Apparatus and method for requesting or allocating a push-to-talk right to talk and/or for requesting or communicating queuing information

• US 20060084455A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Schmidt, Holger, Schwagmann, Norbert, Schmidt, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A push-to-talk communication system is described in which a decision unit (chair) and/or a queue are provided for allocating the right to talk during a push-to-talk communication, and corresponding control messages, request messages and information messages are transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for requesting a push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and/or for requesting queuing information about a queue which has entries which in each case correspond to a request for the push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, the method comprising the steps of:

a push-to-talk client unit generating a real-time control protocol message which contains queue administration information for administering the queue and/or contains information that the push-to-talk client unit is requesting queuing information; and

the push-to-talk client unit sending the real-time control protocol message to a controlling push-to-talk server.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of the queue administration information specifies a priority of the push-to-talk client unit and/or specifies that the push-to-talk client unit takes back a request of the push-to-talk client unit for the push-to-talk right to talk.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the queue is administered by the controlling push-to-talk server and/or by a decision unit.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the requested queuing information is information about the position of the entry which corresponds to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk by the push-to-talk client unit and/or information of the complete queue.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of the controlling push-to-talk server allocating the push-to-talk right to talk by taking into consideration the queue and/or generating a real-time control protocol response message with the requested queuing information and conveying it to the push-to-talk client unit.

6. A method for allocating a push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and/or for reporting queuing information about a queue which has entries which in each case correspond to a request for the push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, the method comprising the steps of:

a controlling push-to-talk server generating a real-time control protocol message which contains queue administration information for administering the queue and/or contains information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting queuing information and/or contains information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting control information which specifies how the push-to-talk right to talk is to be allocated; and

the controlling push-to-talk server sending the real-time control protocol message to a decision unit.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the queue administration information contains an identification of a push-to-talk client unit and specifies a priority of the push-to-talk client unit and/or specifies that the push-to-talk client unit takes back a request of the push-to-talk client unit for the push-to-talk right to talk.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the queue is administered by the decision unit.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the requested queuing information is information about the position of the entry which corresponds to a push-to-talk right to talk request of a push-to-talk client unit and/or an information about the overall state of the queue.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of the decision unit generating a first real-time control protocol response message with the requested control information and conveying the first real-time control protocol response message to the controlling push-to-talk server and/or generating a second real-time control protocol response message with the requested queuing information and conveying the second real-time control protocol response message to the controlling push-to-talk server and/or administering the queue, taking into consideration the queue administration information.

11. A push-to-talk client unit of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation unit which is set up to generate a real-time control protocol message which contains queue administration information for administering a queue which has entries which in each case correspond to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and/or contains information that the push-to-talk client unit is requesting queuing information; and

a transmitting device which is set up so that the push-to-talk client unit sends the real-time control protocol message to a controlling push-to-talk server.

12. A controlling push-to-talk server of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation unit which is set up to

generate a first real-time control protocol message which contains queue administration information for administering a queue which has entries which in each case correspond to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and/or contains information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting queuing information and/or contains information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting control information which specifies how the push-to-talk right to talk is to be allocated; and

/or

generate a second real-time control protocol message which contains queuing information requested by a push-to-talk client unit; and

a transmitting device which is set up to send the first real-time control protocol message to a decision unit and/or send the second real-time control protocol message to the push-to-talk client unit.

13. A decision unit of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation unit which is set up to generate a real-time control protocol message which contains a queuing information, requested by a controlling push-to-talk server, about a queue which has entries which in each case correspond to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and/or contains control information, requested by a controlling push-to-talk server, which specifies how the push-to-talk right to talk is to be allocated; and

a transmitting device which is set up to send the real-time control protocol message to the controlling push-to-talk server.

14. A push-to-talk client unit of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation means for generating a real-time control protocol message which contains queue administration information for administering a queue which has entries which in each case correspond to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and/or contains information that the push-to-talk client unit is requesting queuing information; and

a transmitting device which is set up so that the push-to-talk client unit sends the real-time control protocol message to a controlling push-to-talk server.