Methods and apparatus for selecting between an ad-hoc conference mode and an infrastructure supported conference mode

• US 8,243,629 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Stephen, Patrick, Dykes, Greg, Joyner, Richard, Liu, Yi-Cheng, Promenzio, Edgardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sloms, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/506,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20110019593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

Devices that are enabled to communicate with each other via an ad hoc conference mode and an infrastructure supported conference mode, are provided with processing capabilities that can allow them to evaluate one or more resources required to support an ad hoc conference communication session and/or one or more quality metrics associated with the ad hoc conference communication session, and determine whether one or more resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters. If so, the processing logic can initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server. This way, the devices can drop the ad hoc conference communication session when one or more of the resources or metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, so that one of the devices does not need to mix communication information streams (CISs) from the devices, generate a plurality of conferenced communication information streams (CCISs), and transmit a unique one of the conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to the other devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating an ad hoc communication session between a first device of a first participant and a second device of a second participant;

deciding, at an initiating device of an initiating participant, to add a third device of a third participant to the communication session to establish an ad hoc conference communication session between the first, second and third participants, and wherein the initiating participant is either the first participant or the second participant that decides to add a third device of a third participant to the communication session, wherein the initiating participant locally mixes communication information streams (CISs) from the other participants in the ad hoc communication session to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), and wherein the initiating participant generates a unique CCIS for each of the other participants to receive, where each participant'"'"'s unique CCIS includes CISs from all other participants but does not include their own CIS; and

communicating each unique conferenced communication information stream (CCIS) to each of the other participants in the ad hoc communication session by the initiating participant;

determining, at any of the first, second and third devices, resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session, and whether one or more of resources are outside optimal operating parameters; and

when one or more of resources or quality metrics are outside optimal operating parameters, initiating, by any of the devices, a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server, and then transitioning the first, second and third devices from the ad hoc conference communication session to the infrastructure supported conference communication session in which the first, second and third devices, communicate with one another via the conference server;

mixing the communication information streams (CISs) from all of the devices in the infrastructure supported communication session b the conference server to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), wherein the mixing generates a unique CCIS for each participant to receive where each participant'"'"'s unique CCIS includes CISs from all other participants, but does not include their own CIS;

and communicating each unique conferenced communication information stream (CCIS) to each one of all the devices by the conference server,

wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session by the initiating device comprise;

resources required to perform local mixing in the initiating device of communication information streams (CISs) generated by the first device, the second device and the third device and to generate the plurality of unique conferenced communication information streams (CCISs) to the other devices.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein transitioning includes beginning the infrastructure supported conference communication session at the conference server and ending the ad hoc conference communication session when one or more of resources or quality metrics are outside optimal operating parameters.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, at the initiating device, that one or more additional devices of other participants are to be added to the ad hoc conference communication session; and

repeating the determining step each time an additional device of another participant is added to the ad hoc conference communication session.

4. A system, comprising:

a first device of a first participant, the first device operable to initiate an ad hoc communication session;

a second device of a second participant operable for participating in ˜

the ad hoc communication session with the first device; and

a third device of a third participant that is operable to be added to the ad hoc communication session to establish the ad hoc conference communication session between the first, second and third participants,

wherein the first device, second device and third device each comprise;

a processor designed to determine, based on resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session, whether one or more resources are outside optimal operating parameters, and wherein the processor of the initiating participant locally mixes communication information streams (CISs) from the other participants in the ad hoc communication session to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), and wherein the initiating participant generates a unique CCIS for each of the other participants to receive, where each participant'"'"'s unique CCIS includes CISs from all other participants but does not include their own CIS, and wherein the processor of the initiating participant communicates each unique conferenced communication information stream (CCIS) to each of the other participants in the ad hoc communication session, and

wherein the processor of any device is further designed to initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server when the one or more of the resources are outside optimal operating parameters; and

a conference server operable to communicate with the first, second and third devices such that the conference server can mix the communication information streams (CISs) from all of the devices in the infrastructure supported communication session to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), wherein the mixing generates a unique CCIS for each participant to receive where each participant'"'"'s unique CCIS includes CISs from all other participants, but does not include their own CIS; and

wherein the conference server can communicate each unique conferenced communication information stream (CCIS) to each one of all the devices,

wherein the processors of the first device, second device and third device are further designed to determine, based on resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session, whether one or more resources are outside optimal operating parameters each time a new device of another participant is added to the ad hoc conference communication session, and to initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to the infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at the conference server whenever the one or more of the resources are outside optimal operating parameters.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the resources being utilized to support the ad hoc conference communication session comprise

resources in the initiating device required to perform local mixing of communication information streams (CISs) generated by the first device, the second device and the third device and to generate the plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs).

6. A first device of a first participant, the first device comprising:

a first communication interface that initiates and supports an ad hoc communication session with a second device of a second participant;

a second communication interface that supports communications with a third device when the first, initiating participant decides to add the third device to the ad hoc communication session between the first, second and third participants; and

a processor designed to;

evaluate one or more resources required to support the ad hoc conference communication session; and

determine whether one or more resources are outside optimal operating parameters, and

locally mix communication information streams (CISs) from the other participants in the ad hoc communication session to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), and

generate a unique CCIS for each of the other participants to receive, where each participant'"'"'s unique CCIS includes CISs from all other participants but does not include their own CIS, and

communicates each unique conferenced communication information stream (CCIS) to each of the other participants in the ad hoc communication session; and

when one or more of the resources are outside optimal operating parameters, initiate a transition from the ad hoc conference communication session to an infrastructure supported conference communication session hosted at a conference server by generating a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) invite request for a Serving-Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) to request a conference focus Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for establishment of the infrastructure supported conference communication session, and such that the conference server can mix the communication information streams (CISs) from all of the devices in the infrastructure supported communication session to generate a plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs), wherein the mixing generates a unique CCIS for each participant to receive where each participant'"'"'s unique CCIS includes CISs from all other participants, but does not include their own CIS; and

wherein the conference server can communicate each unique conferenced communication information stream (CCIS) to each one of all the devices,

wherein the resources comprise resources required in the processor to perform local mixing of communication information streams (CISs) generated by the first, second and third devices and to generate the plurality of conferenced communication information stream (CCISs).