Packet mode speech communication
First Claim
1. A method, comprisingproviding a group server layered on top of a communications system for packet mode group communication,providing said group server with individual addresses of group members in at least one group communication group,receiving real-time transfer protocol voice packets from one of said group members to said group server, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number,forwarding said real-time transfer protocol voice packets individually to each receiving one of said group members on the basis of said individual addresses.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A packet mode (e.g. IP) group communication service layer is provided on top of a standard mainstream cellular radio network. Conceptually, the group communication layer includes a pair of basic logical entities, an application bridge and a call processing server (CPS). The bridge and the CPS run group service applications which communicate with group service application(s) in a mobile station MS over the IP connections provided by the radio network. The CPS is responsible for control plane management of group communications. The bridge is responsible for the real-time distribution of VoIP packets to the user terminals according to their group memberships over valid connections programmed by the CPS.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. A method, comprising
providing a group server layered on top of a communications system for packet mode group communication, providing said group server with individual addresses of group members in at least one group communication group, receiving real-time transfer protocol voice packets from one of said group members to said group server, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number, forwarding said real-time transfer protocol voice packets individually to each receiving one of said group members on the basis of said individual addresses.
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3. A method, comprising
providing a group server layered on top of a communications system for packet mode group voice communication, providing said group sewer with individual addresses of group members of a group communication group, creating an individual logical connection from each group member to said group server by means of outband signaling, starting a speech item in said group in response to receiving a leader packet from one of said group members to said group server over said individual logical connection, each leader packet containing the identifier of the respective group member, said group server either i) rejecting said staffed speech item, or ii) granting the stated speech item to said one group member and forwarding said leader packet and subsequent voice packets individually to each receiving one of said group members in said group on the basis of said individual addresses, and wherein said leader packet and said subsequent voice packets received from one of said group members to said group server are real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number.
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5. A method, comprising
providing a group server layered on top of a communications system and configured to serve a group communication group for a packet mode group voice communication, granting a speech item to one group member of said group communication group, setting a first timer to measure a predetermined idle period in response to said granting, resetting said first timer each time a voice packet is received from said one of said group members to said group server, ending said granted speech item if said first timer expires indicating that said predetermined idle period has elapsed from said granting or from last reception of a voice packet from said one group member, and wherein said voice packets are real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number.
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8. A method, comprising
providing a server layered on top of the communications system and configured to manage traffic streams addressed to a user who is active in at least one group communication group for a packet mode group voice communication or in a packet mode one-to-one voice communication, receiving at said user specific server a first voice packet stream related to a first group or one-to-one communication and forwarding said first voice packet stream to said respective user, said first voice packet stream received at said user specific server comprising real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said first group or one-to-one communication with a port number, monitoring at said user specific server continuity of said first voice packet stream, receiving at said user specific server at least one further voice packet stream related to at least one farther group or one-to-one communication, said further voice packet stream received at said user specific sewer comprising real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one further group or one-to-one communication with a port number, forwarding no one of said at least one further voice packet streams to said user if said first voice packet data stream is continuous, forwarding one of said at least one farther voice packet streams to said user if said first voice traffic stream has been discontinued for a predetermined period of time.
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11. A server system, comprising a group server provided on a layer on top of a communications system for providing a packet mode group communication service, said group server further comprising:
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a data memory storing individual addresses of group members in at least one group communication group, said group server being configured to receive voice packets from said group members, each received voice packet containing information identifying the communication group which the respective packet is addressed to, wherein said voice packets received from one of said group members to said group server are real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number, said group server being configured to forward each voice packet received from said group member having a speech item in a group communication group separately to each receiving member in said respective group communication group on the basis of said individual addresses. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A server systems, comprising a group server provided on a layer on top of a communications system for providing a packet mode group communication service, wherein
said group server is configured to a mechanism which identifies identify and authenticate a source of group communication, said group server is configured to control that only one group member in a group talks at a time, said group server is configured to receive voice packets from at least one of said group members to said group server, said voice packets received from one of said group members to said group server being real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number, said group server is configured to check active group members in a group to which voice packets from a previously talking group member are destined to and generate from an incoming voice packet an outgoing packet to be forwarded separately to each of said active group members, and said group server is configured select one traffic stream among possible multiple incoming traffic streams destined to one group member and to forward the selected traffic stream to said one group member.
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22. A server system, comprising:
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at least one first server provided on a layer on top of the communications system and configured to provide group specific communications functions for a packet mode group communication, said first server further comprising a data memory storing individual addresses of group members in at least one group communication group, said first server being configured to receive voice packets from said group members, said voice packets received from said group members to said group server being real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number, said first server being configured to grant a speech item to one group member per communication group in turn, said first server being configured to unicast each voice packet received from said group member having a speech item in a group communication group separately to each receiving member in said respective group communication on the basis of said individual addresses, a second server providing user-specific communications functions, any group related communication from a user managed by said second server being routed first to said second server and then forwarded to an appropriate first server, and any unicast voice packet from said at least one first server being routed first to said second server prior to sending the voice packet to the respective user. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A server systems, comprising:
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at least one group server provided on a layer on top of the communications system and configured to provide group specific communications functions for a packet mode group voice communication, said group server further comprising said group server being configured to control that only one group member in a group talks at a time, said group server is configured to receive voice packets from of said group members to said group server, said voice packets received from said group members to said group server being real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said at least one group with a port number, said group server being configured to check active group members in a group to which voice packets from a currently talking group member is destined to and generates from an incoming voice packet an outgoing packet to be forwarded separately to each of said active group members, a user server providing user-specific communications functions on a user plane, said user server further comprising said user server being configured to identify and authenticate a source of group communication, said user server being configured to select one traffic stream among possible multiple incoming traffic streams destined to one group member and to forward the selected traffic stream to said one group member. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A server system, comprising:
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at least one group server provided on a layer on top of the communications system for a packet mode group communication service and configured to provide group specific communications functions in a user plane, a data memory storing individual addresses of group members in at least one group communication group in said group server, said group server being configured to receive voice packets from said group members, said voice packets received from said group members to said group server being real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to one of said communication groups with a port number said group server being configured to grant a speech item to one group member per communication group in turn, said group server being configured to unicast each voice packet received from said group member having a speech item in a group communication group separately to each receiving member in said respective group communication on the basis of said individual addresses, a user server providing user-specific communications functions on a user plane, any group related communication from a user managed by said user server being routed first to said user server and then forwarded to an appropnate group server, and any unicast voice packet from said at least one group server being routed first to said user server prior to sending the voice packet to the respective user, a group call processing server responsible for control plane management of the group communications in said group server, and a user call processing server responsible for control plane management of the communications in said user server.
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33. A devices, comprising
said device being configured to grant a speech item to one group member in group communication group at time in a packet mode group voice communication, a first timer responsive to said granting for starting to measure a predetermined idle period from said granting, said device being configured to receive voice packets from said group members, said voice packets received from said group members to said group server being real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to said communication group with a port number, said device being configured to reset said first timer each time a voice packet is received from said one of said group members, said device being configured to end said granted speech item, if said first timer expires indicating that said predetermined idle period has elapsed from said granting or from last reception of a voice packet from said one group member.
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34. A device, comprising:
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said device being configured to manage traffic streams addressed to a user who is active in at least one group communication group or in one-to-one communication in a mobile communications system having a packet mode group voice communication feature, said device being configured to receive at least two voice packet streams addressed to a user who is active in at least two packet mode group or one-to-one voice communications, each of said at least two said voice packet streams received to said device comprising real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to one of said at least two group or one-to-one communications with a port number, said device being configured to monitor continuity of said forwarded voice packet streams, said device being configured to forward no other one of said received voice packet streams related to at least one further group or one-to-one communication, if said first voice packet stream is continuous, and to select and forward other one of said voice packet streams to said user if said previous selected and forwarded voice traffic stream has been discontinued for a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. A method, comprising
providing a communication server layered on top of a mobile communications system, creating an individual logical connection between said communication server and each user having an active communication service in said communication server, starting a communication in response to receiving a leader packet from a sending user to said communication server over respective said individual logical connection, each leader packet containing an identifier of said sending user and a receiving user, said communication server either i) rejects said staffed speech item, or ii) grants the staffed speech item to said sending user and forwards said leader packet and subsequent voice packets to said receiving user on the basis of said received identifier of said receiving user, and wherein said leader packet and said subsequent voice packets received from said sending to said communication server are real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to a specific one-to-one voice communication with a port number.
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40. A subscriber equipment, comprising
said subscriber equipment being configured for packet data communication over a mobile communications system having a packet mode group voice communication service, a group communication application layered on top of said packet data communication, said application being configured to establish a logical packet connection to a group communication server, said application being configured to send and receive voice packets to and from said group communications server, and wherein said voice packets sent from said subscriber equipment to said group communication sewer are real-time transfer protocol voice packets, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to a group communication group with a port number.
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50. A server system, comprising
a group server provided on a layer on top of a communications system for providing a packet mode group voice communication service for said communications system, a data memory storing individual addresses of group members in at least one group communication group, said group server being configured to receive real-time transfer protocol voice packets from one of said group members to said group server, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to at least one group with a port number, said group server being configured to forward said real-time transfer protocol voice packet individually to each receiving one of said group members on the basis of said individual addresses.
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51. A method, comprising
configuring subscriber equipment for packet data communication over a mobile communications system having a packet mode group voice communication service, providing said subscriber equipment with a group communication application layered on top of said packet data communication, establishing by said group communication application a logical packet connection to a group communication server, sending and receiving by said group communication application real-time transfer protocol voice packets to and from said group communications server, each real-time transfer protocol voice packet being addressed to a group communication group with a port number.
Specification