Method of push-to-talk service

• US 20060205427A1
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kopp, Dieter, Laible, Volker, Wahl, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,524 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: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of providing a Push-to-Talk (=PTT) service within one or more telecommunication networks (1, 2, 3, 4) by means of a gateway-server (5) which sets up a virtual connection per PTT connection. The virtual connection provides information about the participating terminals (10, 20, 30, 40) of the PTT connection, the service type to reach each terminal (10, 20, 30, 40), and the connection status of each terminal (10, 20, 30, 40). Thus, the gateway-server (5) is capable of providing the PTT service within and/or across different telecommunication networks comprising radio access telecommunication networks (1), fixed wire-line telecommunication networks (2), circuit-switched telecommunication networks (3), and packet-switched telecommunication networks (4).

Claims

1. A method of providing a Push-to-Talk (=PTT) service within one or more telecommunication networks,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

requesting one or more concurrent PTT connections between subscribers of the PTT service;

setting up a virtual connection per PTT connection by means of a gateway-server providing the PTT service within a circuit-switched telecommunication network, whereby each virtual connection provides information about the terminals participating in the PTT connection, the service type to reach each terminal, and the connection status of each terminal;

generating media streams by a terminal of one of the subscribers of the PTT connection and sending the media streams to the gateway-server;

determining the virtual connection corresponding to the received media streams by the gateway-server;

sending out the media streams to one or more of the other terminals participating in the PTT connection according to the determined virtual connection.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further step of processing and storing the media streams and/or the information provided by the virtual connection by the gateway-server.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

monitoring a telecommunication connection of one of the terminals participating in the PTT connection for an incoming call and indicating the incoming call to the terminal;

transmitting a control command to the PTT gateway-server;

interrupting the media streams from/to the terminal upon receiving the control command by the PTT gateway-server;

putting through the incoming call to the terminal;

resuming the media streams from/to the terminal upon completion of the call.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

automatically establishing a connection between the gateway-server and a terminal when a subscriber of the PTT service takes off a handset of the terminal or presses a programmed button on the terminal;

executing a subscriber authentication procedure;

providing the terminal with a preferably voice enabled menu for choosing other subscribers of the PTT service and/or for selecting a virtual connection out of two or more concurrent virtual connections assigned to the terminal; and

determining media streams from the terminal by Voice Activity Detection or by means of indicators at the start and end of the media streams.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the gateway-server provides the PTT service within two or more telecommunication networks based on different technologies, in particular between radio access telecommunication networks and fixed wire-line telecommunication networks or between circuit-switched telecommunication networks and packet-switched telecommunication networks.

10. The gateway-server of claim 5,

wherein the control unit is adapted to store the media streams of the PTT connection with a digital signature of one or more of the PTT subscribers participating in the PTT connection, the digital signature indicating the authenticity of the media streams.

6. A gateway-server for providing a Push-to-Talk (=PTT) service,

wherein the gateway-server comprises an interface to a circuit-switched telecommunication network and a control unit for setting up a virtual connection per PTT connection upon a request for one or more concurrent PTT connections between subscribers of the PTT service, whereby each virtual connection provides information about the terminals participating in the PTT connection, the service type to reach each terminal, and the connection status of each terminal, for determining the virtual connection corresponding to media streams received from a terminal of one of the subscribers of the PTT connection, and for sending out the media streams to one or more of the other terminals participating in the PTT connection according to the determined virtual connection.

7. The gateway-server of claim 6,

wherein the control unit is adapted to handle multiple concurrent PTT connections per subscriber'"'"'s terminal.

8. The gateway-server of claim 6,

wherein the control unit is adapted to allow individual navigation within the media streams of one or more PTT connections assigned to the subscriber'"'"'s terminal by skipping a sequence of the media streams and/or replaying a sequence of the media stream and/or assigning individual markers to a sequence of the media streams according to requests received from the subscriber'"'"'s terminal.

9. The gateway-server of claim 6,

wherein the control unit is adapted to log and store the media streams and/or the information provided by the virtual connection as long as a subscriber'"'"'s terminal is not actively participating in the PTT connection.