Method for controlling parties in real-time data communication

• US 8,576,878 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Schroderus, Osmo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US10/160,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20030223381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,172 Days
• Field of Search: 370473-474, 370/389, 370/328, 370/352, 370/401, 714/748, 714/47, 455/519, 455/517, 455/521, 340/7.43
• US Class Current: 370/473
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]

Abstract

The invention relates to communications systems, and especially to real-time data (two-party or multi-party) communication in communications systems. A real-time data item is sent from a sending terminal to a number of receiving terminals over a communication system. In accordance with the present invention, each receiving user terminal acknowledges the reception of the item by sending an item acknowledgement report after the end of the item. The acknowledgement report may be sent after a successful reception of the item, unsuccessful reception of the item or in both cases.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, by utilizing internet protocol communication, a real-time audio data item from a terminal of a sending party to a terminal of at least one receiving party over a communication system, said real-time audio data item comprising a plurality of real-time audio data packets, wherein the sending of the real-time audio data item includes sending of data packets containing real-time audio data information and sending real-time audio data transport packets;

sending, in association with the sending of the real-time audio data item, to the least one receiving party, a request to send an acknowledgment report;

sending, responsive to the request, by utilizing internet protocol communication, an item acknowledgement report from the terminal of each of the at least one receiving party after the end of the real-time audio data item, wherein the item acknowledgement report is sent as embedded signaling within real-time audio data traffic and;

initiating the sending of the real time audio data item by sending a leader packet from the terminal of the sending party to the terminal of the at least one receiving party over the communication system, wherein;

the leader packet contains the request to send the acknowledgement report,

the terminal of the sending party sends data packets containing real-time audio data information,

the terminal of the at least one receiving party detects the end of the real-time data item, and

the terminal of the at least one receiving party, responsive to receiving the request in the leader packet and detecting the end of the real-time audio data item, sends the acknowledgement report to the terminal of the sending party.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising

sending a request for a real-time audio data item from the terminal of the sending terminal to the communication system, the request for real-time audio data item including said request to send the acknowledgement report.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded signalling includes real-time transport packets having specific payload types.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting includes receiving a trailer packet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on a display in the terminal of the sending party, real-time audio data item information provided on the basis of the received acknowledgement report or reports,

wherein the displaying comprises displaying at least identification information relating to the at least one receiving party which sent the acknowledgement report for the real-time audio data item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time audio data includes speech.

7. A method comprising:

sending, by utilizing internet protocol communication, data packets of a real-time audio data item to at least one receiving terminal, said real-time audio data item comprising a plurality of real-time audio data packets, wherein the sending of the real-time audio data item includes sending of data packets containing real-time audio data information and sending real-time audio data transport packets;

sending, in association with sending the real-time data packets of the real-time audio data item, to the at least one receiving party a request to send the acknowledgement report;

receiving, responsive to the request, by utilizing internet protocol communication, an acknowledgement report originating from the at least one receiving party after terminating the real-time audio data item, wherein the item acknowledgement report is sent as embedded signaling within real-time audio data traffic; and

initiating the sending of the real time audio data item by sending a leader packet from the terminal of the sending party to the terminal of the at least one receiving party over the communication system, wherein;

the leader packet contains the request to send the acknowledgement report,

the terminal of the sending party sends data packets containing real-time audio data information,

the terminal of the at least one receiving party detects the end of the real-time data item, and

the terminal of the at least one receiving party, responsive to receiving the request in the leader packet and detecting the end of the real-time audio data item, sends the acknowledgement report to the terminal of the sending party.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said acknowledgement report is a combined acknowledgement report derived by a network element of a communication system from acknowledgement reports received from at least two receiving parties.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising displaying on a display of the user terminal real-time audio data item information provided on the basis of the received acknowledgement report or reports, wherein said displaying includes displaying at least identification information relating to the at least one receiving party which sent the acknowledgement report for the real-time audio data item.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the real-time audio data includes speech.

11. The method according to claim 7, comprising sending a trailer packet in order to indicate an end of the real-time audio data item.

12. The method of claim 7, comprising sending a leader packet initiating the sending of the real-time audio data item, the leader packet containing the request to send the item acknowledgement report after an end of the real-time audio data item.

13. A user terminal for communicating real-time data items, the user terminal comprising:

(A) for a sending mode of operation;

a mechanism that sends, by utilizing internet protocol communication, a leader packet comprising a real-time transport packet to at least one receiving terminal over a communication system in order to initiate the sending of the real-time data item, the leader packet containing the request to send an item acknowledgement report, said real-time data item comprising a plurality of real-time data packets;

a mechanism that sends, by utilizing internet protocol communication, real-time transport packets containing real-time data of the real-time data item to the at least one receiving terminal;

a mechanism that sends, by utilizing internet protocol communication, a trailer packet in form of a real-time transport packet in order to indicate the end of the real-time data item;

a mechanism that receives an acknowledgement report originating from the at least one receiving party by utilizing internet protocol communication;

a mechanism that displays item information provided on the basis of the received acknowledgement report, and

(B) for a receiving mode of operation;

a mechanism that receives, by utilizing internet protocol communication, real-time data packets of a real-time data item from a sending terminal over the communication system;

a mechanism that receives, by utilizing internet protocol communication in association with the received real-time data packets of the item, a request to send an item acknowledgement report;

a mechanism that detects an end of the item; and

a mechanism that sends, responsive to receiving said request and detecting the end of the item, an acknowledgement report by utilizing internet protocol communication.

14. A communication system, comprising

a first terminal that sends, by utilizing internet protocol communication, real-time communication packets relating to a real-time audio item and addressed to a group communication group, said real-time audio data item comprising a plurality of real-time communication packets;

a group communication network entity providing group specific communications functions so that any real-time communication packet addressed to a communication group is multiplied and unicast, by utilizing internet protocol communication, to each receiving member in the respective group communication group on the basis of their individual addresses;

at least one second terminal that sends a real-time audio data item acknowledgement report to the first terminal by utilizing internet protocol communication after an end of a received real-time audio data item; and

a user communication network entity providing user-specific communications functions,

wherein

any group-related communication from a user managed by said user communication network entity being first routed to said user communication network entity and then forwarded to the group communication network entity, and

any unicast real-time audio data packet from said group communication network entity being first routed to said user communication network entity prior to sending the unicast real-time audio data packet to the respective user.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the real time audio data includes speech.