Use of media timestamp to indicate delays in push-to-talk over cellular group calls

• US 7,945,277 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cole, Gary, Griffin, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alam; Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US11/460,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 455517-520, 455/416, 709202-203, 370/261, 370/260, 370/271
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A method to indicate delays in a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) group call may include offsetting a timestamp in a data stream being transmitted to a late listener to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener. The data stream includes data convertible to speech. The method may also include transmitting the data stream including the offset timestamp to the late listener.

Claims

1. A method (100) to indicate delays in a PoC group call, comprising:

offsetting a timestamp (124) in a data stream being transmitted to a late listener (216) to indicate a delay (124) from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener (214), wherein the data stream includes data convertible to speech; and

transmitting the data stream including the offset timestamp to the late listener (124, 126, 216).

2. The method (100) of claim 1, further comprising providing an alert (132) to the late listener (216) that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp in the data stream being offset (128).

3. The method (100) of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the timestamp in the data stream is greater than a predetermined threshold (128); and

displaying an icon to alert the late listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed (132) in response to the timestamp being greater than the predetermined threshold (128).

4. The method (100) of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an invitation to a plurality of potential listeners to join the PoC group call (108); and

initiating speech in response to the first listener (214) accepting the invitation (118), wherein the first listener (214) is a first one of the plurality of potential listeners to accept the invitation (114).

5. The method (100) of claim 4, further comprising overriding a timestamp field in the data stream being sent to the first listener (214) to cause the timestamp to start at zero (120).

6. The method (100) of claim 5, further comprising setting a marker bit in the data stream being transmitted to the first listener (214) to indicate a first packet of the data stream (120).

7. The method (100) of claim 4, wherein the timestamp is offset in the data stream being transmitted to the late listener (216) by a predetermined time to indicate a delay from when the first stream was started (124).

8. A method (100) to indicate delays in a PoC group call, comprising:

receiving a data stream (126); and

indicating to a listener (216) that speech generated from the data stream is delayed (132) in response to a timestamp in the data stream (124) being offset from a timestamp in a first data stream (122) transmitted to a first listener (122, 214) to accept an invitation to the PoC group call.

9. The method (100) of claim 8, further comprising displaying an icon (132) to alert the listener that speech is delayed.

10. The method (100) of claim 8, further comprising determining if the timestamp is greater than a predetermined threshold (128).

11. The method (100) of claim 8, further comprising reading a marker bit in the timestamp to determine if the speech is delayed (122, 126).

12. A communications device (300), comprising:

a PoC application (308) to detect if a data stream is delayed; and

a user interface (312) to alert a listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the PoC application (308) detecting that the data stream is delayed,

wherein the PoC application (308) comprises a component to read a timestamp with a marker bit (122, 126) and to provide the alert (132) that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp in the data stream being offset.

13. The communications device (300) of claim 12, further comprising a display (220, 314), and wherein the alert comprises an icon (218) presentable on the display (220, 314).

14. The communications device (300) of claim 12, further comprising:

a receiver (328) to receive an invitation (112) to participate in a PoC group call; and

a transmitter (322) to accept the invitation (114) to participate in the PoC group call.

15. A system (200), comprising:

a PoC server (208) to offset a timestamp in a data stream (124) being transmitted to a late listener (216) to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted to a first listener (214) to accept an invitation to a PoC group call, wherein the data stream includes data convertible to speech; and

a base station (212) to transmit the data stream (124, 126) to the late listener (216).

16. The system (200) of claim 15, wherein the PoC server (208) comprises a component (210) to override a timestamp field in the data stream being sent to the first listener (214) to cause the timestamp to start at zero (120).

17. The system (200) of claim 15, wherein the PoC server (208) comprises a component (210) to set a marker bit in the data stream being transmitted to the first listener to indicate a first packet of the data stream (120).

18. The system (200) of claim 15, wherein the timestamp is offset in the data stream being transmitted to the late listener (216) by a predetermined time to indicate the delay from when the first stream was started (124).

19. The system (200) of claim 15, further comprising an application operable (210) on the PoC server (208) to override and offset timestamps (124) to indicate the delay in speech at the late listener (216).

20. A computer program product (100) to indicate delays in a PoC group call, the computer program product (100) comprising:

a non-transitory computer useable medium (304) having computer useable program code (306) embodied therein, the non-transitory computer useable medium (304) comprising;

computer useable program code (308, 128) configured to detect if a data stream is delayed;

computer useable program code (308, 132) configured to alert a listener in response to detecting that the data stream is delayed (128); and

computer useable program code (308) configured to read a timestamp with a marker bit (124) and to provide an indication that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp in the data stream being offset (132).

21. The computer program product (100) of claim 20, further comprising computer useable program code (308) configured to offset a timestamp in a data stream (124) being transmitted to a late listener (216) to indicate a delay from when the data stream was transmitted (122) to a first listener (214), wherein the data stream includes data convertible to speech.

22. The computer program product (100) of claim 20, further comprising computer useable program code (308) configured to provide an indication (132) to a late listener that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to a timestamp in the data stream being offset (124).

23. The computer program product (100) of claim 20, further comprising:

computer useable program code (308) configured to determine if a timestamp in the data stream is greater than a predetermined threshold (128); and

computer useable program code (308) configured to display an icon (132, 218) to alert a late listener (216) that speech generated from the data stream is delayed in response to the timestamp being greater than the predetermined threshold (128).