PROGRAMMING SECONDARY COMMUNICATION GROUPS TO DEVICES ARRANGED IN A HIERARCHY OF GROUPS

• US 20140187280A1
• Filed: 12/29/2012
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: BEKIARES, TYRONE D., MILLER, TRENT J., MUELLER, BRUCE D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Primary and/or secondary communication groups can be assigned to users with communication devices arranged in a hierarchy (FIG. 4). A set of humans are assigned to a role in a role-based hierarchy. A communication device (404) is assigned to the set of humans for communication over a network. One or more secondary communication groups are determined for the communication device (120). The one or more determined secondary communication groups are primary communication groups of other devices used by one or more other humans assigned roles in the role-based hierarchy. Secondary communication group settings are programmed for the communication device (124), where the group settings are consistent with the determined secondary communication groups.

Claims

1. A method for programming communication devices associated with groups of users arranged into a hierarchy comprising:

determining a user group for a user enrolled in a hierarchy;

determining a communication device assigned to the user in the user group, said one or more communication devices associated with the user for communication using a network;

determining one or more secondary communication groups for the communication device based on arrangements of user groups in the hierarchy, wherein the one or more secondary communication groups are a primary communication group of at least one other user group in the hierarchy, wherein the one or more other user groups are superior, peer, or subordinate to the user group as indicated by the hierarchy; and

programming the communication device with the determined secondary communication groups.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy is a role-based hierarchy established for incident response, wherein the user is a responder for incident, wherein the user group is determined by the user'"'"'s role in the incident, wherein the communication device is a responder device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a user group for a user enrolled in a hierarchy further comprises a command device, assigned to a human, assigning users to user groups within the hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a user group for a user enrolled in a hierarchy further comprises determining a user group comprised of users sharing a common attribute.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the common attribute is role.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a Project 25 compliant network, wherein the primary and secondary communication groups are Project 25 compliant talkgroups.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network is a broadband network, wherein the primary and secondary communication groups are Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) groups.

8. The method of claim 1, where communication on the secondary communication group is restricted based on user role.

9. The method of claim 7, where the restriction is receive-only.

10. The method of claim 1, where the programming of a secondary communication group comprises configuring a communication device to scan a talkgroup.

11. A method of programming primary and secondary communication groups to communication devices arranged in a hierarchy, wherein the method comprises:

at least one of one or more command devices, determining a communication device is associated with a responder newly engaged in an incident, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device connected to a radio access network;

at least one of the one or more command devices assigning the new responder to a role in a role-based hierarchy;

determining a primary communication group for the communication device which comprises peers of the new responder having a related role in the hierarchy;

determining one or more secondary communication groups for the communication device for other responders having related roles in the hierarchy to the responder, wherein the related roles are subordinate, peer, or superior;

programming the primary communication group setting of the communication device with the primary communication group; and

programming the secondary communication group setting of the communication device with the plurality of secondary communication groups.

12. The method of claim 11, where the role-based hierarchy is an Incident Command Structure (ICS).

13. The method of claim 11, where communication on the secondary communication group is restricted based on the new responder'"'"'s role.

14. The method of claim 13, where the restriction is receive-only.

15. The method of claim 11, where the primary communication group and the secondary communication groups are LMR talkgroups, LMR data groups, or multimedia groups.

16. The method of claim 11, where the communication device is a LMR device or a wireless broadband device.

17. The method of claim 11, where the programming of a primary communication group comprises the communication device affiliating to the primary talkgroup.

18. The method of claim 11, where the programming of a secondary communication group comprises the communication device scanning a talkgroup.

19. A system for programming primary and secondary communication groups to users arranged in a hierarchy, wherein the system comprises:

one or more processors;

one or more memories storing program instructions able to be executed by at least one of the one or more processors;

a programming function, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to enable programming primary and secondary communication groups to communication devices in accordance with the subordinate, peer, and superior structure of user groups in a hierarchy, wherein the communication devices are communication devices accessible via a network; and

a data store able to persist at least one of devices, users, resources, secondary communication group selection criteria, or device programming tables associated with the programming of communication devices.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said programming function is further configured to:

assign a human a position in a hierarchy;

determine one or more communication devices associated with the human;

determine a primary communication group for the determined communication device which comprises one or more other devices assigned to users with a same position in the hierarchy;

determine a plurality of secondary communication groups for the one or more communication devices;

program the primary communication group setting associated with the communication device with a primary communication group; and

program the secondary communication group setting associated with the communication device with the one or more of secondary communication groups.