USE OF MEDIA TIMESTAMP TO INDICATE DELAYS IN PUSH-TO-TALK OVER CELLULAR GROUP CALLS

• US 20080039127A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cole, Gary, Griffin, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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

Abstract

A method to indicate delays in a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) group call may include offsetting a timestamp in a data stream being transmitted to a late listener to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener. The data stream includes data convertible to speech. The method may also include transmitting the data stream including the offset timestamp to the late listener.

Claims

1. A method to indicate delays in a PoC group call, comprising:

offsetting a timestamp in a data stream being transmitted to a late listener to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener, wherein the data stream includes data convertible to speech; and

transmitting the data stream including the offset timestamp to the late listener.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an alert to the late listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp in the data stream being offset.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the timestamp in the data stream is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

displaying an icon to alert the late listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp being greater than the predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an invitation to a plurality of potential listeners to join the PoC group call; and

initiating speech in response to the first listener accepting the invitation, wherein the first listener is a first one of the plurality of potential listeners to accept the invitation.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising overriding a timestamp field in the data stream being sent to the first listener to cause the timestamp to start at zero.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting a marker bit in the data stream being transmitted to the first listener to indicate a first packet of the data stream.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the timestamp is offset in the data stream being transmitted to the late listener by a predetermined time to indicate a delay from when the first stream was started.

8. A method to indicate delays in a PoC group call, comprising:

receiving a data stream; and

indicating to a listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to a timestamp in the data stream being offset from a timestamp in a first data stream transmitted to a first listener to accept an invitation to the PoC group call.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying an icon to alert the listener that speech is delayed.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining if the timestamp is greater than a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising reading a marker bit in the timestamp to determine if the speech is delayed.

12. A communications device, comprising:

a PoC application to detect if a data stream is delayed; and

a user interface to alert a listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the PoC application detecting that the data stream is delayed.

13. The communications device of claim 12, wherein the PoC application comprises a component to read a timestamp with a marker bit and to provide the alert that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp in the data stream being offset.

14. The communications device of claim 13, further comprising a display, and wherein the alert comprises an icon presentable on the display.

15. The communications device of claim 12, further comprising:

a receiver to receive an invitation to participate in a PoC group call; and

a transmitter to accept the invitation to participate in the PoC group call.

16. A system, comprising:

a PoC server to offset a timestamp in a data stream being transmitted to a late listener to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener to accept an invitation to a PoC group call, wherein the data stream includes data convertible to speech; and

a base station to transmit the data stream to the late listener.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the PoC server comprises a component to override a timestamp field in the data stream being sent to the first listener to cause the timestamp to start at zero.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the PoC server comprises a component to set a marker bit in the data stream being transmitted to the first listener to indicate a first packet of the data stream.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the timestamp is offset in the data stream being transmitted to the late listener by a predetermined time to indicate the delay from when the first stream was started.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising an application operable on the PoC server to override and offset timestamps to indicate the delay in speech at the late listener.

21. A computer program product to indicate delays in a PoC group call, the computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer useable program code embodied therein, the computer useable medium comprising;

computer useable program code configured to detect if a data stream is delayed; and

computer useable program code configured to alert a listener in response to detecting that the data stream is delayed.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer useable program code configured to read a timestamp with a marker bit and to provide an indication that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp in the data stream being offset.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer useable program code configured to offset a timestamp in a data stream being transmitted to a late listener to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener, wherein the data stream includes data convertible to speech.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer useable program code configured to provide an indication to a late listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to a timestamp in the data stream being offset.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer useable program code configured to determine if a timestamp in the data stream is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

computer useable program code configured to display an icon to alert a late listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp being greater than the predetermined threshold.