Method of establishing group calls in a communications system

• US 6,484,037 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1999
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Paul E., Przelomiec, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ward, Ronald J.
• Application Number:
  US09/428,378
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/450, 455/452, 455/509, 455/512, 455/513, 455/514, 455/517, 455/518, 455/519
• US Class Current: 455/514
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• 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 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A method of establishing a group call in a wireless communications system includes a group call server supplying mobile terminals of a certain type with an indication of call type, and optionally other information, for group calls so as to distinguish such calls from other types of calls. The group call server in charge of the group call may selectively augment the calling party number field of the outgoing paging message with one or more indicator flags when the targeted mobile terminal is adapted to receive and act upon such information. The indicator flags indicate one or more characteristics of the group call, such as call type, call subtype, or priority level. One flag may indicate priority level and another may indicate the call subtype of the group call. The mobile terminals receiving the augmented paging message base their response, such as to auto-answer or not, on the group call characteristics indicated in the paging message. The group call server may rely on already built-in flexibility in existing air interface protocols so that the method disclosed herein may be implemented without the need to change the signaling and air interface protocols or substantial changes to the existing system equipment.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a group call in a communications system having a group call server, comprising:

a) establishing a database of user groups having one or more group members, said database noting when the corresponding group member is associated with a communications terminal of a first communications terminal type;

b) thereafter, receiving a request from an originator to establish a group call with a user group;

c) in response to said group call request, said group call server composing a paging message targeted at one or more of said group members, said paging message selectively indicating one or more characteristics of said group call depending on whether said database indicates the corresponding targeted group member is associated with a communications terminal of said first communications terminal type;

d) said group call server triggering the transmission of said paging message to at least one communications terminal associated with the corresponding user group;

e) receiving, at a mobile terminal of said first communications terminal type, said transmitted paging message; and

f) said communications terminal selecting a response to said transmitted paging message based on said characteristics of said group call as indicated in said paging message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said paging message includes a calling party field and wherein said composing includes said group call server augmenting said calling party field to indicate one or more characteristics of said group call when said database indicates the corresponding targeted group member is associated with a mobile terminal of said first mobile terminal type.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said augmenting by said group call server includes adding at least one coded flag to said calling party field.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said coded flag includes a first part corresponding to the priority level of said group call and a second part corresponding to the call type and call subtype of said group call.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said communications terminal is selected from a group consisting of a landline phone, a cellular phone, and a satellite phone.

6. A method of establishing a group call in a wireless communications system having a group call server, comprising:

a) establishing a database of user groups having one or more group members, said database noting when the corresponding group member is associated with a wireless mobile terminal of a first mobile terminal type;

b) thereafter, receiving a request from an originator to establish a group call with a user group;

c) in response to said group call request, said group call server composing a paging message targeted at one or more of said group members, said paging message selectively indicating one or more characteristics of said group call depending on whether said database indicates the corresponding targeted group member is associated with a mobile terminal of said first mobile terminal type;

d) said group call server triggering the transmission of said paging message to at least one mobile terminal associated with the corresponding user group;

e) receiving, at a mobile terminal of said first mobile terminal type, said transmitted paging message; and

f) said mobile terminal selecting a response to said transmitted paging message based on said characteristics of said group call as indicated in said paging message.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said paging message includes a calling party field and wherein said composing includes said group call server augmenting said calling party field to indicate one or more characteristics of said group call when said database indicates the corresponding targeted group member is associated with a mobile terminal of said first mobile terminal type.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said group call server augmenting includes adding at least one coded flag to said calling party field.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said coded flag includes a first part corresponding to the priority level of said group call and a second part corresponding to the call type and call subtype of said group call.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said group call characteristics indicated by said paging message include the call type of said group call.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the call type of said group call may be set to at least a first type corresponding to a broadcast type wherein only the originator of the group call may generate source message signals and a second type corresponding to a talk type wherein source message generation is not limited to the originator of the group call.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said first call type has a plurality of possible call subtypes including at least a sequential subtype, a simultaneous-first-answer subtype, and a conference subtype.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein said group call characteristics indicated by said paging message include the call subtype of said group call.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein said group call characteristics indicated by said paging message include the priority level of said group call.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the priority level of said group call may be set to at least a first level corresponding to a normal priority or to a second level corresponding to an alert priority.

16. The method of claim 6 wherein said group call characteristics indicated by said paging message include the call subtype and priority level of said group call.

17. The method of claim 6 further including said group call server allowing said originator to set the priority level of the group call prior to said triggering of the transmission of said paging message and wherein said group call characteristics indicated by said paging message include said set priority level of said group call.

18. The method of claim 6 wherein said paging message is compliant with ANSI-136.

19. The method of claim 7 further including substituting a pilot group number for a calling party number in said calling party number field when said group call is in response to the originator using a pilot group number.

20. The method of claim 19 further including said mobile terminal displaying said pilot group number when said group call is in response to the originator using a pilot group number.

21. The method of claim 6 wherein said selecting a response to said transmitted paging message includes said mobile terminal determining whether to automatically answer said paging message based on said characteristics of said group call as indicated in said paging message.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein group call may be of one call subtype of a plurality of possible call subtypes including at least a sequential subtype and a simultaneous-first-answer subtype, and wherein, based on said characteristics of said group call as indicated in said paging message, said mobile terminal requires manual intervention by a user before answering said paging message when said group call is of either said sequential subtype or said simultaneous-first-answer subtype.

23. The method of claim 6 wherein said database includes an indication of the equipment type associated with each group member therein.

24. A method of establishing a group call in a wireless communications system having a group call server, comprising:

a) establishing, at the group call server, a database of user groups having one or more group members, said database noting when the corresponding group member is associated with a wireless mobile terminal of a first mobile terminal type;

b) thereafter, receiving a request from an originator to establish a group call with a user group;

c) in response to said group call request, said group call server composing a paging message targeted at one or more of said group members, said paging message including a calling party field, said calling party field selectively including at least one coded flag for indicating one or more characteristics of said group call depending on whether said database indicates the corresponding targeted group member is associated with a mobile terminal of said first mobile terminal type, said coded flag including a first part corresponding to the priority level of said group call and a second part corresponding to the call subtype of said group call, wherein possible call subtypes include at least a sequential subtype and a simultaneous-first-answer subtype;

d) said group call server triggering the transmission of said paging message to at least one mobile terminal associated with the corresponding user group;

e) receiving, at a mobile terminal of said first mobile terminal type, said transmitted paging message; and

f) said mobile terminal selecting a response to said transmitted paging message based on said characteristics of said group call as indicated in said paging message, wherein said selecting a response to said transmitted paging message includes said mobile terminal determining whether to automatically answer said paging message based on said characteristics of said group call as indicated in said calling party field, said mobile terminal requiring manual intervention before answering said paging message when said group call is of either said sequential subtype or said simultaneous-first-answer subtype.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the priority level of said group call may be set to at least a first level corresponding to a normal priority or to a second level corresponding to an alert priority.

26. The method of claim 24 further including substituting a pilot group number for a calling party number in said calling party number field when said group call is in response to the originator using a pilot group number and further including said mobile terminal displaying said pilot group number when said group call is in response to the originator using a pilot group number.

27. The method of claim 24 further including said group call server allowing said originator to set the priority level of the group call prior to said triggering of the transmission of said paging message.