SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GROUP SESSION COMMUNICATION

• US 20070072637A1
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Inoue, Junichi
• Application Number:
  US11/533,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20070072637A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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

The present invention is directed to a system and method for distributing voice data information as presence information to all members participating in the group session communication when the presence status of participants has changed. A call control server accepts a request from one of group members for joining or exiting the group session communication, and transmits the information on the member to a media control server. The media control server receives the information and extracts media data, from a memory means, corresponding to the received information, and distributes the extracted media data, as voice data, to all participants of the group session communication.

Claims

1. A group session management equipment comprising:

a request accepting means for accepting a request from a communication terminal connected to a network for joining or exiting a group session communication; and

a voice data distributing means for distributing voice data information on the communication terminal, that has requested for joining or exiting the group session communication, to all communication terminals participating the group session communication.

2. The group session management equipment according to claim 1, wherein said request accepting means comprising:

a call control server that accepts said request from said communication terminal for joining or exiting said group session communication, and transmits information on said communication terminal to said voice data distributing means, and

wherein said voice data distributing means comprising;

a media control server that receives said information on said communication terminal transmitted from said control server, extracts media data, from a memory means, corresponding to said communication terminal, and distributes said media data, as voice data, to all communication terminals participating said group session communication.

3. The group session management equipment according to claim 2, wherein said voice data distributing means further comprising:

a group list management server that manages group member information on each of group members relating to said group session communication, and outputs said group member information corresponding to said information on said communication terminal that has been received by said media control server, and

wherein said media control server said extracts media data based on said group member information output from said group list management server.

4. The group session management equipment according to claim 2, wherein said media data corresponding to each of communication terminals are pre-stored in said memory means by a manager of a group.

5. A communication system for providing a group session communication among communication terminals connected to a network comprising:

a predetermined number of communication terminals, as group members, for organizing a group of said group session communication;

a call control server that accepts a request from each of said group members for joining or exiting said group session communication; and

a media control server that distributes voice data information on each of said group members, that has requested for joining or exiting said group session communication, to all group members participating said group session communication,

wherein, when said call control server has accepted a request from one of said group members for joining or exiting said group session communication, said call control server transmits information on said group member to said media control server, and said media control server extracts media data, from a memory means, corresponding to said information on said group member, for distributing said media data as voice data.

6. The communication system according to claim 5 further comprising a group list management server that manages group member information on each of said group members, and

wherein, when said media control server extracts said media data, said media control server refers to said group member information that is managed by said group list management server and is corresponding to said information on said group member transmitted from said call control server.

7. A method for providing a group session communication among communication terminals connected to a network comprising:

an establishing step for establishing a group session communication among communication terminals defined as group members;

an accepting step for accepting a request from each of said communication terminals for joining or exiting said group session communication;

an extracting step for extracting media data, from a memory means, corresponding to information on each of said communication terminal that said request for joining or exiting said group session communication has been accepted; and

a distributing step for distributing said media data as voice data information to all communication terminals participating said group session communication.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said accepting step further comprising a transmitting step for transmitting information on said communication terminal that said request for joining or exiting said group session communication has been accepted;

and

wherein said extracting step further comprising a referring step for referring to group member information, that is separately managed in association with information on each of said communication terminals, for extracting said media data by using said information on said communication terminal transmitted in said transmitting step.