Time-shifting for push to talk voice communication systems

• US 8,670,792 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Ranney, Matthew J., Panttaja, James T., Panttaja, Mary G
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US13/945,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/412.1, 455/518, 455/519
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• 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 network communication device located on a Push To Talk (PTT) communication network and configured to provide time-shifting capabilities to a user of a PTT communication device is disclosed. The network communication device includes a receiver configured to progressively receive time-based media. The network communication device also includes a time-shifting buffer for progressively storing the received time based media as the time-based media is received and a time-shifting buffer controller configured to control the rendering of the time-based media at the PTT device.

Claims

1. A method performed on a communication network, the method comprising:

progressively storing voice media received at a node on a communication network during PTT transmissions exchanged between a first PTT communication device and a second PTT communication device over the communication network as the voice media is progressively received at the node;

progressively transmitting the voice media received at the node during the PTT transmissions exchanged between the first and second PTT communication devices;

(a) from the first PTT communication device to the second PTT communication device as the voice media is progressively received and stored at the node when the second PTT communication device is available on the network; and

(b) from the second PTT communication device to the first PTT communication device as the voice media is progressively stored at the node when the first PTT communication device is available on the network; and

providing an application that is embedded in a non-transient computer readable medium to the first PTT communication device, the application configured to;

(1) enable the progressive storage on the first PTT communication device the voice media that is created on the first PTT communication device; and

(2) enable the progressive transmission of the voice media created on the first PTT communication device as the voice media is created and progressively stored on the first PTT communication device if a network connection is established for the first PTT communication device when the voice media is created on the first PTT communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is further configured to:

(3) enable the progressive transmission of the voice media created on the first PTT communication device out of storage on the first PTT communication device after the first PTT communication device establishes the network connection if the network connection was not established for the first PTT communication device when the voice media was created on the first PTT communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein progressively storing the voice media at the node further comprises progressively and persistently storing the voice media at the node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is further configured to enable on the first PTT communication device progressive storage of the voice media progressively received over the communication network from the second PTT communication device as the voice media is progressively received over the communication network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application includes a rendering module configured to enable selective rendering on the first PTT communication device the voice media received over the communication network from the second PTT communication device both:

(i) in near real-time by progressively rendering the voice media as the voice media is received; and

(ii) at an arbitrary later time by rendering the received voice media out of storage on the first PTT communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising supporting half-duplex communication over the communication network between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising supporting time-shifted communication over the communication network by enabling the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device to render the voice media exchanged between the two PTT communication devices some time after the exchanged media was transmitted.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, besides voice media, the media exchanged between the two PTT communication devices and stored at the node comprises one or more of the following:

(i) video media;

(ii) image media;

(iii) GPS or positional data;

(iv) sensor data;

or

(v) text media.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PTT communication device is a communication device that transmits voice media created on the communication device in response to the activation of a PTT function located on the communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice media that is progressively transmitted by either of the two PTT communication devices is in a PTT format and is progressively received by the other of the two communication devices in the PTT format.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising supporting full-duplex PTT communication over the communication network when the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device are (i) both available on the network and (ii) transmitting and receiving the PTT voice media exchanged between the two PTT communication devices at approximately the same time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

progressively transmitting the voice media received from the first PTT communication device out of storage on the node to the second PTT communication device when;

(i) the second PTT communication device is unavailable on the network when the voice media is received and stored at the node; and

(ii) in response to a request from the second PTT communication device after the second PTT communication device becomes available on the network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the PTT transmissions exchanged between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device are asynchronous with respect to one another.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the PTT transmissions exchanged between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device may be sent without first establishing a network connection between the two PTT communication devices.

15. A method performed on a communication network, the method comprising:

progressively storing at a node located on a communication network PTT voice media exchanged during PTT transmissions between a first PTT communication device and a second PTT communication device as the PTT voice media is progressively received from the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device respectively; and

providing an application that is embedded in a non-transient computer readable medium to the first PTT communication device, the application configured to;

(i) enable progressive storage on the first PTT communication device the PTT voice media progressively transmitted by the first PTT communication device to the node as PTT voice media is created and progressively transmitted by the first PTT communication device,

(ii) enable progressive storage on the first PTT communication device the PTT voice media received over the communication network from the second PTT communication device,

(iii) enable organization of the PTT voice media stored on the first PTT communication device into a plurality of conversations, and

(iv) enable participation in the plurality of conversations on the first PPT communication device by;

(1) enabling selection of a first conversation among the plurality of conversations for participation; and

(2) enabling participation in the first conversation by one of the following;

(a) progressively transmitting PTT voice media created on the first PPT communication device pertaining to the first conversation, (b) selectively rendering received PTT voice media pertaining to the first conversation in a near real-time mode as the PTT voice media is received, and (c) selectively rendering transmitted and/or received PTT voice media pertaining to the first conversation in a time-shifted mode by rendering the PTT voice media out of storage on the first PTT communication device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the participation in the plurality of conversations on the first PPT communication device are further enabled by:

(3) enabling a transition from the first conversation to a second conversation among the plurality of conversations and performing (2) for the second conversation.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising supporting full-duplex PTT communication over the communication network when the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device are transmitting and receiving the PTT voice media exchanged between the two PTT communication devices at approximately the same time.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising supporting time-shifted PTT communication over the communication network when the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device render the PTT voice media exchanged between the two PTT communication devices some time after the exchanged PTT media was transmitted.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the time-shifted communication is supported by:

progressively delivering the PTT voice media transmitted by either of the two communication devices to the other of the two PTT communication devices as the PTT voice media is transmitted;

enabling the progressive storage of the delivered PTT voice media at the two PTT communication devices as the PTT voice media is received; and

providing rendering options at the two PTT communication devices to render the delivered PTT voice media at a selected later time out of storage.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein supporting time-shifted communication further comprises supporting over the communication network the progressive transmission of the PTT voice media exchanges between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device so that both the PTT communication devices can selectively render the exchanged PTT voice media out of storage in a time-shifted mode some time after the PTT voice media was transmitted and stored.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the PTT voice media is rendered out of storage located at one of the following:

(i) the storage at the node;

or

(ii) at the receiving PTT communication device.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein progressively storing the PTT voice media exchanged during the PTT transmissions at the node further comprises progressively storing the PTT voice media at the node as the PTT voice media is progressively received from either of the two PTT communication devices and progressively forwarded to the other of the two PTT communication devices.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising supporting half-duplex communication between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

ascertaining at the node if the second PTT communication device is connected to the communication network when a PTT voice media transmission from the first PTT communication device is received; and

progressively forwarding the PTT voice media transmission from the node to the second PTT communication device, as the PTT voice media is progressively received at the node, if the second PTT communication device is connected to the communication network.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

ascertaining at the node if the second PTT communication device is connected to the communication network when a PTT voice media transmission from the first PTT communication device is received; and

progressively forwarding the PTT voice media transmission out of the storage to the second PTT communication device when;

(i) the second PTT communication device is disconnected from the communication network when the PTT voice media transmission is received at the node; and

(ii) the second PTT communication device reconnects to the communication network.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein progressively forwarding the PTT voice media transmission when the second PTT communication device reconnects to the communication network further comprises:

receiving a request at the node from the second PTT communication device; and

transmitting the PTT voice media transmission from the storage accessible by the node to the second PTT communication device in response to the request.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the application includes a rendering module configured to enable on the first PTT communication device selective rendering of the PTT voice media received over the communication network from the second PTT communication device either:

(i) in near real-time by progressively rendering the PTT voice media as the PTT voice media is received; and

(ii) at an arbitrary later time by rendering the received PTT voice media out of storage on the first PTT communication device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the rendering module included in the provided application includes one or more of the following rendering options:

play, pause, jump backward, jump to the most current PTT voice media, play faster, play, and catch up to live.

29. The method of claim 15, wherein the PTT transmissions exchanged between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device are asynchronous with respect to one another.

30. The method of claim 15, wherein the PTT transmissions exchanged between the first PTT communication device and the second PTT communication device may be sent without first establishing a network connection between the two PTT communication devices.