TECHNIQUES TO INCREASE COVERAGE OF PUSH-TO-TALK WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20080171567A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Virtanen, Martti E., KOSSI, JOUNI
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,383 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 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Various example embodiments are disclosed relating to wireless networks, such as relating to techniques to improve coverage of push-to-talk wireless networks or services. In an example embodiment, a technique may include forwarding data to a remote push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network via an intermediary device of an intermediary wireless network if the data is received from a wireless device of a local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network, forwarding data directly to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network if the data is received from the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device, and forwarding data to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network and to the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device of the intermediary wireless network if the data is generated locally.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first wireless transceiver configured to transmit and receive data over a local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network;

a second wireless transceiver configured to transmit and receive data over a second wireless network in order to communicate with a device in a remote PTT wireless network coupled to the second wireless network; and

a controller, wherein the controller is configured to select a mode of operation for the apparatus, including;

1) for data received via the first wireless transceiver or the second wireless transceiver, transmit or forward the received data via the second wireless transceiver or the first wireless transceiver, respectively;

2) for data originated or generated by the apparatus, transmit the data via both the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 where operation of mode 2) of the apparatus may be selectively enabled.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus may be configurable to operate in either A) both modes 1) and 2), or B) to operate in only mode 2).

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first wireless transceiver is configured to exchange data directly or peer-to-peer with one or more wireless devices within a local PTT sub-group.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second wireless transceiver is configured to exchange data with an intermediary device in a second wireless network in order to communicate with a wireless device in a remote PTT sub-group via the intermediary device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network comprises a local Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) sub-group having one or more wireless devices that may communicate directly or peer-to-peer with the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the remote push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network comprises a remote Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) sub-group having two or more wireless devices that may communicate with each other directly or peer-to-peer within the remote DMR.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to select a mode of operation for the apparatus, including:

1a) for data received via the first wireless transceiver, transmit or forward the received data via the second wireless transceiver to an intermediary device within the second wireless network to allow the data to be forwarded by the intermediary device to the remote PTT wireless network;

1b) for data received via the second wireless transceiver, transmit or forward the received data via the first wireless transceiver directly or peer-to-peer to one or more devices within the first PTT wireless network; and

2) for data originated or generated by the apparatus, transmit the data via both the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:

a first audio codec configured to encode audio data for communication via the first wireless transceiver and to decode audio data received via the first wireless transceiver; and

a second audio codec configured to encode audio data for communication via the second wireless transceiver and to decode audio data received via the second wireless transceiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first audio codec comprises a first speech codec, and the second audio codec comprises a second speech codec.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising an access list identifying one or more devices external to the local PTT wireless network which may communicate with a wireless device in the local PTT wireless network via the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the access list comprises an address book, a phone book, or a portion of the address book or phone book.

13. A system comprising:

a wireless interface device coupled to a local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network and a second wireless network, the wireless interface device configured to operate as both

     1) a wireless device configured to communicate directly or in a peer-to-peer fashion with other wireless devices within the local PTT wireless network, and

     2) an interface device configured to forward data between the other wireless devices of the PTT wireless network and the second wireless network.

14. The system of claim 13 and further comprising an intermediary device within the second wireless network, the intermediary device configured to forward data between the wireless interface device and a remote PTT wireless network, thereby extending the range of the local PTT network to the remote PTT network.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the intermediary device comprises:

a base station;

an access point;

a gateway;

a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) server;

or

a push-to-talk over wireless server.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the second wireless network comprises one or more of the following networks:

a Cellular wireless network;

a Push-to-talk over cellular network (PoC);

a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN);

a WiMAX wireless network;

a GSM (Global System For Mobile communications) wireless network; and

a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) wireless network.

17. A method comprising:

forwarding data to a remote push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network via an intermediary device of an intermediary wireless network if the data is received from a wireless device of a local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network;

forwarding data directly to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network if the data is received from the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device; and

forwarding data to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network and to the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device of the intermediary wireless network if the data is generated locally.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the forwarding data to the remote push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network comprises:

receiving audio data from a wireless device of a local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network via a first wireless transceiver;

using a first audio codec to decode the received audio data of a first encoded format;

using a second audio codec to encode the decoded audio data into a second encoded format; and

transmitting, using a first wireless transceiver, the encoded audio data of the second encoded format to a remote push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network via an intermediary device.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the forwarding data directly to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network comprises:

receiving audio data of a second encoded format from an intermediary device via a second wireless transceiver;

using a second audio codec to decode the received audio data of the second encoded format;

using a first audio codec to encode the decoded audio data into a first encoded format; and

transmitting, via a first wireless transceiver, the encoded audio data of the first encoded format to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the forwarding data to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network and to the remote PTT wireless network comprises:

forwarding data to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network and to the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device of the intermediary wireless network if the data is locally generated or input audio or other input data.

21. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising:

a controller,

memory;

one or more wireless transceivers; and

wherein the apparatus is configured to;

forward data to a remote push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network via an intermediary device of an intermediary wireless network if the data is received from a wireless device of a local push-to-talk (PTT) wireless network;

forward data directly to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network if the data is received from the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device; and

forward data to one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network and to the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device of the second wireless network if the data is generated locally by the apparatus.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the data comprises audio and/or speech data.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the memory is configured to store addresses or identities of the wireless devices of the local PTT network; and

the controller is configured to access the memory and encode one or more the plurality of addresses or identities to be transmitted to the one or more wireless devices of the PTT network.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the memory is configured to store addresses or identities of the wireless devices of the local PTT network; and

the controller is configured to access the memory and use the memory to block data which do not include an address or identity matching one of the stored addresses or identities.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a user interface which is configured to allow a user to select the apparatus as a gateway or a wireless interface device for forwarding data between one or more wireless devices of the local PTT wireless network and the remote PTT wireless network;

wherein, after being selected as a gateway or wireless interface device, the apparatus is configured to send a signal to the one or more wireless devices in the local PTT wireless network, said signal indicating that the apparatus is the gateway or wireless interface device.

26. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising:

a first codec configured to encode or decode data forwarded to or received from the intermediary device, respectively; and

a second codec configured to encode or decode data forwarded to or received from the local PTT network, respectively.

27. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the apparatus is further configured to determine members of the remote PTT network based on the data received from the remote PTT wireless network via the intermediary device.

28. A method comprising:

receiving a request for communication between a local push-to-talk (PTT) device within a local PTT network and a device outside the local PTT network;

determining that the device outside the local PTT network is on an access list for the local PTT device;

providing the communication based on the determining.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the receiving comprises receiving data from the local PTT device to be forwarded to the device outside the local PTT network.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the receiving comprises receiving data from the device outside the local PTT network to be forwarded to the local PTT device.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the providing comprises forwarding data from the local PTT device to the device outside the local PTT network if the device outside the local PTT network is on the access list for the local PTT device.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the providing comprises forwarding data from the device outside the local PTT network to the local PTT device if the device outside the local PTT network is on the access list for the local PTT device.