System and methods for facilitating instant communications over distributed cellular networks

• US 8,380,236 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2009
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Zhao, Wen, Jin, Xin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US12/495,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20090270049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518, 455/519, 455/554.1, 455/554.2, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Techniques involving a wireless user device adapted to operate in a carrier network, and associated with a private organization having a private communication network which is not part of the carrier network, are described. The wireless user device gains wireless access via the carrier network and communicates, via the carrier network, with other wireless user devices in a push-to-talk (PTT) voice communication session. The PTT voice communication session is delivered via a carrier processing element of the carrier network, where voice communications of the PTT voice communication session are routed and processed through a private processing element of the private communication network. The voice communications from the wireless user device are assigned and communicated with a generic identifier of the private organization instead of a user identifier of the wireless user device.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless user device configured to operate in a carrier network and associated with an organization having a private network which is external to the carrier network, the method comprising:

gaining wireless access via the carrier network; and

communicating, via the carrier network, with other wireless user devices in a Push-To-Talk (PTT) over Cellular (PoC) voice session which is delivered via a PoC server of the carrier network, such that PoC voice communications generated by the wireless user device and sent to the PoC server are subsequently routed to a private processing element of the private network and then to the other wireless user devices, the PoC voice communications being assigned with a generic PoC identity by the private processing element for display at the other wireless user devices instead of a subscriber PoC identity which identifies the wireless user device, the generic PoC identity identifying the organization and representing a plurality of users of the organization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the PoC voice communications are assigned with the generic PoC identity for display at the other wireless user devices instead of the subscriber PoC identity, such that the subscriber PoC identity is not revealed to the other wireless user devices participating in the PoC voice session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein PoC communications of additional wireless devices associated with the organization are also assigned by the private processing element with the same generic PoC identity in the PoC voice session for display at the other wireless user devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier network is a cellular telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic PoC identity of the organization is a corporate PoC identity.

6. A wireless user device configured for wireless access via a carrier network and associated with an organization having a private network which is external to the carrier network, the wireless user device including a Push-To-Talk (PTT) over Cellular (PoC) client configured to communicate, via the carrier network, with other wireless user devices in a PoC voice session which is delivered via a PoC server of the carrier network, such that PoC voice communications generated by the wireless user device and sent to the PoC server are subsequently routed to a private processing element of the private network and then to the other wireless user devices, the PoC voice communications being assigned with a generic PoC identity by the private processing element for display at the other wireless user devices instead of a subscriber PoC identity which identifies the wireless user device, the generic PoC identity identifying the organization and representing a plurality of users of the organization.

7. The wireless user device of claim 6, wherein the PoC client is further configured to communicate in the PoC voice session such that the PoC voice communications are assigned with the generic PoC identity for display at the other wireless user devices instead of the subscriber PoC identity, such that the subscriber PoC identity is not revealed to the other wireless user devices participating in the PoC voice session.

8. The wireless user device of claim 6, wherein the PoC client is further configured to communicate in the PoC voice session such that PoC communications of additional wireless devices associated with the organization are assigned by the private processing element with the same generic PoC identity in the PoC voice session for display at the other wireless user devices.

9. The wireless user device of claim 6, wherein the PoC client is further configured to communicate in the PoC voice session such that the PoC voice communications are assigned with the generic PoC identity which identifies a private organization.

10. The wireless user device of claim 6, wherein the carrier network is a cellular telecommunications network.

11. The wireless user device of claim 6, wherein the generic PoC identity of the organization identifies a corporation.

12. A computer readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for execution by a wireless user device configured for wireless access via a carrier network and associated with an organization having a private network which is external to the carrier network, the processor-executable instructions including a Push-To-Talk (PTT) over Cellular (PoC) client configured to communicate, via the carrier network, with other wireless user devices in a PoC voice session which is delivered via a PoC server of the carrier network, such that PoC voice communications generated by the wireless user device and sent to the PoC server are subsequently routed to a private processing element of the private network and then to the other wireless user devices, the PoC voice communications being assigned with a generic PoC identity by the private processing element for display at the other wireless user devices instead of a subscriber PoC identity which identifies the wireless user device, the generic PoC identity identifying the organization and representing a plurality of users of the organization.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the PoC client is further configured to communicate in the PoC voice session such that the PoC voice communications are assigned with the generic PoC identity for display at the other wireless user devices instead of the subscriber PoC identity, such that the subscriber PoC identity is not revealed to the other wireless user devices participating in the PoC voice session.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the PoC client is further configured to communicate in the PoC voice session such that PoC communications of additional wireless devices associated with the organization are assigned by the private processing element with the same generic PoC identity in the PoC voice session for display at the other wireless user devices.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the generic PoC identity of the organization identifies a corporation.