PTT SERVER, GATE APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, PROGRAM AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20090131092A1
• Filed: 08/01/2006
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kaida, Sou
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,487 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 4/08 User group management
• 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 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

A PoC communication system suitable for a broadcast use or the like is provided. In a communication system including a PoC server 30 and terminals 10 and terminals MS1 to MSn connectable to the PoC server 30, the PoC server 30 classifies the terminals into a terminal of first kind 10 having authority to assign a transmission right and terminals of second kind MS1 to MSn not having the authority to assign the transmission right and registers and manages each terminal joining in a group. The PoC server 30 assigns the transmission right to another terminal belonging to the group on the basis of designation from the terminal of first kind 10, and transmission data from the terminal assigned the transmission right is broadcast at a time via a packet communication network.

Claims

1. A Push-to-Talk server (PTT server) for providing a half-duplex data transfer service wherein transmission data from a terminal which is connected to a packet communication network and which is assigned with a transmission right is broadcast at a time via the packet communication network to terminals of a group to which the terminal belongs, comprising:

a unit which classifies terminals joining in a group into terminals of first kind having authority to assign the transmission right and terminals of second kind not having authority to assign the transmission right and thereby managing the respective terminals joining in the group; and

a unit which assigns the transmission right to another terminal belonging to the group according to designation from the terminal of first kind.

2. The PTT server in accordance with claim 1, wherein only a terminal having issued an open request of the group is regarded as the terminal of first kind and authority to assign the transmission right is assigned to the terminal.

3. The PTT server in accordance with claim 1, wherein only releasable information sent from the terminal of second kind is notified to the other terminals.

4. The PTT server in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a unit which determines whether or not each of the terminals is allowed to join in the group on the basis of a valid period given to the terminal.

5. A gate apparatus comprising a unit which automatically transmits an address set to each group inherent to each area to a terminal comprising a contactless IC, wherein

by making the terminal to issue a request to join in a group corresponding to the area to a PTT server in accordance with claim 1.

6. A communication system comprising a Push-to-Talk server (PTT server) connected to a packet communication network and a group of terminals connectable to the PTT server for providing a half-duplex data transfer service wherein transmission data from a terminal to which a transmission right is assigned by the PTT server is broadcast at a time via the packet communication network to terminals of a group to which the terminal belongs, wherein

the PTT server comprises:

a unit which classifies terminals joining in an arbitrary group into terminals of first kind having authority to assign the transmission right and terminals of second kind not having authority to assign the transmission right and thereby managing the respective terminals joining in the group; and

a unit which assigns the transmission right to another terminal belonging to the group according to designation from the terminal of first kind.

7. The communication system in accordance with claim 6, wherein only a terminal having issued an open request of the group is designated as the terminal of first kind.

8. The communication system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the PTT server notifies only releasable information sent from the terminal of second kind to the other terminals and the terminal of first kind makes a list of the releasable information open.

9. The communication system in accordance with claim 6, wherein

an address set to each group is made to be open with valid period information added thereto;

and

the PTT server comprises a unit which determines whether or not each of the terminals is allowed to join in the group on the basis of valid period information transmitted from the terminal.

10. The communication system in accordance with claim 6, wherein a gate apparatus comprising a unit which automatically transmits an address set to each group inherent to each area to a terminal comprising a contactless IC is further disposed for each predetermined area, the gate apparatus making the terminal issue a request to join in a group corresponding to the area to the PTT server.

11. A computer-readable medium storing a program to be executed by a computer constituting a Push-to-Talk server (PTT server) for providing a half-duplex data transfer service wherein transmission data from a terminal which is connected to a packet communication network and which is assigned with a transmission right is broadcast at a time via the packet communication network to terminals of a group to which the terminal belongs, the program causing the PTT server to perform:

processing for classifying terminals joining in a group into terminals of first kind having authority to assign the transmission right and terminals of second kind not having authority to assign the transmission right and thereby registering and managing the respective terminals joining in the group; and

processing for assigning the transmission right to another terminal belonging to the group according to designation from the terminal of first kind.

12. The computer-readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein only a terminal having issued an open request of the group is registered as the terminal of first kind and terminals joining in the group are registered as terminals of second kind.

13. The computer-readable medium in accordance with claim 11, further causing the PTT server to perform

processing for notifying releasable information sent from the terminal of second kind to the other terminals.

14. The computer-readable medium in accordance with claim 11, further causing the PTT server to perform

processing for determining whether or not each of the terminals is allowed to join in the group on the basis of a valid period given to the terminal.

15. A communication method to be implemented by use of a communication system comprising a Push-to-Talk server (PTT server) connected to a packet communication network and a group of terminals connectable to the PTT server for providing a half-duplex data transfer service wherein transmission data from a terminal to which a transmission right is assigned by the PTT server is broadcast at a time via the packet communication network to terminals of a group to which the terminal belongs, the method comprising:

classifying, by the PTT server, terminals joining in a group into terminals of first kind having authority to assign the transmission right and terminals of second kind not having authority to assign the transmission right and thereby registering and managing the respective terminals joining in the group; and

assigning, by the PTT server, the transmission right to another terminal belonging to the group according to designation from the terminal of first kind.

16. The communication method in accordance with claim 15, wherein only a terminal having issued an open request of the group is registered as the terminal of first kind and terminals joining in the group are registered as terminals of second kind.

17. The communication method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising:

notifying, by the PTT server, releasable information sent from the terminal of second kind to the other terminals; and

making by the terminal of first kind a list of the releasable information open.

18. The communication method in accordance with claim 15, wherein

an address set to each group is made open with valid period information added thereto, the method further comprising

determining by the PTT server whether or not each of the terminals is allowed to join in the group on the basis of valid period information transmitted from the terminal.

19. The communication method in accordance with claim 15, comprising:

acquiring by an arbitrary terminal an address set to each group from a web site; and

issuing by the terminal a request to join in the group to the PTT server by use of the address.

20. The communication method in accordance with claim 15, comprising:

acquiring by an arbitrary terminal an address set to each group from a bar code, by use of a bar code disposed in the terminal; and

issuing by the terminal a request to join in the group to the PTT server by use of the address.

21. The communication method in accordance with claim 15, comprising:

acquiring by an arbitrary terminal an address set to each group from a gate apparatus disposed in a predetermined area, by use of a contactless IC disposed in the terminal; and

issuing by the terminal a request to join in the group corresponding to the area to the PTT server by use of the address.