System and method for providing communication resources to wireless dispatch priority users

• US 7,747,269 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ananthanarayanan, Arulmozhi Kasi, Brewer, Beth Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean; Raymond S
• Application Number:
  US11/364,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20070202910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 455/512, 455517-521, 709/207
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A wireless push-to-talk (PTT) communication system 100 assigns a special dispatch priority to for emergency communications to and from police, fire dept. or communications to other emergency personnel. A communication which has been assigned dispatch priority takes precedence over all other non-dispatch priority communications for initially completing the call and maintaining the communications links. An indication of dispatch priority in a 1xEV-DO system may be achieved by setting a bit in the RequestReason field 604 of the ConnectionRequest message 602.

Claims

1. A method of wirelessly communicating comprising:

accepting an input indicating that a call to a push-to-talk (PTT) group is to be initiated at an access terminal;

transmitting a connection request to initiate the call, wherein the connection request includes an indication that the call is to be a dispatch priority call, wherein the dispatch priority call has priority over messages without dispatch priority for the purposes of completing a connection and maintaining the links for an existing connection;

tearing down one or more non-dispatch priority calls to free up needed channels for the dispatch priority call; and

completing the dispatch priority call without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the call.

2. The method described in claim 1, wherein the connection request includes an indication of dispatch priority.

3. The method described in claim 1, further comprising:

verifying that the call is to be accorded dispatch priority.

4. The method described in claim 1, wherein the dispatch priority call has an indication of message priority associated with it.

5. The method described in claim 1, wherein at least one non-dispatch priority call has a message priority.

6. The method described in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, in response to the connection request, whether there are enough open channels to complete the dispatch priority call to a recipient access terminal.

7. The method described in claim 6, further comprising:

tearing down one or more non-dispatch priority calls to complete the dispatch priority call.

8. The method described in claim 1, wherein the dispatch priority call is to be connected to a plurality of recipient access terminals.

9. The method described in claim 1, wherein the access terminal is a wireless access terminal.

10. The method described in claim 1, wherein the access terminal is a landline terminal and the dispatch priority call is initiated from a landline to a plurality of recipient access terminals that are members of a PTT group.

11. The method described in claim 3, wherein the operation of verifying further comprises:

determining whether an identification of the access terminal initiating the dispatch priority call may be accorded dispatch priority status.

36. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating via the dispatch priority call with a plurality of other access terminals that are members of a PTT group upon receiving an indication that a PTT button has been depressed or switched.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an access terminal identification number that is associated with a dispatch priority status.

12. An access terminal comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein instructions, said instructions, when executed on the processor, causing the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving incoming calls;

accepting a connection request indicating that a dispatch priority call to a push-to-talk (PTT) group is to be initiated at the access terminal;

requesting a dispatch priority for the dispatch priority call as part of the connection request;

transmitting a connection request to initiate the dispatch priority call, wherein the dispatch priority call has priority over a non-dispatch priority call for the purposes of completing a connection and maintain in the links for an existing connection;

tearing down one or more non-dispatch priority calls to free up needed channels for the dispatch priority call; and

completing the dispatch priority call without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the call.

13. The access terminal of claim 12, further comprising:

a PTT button;

wherein the access terminal is configured to communicate via the dispatch priority call with a plurality of other access terminals that are members of a PTT group upon receiving an indication that the PTT button has been depressed or switched.

14. The access terminal of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory configured to store an access terminal identification number that is associated with a dispatch priority status.

38. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the connection request includes an indication of dispatch priority.

39. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the memory further comprises instructions comprising:

verifying that the call is to be accorded dispatch priority.

40. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the dispatch priority call has an indication of message priority associated with it.

41. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein at least one non-dispatch priority call has a message priority.

42. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the memory further comprises instructions comprising:

determining, in response to the connection request, whether there are enough open channels to complete the dispatch priority call to a recipient access terminal.

43. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the memory further comprises instructions comprising:

tearing down one or more non-dispatch priority calls to complete the dispatch priority call.

44. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the dispatch priority call is to be connected to a plurality of recipient access terminals.

45. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the access terminal is a wireless access terminal.

46. The access terminal of claim 12, wherein the access terminal is a landline terminal and the dispatch priority call is initiated from a landline to a plurality of recipient access terminals that are members of a PTT group.

47. The access terminal of claim 39, wherein the instructions for verifying further comprise instructions for:

determining whether an identification of the access terminal initiating the dispatch priority call may be accorded dispatch priority status.

15. A radio node comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium including instructions, said instructions coupled to the processor, said instructions, when executed on the processor, causing the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving incoming messages and transmitting outgoing messages;

receiving a call to a push-to-talk (PTT) group as part of a connection request from an access terminal;

affording said access terminal priority over all other non-dispatch priority calls; and

completing the call without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the call.

16. The radio node described in claim 15, wherein, in response to the call one or more non-dispatch priority calls are torn down to complete the call from the access terminal.

18. The computer readable storage medium described in claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising,

tearing down, in response to the connection request, one or more non-dispatch priority calls to complete the dispatch priority call from the access terminal.

17. A computer readable storage medium bearing computer readable instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving incoming messages and transmitting outgoing messages;

receiving a dispatch priority request to a push-to-talk (PTT) group as part of a connection request from an access terminal;

affording said access terminal priority over all other non-dispatch priority calls; and

completing the dispatch priority request without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the dispatch priority request.

19. A method for wireless communicating, comprising:

receiving incoming messages and transmitting outgoing messages;

receiving a dispatch priority request to a push-to-talk (PTT) group as part of a connection request from an access terminal;

affording said access terminal priority over all other non-dispatch priority calls; and

completing the dispatch priority request without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the dispatch priority request.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

tearing down, in response to the connection request, one or more non-dispatch priority calls to complete the dispatch priority call from the access terminal.

21. A system for wireless communicating, comprising:

means for receiving incoming messages and transmitting outgoing messages;

means for receiving a dispatch priority request to a push-to-talk (PTT) group as part of a connection request from an access terminal;

means for affording said access terminal priority over all other non-dispatch priority calls; and

means for completing the dispatch priority request without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the dispatch priority request.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for tearing down, in response to the connection request, one or more non-dispatch priority calls to complete the dispatch priority call from the access terminal.

23. A system for wirelessly communicating comprising:

means for accepting an input indicating that a call to a push-to-talk (PTT) group is to be initiated at an access terminal;

means for transmitting a connection request to initiate the call, wherein the connection request includes an indication that the call is to be a dispatch priority call, wherein the dispatch priority call has priority over messages without dispatch priority for the purposes of completing a connection and maintaining the links for an existing connection;

means for tearing down one or more non-dispatch priority calls to free up needed channels for the dispatch priority call; and

means for completing the dispatch priority call without requiring that all members of the PTT calling group are available to receive the call.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the connection request includes an indication of dispatch priority.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for verifying that the call is to be accorded dispatch priority.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the dispatch priority call has an indication of message priority associated with it.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the non-dispatch priority calls has a message priority.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for determining, in response to the connection request, whether there are enough open channels to complete the dispatch priority call to a recipient access terminal.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

means for tearing down one or more non-dispatch priority calls to complete the dispatch priority call.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the dispatch priority call is to be connected to a plurality of recipient access terminals.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the access terminal is a wireless access terminal.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the access terminal is a landline terminal and the dispatch priority call is initiated from a landline to a plurality of recipient access terminals that are members of a PTT group.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for verifying further comprises:

means for determining whether an identification of the access terminal initiating the dispatch priority call may be accorded dispatch priority status.

34. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for communicating via the dispatch priority call with a plurality of other access terminals that are members of a PTT group upon receiving an indication that a PTT button has been depressed or switched.

35. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for storing an access terminal identification number that is associated with a dispatch priority status.