GROUP COMMUNICATION

• US 20180205566A1
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Published: 07/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: WESTMAN, Ilkka, KUURE, Pekka, PAAVONEN, Tapio, HYYTIA, Simo, LEPPISAARI, Arto
• Granted Patent: US 10,594,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. Conference server dials participants computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• 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 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

In order to facilitate group communication using characteristics of a prearranged group but not involving all members of the pre-arranged group, a parameter indicating that the group communication is not intended to all members of the pre-arranged group is added by an inviting group member sending a request to a group server, and the group server, in response to the parameter, is configured to not to invite all members to the group communication.

Claims

1. An apparatus for group communication comprising:

a communication interface for sending and receiving data;

a memory for storing instructions to control the apparatus; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the processor configured to, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, cause the apparatus to;

receive, via the communication interface, a request to establish group communication from a user terminal of an inviting user, the request comprising a parameter indicating that the group communication is intended for a sub-group of a pre-arranged group comprising a predefined plurality of members, the sub-group comprising less than all of the predefined plurality of members, the request further comprising information on members of the intended sub-group; and

for each intended member in the request;

check whether the intended member is a member of the pre-arranged group, and

send, via the communication interface, a notification for the group communication to the intended member in response to determining that the intended member in the request is a member of the pre-arranged group.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

for each intended member in the request, in response to determining that the intended member in the request is not a member of the pre-arranged group, ignore the intended member.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

send, via the communication device, an error message to the user terminal of the inviting user.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the error message indicates which intended members of the intended sub-group are not members of the pre-arranged group.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

for each intended member in the request, in response to determining that the intended member in the request is not a member of the pre-arranged group, send via the communication device an invitation to the intended member that is not a member of the pre-arranged group; and

send, via the communication device, an error message to the user terminal of the inviting user.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the error message indicates which intended members of the intended sub-group are not members of the pre-arranged group.

7. A method for a server for group communication comprising:

receiving, at the server, a request to establish group communication from a user terminal of an inviting user, the request comprising a parameter indicating that the group communication is intended for a sub-group of a pre-arranged group comprising a predefined plurality of members, the sub-group comprising less than all of the predefined plurality of members, the request further comprising information on members of the intended sub-group; and

for each intended member in the request;

checking, at the server, whether the intended member is a member of the pre-arranged group, and

sending, from the server, a notification for the group communication to the intended member in response to determining that the intended member in the request is a member of the pre-arranged group.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

for each intended member in the request, in response to determining that the intended member in the request is not a member of the pre-arranged group, ignoring the intended member.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending an error message to the user terminal of the inviting user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the error message indicates which intended members of the intended sub-group are not members of the pre-arranged group.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

for each intended member in the request, in response to determining that the intended member in the request is not a member of the pre-arranged group, sending an invitation to the intended member that is not a member of the pre-arranged group; and

sending an error message to the user terminal of the inviting user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the error message indicates which intended members of the intended sub-group are not members of the pre-arranged group.

13. A method for a server for group communication comprising:

receiving, at the server, a request to establish group communication from a user terminal of an inviting user, the request comprising a parameter indicating that the group communication is intended for a sub-group of a pre-arranged group comprising a predefined plurality of members, the sub-group comprising less than all of the predefined plurality of members, the request further comprising information on members of the intended sub-group; and

checking, at the server, whether all members of the intended sub-group is a member of the pre-arranged group, and

sending, from the server, a notification for the group communication to all the members of the intended sub-group in response to determining that every member of the intended sub-group is a member of the pre-arranged group.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to determining that at least one member of the intended sub-group is not a member of the pre-arranged group, sending an error message to the user terminal of the inviting user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to determining that at least one member of the intended sub-group is not a member of the pre-arranged group, not sending any invitation to any member of the intended sub-group.