APPARATUS, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR NOTIFYING, DELIVERING, AND DELETING MEDIA BURSTS COMMUNICATED IN A PUSH-TO-TALK OVER CELLULAR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20070184868A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: SUNDRESH, BOKINAKERE SUBBARAO, ALLEN, ANDREW
• Granted Patent: US 9,794,307 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for a PoC (Push-to-Talk over Cellular)-capable communication system. A user equipment PoC box is provided, and a corresponding network PoC box is also provided. A transport mechanism is defined and provided by which to communicate a PoC media burst that is delivered to a PoC box and stored thereat. Control functionality is provided by which to control disposition of the media burst, such as to make notification of a delivered media burst or to dispose of the media burst when no longer needed, is further provided.

Claims

1. Apparatus for a communication station operable pursuant to a PoC, Push to talk Over Cellular, communication scheme, said apparatus comprising:

a PoC box configured to store a PoC media bust received thereat;

a controller configured to control a storage indicia associated with the PoC media burst received at said PoC box.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said PoC box is configured to receive the PoC media burst as part of an RTP, real-time transport protocol, transported message.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said data segment acceptor is adapted to receive indication of comparison made by said comparator, acceptance of the data segment by said data segment acceptor as valid responsive to the indication of the comparison.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication station comprises a user equipment, UE, of a mobile radio communication system and wherein said PoC Box is embodied at the UE.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the mobile radio communication system further comprises an access network that provides IP, Internet Protocol, connectivity and wherein said PoC box is further configured to store the PoC media burst, received thereat pursuant to the IP connectivity provided by the access network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication station comprises a network element of a mobile radio communication system and wherein said PoC box is embodied at the network element.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said PoC box is configured to receive the PoC media burst as part of a SIP, Session Initiation Protocol, transported message.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control of the storage indicia associated with the PoC media burst provided by said controller comprises retrieval of the storage indicia.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the payload part of the data segment accepted as valid and provided to the second logical layer forms part of a second logical layer data block, once provided thereto.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the storage indicia retrieved by said controller comprises PoC session data.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller is further configured to control disposition of data of the PoC media burst stored at said PoC box.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller is further configured to support PoC session signaling associated with a PoC session in which the PoC media burst is communicated.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller is further configured to support Media Burst Control procedures associated with communication of the PoC media burst.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controller is further configured to support Talk Burst Control procedures associated with communication of the PoC media burst.

15. A method for facilitating communication of a PoC, Push-to-Talk over Cellular, media burst, said method comprising the operations of:

delivering the PoC media burst to a PoC box; and

controlling disposition of the PoC media burst subsequent to delivery at the PoC box.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said operation of delivering comprises sending the PoC media burst to the PoC media burst to the PoC box using a selected transport protocol.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said operation of delivering comprises sending the PoC media burst as part of an e-mail message.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said operation of controlling disposition of the PoC media burst comprises making notification of the delivery of the PoC media burst at the PoC box.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said operation of delivering comprises extracting a delivery address out of a SIP, Session Initiation Protocol, populating a destination field of an e-mail address of an e-mail message with the delivery address, and attaching the PoC media burst to the e-mail message.

20. A method of communicating media in a PoC, Push-to-Talk over Cellular, communication system, said method comprising the operations of:

forming a PoC media burst message having a PoC media burst, the PoC media burst including an identifier identifying the PoC media burst message to contain the PoC media burst;

sending the PoC media burst formed during said operation of forming to a user equipment using a selected media transport;

delivering the PoC media burst to a PoC box of the user equipment.