voice packets from the push-to-talk device to text packets.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the converted text packets to the instant messaging device.

21. A communication system, comprising:

a data network; and

a push-to-talk/instant messaging server in communication with the data network, the push-to-talk/instant messaging server including a computer readable medium and a computer program embedded within the computer readable medium for facilitating a push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange between the push-to-talk device and the instant messaging device.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a push-to-talk device in communication with the data network.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

an instant messaging device in communication with the data network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to receive a request from the push-to-talk device or the instant messaging device to initiate a push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to receive voice packets from the push-to-talk device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to receive text packets from the instant messaging device.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to convert voice packets to text packets for delivery to the instant messaging device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to convert text packets to voice packets for delivery to the push-to-talk device.

29. A computer system for facilitating communication between a push-to-talk device and a instant messaging device, the computer server comprising:

a push-to-talk server;

an instant messaging server; and

a push-to-talk/instant messaging gateway server, the push-to-talk/instant messaging gateway server comprises;

instructions to receive voice packets from the push-to-talk server;

instructions to convert the voice packets to text packets; and

instructions to transmit the text packets to the instant messaging server.

30. The computer system of claim 29, wherein the push-to-talk server comprises:

instructions to receive voice packets from a push-to-talk device;

instructions to transmit the voice packets to the push-to-talk/instant messaging gateway server; and

instructions to receive voice packets from the push-to-talk/instant messaging gateway server.

31. The computer system of claim 29, wherein the instant messaging server comprises:

instructions to receive text packets from an instant messaging device;

instructions to transmit the text packets to the push-to-talk/instant messaging gateway server; and

instructions to receive text packets from the push-to-talk/instant messaging gateway server.

32. The computer system of claim 29, further comprising:

a presence server, wherein the presence server comprises;

instructions to determine if an instant messaging device is available for a push-to-talk/instant messaging when requested by a push-to-talk device.

33. The computer system of claim 32, wherein the presence server further comprises:

instructions to determine if a push-to-talk device is available for a push-to-talk/instant messaging when requested by an instant messaging device.