Dynamic allocation of radio resources in a packet switched communications-system

• US 8,463,707 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Stubbs, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin, Evens J
• Application Number:
  US11/199,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20050286473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,863 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

Voice and/or image data packets are transferred by a packet handler between user stations in a GSM-type mobile communications system using a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) data link. Control data for controlling a call is stored in a data store accessible by the packet handler. The control data identifies call participants and the identity of a participant who has currently seized the call. A mobile station capable of video conferencing is operable in a half-duplex video conferencing mode, in which intermittent transmission of video data is controlled by depression of a transmit button.

Claims

1. A method of handling the transfer of data in a mobile communications system, said method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile communications system, a first data packet from a first user station, said first data packet containing a recipient ID;

mapping the recipient ID to a packet network protocol address whereby routing to a second user station is identified by a gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) support node; and

transmitting a second data packet to the gateway GPRS support node, wherein the second data packet includes the packet network protocol address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second data packets comprise voice data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second data packets comprise still or video image data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second data packets comprise call setup data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first data packet comprises a call setup request.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first data packet comprises a call acceptance acknowledgement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising holding control data comprising data indicative of a state of a call between the first user station and the second user station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving and transmitting is performed by a data packet handler.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mapping is performed by the data packet handler.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data packet handler performs the mapping by reference to a user database which holds data identifying a correspondence between a recipient ID and a packet network protocol address for a user station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data packet handler stores the data identifying a correspondence between a recipient ID and the packet network protocol address for the user station in response to receiving a message comprising the packet network protocol address from the user station.

12. A data packet handler for controlling transmission of a data packet to a user station in a mobile communications system, the system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions associated with the data packet handler which store a mapping between a recipient ID and a corresponding packet data protocol address in relation to at least one user station,

wherein responsive to receiving a first data packet containing a recipient ID, the data packet handler maps the recipient ID to a packet network protocol address whereby routing to a second user station is identified by a gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) support node,

and wherein the data packet handler further transmits a second data packet to the gateway GPRS support node, the second packet containing the packet network protocol address.

13. The data packet handler of claim 12, wherein the mapping is performed with reference to correspondence data held in a data store accessible to the data packet handler.

14. The data packet handler of claim 13, wherein the data packet handler is arranged to store the correspondence data in the data store responsive to receiving a message identifying a recipient ID and the said corresponding packet network protocol address for a user station.