Apparatus and method for requesting or allocating a push-to-talk right to talk and/or for requesting or communicating queuing information

• US 7,769,403 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Schmidt, Holger, Schwagmann, Norbert, Schmidt, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US11/252,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/518, 455/519, 455/520, 455/515, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/416, 455/456.1, 455/510, 455/512, 455/414.3, 455/509, 455/452.1, 455/68
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• 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

Abstract

A push-to-talk communication system is described in which a decision unit (chair) and/or a queue are provided for allocating the right to talk during a push-to-talk communication, and corresponding control messages, request messages and information messages are transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for requesting at least one of a push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and queuing information about a queue, the method comprising:

generating a real-time control protocol message, by a push-to-talk client unit, said protocol message containing at least one of queue administration information for administering the queue which has entries which each corresponds to a request for the push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and information that the push-to-talk client unit is requesting queuing information; and

transmitting the real-time control protocol message, by the push-to-talk client unit, to a controlling push-to-talk server.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the queue administration information specifies at least one of a priority of the push-to-talk client unit and that the push-to-talk client unit takes back a request of the push-to-talk client unit for the push-to-talk right to talk.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the queue is administered by at least one of the controlling push-to-talk server and a decision unit.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the requested queuing information is information about the position of the entry which corresponds to at least one of a request for a push-to-talk right to talk by the push-to-talk client unit and information of the complete queue.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one step of allocating the push-to-talk right to talk, by the controlling push to talk server, by taking into consideration the queue and generating the real-time control protocol response message with the requested queuing information, by the controlling push to talk server, and conveying it to the push-to-talk client unit.

6. A method for allocating a push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and for reporting queuing information about a queue, the method comprising:

generating a real-time control protocol message, by a controlling push-to-talk server, said protocol message containing at least one of queue administration information for administering the queue which has entries which each corresponds to a request for the push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting queuing information, and information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting control information which specifies how the push-to-talk right to talk is to be allocated; and

transmitting the real-time control protocol message, by the controlling push-to-talk server, to a decision unit.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the queue administration information contains an identification of a push-to-talk client unit and specifies at least one of a priority of the push-to-talk client unit and that the push-to-talk client unit takes back a request of the push-to-talk client unit for the push-to-talk right to talk.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the queue is administered by the decision unit.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the requested queuing information is at least one of information about the position of the entry which corresponds to a push-to-talk right to talk request of a push-to-talk client unit and information about the overall state of the queue.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising at least one step of generating a first real-time control protocol response message with the requested control information, by the decision unit, and conveying the first real-time control protocol response message to the controlling push-to-talk server;

generating a second real-time control protocol response message with the requested queuing information, by the decision unit, and conveying the second real-time control protocol response message to the controlling push-to-talk server; and

administering the queue, by the decision unit, taking into consideration the queue administration information.

11. A push-to-talk client unit of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation unit configured to generate a real-time control protocol message which contains at least one of queue administration information for administering a queue which has entries which each corresponds to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and information that the push-to-talk client unit is requesting queuing information; and

a transmitting device configured to transmit the real-time control protocol message to a controlling push-to-talk server.

12. A controlling push-to-talk server of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation unit configured to;

generate at least one of a first real-time control protocol message which contains at least one of queue administration information for administering a queue which has entries which each corresponds to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during a push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting queuing information, and information that the controlling push-to-talk server is requesting control information which specifies how the push-to-talk right to talk is to be allocated; and

a second real-time control protocol message which contains queuing information requested by a push-to-talk client unit; and

a transmitting device configured to transmit at least one of the first real-time control protocol message to a decision unit and the second real-time control protocol message to the push-to-talk client unit.

13. A decision unit of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation unit configured to generate a real-time control protocol message which contains at least one of a queuing information, requested by a controlling push-to-talk server, about a queue which has entries which each corresponds to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and control information, requested by a controlling push-to-talk server, which specifies how the push-to-talk right to talk is to be allocated; and

a transmitting device configured to transmit the real-time control protocol message to the controlling push-to-talk server.

14. A push-to-talk client unit of a push-to-talk communication system, comprising:

a message generation means for generating a real-time control protocol message which contains at least one of queue administration information for administering a queue which has entries which each corresponds to a request for a push-to-talk right to talk during the push-to-talk communication and which queue is taken into consideration during allocation of the push-to-talk right to talk, and information that the push-to-talk client unit is requesting queuing information; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the real-time control protocol message to a controlling push-to-talk server.