Methods for handling conference communication and the communication apparatuses utilizing the same

• US 8,121,584 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Chun-Ying, Jheng, Yu-Syuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ajayi, Joel
• Application Number:
  US12/276,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20090291675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/453
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• 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

Abstract

A communication apparatus is provided. A first subscriber identity card camps on a first cell belonging to a first wireless network capable of providing a conference communication service for the first subscriber identity card with at most N peer communication entities via a first radio transceiver module. A second subscriber identity card camps on a second cell belonging to a second wireless network via a second radio transceiver module. A processor builds a conference communication for the first subscriber identity card with at most (N−1) peer communication entities via the first cell, receives an add request to add a new peer communication entity to the conference communication, adds the second subscriber identity card to the conference communication via the first cell, and adds the new peer communication entity to the conference communication via the second cell.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus accompanying with a first radio transceiver module, a second radio transceiver module, a first subscriber identity card camping on a first cell belonging to a first wireless network via the first radio transceiver module and a second subscriber identity card camping on a second cell belonging to a second wireless network via the second radio transceiver module, comprising:

processor logic coupled to the first radio transceiver module, the second radio transceiver module, the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, building a conference communication for the first subscriber identity card with at most (N−

1) peer communication entities via the first cell;

processor logic receiving an add request to add a new peer communication entity to the conference communication;

processor logic adding the second subscriber identity card to the conference communication via the first cell, and adding the new peer communication entity to the conference communication via the second cell, wherein the first wireless network is capable of providing a conference communication service for the first subscriber identity card with at most N peer communication entities; and

processor logic configured to fetch data and subscriber identity module (SIM) application toolkit commands, wherein the communication apparatus is programmed in response to the first or second subscriber identity card being plugged in making the information stored on the first or second subscriber identity card accessible to the processor logic.

2. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processor logic that holds the conference communication with the (N−

1) peer communication entities or less, establishes a first wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, connects the second subscriber identity card with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication, holds the first wireless communication, establishes a second wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity, and connects the new peer communication entity with the second subscriber identity card in the conference communication.

3. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor logic holds the conference communication with the peer communication entities by transmitting a hold request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell.

4. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor logic establishes the first wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card by transmitting a wireless communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to request.

5. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor logic connects the second subscriber identity card with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication by transmitting a build conference communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell.

6. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor logic holds the first wireless communication by transmitting a hold request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell.

7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor logic establishes the second wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity by transmitting a second wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell.

8. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor logic connects the new peer communication entity with the second subscriber identity card in the conference communication by transmitting a second build conference communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell.

9. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processor logic that transmits a first hold request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to request to hold the conference communication with the peer communication entities, transmits a first wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to establish a first wireless communication with the first subscriber identity card, establishes the first wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, transmits a second hold request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to hold the first wireless communication with the first subscriber identity card, transmits a second wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to establish a second wireless communication with the new peer communication entity, establishes the second wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity, builds the conference communication by transmitting a first build conference communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to combine the new peer communication entity with the held first subscriber identity card in the conference communication, and builds the conference communication by transmitting a second build conference communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to combine the second subscriber identity card with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication.

10. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processor logic that transmits a first wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to establish a first wireless communication with the new peer communication entity, establishes the first wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity, transmits a first hold request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to hold the first wireless communication with the new peer communication entity, transmits a second hold request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to request to hold the conference communication with the peer communication entities, transmits a second wireless communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to request to establish a second wireless communication with the second subscriber identity card, establishes the second wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, builds the conference communication by transmitting a first build conference communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to combine the second subscriber identity card with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication, and builds the conference communication by transmitting a second build conference communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to combine the first subscriber identity card with the held new peer communication entity in the conference communication.

11. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processor logic that transmits a first wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to establish a first wireless communication with the new peer communication entity, establishes the first wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity, transmits a first hold request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to hold the first wireless communication with the new peer communication entity, transmits a second hold request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to request to hold the conference communication with the peer communication entities, transmits a second wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to request to establish a second wireless communication with the first subscriber identity card, establishes the second wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, builds the conference communication by transmitting a first build conference communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell to combine the first subscriber identity card with the held new peer communication entity in the conference communication, and builds the conference communication by transmitting a second build conference communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to combine the second subscriber identity card with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication.

12. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the second wireless network is capable of providing a conference communication service for the second subscriber identity card with at most M peer communication entities, and the communication apparatus further comprises processor logic accompanying with a display device that displays items representing the peer communication entities to facilitate a user to connect at most (M N−

2) peer communication entities in the conference communication.

13. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising processor logic that displays a rejection indication on the display device when over (M N−

2) peer communication entities are selected to be connected in the conference communication.

14. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card is the subscriber identity module (SIM) card corresponding to the global system for mobile communications (GSM) communication system, the universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card corresponding to the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) or time division-synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) communication system, or the removable user identity module (RUIM) card or the CDMA subscriber identity module (CSIM) card corresponding to the code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000 communication system.

15. A method for handling conference communication service in the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising a first subscriber identity card camping on a first cell belonging to a first wireless network, and a second subscriber identity card camping on a second cell belonging to a second wireless network, and the first wireless network being capable of providing a conference communication service for the first subscriber identity card with at most N peer communication entities, the method comprising:

building a conference communication for the first subscriber identity card with at most (N−

1) peer communication entities via the first cell;

receiving an add request to add a new peer communication entity to the conference communication;

adding the second subscriber identity card to the conference communication via the first cell;

adding the new peer communication entity to the conference communication via the second cell;

fetching data and subscriber identity module (SIM) application toolkit commands, and

using the fetched data and subscriber identity module (SIM) application toolkit commands to program the communication apparatus in response to the first or second subscriber identity card being plugged in, making the information stored on the first or second subscriber identity card accessible to the processor logic.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

holding the conference communication with the peer communication entities;

establishing a first wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card;

connecting the second subscriber identity card with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication;

holding the first wireless communication;

establishing a second wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity; and

connecting the new peer communication entity with the held first communication entity in the conference communication.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the conference communication with the peer communication entities is held by transmitting a hold request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication between the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card is established by transmitting a wireless communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell to request.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second subscriber identity card is connected with the held peer communication entities in the conference communication by transmitting a build conference communication request from the first subscriber identity card to the first cell.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first wireless communication is held by transmitting a hold request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second wireless communication between the second subscriber identity card and the new peer communication entity is established by transmitting a second wireless communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the new peer communication entity is connected with the second subscriber identity card in the conference communication by transmitting a second build conference communication request from the second subscriber identity card to the second cell.