Architecture and method for using IEEE 802.11-like wireless LAN system to emulate private land mobile radio system (PLMRS) radio service

• US 7,948,954 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rice, Christopher W., Murray, John F., Miller, Robert R., Chow, Albert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US11/930,479
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/390, 370/401, 370/410, 370/432, 370/524, 379/88.17, 379/93.07, 455/411, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An architecture is described for providing IP push-to-talk (IPP2T) service using a wireless local area network (WLAN) serving a plurality of subscriber terminals (STs), having at least one broadband access network terminal (BANT), the BANT coupled to and interacting with at least one of a plurality of Access Points (APs) via a local area network (LAN), the plurality of APs in communication with the plurality of subscriber terminals; a multicast-enabled network, the multicast-enabled network coupled to and interacting with at least one BANT via a broadband access network; an IP network coupled to, and interacting with, the multicast-enabled network via an edge router; and a WLAN mobile radio service (WLMRS) controller (WLMRSC) coupled to and interacting with the IP network via a multicast-enabled router (MR).

Claims

1. An access point and subscriber terminal initialization method comprising:

sending a request via a signaling channel to a broadband access network terminal;

forwarding a wireless local area network mobile radio service controller request by the broadband access network terminal to a wireless local area network mobile radio service controller in order to authenticate and validate a subscriber;

performing broadband access network terminal and wireless local area network mobile radio service controller processing;

receiving an indication regarding an authentication of the subscriber;

using the indication to determine if the subscriber failed the authentication;

sending a “

nack”

to the broadband access network terminal and to the access point if the subscriber failed the authentication;

forwarding by the wireless local area network mobile radio service controller a multicast address to the broadband access network terminal if the subscriber was authenticated;

sending by the broadband access network terminal an “

ack”

to the wireless local area network mobile radio service controller;

investigating by the broadband access network terminal in order to determine a session status;

one of (a) initializing by the broadband access network terminal a wireless local area network mobile radio service controller session by engaging multicast processes if the session is a new session or (b) including a new subscriber internet protocol address if the session is an on-going session;

sending an “

ack”

to the access point;

assigning by the access point time slots in a superframe;

sending an “

ack”

to the subscriber with the multicast address;

receiving an indication form the access point as to a receipt of the multicast address; and

initializing by the subscriber terminal and going into a “

listen mode”

if the access point received the multicast address.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performing broadband access network terminal and wireless local area network mobile radio service controller processing further comprises:

determining if additional wireless local area network mobile radio service controller resources exist;

initializing the multicast processes with the wireless local area network mobile radio service controller assigned address if additional resources exists;

initializing the additional resources if the additional resources exist;

sending an “

ack”

to the access point if the additional resources exist;

authenticating the subscriber based on stored subscriber profile information;

receiving an indication if the authenticating was successful;

determining a session status if the authenticating was successful;

one of (a) including the subscriber into an existing session or (b) identifying a multicast user group based on a subscriber'"'"'s profile, allocating a multicast address to a new session and initiating the new session;

sending an “

ack”

to the broadband access network terminal and the access point; and

sending a “

nack”

to the broadband access network terminal and the access point if the authenticating failed.