METHOD OF BUFFERING TO REDUCE MEDIA LATENCY IN GROUP COMMUNICATIONS ON A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100011122A1
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rosen, Eric C., Crockett, Douglas M., Maggenti, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A system and method for minimizing latency for direct group communications, such as push-to-talk (PTT) calls, among a group of wireless telecommunication devices on a wireless telecommunication network. The wireless telecommunication device has a dormant state without an open dedicated traffic channel for communications therefrom and an active state in which the wireless devices opens a dedicated traffic channel for an outgoing communication from the wireless telecommunication device, to include a direct communication stream. Either the wireless telecommunication device or an intermittent communication server for group communication streams can buffer the initial communication data of a group communication stream while the sending and/or receiving wireless telecommunication device changes from a dormant state to an active state with an open dedicated traffic channel.

Claims

1. A method for buffering at a group communication server, the method comprising:

receiving communication data from a first device;

buffering the communication data; and

streaming the communication data from the buffer upon a determination that a communication path is available to a second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving request for a group communication from the first device; and

granting permission for the first device to send the communication data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting the group communication from the first device is completed;

streaming communication data remaining in the buffer to the second device; and

ending the group communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a wireless device initiating a group communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein buffering comprises:

storing the communication data at a data store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that a communication path is available includes:

determining the second device has switched from a dormant state to an active state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the active state includes the second device having an active traffic channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is a wireless device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second device is a member of a group of target wireless devices, and wherein the communication data is streamed from the buffer to the target wireless devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein streaming the communication data from the buffer ceases upon interruption of the group communication.

11. A group communication server comprising:

a buffer configured to receive and buffer communication data from a first device; and

a communication portal to stream the communication data from the buffer upon a determination that a communication path is available to a second device.

12. The group communication server of claim 11, wherein the group communication server is configured to:

receive a request for a group communication from the first device; and

grant permission for the first device to send the communication data.

13. The group communication server of claim 12, wherein the group communication server is configured to:

detect the group communication from the first device is completed;

stream communication data remaining in the buffer to the second device; and

end the group communication.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first device is a wireless device initiating a group communication.

15. The group communication server of claim 11, wherein the buffer comprises a data store.

16. The group communication server of claim 11, wherein the group communication server is configured to determine that the communication path is available upon determining the second device has switched from a dormant state to an active state.

17. The group communication server of claim 16, wherein the active state includes the second device having an active traffic channel.

18. The group communication server of claim 11, wherein the second device is a wireless device.

19. The group communication server of claim 18, wherein the second device is a member of a group of target wireless devices, and wherein the communication data is streamed to the target wireless devices.

20. The group communication server of claim 11, wherein the communication portal is a network connection to a wireless communication network.

21. A group communication server comprising:

means for receiving communication data from a first device;

means for buffering the communication data; and

means for streaming the communication data from the buffer upon a determination that a communication path is available to a second device.

22. The group communication server of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving request for a group communication from the first device; and

means for granting permission for the first device to send the communication data.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first device is a wireless device initiating a group communication.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the means for buffering comprises a data store.

25. A computer-readable medium containing a instructions that, when executed by a group communication server causes the server to perform the steps of:

receiving communication data from a first device;

buffering the communication data; and

streaming the communication data from the buffer upon a determination that a communication path is available to a second device.