Method and apparatus for speaker arbitration in a multi-participant communication session
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for providing floor control for a communication session involving a plurality of participants and a plurality of nodes associated with the plurality of participants, the apparatus comprising:
- a first gateway that is configured to assemble a first Real Time Protocol (RTP) Internet Protocol (IP) packet, embed a real time speaker arbitration command to reserve a floor in the first RTP IP packet to produce a real time floor control message, and allocate a first plurality of gateway routing addresses to the communication session;
means for receiving a second RTP IP packet;
means for creating one or more duplicates of the received second RTP IP packet;
means for transmitting the one or more duplicates of the received second RTP IP packet; and
a controller coupled to the first gateway that assigns a gateway routing address of the plurality of gateway routing addresses to each node of the plurality of associated nodes, determines that a first node of the plurality of nodes utilizes a first message format that is different than a second message format utilized by each of a second node of the plurality of nodes and a third node of the plurality of nodes, and in response to determining that the second node and third node each utilize a second message format, assigns a second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the second node and the third node.
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Abstract
A communication system provides in-band speaker arbitration in a multi-participant communication session by use of RTP floor control messages that include a speaker arbitration command embedded in a data packet header extension.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus for providing floor control for a communication session involving a plurality of participants and a plurality of nodes associated with the plurality of participants, the apparatus comprising:
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a first gateway that is configured to assemble a first Real Time Protocol (RTP) Internet Protocol (IP) packet, embed a real time speaker arbitration command to reserve a floor in the first RTP IP packet to produce a real time floor control message, and allocate a first plurality of gateway routing addresses to the communication session; means for receiving a second RTP IP packet; means for creating one or more duplicates of the received second RTP IP packet; means for transmitting the one or more duplicates of the received second RTP IP packet; and a controller coupled to the first gateway that assigns a gateway routing address of the plurality of gateway routing addresses to each node of the plurality of associated nodes, determines that a first node of the plurality of nodes utilizes a first message format that is different than a second message format utilized by each of a second node of the plurality of nodes and a third node of the plurality of nodes, and in response to determining that the second node and third node each utilize a second message format, assigns a second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the second node and the third node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus for providing floor control for a communication session involving a plurality of participants and a plurality of nodes associated with the plurality of participants, the apparatus comprising:
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a first gateway that is configured to assemble a first Real Time Protocol (RTP) Internet Protocol (IP) packet, embed a real time speaker arbitration command to reserve a floor in the first RTP IP packet to produce a real time floor control message, and allocate a plurality of gateway routing addresses to the communication session; means for receiving a second RTP IP packet; means for creating one or more duplicates of the received second RTP IP packet; means for transmitting the one or more duplicates of the received second RTP IP packet; and a controller coupled to the first gateway that assigns a gateway routing address of the plurality of gateway routing addresses to each node of the plurality of associated nodes, determines that a first node of the plurality of nodes and a second node of the plurality of nodes are proximate to a second gateway, and in response to determining that the first node the second node are proximate to the second gateway, assigns the second gateway to receive messages from the first gateway, generate duplicates of the received messages, and route the duplicates of the received messages to each of the first node and the second node. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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- 14. A mobile user communication device capable of engaging in speaker arbitration during a dispatch communication session involving multiple participants, the user communication device comprising a signal processing unit that is configured to assemble a first Real Time Protocol (RTP) Internet Protocol (IP) packet, embed a real time speaker arbitration command to request a floor of the communication session in the first RTP IP packet to produce a first real time floor control message, convey the first real time floor control message to a gateway, receive a second RTP IP packet from the gateway that contains an arbitration command comprising an identity of a user communication device that grants a reservation of the floor to the mobile user communication device, assemble a third RTP IP packet and embed a second speaker arbitration command in the third RTP IP packet to produce a second real time floor control message that identifies a beginning of a transmission by the user communication device when acting as a grantee of a floor of the communication session, and convey the second real time floor control message to the gateway.
- 18. A mobile user communication device capable of engaging in speaker arbitration during a dispatch communication session involving multiple participants, the user communication device comprising a signal processing unit that is configured to assemble a first Real Time Protocol (RIP) Internet Protocol (IP) packet, embed a real time speaker arbitration command to request a floor of the communication session in the first RIP IP packet to produce a first real time floor control message, convey the first real time floor control message to a gateway, receive a second RIP IP packet from the gateway that contains an arbitration command comprising an identity of a user communication device and that grants a reservation of the floor, in response to receiving the second RIP IP packet, convey user information to the gateway, when finished transmitting user information to the gateway, assemble a third RIP IP packet and embed a second speaker arbitration command in the third RIP IP packet to produce a second real time floor control message that relinquishes a reservation of a floor of the communication session, and convey the second real time floor control message to the gateway.
Specification