COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND RELATED METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH DEVICES HAVING A PLURALITY OF UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS

• US 20140280562A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sorenson Ip Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Sorenson Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Shields, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,491,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services

Abstract

A communication system comprises a server configured to associate a plurality of communication devices with each other in a user group. Each communication device of the plurality of communication devices is associated with a group-wide individual unique identifier that is unique as to other members of the same group; a network-wide individual unique identifier that is unique as to other communication devices of the network; and a group unique identifier that is shared with the plurality of communication devices of the user group. A method comprises receiving a call request including a group-wide individual unique identifier, and sending an outgoing call to the individual communication device. The group-wide individual unique identifier is unique to an individual communication device within a user group of communication devices that is smaller than a number of communication devices configured for communication on a network.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a server configured to associate a plurality of communication devices with each other in a user group, wherein each communication device of the plurality of communication devices is associated with;

a group-wide individual unique identifier that is unique as to other members of the same group;

a network-wide individual unique identifier that is unique as to other communication devices of the network; and

a group unique identifier that is shared with the plurality of communication devices of the user group.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to establish communication between a first communication device and at least a second communication device in response to a call request from the first communication device using a unique identifier of the second communication device.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the unique identifier of the second communication device used in the call request includes the network-wide individual unique identifier of the second communication device.

4. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the unique identifier of the second communication device used in the call request includes the group-wide individual unique identifier of the second communication device.

5. The communication system of claim 4, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device are part of the same user group.

6. The communication system of claim 4, wherein the server is configured to send at least one of the group-wide individual unique identifier and the network-wide individual unique identifier of the first communication device to the second communication device to be displayed by the second communication device.

7. The communication system of claim 4, wherein the unique identifier of the second communication device used in the call request further includes the group unique identifier of the second communication device, and wherein the first communication device and the second communication device are not part of the same user group.

8. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the unique identifier of the second communication device used in the call request includes the group unique identifier of the second communication device.

9. The communication system of claim 8, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device are not part of the same user group, and the server is further configured to send an outgoing call to all communication devices of the user group that includes the second communication device.

10. The communication system of claim 8, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device are part of the same user group, and the server is further configured to send an outgoing call to all communication devices of the user group that includes the first communication device and the second communication device.

11. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the server includes:

a call routing server configured to establish communication between the first communication device and at least the second communication device; and

a profile server configured to manage one or more user accounts associated with each communication device of the plurality of communication devices.

12. The server of claim 1, wherein the group-wide individual unique identifier includes a member description having an alphanumeric format and the network-wide individual unique identifier includes a member number having a numeric format.

13. A communication system, comprising:

a server configured to coordinate communication sessions between a plurality of communication devices, wherein the server is configured to enable;

each communication device of the plurality of communication devices to be associated with an individual unique identifier that is unique to an individual communication device; and

at least some of the communication devices of the plurality of communication devices to be associated with a group unique identifier that is shared by communication devices that are part of a common user group.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the individual unique identifier of each communication device includes a member number and a member description.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the member number is a network-wide individual unique identifier that is unique as to all of the plurality of communication devices configured to communicate with the server.

16. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the member description is a group-wide individual unique identifier that is unique as to all of the communication devices that are part of the same common group.

17. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the server is configured to coordinate communication sessions between a plurality of communication devices of the same group using the member description to select a communication device within the common group to receive an incoming call.

18. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the server is configured to coordinate communication sessions between a plurality of communication devices of the same group using the group unique identifier to select all communication devices within the common group to receive an incoming call with the exception of the communication device initiating the incoming call.

19. A method for establishing communication between a plurality of communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving a call request including a group-wide individual unique identifier, the group-wide individual unique identifier being unique to an individual communication device within a user group of communication devices that is smaller than a number of communication devices configured for communication on a network; and

sending an outgoing call to the individual communication device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the call request includes receiving the call request from another communication device that is a member of the user group of communication devices.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the group-wide individual unique identifier includes a member description.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the member description is selected by a user from the group consisting of a word and a phrase.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein receiving the call request including the group-wide individual unique identifier includes receiving a call request including the group-wide individual unique identifier and a group unique identifier, wherein the group unique identifier is a unique identifier unique to the user group that distinguishes the user group from other user groups of the network.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein sending an outgoing call to the individual communication device includes sending the group-wide individual unique identifier to the individual communication device for display thereon.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the call request includes translating the group-wide individual unique identifier to a corresponding network-wide individual unique identifier within a communication device to be sent to a call routing server for routing to the individual communication device.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the call request includes translating the group-wide individual unique identifier to a corresponding network-wide individual unique identifier within a call routing server prior to routing the outgoing call to the individual communication device.

27. A method for establishing communication between a plurality of communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving a call request including a group unique identifier from a first communication device of a user group, the group unique identifier being shared by a plurality of communication devices of the user group; and

sending an outgoing call to the plurality of communication device of the user group.