SELECTIVELY MIXING MEDIA DURING A GROUP COMMUNICATION SESSION WITHIN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20110167104A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Abhishek, Kamath, Vidyadhar, Santhanam, Arvind V., Verma, Rajan
• Granted Patent: US 9,088,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Embodiments are directed selectively mixing media at an application server arbitrating a group communication session for a communication group. In an embodiment, the application server receives media, from one or more session participants of the group communication session, for transmission to the communication group. The application server determines a number of session participants that are providing the received media. The application server determines whether to bypass the received media from entry into a de-jitter buffer based at least in part on the determined number, wherein the de-jitter buffer is configured to queue media from session participants for mixing by the application server during the group communication session. For example, the application server can determine to bypass the received media from entry into the de-jitter buffer if the number is below a threshold number. The application server transmits the received media to the communication group.

Claims

1. A method of selectively mixing media at an application server arbitrating a group communication session for a communication group, comprising:

receiving media, from one or more session participants of the group communication session, for transmission to the communication group;

determining a number of session participants that are providing the received media;

determining whether to bypass the received media from entry into a de-jitter buffer based at least in part on the determined number, wherein the de-jitter buffer is configured to queue media from session participants for mixing by the application server during the group communication session; and

transmitting the received media to the communication group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to bypass the received media includes:

comparing the determined number with a threshold number;

determining, based on the comparison, whether the determined number exceeds the threshold number for a given period of time; and

bypassing the received media from entry into the de-jitter buffer if the determined number does not exceed the threshold number for the given period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold number is 1.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the given period of time corresponds to more than one timeslot.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the given period of time corresponds to a single timeslot.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the determined number is determined not to exceed the threshold number for the given period of time such that the bypassing step is performed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting step transmits the received media without mixing the received media.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the determined number is determined to exceed the threshold number for the given period of time such that the bypassing step is not performed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

adding the received media into the de-jitter buffer;

removing one or more frames of the received media from the de-jitter buffer; and

mixing the one or more frames,

wherein the transmitting step transmits the mixed frames to the communication group.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the received media to generate a formatted version of the received media, the formatted version of the received media conforming with an output stream transmitted by the application server to the communication group during the communication session,

wherein the transmitting step transmits the formatted version of the received media to the communication group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the formatting step modifies a header-portion of the received media to conform with a header-portion associated with the output stream.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step transmits the received media to each active session participant of the communication group except a respective session participant from which the received media is provided.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transitioning between (i) adding media associated with the group communication session to the de-jitter buffer and (ii) bypassing media associated with the group communication session from entry into the de-jitter buffer, based upon a change to the number of session participants that are providing media during the group communication session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the change corresponds to a decrease in the number of session participants, and the transitioning step transitions from (i) to (ii).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the change corresponds to an increase in the number of session participants, and the transitioning step transitions from (ii) to (i).

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether to bypass step determines to bypass the received media from entry into the de-jitter buffer, further comprising:

removing the queued media that is currently within the de-jitter buffer; and

transmitting the queued media to the communication group without mixing.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the group communication session corresponds to a half-duplex communication session, a full-duplex communication session or a hybrid-duplex communication session that can have different numbers of floor-holders during the group communication session.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the received media corresponds to one or more media frames that contain voice-media from the one or more session participants.

19. An application server configured to arbitrate a group communication session for a communication group and to selectively mix media associated with the group communication session, comprising:

means for receiving media, from one or more session participants of the group communication session, for transmission to the communication group;

means for determining a number of session participants that are providing the received media;

means for determining whether to bypass the received media from entry into a de-jitter buffer based at least in part on the determined number, wherein the de-jitter buffer is configured to queue media from session participants for mixing by the application server during the group communication session; and

means for transmitting the received media to the communication group.

20. An application server configured to arbitrate a group communication session for a communication group and to selectively mix media associated with the group communication session, comprising:

logic configured to receive media, from one or more session participants of the group communication session, for transmission to the communication group;

logic configured to determine a number of session participants that are providing the received media;

logic configured to determine whether to bypass the received media from entry into a de-jitter buffer based at least in part on the determined number, wherein the de-jitter buffer is configured to queue media from session participants for mixing by the application server during the group communication session; and

logic configured to transmit the received media to the communication group.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by an application server configured to arbitrate a group communication session for a communication group and to selectively mix media associated with the group communication session, cause the application server to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to receive media, from one or more session participants of the group communication session, for transmission to the communication group;

program code to determine a number of session participants that are providing the received media;

program code to determine whether to bypass the received media from entry into a de-jitter buffer based at least in part on the determined number, wherein the de-jitter buffer is configured to queue media from session participants for mixing by the application server during the group communication session; and

program code to transmit the received media to the communication group.