Method and computer-readable medium for social circle push-to-talk service

• US 8,509,834 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2009
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gailloux, Mike, Samson, Kenneth W., Gavin, Brian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Paul P
• Application Number:
  US12/470,661
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/403, 455/413, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/415, 455/416, 455/420, 455/435.1, 455/447, 455/450, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/458, 455/461, 455/466, 455/509, 455/511, 455/517, 455/518, 455/519, 455/520, 370260-271, 370/312, 370/335, 370/395.2, 370/473, 379/202.01, 709/204, 709/223, 709/227
• US Class Current: 455/518
• 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: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13288 Closed user groups, CUG
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services

Abstract

A method and computer-readable medium for establishing a push-to-talk social group are provided. According to the method, group setup information is received from a member of the push-to-talk social group, and a data transmission, including an internet address of an internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, is sent to each member of the push-to-talk social group. Push-to-talk calling may be monitored in a push-to-talk gateway application, based upon the group setup information. When a push-to-talk call is detected in which a first member of the push-to-talk social group is active, other members of the push-to-talk social group are informed that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call. Other members of the group may then initiate a push-to-talk call with the first member.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a push-to-talk social group, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at a server from a mobile station group setup information comprising a group name for the push-to-talk social group and a mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group;

transmitting from the server to each mobile station of the push-to-talk social group a confirmation request including an internet address for an internet application that manages communications in the push-to-talk social group in response to the group setup information;

receiving at the server from each mobile station of the push-to-talk social group a confirmation of membership in the push-to-talk social group, including a name corresponding to each member of the push-to-talk social group;

monitoring at a network gateway based on the received confirmations of membership in the push-to-talk social group push-to-talk calling activity to determine when a first member of the push-to-talk social group is involved in a push-to-talk call;

detecting at the network gateway a push-to-talk call including the first member of the push-to-talk social group further comprising receiving a call record for the detected call and parsing at the server the call record to determine a mobile station identifier of each of the originator mobile station and the recipient mobile station;

notifying via the network gateway a second member of the push-to-talk social group that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call, wherein a mobile station of the second member of the push-to-talk social group is automatically set up to call the first member to establish a one-to-one call; and

joining via the network gateway the second member of the push-to-talk social group to the detected push-to-talk call based on the one-to-one call from the second member, wherein when the detected push-to-talk call is a one-to-one call, the detected push-to-talk call is converted to a group call when the second member of the push-to-talk social group is joined to the detected push-to-talk call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group and of each of the originator mobile station and the recipient mobile station comprises an Urban, Fleet, Mobile Station Identifier (UFMID).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group and of each of the originator mobile station and the recipient mobile station comprises a telephone number of the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group name and the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group are transmitted to the internet application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group name and the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group are transmitted to a service provider.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the group name and the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group are transmitted by text message.

7. A method for establishing a push-to-talk social group, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at a server comprising an internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, group setup information from a member of the push-to-talk social group;

sending from the server a data transmission, including an internet address of the internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, to each member of the push-to-talk social group;

receiving at the server from each member of the push-to-talk social group a confirmation of membership in the push-to-talk social group;

monitoring at a network gateway push-to-talk calling activity to determine when a first member of the push-to-talk social group;

is involved in a push-to-talk call;

detecting a push-to-talk call including the first member of the push-to-talk social group

sending a call record of the detected push-to-talk call to the internet application;

receiving, from the internet application, a mobile station identifier of an originator of the detected push-to-talk call and a mobile station identifier of a recipient of the detected push-to-talk call based on the call record;

notifying via the network gateway a second member of the push-to-talk social group that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call, wherein a mobile station of the second member of the push-to-talk social group is automatically set up to call the first member to establish a one-to-one call; and

joining via the network gateway the second member to the detected push-to-talk call based on the one-to-one call from the second member, wherein when the detected push-to-talk call is a one-to-one call, the detected push-to-talk call is converted to a group call when the second member of the push-to-talk social group is joined to the detected push-to-talk call.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the act of:

receiving at the server a confirmation of membership from each of the members of the push-to-talk social group.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the group setup information includes a group name and a mobile station identifier of each mobile station in the push-to-talk social group.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the acts of:

determining at the server that the second member of the push-to-talk social group has already been informed that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call; and

informing via the network gateway a third member of the push-to-talk social group, without again informing the second member, that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for establishing a push-to-talk social group, the computer program comprising instructions for:

receiving group setup information from a member of the push-to-talk social group;

sending a data transmission, including an internet address of an internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, to each member of the push-to-talk social group;

monitoring push-to-talk calling in a push-to-talk gateway application, based upon the group setup information;

detecting a push-to-talk call in which a first member of the push-to-talk social group is active;

sending a call record of the detected push-to-talk call to the internet application;

receiving, from the internet application, a mobile station identifier of an originator of the detected push-to-talk call and a mobile station identifier of a recipient of the detected push-to-talk call;

notifying a second member of the push-to-talk social group that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call, wherein a mobile station of the second member of the push-to-talk social group is automatically set up to call the first member to establish a one-to-one call; and

joining the second member of the push-to-talk social group to the detected call based on the one-to-one call, wherein when the detected push-to-talk call is a one-to-one call, the detected push-to-talk call is converted to a group call when the second member of the push-to-talk social group is joined to the detected push-to-talk call.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for:

receiving a confirmation of membership from each of the members of the push-to-talk social group.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the group setup information includes a group name and a mobile station identifier of each mobile station in the push-to-talk social group.