Group communication system

• US 6,445,687 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1998
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Mikami, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US09/092,648
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/320, 370/321, 370/331, 370/335, 370/346, 370/431, 370/348, 370/432, 370/433, 455/426, 455/509, 455/516, 455/517, 455/518, 455/519, 455/515
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A group communication system is disclosed, that comprises at least one controlling station, at least one base station connected to the controlling station through a wired circuit or a radio circuit, and a plurality of mobile stations connected to the base station, wherein the controlling station or the base station has a means for managing group communication numbers of the mobile stations, wherein the mobile stations each have a means for transmitting a mobile station identification number and a group communication number to the base station when a radio zone of each of the mobile stations is handed over and thereby a location registration operation is performed, wherein the controlling station or the base station has a zone area presence determining means for determining whether or not a particular mobile station is present in a radio zone to which the particular mobile station has been handed over when the controlling station or the base station receives the group communication number from the relevant mobile station, and wherein the base station has a means for releasing a communication channel when the relevant mobile station is not present in the radio zone as the determined result of the zone area presence determining means.

Claims

1. A group communication system, comprising:

at least one controlling station;

at least one base station connected to said at least one controlling station through one of a wired circuit and a radio circuit; and

a plurality of mobile stations connected to said at least one base station,

wherein one of said at least one controlling station and said at least one base station has means for managing group communication numbers of said mobile stations,

wherein said mobile stations each have means for transmitting a mobile station identification number and a group communication number to said at least one base station when a radio zone of each of said mobile stations is handed over and thereby a location registration operation is performed,

wherein one of said at least one controlling station and said at least one base station has zone area presence determining means for determining whether or not a particular mobile station is present in a radio zone to which the particular mobile station has been handed over when one of said at least one controlling station and said at least one base station receives the group communication number from the relevant mobile station, and

wherein said at least one base station has means for releasing a communication channel when the relevant mobile station is not present in the radio zone as the determined result of said zone area presence determining means.

2. The group communication system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a link line for connecting said controlling station and said base station.

3. The group communication system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said controlling station is connected to a telephone unit of one of a public telephone system and a private telephone system.

4. The group communication system as set forth in claim 2,

wherein said controlling station is connected to a telephone unit of one of a public telephone system and a private telephone system.

5. The group communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one base station and said mobile stations are connected through radio circuits.

6. The group communication system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said at least one base station and said mobile stations are connected through radio circuits.

7. The group communication system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said at least one base station and said mobile stations are connected through radio circuits.

8. The group communication system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one controlling station comprises:

a controlling portion for connecting said at least one controlling station to said at least one base station;

a location registration register portion for registering a location registration signal one of when the power of the relevant mobile station is turned on and when the radio zone thereof is handed over; and

a switching portion for establishing a communication circuit between the relevant mobile station and one of said at least one base station and said at least one controlling station through one of the wired circuit and the radio circuit and a communication circuit between said mobile stations.

9. The group communication system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said at least one controlling station comprises:

a controlling portion for connecting said at least one controlling station to said at least one base station;

a location registration register portion for registering a location registration signal one of when the power of the relevant mobile station is turned on and when the radio zone thereof is handed over; and

a switching portion for establishing a communication circuit between the relevant mobile station and one of said at least one base station and said at least one controlling station through one of the wired circuit and the radio circuit and a communication circuit between said mobile stations.

10. The group communication system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said at least one controlling station comprises:

a controlling portion for connecting said at least one controlling station to said at least one base station;

a location registration register portion for registering a location registration signal one of when the power of the relevant mobile station is turned on and when the radio zone thereof is handed over; and

a switching portion for establishing a communication circuit between the relevant mobile station and one of said at least one base station and said at least one controlling station through one of the wired circuit and the radio circuit and a communication circuit between said mobile stations.

11. The group communication system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said at least one controlling station comprises:

a controlling portion for connecting said at least one controlling station to said at least one base station;

a location registration register portion for registering a location registration signal one of when the power of the relevant mobile station is turned on and when the radio zone thereof is handed over; and

a switching portion for establishing a communication circuit between the relevant mobile station and one of said at least one base station and said at least one controlling station through one of the wired circuit and the radio circuit and a communication circuit between said mobile stations.

12. The group communication system as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said location registration register retrieves communication information of the relevant mobile station and certificates whether or not the relevant mobile station has been registered.

13. The group communication system as set forth in claim 9,

wherein said location registration register retrieves communication information of the relevant mobile station and certificates whether or not the relevant mobile station has been registered.

14. The group communication system as set forth in claim 10,

wherein said location registration register retrieves communication information of the relevant mobile station and certificates whether or not the relevant mobile station has been registered.

15. The group communication system as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said location registration register retrieves communication information of the relevant mobile station and certificates whether or not the relevant mobile station has been registered.

16. The group communication system as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

17. The group communication system as set forth in claim 9,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

18. The group communication system as set forth in claim 10,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

19. The group communication system as set forth in claim 11,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

20. The group communication system as set forth in claim 12,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

21. The group communication system as set forth in claim 13,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

22. The communication system as set forth in claim 14,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

23. The group communication system as set forth in claim 15,

wherein said controlling portion is connected to said location registration register portion and said switching portion.

24. The group communication system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

25. The group communication system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

26. The group communication system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

27. The group communication system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

28. The group communication system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

29. The group communication system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

30. The group communication system as set forth in claim 14, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

31. The group communication system as set forth in claim 15, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

32. The group communication system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said at least one base station comprises:

a controlling portion connected to said controlling portion of said at least one controlling station;

a control channel transmitting/receiving portion connected to said location registration register portion of said at least one controlling station; and

a transmitting/receiving unit with a plurality of communication channels.

33. The group communication system as set forth in claim 24,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

34. The group communication system as set forth in claim 25,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

35. The group communication system as set forth in claim 26,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

36. The group communication system as set forth in claim 27,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

37. The group communication system as set forth in claim 28,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

38. The group communication system as set forth in claim 29,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

39. The group communication system as set forth in claim 30,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

40. The group communication system as set forth in claim 31,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.

41. The group communication system as set forth in claim 32,

wherein said control channel transmitting/receiving unit controls said mobile stations.