METHOD TO ACHIEVE A FULLY ACKNOWLEDGED MODE COMMUNICATION (FAMC) IN PUSH-TO-TALK-OVER-CELLULAR (PoC)

• US 20140348066A1
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kodiak Networks (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Krishnakant M., Ayyasamy, Ravi, Vempati, Brahmananda R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A system and method for providing advanced voice services in a wireless communications network, and more specifically, a method and framework to achieve a Fully Acknowledged Mode Communication (FAMC) in Push-to-talk-over-Cellular (PoC). A FAMC call session is a PoC call session that can only be established when all members of a set are available.

Claims

1. A system for providing advanced voice services in one or more wireless communications networks, comprising:

one or more servers that interface to the wireless communications networks to perform advanced voice services for one or more mobile units in the wireless communications networks, wherein the advanced voice services include an instant two-way half-duplex voice call within a group of the mobile units comprising a Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC) call session;

wherein both the servers and the mobile units that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using control messages within the wireless communications networks, and at least one of the servers switches voice messages for the advanced group services between the mobile units across the wireless communications networks;

wherein at least one of the servers manages the PoC call session by acting as an arbitrator for the PoC call session and controls the sending of the control messages and the voice messages to and from the mobile units; and

wherein the PoC call session comprises a Fully Acknowledged Mode Communication (FAMC) call session that can only be established when all members of a set are available for the PoC call session, and the set comprises all or part of the group of the mobile units.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a Fully Acknowledged Mode Communication Member Set includes one or more criteria that determine whether the set is available for the PoC call session.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the criteria identify one or more of the members that must be available for the PoC call session.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the criteria identify a number of the members that must be available for the PoC call session.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the criteria identify one or more geographical locations of the members that must be available for the PoC call session.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein an availability or unavailability of the members of the set is monitored in real-time and made available to all watchers of the set through one or more presence notifications.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the presence notifications indicate an availability or unavailability of the set as a whole.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the presence notifications indicate an availability or unavailability of individual members of the set.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined from presence updates received from the members.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined by querying the members.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the members are queried periodically.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the members are queried based on triggering events.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined by querying a database.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined from the network'"'"'s capabilities.

15. A method of providing advanced voice services in one or more wireless communications networks, comprising:

interfacing one or more servers to the wireless communications networks to perform advanced voice services for one or more mobile units in the wireless communications networks, wherein the advanced voice services include an instant two-way half-duplex voice call within a group of the mobile units comprising a Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC) call session;

wherein both the servers and the mobile units that use the advanced group services communicate with each other using control messages within the wireless communications networks, and at least one of the servers switches voice messages for the advanced group services between the mobile units across the wireless communications networks;

wherein at least one of the servers manages the PoC call session by acting as an arbitrator for the PoC call session and controls the sending of the control messages and the voice messages to and from the mobile units; and

wherein the PoC call session comprises a Fully Acknowledged Mode Communication (FAMC) call session that can only be established when all members of a set are available for the PoC call session, and the set comprises all or part of the group of the mobile units.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a Fully Acknowledged Mode Communication Member Set includes one or more criteria that determine whether the set is available for the PoC call session.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the criteria identify one or more of the members that must be available for the PoC call session.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the criteria identify a number of the members that must be available for the PoC call session.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the criteria identify one or more geographical locations of the members that must be available for the PoC call session.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein an availability or unavailability of the members of the set is monitored in real-time and made available to all watchers of the set through one or more presence notifications.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the presence notifications indicate an availability or unavailability of the set as a whole.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the presence notifications indicate an availability or unavailability of individual members of the set.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined from presence updates received from the members.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined by querying the members.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the members are queried periodically.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the members are queried based on triggering events.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined by querying a database.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the availability or unavailability of the members of the set is determined from the network'"'"'s capabilities.