System and method for resolving conflicts in multiple simultaneous communications in a wireless system

• US 20070002836A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lindner, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,705,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method for resolving conflicts in voice data packets received by a wireless device. Each data packet includes a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit. The wireless device reconstructs audio streams based upon the sequence of the data packets received. If a data packet has the same source identification number as the last-received data packet and the sequence number of the data packet differs from the sequence number of the last-received data packet for more than a predefined threshold number, the wireless device ends a current audio stream and starts a new audio stream using the data from the data packet.

Claims

1. A method for resolving conflicts in incoming media data packets in push-to-talk (PTT) communications on a wireless telecommunication network, wherein the content of each data packet is added to a media stream that is played on a wireless communication device, comprising the steps of:

receiving across the wireless telecommunication network at the wireless communication device a data packet, the data packet being part of a PTT communication and having a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit;

comparing at the wireless communication device the source identification number with a last-source identification number indicating the originator of a current media stream being received at the wireless telecommunication device;

comparing the sequence number with a last-received sequence number;

if the incoming source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is within a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, adding the incoming data packet to the current media stream;

if the incoming source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is larger than the predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, starting a new media stream using the incoming data packet; and

if the end-marker bit is set, ending the current media stream.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of playing the current media stream on the wireless device to a user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, if the incoming source identification number is different from the last-source identification number, starting a new media stream using the incoming data packet and assigning the source identification number to the last-source identification number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media stream is an audio stream.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media stream is a video stream.

6. An apparatus for receiving and sorting data packets in push-to-talk (PTT) communications on a wireless telecommunication network, comprising:

a transceiver for receiving data packets from a remote server, the data packets being part of a PTT communication and each data packet having a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit;

a user interface unit for playing the PTT communication received from the remote server; and

a controller for sorting the data packets and compiling media streams and storing a last-source identification number and a last-received sequence number for a current media stream being played on the user interface,

wherein the controller checks the source identification number and the sequence number of each incoming packet,

if the source identification number is different from the last-source identification number, starting a media data stream using the incoming data packet and assigning the source identification number to the last-source identification number,

if the source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is within a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, adding the incoming data packet to the current media data stream played on the user interface,

if the source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is larger a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, starting a new media stream being played at the user interface using the incoming data packet, and

if the end-marker bit is set, ending the current media stream.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a display unit for displaying activity announcements regarding PTT communications.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a storage unit for storing the last-source identification number and the last-received sequence number.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the media stream is an audio stream.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the media stream is a video stream.

11. An apparatus for receiving and sorting data packets in push-to-talk (PTT) communications on a wireless telecommunication network, comprising:

means for transmitting and receiving data packets from a remote server, the data packets being part of a PTT communication and each data packet having a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit;

user interfacing means for playing the PTT communication received from the remote server; and

controlling means for sorting the data packets and compiling media streams and storing a last-source identification number and a last-received sequence number for a current media stream being played on the user interface,

wherein the controlling means checks the source identification number and the sequence number of each incoming packet,

if the source identification number is different from the last-source identification number, starting a media data stream using the incoming data packet and assigning the source identification number to the last-source identification number,

if the source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is within a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, adding the incoming data packet to the current media data stream played on the user interface,

if the source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is larger a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, starting a new media stream being played at the user interfacing means using the incoming data packet, and

if the end-marker bit is set, ending the current media stream.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for displaying activity announcements regarding PTT communications.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for storing the last-source identification number and the last-received sequence number.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the media stream is an audio stream.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the media stream is a video stream.

16. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for resolving conflicts in incoming media data packets in push-to-talk (PTT) communications on a wireless telecommunication network, wherein the content of each data packet is added to a media stream that is played on a wireless communication device, the computer program comprising computer instructions that when executed by a computer performs the steps of:

receiving across the wireless telecommunication network at the wireless communication device a data packet, the data packet being part of a PTT communication and having a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit;

comparing at the wireless communication device the source identification number with a last-source identification number indicating the originator of a current media stream being received at the wireless telecommunication device;

comparing the sequence number with a last-received sequence number;

if the incoming source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is within a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, adding the incoming data packet to the current media stream;

if the incoming source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is larger than the predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, starting a new media stream using the incoming data packet; and

if the end-marker bit is set, ending the current media stream.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of playing the current media stream on the wireless device to a user.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of, if the incoming source identification number is different from the last-source identification number, starting a new media stream using the incoming data packet and assigning the source identification number to the last-source identification number.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the media stream is an audio stream.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the media stream is a video stream.

21. A system for a user device to maintain multiple push-to-talk (PTT) communications with a server in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a server in communication with the wireless communication network, the server selectively transmitting to a first user device a plurality of data packets received from a second user device, each data packet having a source identification number, a sequence number, an end-marker bit and an audio data;

a second user device capable of communicating with the server through the wireless communications network, the second user device being capable of generating a set of data packets for an audio stream, wherein the set of data packets start with a random sequence number that differs from the sequence number of a last set of data packet by at least a predefined threshold number; and

a first user device capable of communicating with the server through the wireless communications network, the first user device being capable of;

receiving the plurality of data packets,

analyzing each data packet,

if the source identification number from a received data packet is different from a last-received data packet, starting a new audio stream using the audio data from the received data packet,

if the source identification number from a received data packet is the same as the last-received data packet and the difference between the sequence numbers of the received data packet and the last-received data packet is larger than a predefined threshold number, starting a new audio stream using the audio data from the received data packet, and

if the source identification number from a received data packet is the same as the last-received data packet and the difference between the sequence numbers of the received data packet and the last-received data packet is lesser than a predefined threshold number, appending the audio data from the received data packet to a current audio stream.

22. A method for resolving conflicts in incoming media data packets in push-to-talk (PTT) communications on a wireless telecommunication network, wherein the content of each data packet is added to a media stream that is played on a wireless communication device, comprising:

a step for receiving across the wireless telecommunication network at the wireless communication device a data packet, the data packet being part of a PTT communication and having a source identification number, a sequence number, and an end-marker bit;

a step for comparing at the wireless communication device the source identification number with a last-source identification number indicating the originator of a current media stream being received at the wireless telecommunication device;

a step for comparing the sequence number with a last-received sequence number;

if the incoming source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is within a predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, a step for adding the incoming data packet to the current media stream;

if the incoming source identification number is the same as the last-source identification number and the sequence number is larger than the predefined threshold from the last-received sequence number, a step for starting a new media stream using the incoming data packet; and

if the end-marker bit is set, a step for ending the current media stream.