Continuous broadcast interface maintenance for group communications to wireless communications devices

• US 8,644,872 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Song, Bongyong, Gill, Harleen
• Primary Examiner(s): DEAN, RAYMOND S
• Application Number:
  US12/212,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20090082049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 455518-521
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A system, method, and computer device that selectively maintain an open broadcast interface to a communication control device that is controlling wireless communication to at least one wireless communication device that is configured to receive group-directed communications for a communication group, such as a push-to-talk (PTT) group. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device registers at the communication control device, such as a base station controller, and at least one broadcast interface is established between the communication control device and another computer device, such as a broadcast A10 interface with a broadcast serving node (BSN). The communication control device maintains the broadcast interface while the wireless communication device configured to receive group-directed communications is registered such that group-directed broadcast communications can more rapidly be delivered to the wireless communication device. When the communication control device determines that the group communication has ended, it releases the broadcast interface.

Claims

1. A method for selectively maintaining a broadcast interface, comprising:

registering one or more wireless communication devices to receive a group-directed communication for a given group communication call of a given type that is associated with a communication group of wireless communication devices;

establishing at least one broadcast interface between a communication control device and another computer device on a wireless communication network, each broadcast interface configured to support delivery of the group-directed communication to more than one target wireless communication device;

maintaining the at least one broadcast interface based on at least one of the one or more registered wireless communication devices remaining registered with the communication control device for the given group communication call; and

releasing the at least one broadcast interface in response to a detection of termination of the given group communication call at the communication control device, wherein the given type is push-to-talk (PTT), wherein the maintaining and releasing steps are performed based on the given group communication call being a PTT call, and wherein the maintaining and releasing steps are not performed for one or more other call types that do not correspond to PTT calls.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

maintaining a list of the one or more registered wireless communication devices associated with the group-directed communication and their routing information,

wherein, upon detecting that a listed wireless communication device un-registers from the given group communication call, the maintaining ‘

the list step removes the unregistered wireless communication device from the list.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending group-directed broadcast packets received on the at least one broadcast interface to the one or more registered wireless communication devices based upon the routing information from the list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that each of the one more or more registered wireless communication device unregisters from the given group communication call,

wherein the releasing step occurs responsive to the determination.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one broadcast interface in response to group-directed communication data directed to the one or more registered wireless communication devices being received at the communication control device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication control device is a base station controller and the other computer device is a broadcast serving node, and wherein the at least one broadcast interface is a broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein mapping information is pre-provisioned at the broadcast serving node, further comprising bypassing a BCMCS authorization to establish the broadcast A10 interface.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller is established by a BC registration request and reply between the base station controller and the broadcast serving node.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the at least one broadcast interface is established in response to the one or more registered wireless communication devices engaging in the given group communication call,

wherein the releasing step releases the at least one broadcast interface upon determining that the one or more registered wireless communication devices are no longer engaged in the given group communication call.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, at the communication control device, a termination of the group-directed communication based upon a detection of a period of data inactivity.

35. The method of claim 1,

wherein a subset of available broadcast interface identifiers is reserved between the communication control device and an external broadcast interface identifier management device for calls that correspond to the given type, further comprising:

determining that the given group communication call corresponds to the given type in conjunction with the registering; and

selecting, from the reserved subset, at least one broadcast interface identifier for the at least one broadcast interface based on the determining,

wherein the establishing step establishes the at least one broadcast interface using the selected at least one broadcast interface identifier while bypassing an attempt to authorize the selected at least one broadcast interface identifier with the external broadcast interface identifier management device based on its selection from the reserved subset.

11. A system for selectively maintaining an open broadcast interface to a communication control device that is controlling wireless communication to one or more wireless communication devices configured to engage in group-directed communications, the system comprising:

the communication control device resident on a wireless communication network and selectively receiving communications from one or more wireless communication devices and selectively having the wireless communication devices registered therewith, and the communication control device further configured to establish interfaces between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network for permitting delivery of group-directed communications for a given group communication call of a given type to which the registered wireless communication devices are registered; and

at least one wireless communication device that is a member of a communication group of wireless communication devices, the at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communications for the communication group, and further configured to selectively register and unregister for the given group communication call at the communication control device that at least controls group communications thereto,

wherein the communication control device further configured to establish and maintain at least one broadcast interface based on at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communications being registered for the given group communication call with the communication control device, each broadcast interface configured to support delivery of the group-directed communications to more than one target wireless communication device; and

the communication control device further configured to release the at least one broadcast interface when termination of the given group communication call is detected at the communication control device, wherein the given type is push-to-talk (PTT), wherein the communication control device is configured to perform the maintaining and releasing based on the given group communication call being a PTT call, and wherein the communication control device is configured to refrain from performing the maintaining and releasing for one or more other call types that do not correspond to PTT calls.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device is further configured to maintain a list of registered wireless communication devices and their routing information, and upon a wireless communication device being unregistered, removes the unregistered wireless communication device from the list.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication control device further configured to allow group-directed broadcast packets received on the at least one broadcast interface to be sent to a wireless communication device based upon the routing information from the list.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to establish at least one interface upon a group-directed communication directed to the at least one wireless communication device being received at the communication control device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to release the at least one broadcast interface upon all wireless communication devices configured to receive group-directed communications registered at the communication control device becoming unregistered.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device is a base station controller and the other computer device is a broadcast serving node, and wherein the broadcast interface is a broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a mapping information is pre-provisioned at the broadcast serving node and a BCMCS authorization is bypassed to thereby establish the broadcast A10 interface.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller is established by a BC registration request and reply between the base station controller and the broadcast serving node.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to detect termination of the given group communication call after a certain period of data inactivity.

20. A communication control device resident on a wireless communication network comprising:

means for registering one or more wireless communication devices to receive a group-directed communication for a given group communication call of a given type that is associated with a communication group of wireless communication devices;

means for establishing at least one broadcast interface between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network, each broadcast interface configured to support delivery of the group-directed communication to more than one target wireless communication device;

means for maintaining the at least one broadcast interface based on at least one of the one or more registered wireless communication devices remain registered with the communication control device for the given group communication call; and

means for releasing the at least one broadcast interface in response to a detection of termination of the given group communication call at the communication control device, wherein the given type is push-to-talk (PTT), wherein the means for maintaining and the means for releasing are configured to perform the maintaining and releasing based on the given group communication call being a PTT call, and wherein the means for maintaining and the means for releasing are configured to refrain from performing the maintaining and releasing for one or more other call types that do not correspond to PTT calls.

21. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for maintaining a list of the one or more registered wireless communication devices associated with the group-directed communication and their routing information,

wherein, upon detecting that a listed wireless communication device un-registers from the given group communication call, the means for maintaining ‘

the list removes the unregistered wireless communication device from the list.

22. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for determining that each of the one more or more registered wireless communication device unregisters from the given group communication call,

wherein the means for releasing releases the at least one broadcast interface responsive to the determination.

23. The communication control device of claim 20,

wherein the means for establishing establishes the at least one broadcast interface in response to group-directed communication data directed to the one or more registered wireless communication devices being received.

24. The communication control device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for sending group-directed broadcast packets received on the at least one broadcast interface to the one or more registered wireless communication devices based upon the routing information from the list.

25. The communication control device of claim 20, wherein the communication control device is a base station controller and the other computer device is a broadcast serving node, and wherein the at least one broadcast interface is a broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller.

26. The communication control device of claim 25, wherein mapping information is pre-provisioned at the broadcast serving node and a BCMCS authorization is bypassed to establish the broadcast A10 interface.

27. The communication control device of claim 25, wherein the broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller is established by a BC registration request and reply between the base station controller and broadcast serving node.

28. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for detecting termination of the given group communication call based upon a detection of a period of data inactivity.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

a set of instructions to selectively register one or more wireless communication devices at a communication control device to receive a group-directed communication for a given group communication call of a given type that is associated with a communication group of wireless communication devices;

a set of instructions to establish at least one broadcast interface between the communication control device and another computer device on a wireless communication network, each broadcast interface configured to support delivery of the group-directed communication to more than one target wireless communication device;

a set of instructions to maintain the at least one broadcast interface based on at least one of the one or more registered wireless communication devices remaining registered with the communication control device for the given group communication call; and

a set of instructions to release the at least one broadcast interface in response to a detection of termination of the given group communication call at the communication control device, wherein the given type is push-to-talk (PTT), wherein the set of instructions to maintain and the set of instructions to release are configured to cause the machine to perform the maintaining and releasing based on the given group communication call being a PTT call, and wherein the set of instructions to maintain and the set of instructions to release are configured to cause the machine to refrain from performing the maintaining and releasing for one or more other call types that do not correspond to PTT calls.

30. A communication control device resident on a wireless communication network, comprising:

a processor configured to;

register one or more wireless communication devices to receive a group-directed communication for a given group communication call of a given type that is associated with a communication group of wireless communication devices;

establish at least one broadcast interface between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network, each broadcast interface configured to support delivery of the group-directed communication to more than one target wireless communication device;

maintain the at least one broadcast interface based on at least one of the registered wireless communication devices remain registered with the communication control device for the given group communication call; and

release the at least one broadcast interface in response to a detection of termination of the given group communication call at the communication control device, wherein the given type is push-to-talk (PTT), wherein the processor is configured to perform the maintaining and releasing based on the given group communication call being a PTT call, and wherein the processor is configured to refrain from performing the maintaining and releasing for one or more other call types that do not correspond to PTT calls.

31. A method of setting up a connection at an access network, comprising:

receiving, from an access terminal, a registration request that identifies a multicast call for which registration is requested;

forwarding the received request to a server;

determining, at the access network, that the received request is associated with an attempt by the access terminal to register to the multicast call; and

establishing a broadcast interface on which to receive multicast traffic for delivery to multiple target access terminals during the multicast call in response to the determination;

maintaining the broadcast interface during the multicast call; and

releasing the broadcast interface in response to a detection that the multicast call is terminated, wherein the multicast call is determined to be a push-to-talk (PTT) call, wherein the maintaining and releasing steps are performed based on the PTT call determination, and wherein the maintaining and releasing steps are not performed for one or more other calls that do not correspond to PTT calls.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the server corresponds to a broadcast serving node (BSN) that is independent of a packet data serving node (PDSN).

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the establishing step establishes the broadcast interface between the access network and a broadcast serving node (BSN) that is independent of a packet data serving node (PDSN).

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the broadcast interface corresponds to a broadcast A10 interface.