METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING BETWEEN AN AD-HOC CONFERENCE MODE AND AN INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTED CONFERENCE MODE

• US 20110019593A1
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Yi-Cheng, Stephen, Patrick, Dykes, Greg, Joyner, Richard, Promenzio, Edgardo
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

Devices that are enabled to communicate with each other via an ad hoc conference mode and an infrastructure supported conference mode, are provided with processing capabilities that can allow them to evaluate one or more resources required to support an ad hoc conference communication session and/or one or more quality metrics associated with the ad hoc conference communication session, and determine whether one or more resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters. If so, the processing logic can initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server. This way, the devices can drop the ad hoc conference communication session when one or more of the resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, so that one of the devices does not need to mix communication information streams (CISs) from the devices, generate a plurality of conferenced communication information streams (CCISs), and transmit a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to the other devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) initiating a communication session between a first device of a first participant and a second device of a second participant;

(b) deciding, at an initiating device of an initiating participant, to add a third device of a third participant to the communication session to establish an ad hoc conference communication session between the first, second and third participants, and wherein the initiating participant is either the first participant or the second participant that decides to add a third device of a third participant to the communication session;

(c) determining, at any of the first, second and third devices that will participate in the ad hoc conference communication session based on resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session or quality metrics associated with the ad hoc conference communication session, whether one or more of resources or quality metrics are outside optimal operating parameters; and

(d) when one or more of resources or quality metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, initiating a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

(e) transitioning the first, second and third devices, from the ad hoc conference communication session to the infrastructure supported conference communication session in which the first, second and third devices, communicate with one another via the conference server.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

(f+g) beginning the infrastructure supported conference communication session at the conference server and ending the ad hoc conference communication session when one or more of resources or quality metrics are outside optimal operating parameters.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the step of (f+g) beginning the infrastructure supported conference communication session at the conference server, further comprises:

(f) mixing the communication information stream (CISs) from the first device, the second device, and the third device to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs) at the conference server during the infrastructure supported conference communication session; and

(g) communicating, from the conference server, a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to each of the first device, the second device, and the third device 110-3.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein during the ad hoc conference communication session the initiating device mixes communication information stream (CISs) from the first device, the second device, and the third device to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) and retransmits a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to each of the other devices, and further comprising:

(h+i) continuing the ad hoc conference communication session when one or more of the resources or quality metrics are within optimal operating parameters.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the step of continuing comprises:

(h) continuing to mix communication information streams (CISs) from the first device, the second device, and the third device to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs) at the initiating device when the one or more of resources or quality metrics are within optimal operating parameters; and

(i) continuing to transmit a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to each of the other devices from the initiating device.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

(b) determining, at the initiating device, that one or more additional devices of a other participants are to be added to the ad hoc conference communication session; and

repeating step (c) each time an additional device of another participant is added to the ad hoc conference communication session.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session comprise remaining battery power.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session comprise a percentage of available access point (AP) bandwidth for the access point (AP).

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session by the initiating device comprise:

resources required to perform local mixing of communication information streams (CISs) generated by the first device, the second device and the third device and to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs)

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the resources required to perform local mixing of communication information stream (CISs) comprise:

a percentage of local CPU resources and local memory resources of the device that are presently being utilized.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session comprise a number of infrastructure ports being utilized to support the communication session.

13. A system, comprising:

a first device of a first participant;

a second device of a second participant participating in a communication session with the first device; and

a third device of a third participant that is added to the communication session to establish an ad hoc conference communication session between the first, second and third participants,

wherein the first device, second device and third device each comprise;

a processor designed to determine, based on resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session or quality metrics associated with the ad hoc conference communication session, whether one or more resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, and

wherein the processor is further designed to initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server when the one or more of the resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the first, second and third devices end the ad hoc conference communication session and begin the infrastructure supported conference communication session when the one or more of resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, and further comprising:

a conference server designed to;

communicate with the first, second and third devices;

mix the communication information streams (CISs) from the first device, the second device, and the third device to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), and

communicate a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to each of the first device, the second device, and the third device during the infrastructure supported conference communication session so that the first, second and third devices indirectly communicate with one another via the conference server.

15. A system according to claim 13, when the one or more of resources or metrics are within optimal operating parameters continuing the ad hoc conference communication session, and wherein during the ad hoc conference communication session, one of either the first device or the second device is designed to:

mix communication information stream (CISs) from the first device, the second device, and the third device to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information streams (CCISs); and

transmit a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to each of the other devices.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein the processors of the first device, second device and third device are further designed to determine, based on resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session or quality metrics associated with the ad hoc conference communication session, whether one or more resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters each time a new device of another participant is added to the ad hoc conference communication session, and to initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at the conference server whenever the one or more of the resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters.

17. A system according to claim 13, wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session comprise on or more of:

remaining battery power of the device;

a percentage of available access point (AP) bandwidth for the access point (AP) that the device is presently communicating through;

resources required to perform local mixing of communication information streams (CISs) generated by the first device, the second device and the third device and to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs);

a percentage of local CPU resources and local memory resources of the device that are presently being utilized; and

a number of infrastructure ports being utilized to support the communication session.

18. A first device of a first participant, the first device comprising:

a first communication interface that supports a communication session with a second device of a second participant;

a second communication interface that supports communications with a third device when the first participant decides to add the third device to the communication session to establish an ad hoc conference communication session between the first, second and third participants; and

a processor designed to;

evaluate one or more resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session and/or one or more quality metrics associated with the ad hoc conference communication session; and

determine whether one or more resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters; and

when one or more of the resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server by generating a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) invite request for a Serving-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) to request a conference focus Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for establishment of the infrastructure supported conference communication session.

19. A first device according to claim 18, wherein the processor of the first device is further designed to continue the ad hoc conference communication session when one or more of the resources or metrics are within optimal operating parameters, wherein the first device further comprises:

a receiver designed to receive communication information streams (CISs) from the second device and the third device during the ad hoc conference communication session, wherein the processor of the first device is further designed to mix communication information streams (CISs) from the first device, the second device, and the third device during the ad hoc conference communication session to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information streams (CCISs); and

a transmitter designed to transmit a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to the second device and the third device.

20. A first device according to claim 19, wherein the resources comprise one or more of:

(a) remaining battery power of the first device;

(b) a percentage of local CPU resources and local memory resources of the first device that are presently being utilized;

(c) resources required to perform local mixing of communication information streams (CISs) generated by the first, second and third devices and to generate the plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs);

(d) a percentage of available access point (AP) bandwidth for the access point (AP) that the first device is presently communicating through; and

(e) a number of ports being utilized at the access point (AP) to support the ad hoc conference communication session between the first, second and third participants.