Regrouping wireless devices

• US 8,095,140 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Tang, Song Kean, Khoo, Kean Huat, Quah, Tee Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Tangela T.
• Application Number:
  US11/389,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20070225004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/521, 455518-519, 4554041-4042
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of switching a number of wireless devices to a common channel. The method comprises automatically broadcasting location coordinates for an initiator wireless devices to the other wireless devices in response to receiving an initiate switching message comprising the location coordinates from the initiator wireless device; automatically determining the distance between each of the other wireless device and the initiator wireless device in response to receiving respective location based information from the other wireless devices; and transmitting an instruction to switch to the common channel to the initiator wireless device and the other wireless devices within a predetermined distance of the initiator wireless device.

Claims

1. A method of operating an initiator wireless device in order to initiate switching of the initiator wireless device and a number of other wireless devices to a common traffic channel, the method comprising:

automatically transmitting to a radio control manager an initiate switching message comprising location coordinates for the initiator wireless device in response to receiving a corresponding user initiated input, the initiate switching message initiating an automatic regrouping of the initiator and other wireless devices; and

automatically switching the initiator wireless device from a traffic channel on which the initiator wireless device was transmitting to the common traffic channel forming the talkgroup in response to receiving an instruction, based on the location coordinates and the initiate switching message, to switch to the common traffic channel from the radio control manager.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common channel is a professional mobile radio (PMR) radio channel, and wherein communications with the radio control manager use a cellular network.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the location coordinates are global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, and wherein communications with the radio control manager uses short message service (SMS) messages.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instruction comprises a special talkgroup number that is dependent on the type of emergency situation in which the initiator wireless device is engaged.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automatic switching switches the initiator wireless device from an original talkgroup in which the initiator wireless device was communicating with a set of wireless devices that are not necessarily proximate to the initiator wireless device to a new talkgroup containing a different set of wireless devices that are all proximate to the initiator wireless device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein transmission of the initiate switching message is initiated by activating an input dedicated to activating the initiate switching message on the initiator wireless device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to the user initiated input, a predetermined emergency signal is transmitted in addition to the initiate switching message.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location coordinates define a center of a predetermined radius within which wireless devices are automatically switched to the common traffic channel and outside of which wireless devices are not automatically switched to the common traffic channel.

9. A method of switching a number of wireless devices to a common traffic channel, the method comprising:

in response to receiving an initiate switching message comprising location coordinates from an initiator wireless device, automatically broadcasting the location coordinates for the initiator wireless device to other wireless devices, the initiate switching message initiating an automatic regrouping of the initiator and the other wireless devices;

automatically determining the other wireless devices which are within a predetermined distance of the initiator wireless device as determined by the location coordinates from the initiator wireless device and in response to receiving respective location based information from the other wireless devices; and

transmitting an instruction to switch from traffic channels on which the initiator wireless device and the other wireless devices were transmitting to the common traffic channel to the initiator wireless device and the other wireless devices within the predetermined distance of the initiator wireless device, whereby the other wireless devices and the initiator wireless device are enabled to communicate with each other using the common traffic channel.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the location based information are the respective distances from each of the other wireless devices to the initiator wireless device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the common traffic channel is a professional mobile radio (PMR) radio channel, and wherein communications with the other wireless devices use a cellular network.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the location coordinates are global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, and wherein communications with the other wireless devices use short message service (SMS) messages.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the broadcast is limited to the other wireless devices using the same or adjacent cell as the initiator wireless device.

14. A method of operating a wireless device in order to switch to a common traffic channel, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast of location coordinates of an initiator wireless device from a radio control manager; and

automatically switching from a traffic channel on which the wireless device was transmitting to the common traffic channel in response to determining that the wireless device is within a predetermined distance of the initiator wireless device based on the location coordinates of the initiator wireless device and location coordinates of the wireless device, whereby the wireless device and the initiator wireless device are enabled to communicate with each other using the common traffic channel.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising automatically transmitting location based information dependent on location coordinates for the wireless device to the radio control manager in response to receiving the broadcast of the location coordinates of the initiator wireless device,

wherein automatically switching to the common traffic channel is in response to receiving an instruction to switch to the common traffic channel from the radio control manager.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising calculating the distance between the wireless device and the initiator wireless device, wherein the location based information is the calculated distance.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the location based information are the location coordinates for the wireless device.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the common traffic channel is a professional mobile radio (PMR) radio channel, and wherein communications with the radio control manager are over a cellular network.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the location coordinates are global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, and wherein communications with the radio control manager use short message service (SMS) messages.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

calculating a current location of the wireless device;

using the calculated location and the received location coordinates to determine if the wireless device is within the predetermined distance of the initiator wireless device; and

receiving the common traffic channel of the initiator wireless device.

21. A method of switching a number of wireless devices to a common traffic channel, the method comprising:

in response to receiving an initiate switching message comprising location based information from an initiator wireless device, automatically broadcasting a request for location coordinates message to other wireless devices, the initiate switching message initiating an automatic regrouping of the initiator and other wireless devices;

automatically determining a distance between each of the other wireless devices and the initiator wireless device in response to receiving respective location coordinates from the other wireless devices and the location based information from the initiator wireless device; and

transmitting an instruction to switch from traffic channels on which the initiator wireless device and the other wireless devices were transmitting to the common traffic channel to the initiator wireless device and the other wireless devices within a predetermined distance of the initiator wireless device, whereby the other wireless devices and the initiator wireless device are enabled to communicate with each other using the common traffic channel.