Method and apparatus for reducing transport delay in a push-to-talk system

• US 20060084457A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rossetti, David Albert, Wang, Jin, Laha, Subhasis
• Application Number:
  US10/956,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

In real-time critical wireless data applications, such as Push-to-talk over Cellular (PoC) or Push-To-Talk (PTT) and Voice-over-IP (VoIP), a user of a PTT mobile station pushes a button to indicate his desire to communicate with a pre-defined group (e.g., a buddy list) of people. This action triggers the PTT mobile station to re-activate a dormant data call connection and request the floor. When one or more of the mobile stations identified in the buddy list responds, a PTT server sends a Grant message to the PTT caller and he/she can start to talk. In one embodiment, the Grant message is sent to the PTT caller before the dormant call is completely reactivated to reduce PTT call setup latency.

Claims

1. A method of communicating a grant message to a mobile station in a push-to-talk system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first mobile station to transmit a message to a second mobile station via a dormant connection;

initiating a reactivation of the dormant connection; and

providing a grant message to the first mobile station prior to completion of the reactivation.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein providing the grant message to the first mobile station prior to completion of the reactivation further comprises providing the grant message via a bearer transport connection.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 2, wherein providing the grant message via the bearer transport connection further comprises providing the grant message as a short data burst.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection further comprises initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection in response to receiving an origination message.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 4, wherein initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection further comprises a push-to-talk call request being delivered to a push-to-talk server in response to receiving the origination message.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein providing a grant message to the first mobile station prior to completion of the reactivation further comprises providing the grant message via a bearer transport connection in response to determining that the reactivation has not completed.

7. A method of communicating a grant message to a mobile station in a push-to-talk system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a first mobile station to transmit a message to a second mobile station via a dormant connection;

initiating a reactivation of the dormant connection;

providing a grant message to the first mobile station via a bearer transport connection in response to the reactivation being incomplete; and

providing a grant message to the first mobile station via the connection in response to the reactivation being complete.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 7, wherein providing the grant message via the bearer transport connection further comprises providing the grant message as a short data burst.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 7, wherein initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection further comprises initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection in response to receiving an origination message.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 9, wherein initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection further comprises delivering a push-to-talk call to a push-to-talk server in response to receiving the origination message.

11. A method of controlling a communications session in a push-to-talk system, the method comprising:

transmitting a request to transmit a message to a mobile station via a dormant connection;

initiating a reactivation of the dormant connection; and

receiving a grant message prior to completion of the reactivation.

12. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein receiving the grant message prior to completion of the reactivation further comprises receiving the grant message via a bearer transport connection.

13. A method, as set forth in claim 12, wherein receiving the grant message via the bearer transport connection further comprises receiving the grant message as a short data burst.

14. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein initiating the reactivation of the dormant connection further comprises transmitting an origination message.