SYSTEM AND METHOD USING LOCAL WIRELESS NETWORK FOR GROUP COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20100178911A1
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eagle Technology, LLC (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pine Valley Investments, LLC (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dailey, Timothy Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 8,509,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A system and method using a local wireless network for group communications are provided. The method includes establishing one of a plurality of mobile communication units as a master communication unit and establishing as slave communication units each of the plurality of mobile communication units that are not established as the master communication unit. The method further includes communicating group call information only to the master communication unit with the master communication unit redistributing the group call information to the slave communication units using a local wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A method for communicating group call information, the method comprising;

establishing one of a plurality of mobile communication units as a master communication unit;

establishing as slave communication units each of the plurality of mobile communication units that are not established as the master communication unit; and

communicating group call information only to the master communication unit with the master communication unit redistributing the group call information to the slave communication units using a local wireless communication network.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the master communication unit and the slave communication units are within a range of each other.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 further comprising providing notification when a slave communication unit is no longer within the range of the master communication unit.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising communicating group call information to the slave communication unit that is no longer within the range of the master communication unit.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising forming an ad hoc local communication network between the master communication unit and the slave communication units.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units comprise land mobile radios.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units comprise cellular communication devices.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising confirming that the master communication unit and the slave communication units are authorized to communicate using the local wireless communication network.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units are configured to communicate in a communication system providing only single stream data communications to each of the plurality of communication units during a group call.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the local wireless communication network is configured to provide communication using one of a Bluetooth protocol and a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocol.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication units are within a single communication cell.

12. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication units each configured to communicate on a group call and communicate using a local wireless protocol, wherein one of the plurality of mobile communication units is a master communication unit and the other mobile communication units in the plurality of mobile communication units are slave communication units; and

a controller configured to communicate group call information only to the master communication unit during the group call, and wherein the master communication unit is configured to communicate the group call information to the plurality of mobile communication units using the local wireless protocol.

13. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the controller is configured to terminate communication of group call information upon receiving notification that a mobile communication unit is a slave communication unit.

14. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the local wireless protocol comprises one of a Bluetooth protocol and a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocol.

15. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the plurality of mobile communication units are within a single communication cell.

16. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 15 wherein the plurality of communication units are within a predetermined range of each other.

17. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the plurality of mobile communication units are configured to communicate using one of a land mobile radio protocol and a cellular protocol.

18. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 17 wherein the land mobile radio protocol comprises an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) protocol.

19. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the plurality of mobile communication units comprise one of land mobile radios and cellular telephone handsets.

20. A computer readable medium having instructions thereon configured to instruct a processor to:

establish one of a plurality of mobile communication units as a master communication unit;

establish as slave communication units each of the plurality of mobile communication units that are not established as the master communication unit; and

communicate group call information only to the master communication unit with the master communication unit redistributing the group call information to the slave communication units using a local wireless communication network.