Method for providing enhanced floor control for group calls between a dispatch communications network and a cellular telephone communications network

• US 20070202905A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Abbate, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• 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 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A method for providing enhanced floor control (500) between a dispatch communications network and a cellular telephone communications network includes transmitting a transmit delay message (517) by a network control entity (505) to a communications device (501) in the cellular telephone network when a talk reservation request (515) has first been granted to a communications device (507) in the dispatch network. A transmit grant message (521) is then transmitted from the network control entity (505) to the communications device (501) in the cellular telephone network when the communications device in the dispatch network switches from a transmit mode to receive mode (507). The transmit grant message signals the communications device (501) in the cellular telephone network enabling it to access the dispatch communications network without sending a second talk reservation request.

Claims

1. A method for providing enhanced floor control between a dispatch communications network and a cellular telephone communications network comprising the steps:

establishing at least one first communications device operating in the dispatch communications network;

establishing at least one second communications device operating in the cellular telephone communications network;

transmitting a talk reservation request from the at least one second communications device to a network control entity for establishing communications on the dispatch communications network;

transmitting a talk reservation request from the at least one first communications device to the network control entity;

transmitting a transmit delay message by the network control entity to the second communications device when a talk reservation request has first been granted to the first communications device;

transmitting a transmit grant message from the network control entity to the second communications device when the first communications device switches from a transmit mode to receive mode; and

wherein the transmit grant message signals the second communications device to grant access to the dispatch communications network without sending another talk reservation request.

2. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 1, wherein the at least one first communications device is a two-way radio transceiver.

3. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 1, wherein the at least one second communications device is a cellular telephone.

4. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 1, wherein the at least one second communications device transmits through a gateway to the network control entity.

5. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 1, wherein the gateway is a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) communication.

6. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

delaying the granting of additional talk reservation requests in the dispatch communications network until the at least one second communications device has completed transmitting in the dispatch communications network.

7. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 1, further including the step of:

providing a cancel talk reservation message from the at least one second communications device to the network control entity when the at least one second communications device no longer wishes to communicate on the dispatch communications network.

8. A method for controlling floor communications between subscribers operating in a dispatch communications network and a subscriber operating a cellular telephone from a cellular communications network interfaced with the dispatch communications network comprising the steps of:

sending a talk reservation request from a cellular telephone to a network control entity for the dispatch communications network;

sending a talk reservation request from a radio transceiver operating in the dispatch communications network to the network control entity;

sending a transmit delayed message to the cellular telephone from the network control entity when the talk reservation request from the radio transceiver is received prior to the talk reservation request from the cellular telephone;

sending a transmit grant message from the network control entity to the cellular telephone when the network control entity detects the radio transceiver has stopped transmitting; and

wherein the transmit grant message allows the cellular telephone to access the dispatch network when sending another talk reservation request to the network control entity.

9. A method for controlling floor communications between subscribers operating in a dispatch communications network as in claim 8, further comprising the step of:

transmitting information from the cellular telephone to the network control entity through an Internet protocol (IP) gateway.

10. A method for controlling floor communications between subscribers operating in a dispatch communications network as in claim 9, further comprising the step of:

delaying transmission of the talk reservation request to the network control entity by the IP gateway until the radio transceiver in the dispatch network stops transmitting.

11. A method for controlling floor communications between subscribers operating in a dispatch communications network as in claim 8, further comprising the step of:

sending a cancel talk reservation from the cellular telephone to the network control entity if the cellular telephone no longer wishes to gain access to the dispatch network.

12. A method for controlling floor communications between subscribers operating in a dispatch communications network as in claim 8, wherein the dispatch communications network is an Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) standard network.

13. A method for providing enhanced floor control between stations operating in a dispatch radio network and subscribers operating remotely in the dispatch radio network using a cellular telephone network comprising the steps of:

transmitting a talk reservation request from a cellular telephone operating through an Internet protocol (IP) gateway to a network control entity for the dispatch radio network;

transmitting a talk reservation request from a radio transceiver in the dispatch network to a network control entity;

granting a request to transmit from the network control entity to the radio transceiver if the talk reservation request from the radio transceiver is received by the network control entity prior to the talk reservation request sent by the cellular telephone;

sending a transmit delayed message from the network control entity to the cellular telephone;

sending a transmit grant message from the network control entity to the cellular telephone when the network control entity detects the radio transceiver is no longer transmitting; and

wherein the cellular telephone can transmit over the radio dispatch network without sending an additional talk reservation request to the network control entity.

14. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 13, further including the step of:

sending a cancel talk reservation message from the cellular telephone to the network control entity when the cellular telephone is no longer desirous of transmitting on the dispatch network.

15. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 13, further including the step of:

delaying transmission the talk reservation request sent by the cellular telephone at the IP gateway; and

transmitting the talk reservation request from the IP gateway to the network control entity when the IP gateway detects the radio transceiver on the dispatch network has stopped transmitting.

16. A method for providing enhanced floor control as in claim 13, wherein the dispatch network operates using the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) standard.