System and method for initiating push-to-talk sessions between outside services and user equipment

• US 20060089167A1
• Filed: 12/24/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonim Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonim Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Idnani, Amit
• Granted Patent: US 7,155,248 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 65/4061 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 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

Outside services are connected to user equipment via a push-to-talk (PTT) session by signing-up the user equipment with the outside service, generating a request to establish the PTT session between the user equipment and the outside service, establishing the PTT session, and transmitting media from the outside service to the user equipment via the PTT session. The request to establish the PTT session may be either from the outside service or from the user equipment. The establishment of the PTT session is initiated from within the network. Further, the PTT session may be either delayed or in real-time in relation to the request to establish the PTT session.

Claims

1. In a push-to-talk communications network, a method for providing an outside service to user equipment, comprising the steps of:

signing-up the user equipment with the outside service;

generating a request to establish a push-to-talk session between the user equipment and the outside service;

establishing the push-to-talk session between the user equipment and the outside service; and

transmitting media from the outside service to the user equipment via the push-to-talk session.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request to establish is generated by the outside service.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request to establish is generated by the user equipment.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the push-to-talk session is established substantially in real-time after generation of the request to establish.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the push-to-talk session is established after a time delay from generation of the request to establish.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the push-to-talk communications network is a cellular network.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein SIP is used as the signaling protocol and RTP is used as the protocol for data transmissions.

8. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the request to establish is a SUBSCRIBE message;

and wherein an INVITE message establishes the push-to-talk session.

9. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prior to the generating step, obtaining metadata from the outside service pertaining to the push-to-talk session.

10. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prior to the generating step, obtaining a pre-fetched media from the outside service comprising at least a portion of the media to be transmitted in the transmitting step.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the push-to-talk session is established with no more than one instance of the user equipment.

12. A server in communication with a push-to-talk network and configured to establish a push-to-talk session between an application server associated with an outside service application server and user equipment, comprising:

means for subscribing the user equipment with the outside service application server;

means for initiating a push-to-talk session on the push-to-talk network; and

means for moving media from the outside service application server to the user equipment;

wherein in response to a message requesting to establish a push-to-talk session at a predetermined time received by the means for subscribing, the means for initiating requests the means for initiating to establish a push-to-talk session between the outside service application server and the user equipment and alerts the means for moving to accept media from the outside service application server;

wherein in response to the initiation request, the means for initiating causes the push-to-talk network to establish a push-to-talk session between the outside service application server and the user equipment; and

wherein the means for moving moves media from the outside service application server and the user equipment.

13. The server recited in claim 12, further comprising:

a first communications channel for transmitting message between the outside service application server and the server; and

a second communications channel for transmitting messages between the push-to-talk network and the server.

14. The server recited in claim 12, further comprising:

means for routing messages to and from the means for subscribing, means for initiating and means for moving on one hand, and the outside service application server and push-to-talk network on the other.

15. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the server communicates with the outside service application server via an application program interface (API).

16. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the push-to-talk communications network is a cellular network.

17. The server recited in claim 16, wherein SIP is used as the signaling protocol and RTP is used as the protocol for data transmissions;

and wherein the message received by the means for subscribing is a SUBSCRIBE message.

18. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the means for initiating causes the push-to-talk network to establish a push-to-talk session by generating an INVITE message.

19. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the predetermined time is immediately upon receipt of the message received by the means for subscribing.

20. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the predetermined time is at a time subsequent to receipt of the message received by the means for subscribing.

21. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the message received by the means for subscribing originates from the user equipment.

22. The server recited in claim 12, wherein the message received by the means for subscribing originates from the outside service application server.

23. The server recited in claim 12, further comprising:

means for obtaining metadata from the outside service application server prior to initiating the push-to-talk session pertaining to the push-to-talk session.

24. The server recited in claim 12, further comprising:

means for obtaining pre-fetched media from the outside service application server prior to initiating the push-to-talk session comprising at least a portion of the media to be transmitted in the transmitting step C16. The server recited in claim C, wherein means for initiating initiates the push-to-talk session with no more than one instance of the user equipment.

25. In a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) communications network, a method for providing an outside service to user equipment, comprising the steps of:

signing-up the user equipment with the outside service;

generating a request to the outside service for a PoC action;

establishing a network-initiated PoC session between the user equipment and the outside service; and

executing the PoC action from the outside service to the user equipment via the network-initiated PoC session.

29. The method recited in claim 25, wherein the request is a query for a list document.

26. The method recited in claim G, wherein the request is a request to establish a PoC session between the user equipment and the outside service is media for the transmission of media from the outside service to the user equipment over the network-initiated PoC session.

27. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the request is generated by the outside service.

28. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the request is generated by the user equipment.

30. The method recited in claim 28,

generating a request at the user equipment for an update for the list document;

generating at the outside service results responsive to the query;

transforming the results into an updated list document; and

transmitting the updated list document to the user equipment.