Floor control management in network based instant connect communication

• US 7,069,032 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Core Mobility (Smith Micro Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: El-Fishawy, Sani
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika A.
• Application Number:
  US10/652,867
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/418, 455/450, 455/517, 455/518
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

The floor in a network-based instant connect communication session is managed such that a mobile device user can cause voice data to be transmitted to a remote party without the remote party giving consent to relinquishing the floor. As the remote party holds the floor, the mobile device user presses a talk button on the mobile device, which generates a floor request signal, resulting in the floor being transferred to the mobile device. The mobile device user, who now has the floor, can cause the voice data to be sent to the remote device. In this manner, the mobile device user can interrupt or spontaneously respond to the remote party without waiting for the remote party to relinquish the floor. This facilitates comfortable two-way communication in a network-based instant connect communication session. In an alternate method, the two-way communication is established by transitioning the network-based instant connect communication session from its original half-duplex communication channel to a full-duplex channel.

Claims

1. In a communication system, a method of transferring the floor between devices engaged in network-based instant connect communication, comprising:

in a network-based instant connect communication session, transmitting voice data from a first device that has a floor of the instant connect communication session to a second device;

receiving a request for the floor for the network based instant connect communication session from a second device;

while the first device has the floor, responding to the floor request signal originating from the second device by transferring the floor to the second device automatically without comparing a priority level of the first device to a priority level of the second device and without waiting for the first device to relinquish the floor; and

transmitting voice data from the second device to the first device while the second device has the floor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor request signal originating from the second device is generated in response to a user of the second device pressing a talk button of the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, while the second device has the floor, responding to a floor request signal originating from the first device by transferring the floor back to the first device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the floor request signal originating from the first device is generated in response to a user of the first device pressing a talk button of the first device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor is transferred to the second device without the first device consenting to the floor request from the second device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the floor is transferred to the second device in a way that interrupts transmission of the voice data from the first device to the second device and while a user of the first device continues pressing the talk button of the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-based instant connect communication session is conducted as half-duplex communication in a network that also has full-duplex communication capabilities.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing the network-based instant connect communication session, including:

receiving a signal from the first device, the signal including a request to establish the network-based instant connect communication session and information identifying the second device;

granting the floor to the first device; and

receiving the voice data from the first device, the voice data being transmitted to the second device in a way that automatically activates output of the voice data from the second device without requiring input from a user of the second device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication system comprises a wireless network; and

the first device and the second device are mobile devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication system comprises a wireline telephone network; and

the second device is a speakerphone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor request signal is generated as a user of the second device presses a talk button of the second device, the second device maintaining the floor until either the talk button of the second device is released or a subsequent floor request signal originates from the first device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor request signal is generated as a user of the second device taps a talk button of the second device, the second device maintaining the floor after the talk button of the second device is tapped until a subsequent floor request signal originates from the first device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication system includes at least a third device that communicates with the first device and the second device and receives the voice data transmitted from the second device while the second device has the floor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

floor control logic resides at a server in the communication network; and

responding to the floor request signal originating from the second device is performed as the server receives the floor request signal.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

floor control logic resides at the first device and the second device; and

responding to the floor request signal originating from the second device is performed as the first device receives the floor request signal that has been transmitted from the second device to the first device.

16. In a communication device that operates in a communication system, a method of obtaining the floor that is allocated between devices engaged in network-based instant connect communication, comprising:

in a network-based instant connect communication session, receiving voice data from a remote device;

while the remote device has the floor, generating a floor request signal and transmitting the floor request signal to a server in the communication system;

in response to transmitting the floor request signal, automatically taking the floor in the network-based instant connect communication session from the remote device without the remote device consenting to the floor request signal and without performing arbitration regarding the floor request signal between the remote device and the communication device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the floor request signal is generated in response to a user of the communication device pressing a talk button of the communication device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising losing the floor at the communication device in response to an action taken by a user of the remote device, the floor being lost at the communication device without the user of the communication device having relinquished the floor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the floor is lost while the user of the communication device continues to press a talk button of the communication device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the action comprises the user of the remote device pressing a talk button of the remote device.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the network-based instant connect communication session is conducted as half-duplex communication in a network that also has full-duplex communication capabilities.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising establishing the network-based instant connect communication session, including automatically outputting the voice data at the communication device upon establishment of the network-based instant connect communication session without requiring input from a user of the second device.