Signaling for push-to-talk

• US 20070238442A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson Evdo, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Airvana Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harikumar, Gopal, Ananthaiyer, Satish, Mate, Amit
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/403
• 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

In addition to other aspects disclosed, a data over signaling message that identifies a recipient access terminal is transmitted from a radio network controller to the sector in response to an attempt by an access terminal on a sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network.

Claims

1. A method comprising

in response to an attempt by an access terminal on a sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network, transmitting, from a radio network controller to the sector, a data over signaling message that identifies a recipient access terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data over signaling message is transmitted in an asynchronous capsule.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data over signaling message is buffered until the access terminal attempts to access a service of the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the buffering is performed in a base station.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the buffering is performed in the radio network controller.

6. The methods of claim 1 wherein the data over signaling message is transmitted to the recipient access terminal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the service of the wireless network comprises a push to talk service.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the data over signaling message is used to establish a push to talk communication.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the attempt by the access terminal is in response to a second message.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the second message comprises a paging message.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein the data over signaling message is buffered until a determined time has lapsed.

12. The method of claim 3 also comprising sorting the data over signaling message with respect to other data over signaling messages based on a unicast access terminal identifier of the data over signaling message.

13. The method of claim 1 in which the data over signaling method comprises a DoS message of EV-DO Rev. A protocol.

14. The method of claim 1 also comprising

transmitting, from a radio network controller to the sector, a page message.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the data over signaling message is transmitted in a synchronous capsule.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the synchronous capsule is transmitted outside of a sleep state.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the synchronous capsule is transmitted in a determined paging cycle.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the page message is transmitted in a synchronous sleep state capsule.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the data over signaling message is used to establish a push to talk communication.

20. A method comprising

managing a data over signaling message transport facility for a push to talk service based on at least one of a measure of a forward link slot utilization or a measure of pending data over signaling messages.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the measure of forward link slot utilization is compared to a first configurable threshold value, the pending data over signaling messages metric is compared to a second configurable threshold value, and the first and the second configurable threshold values have different effects on the push to talk service

22. The method of claims 20 wherein the pending data over signaling messages metric comprises the number of pending data over signaling messages.

23. The method of claims 21 wherein the comparison is carried out on at least one of a radio network controller, or a base station.

24. The method of claims 21 and 22 wherein the managing is carried out on at least one of a radio network controller, or a base station.

25. The method of claim 20 in which the managing comprises activating the message transport facility.

26. The method of claim 20 in which the managing comprises enabling the message transport facility.

27. A method comprising

assigning a signaling link protocol priority to a message to enable quality of service support.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the service comprises a push to talk service.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the priority is based on a user quality of service level.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the message comprises at least one of a data over signaling acknowledgement message, or a data over signaling message.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the quality of service comprises an inter user quality of service.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein a different user categories are associated with different messages.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein different messages are assigned different priorities.

34. An apparatus comprising

a means for providing, in response to an attempt by an access terminal on a sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network, a transmission, from a radio network controller to the sector, of a data over signaling message that identifies a recipient access terminal.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the data over signaling message is transmitted in an asynchronous capsule.

36. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the data over signaling message is buffered until the access terminal attempts to access a service of the wireless network.

37. A data over signaling message that identifies a recipient access terminal, the message transmitted from a radio network controller to a sector in response to an attempt by an access terminal on the sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network.

38. The message of claim 37 wherein the data over signaling message is transmitted in an asynchronous capsule.

39. The message of claim 37 wherein the data over signaling message is buffered until the access terminal attempts to access a service of the wireless network.

40. An apparatus comprising

a means for providing, in response to an attempt by an access terminal on a sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network, a transmission, from a radio network controller to the sector, of a page message and of a data over signaling message, the data over signaling message identifying a recipient access terminal.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein at least one of the page message or the data over signaling message is transmitted in an asynchronous capsule.

42. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein at least one of the page message or the data over signaling message is buffered until the access terminal attempts to access a service of the wireless network.

43. A page message and a data over signaling message, the data over signaling message identifying a recipient access terminal, the data over signaling message transmitted from a radio network controller to a sector in response to an attempt by an access terminal on the sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network.

44. The messages of claim 43 wherein at least one of the page message or the data over signaling message is transmitted in an asynchronous capsule.

45. The messages of claim 43 wherein at least one of the page message or the data over signaling message is buffered until the access terminal attempts to access a service of the wireless network.

46. A machine-readable medium including machine-executable instructions to cause the machine to

dynamically optimize data over signaling message transport using at least one of a forward link slot utilization metric, or a pending data over signaling messages metric.

47. The medium of claim 46 wherein the measure of forward link slot utilization is compared to a first configurable threshold value, the pending data over signaling messages metric is compared to a second configurable threshold value, and the first and the second configurable threshold values have different effects on the push to talk service

48. The medium of claim 46 in which the optimizing comprises activating the message transport facility.

49. The medium of claim 46 in which the optimizing comprises enabling the message transport facility.

50. A machine-readable medium including machine-executable instructions to cause the machine to

assign a signaling link protocol priority to a message to enable quality of service support.

51. The medium of claim 50 wherein the message comprises at least one of a data over signaling acknowledgement message, or a data over signaling message.

52. The medium of claim 50 wherein the quality of service comprises an inter user quality of service.

53. The medium of claim 50 wherein different messages are assigned different priorities.

54. A method comprising

in response to an attempt by a recipient access terminal on a sector of a wireless network to access a service of the wireless network, receiving, from at least one of a radio network controller or a base station, a data over signaling message that identifies the recipient access terminal.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the data over signaling message is transmitted in an asynchronous capsule.

56. The method of claim 54 also comprising

receiving, from at least one of a radio network controller or a base station, a page message.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the page message and the data over signaling message is not received back-to-back.