Method and apparatus for a talkgroup call in a wireless communication system

• US 6,308,079 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pan, Shaowei, Silverman, Shmuel, Oltman, Bruce A., Comroe, Rich, OʼBeirne, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US09/534,384
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/519, 455/520, 455/524, 455/512, 455/517, 455/514, 455/416, 370/266, 370/342, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• 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: H04M 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

In a wireless code-division multiple access (CDMA) system (100), a talkgroup (101) of subscriber units is provided. A sub-talkgroup (102) of subscriber units, forming a part of the talkgroup is assigned at least one inbound channel (416-417). The talkgroup is assigned outbound channels (415). Members of the sub-talkgroup may simultaneously transmit voice information (410-411) using the at least one inbound channel, which voice information is summed (412) and re-transmitted to the talkgroup using the outbound channels. Voice information is summed so that an individual talker receives summed voice information without the individual subscriber'"'"'s voice content. Subscriber units in the sub-listengroup are allowed to transmit voice information only after requesting, and receiving, an additional inbound channel.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system comprising a plurality of subscriber units in wireless communication with a fixed infrastructure, a method for the fixed infrastructure to establish a talkgroup call, the method comprising steps of:

receiving, from a first subscriber unit of the plurality of subscriber units, a request for the talkgroup call, the request comprising an identity of the first subscriber unit and an identity of a talkgroup;

identifying, based on the identity of the talkgroup, a talkgroup of subscriber units comprising at least two subscriber units of the plurality of subscriber units;

identifying, based on the identity of the first subscriber unit, a sub-talkgroup of subscriber units of the talkgroup;

assigning an outbound time slot in a frequency channel to subscribers in the sub-listengroup;

assigning a plurality of outbound time slots in the frequency channel in a one-to-one manner to subscribers in the sub-talkgroup if there is more than one talker; and

assigning, in a one-to-one manner, at least one inbound time slot in the frequency channel to the sub-talkgroup.

2. The method of claim 1, the step of identifying the talkgroup further comprising a step of indexing a table according to the identity of the talkgroup to select an entry uniquely associated with the identity of the talkgroup.

3. The method of claim 2, the step of identifying the sub-talkgroup further comprising a step of indexing the entry according to the identity of the first subscriber unit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of identifying the sub-talkgroup that comprises stored identities of subscriber units of the talkgroup that have recently engaged in communications with the first subscriber unit.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of identifying the sub-talkgroup that comprises stored identities of subscriber units of the talkgroup having a priority level at least as high as the first subscriber unit.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of identifying the sub-talkgroup that comprise stored identities of subscriber units of the talkgroup having locations within a predetermined distance of the first subscriber unit.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

receiving, based on the at least one inbound time slot in a frequency channel, streams of voice information from subscriber units of the sub-talkgroup;

summing the streams of voice information to produce summed voice information; and

transmitting, based on the outbound time slot of a frequency channel, the summed voice information to the talkgroup.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of de-assigning the outbound time slot of a frequency channel and the at least one inbound time slot of a frequency channel when the talkgroup call has ended.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising steps of:

receiving, from a second subscriber unit of the sub-listengroup, a request to talk;

assigning an additional inbound time slot in a frequency channel to the second subscriber unit;

receiving, based on the additional inbound time slot in a frequency channel, an additional stream of voice information from the second subscriber unit; and

summing the streams of voice information and the additional stream of voice information to produce the summed voice information.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of de-assigning the outbound time slot in a frequency channel, the at least one inbound time slot in a frequency channel and the additional inbound time slot in a frequency channel when the talkgroup call has ended.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning, in a one-to-one manner, the inbound time slot and outbound time slot of a subscriber in the sub-talkgroup are in the different time.

12. In a wireless communication system comprising subscriber units in wireless communication with a fixed infrastructure, a method for the fixed infrastructure to establish a talkgroup call, the method comprising steps of:

receiving inbound voice data from a plurality of subscriber units within a talkgroup, the inbound voice data comprising voice data from a first subscriber;

summing the inbound voice data to produce summed voice data; and

transmitting the summed voice data to subscribers within the talkgroup without transmitting the summed voice data to the first subscriber.