High-priority communications sessions within a wireless communications system

• US 8,738,058 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Brewer, Beth A., Bhaskaran, Hamsini, Aggarwal, Ashutosh
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US12/750,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20100255826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455450-453, 455/456.2, 455/464, 455/509, 455/510, 370/395.4, 370/332
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/36 for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

In an embodiment, a call originator sends, to an application server, a request to initiate a given communication session with at least one call target, the received request configured to indicate to the application server that the given communication session is associated with a high-priority. The application server configures a call announcement to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session, and transmits the configured call announcement to the at least one call target. The at least one call target receives the call announcement, and determines that the call announcement is configured to force the given access terminal to accept the given communication session. Responsive to the determination, the at least one call target transmits an acknowledgment to the call announcement that indicates that the at least one call target has accepted the given communication session.

Claims

1. A method of supporting a high-priority communication session at an application server configured to arbitrate the high-priority communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving a request, from a call originator at the application server, to initiate a given communication session with at least one call target, the received request configured to indicate to the application server that the given communication session is associated with a high-priority;

configuring a call announcement to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session by modifying one or more fields of the call announcement that do not identify the call originator; and

transmitting the configured call announcement to the at least one call target.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one acknowledgment to the configured call announcement from the at least one call target that indicates that the at least one call target has accepted the given communication session.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

upon receiving the at least one acknowledgment, granting a floor for the given communication session to the call originator.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting up the given communication session as a half-duplex communication session with the call originator as an initial floor-holder;

during the given communication session, receiving media from a given call participant other than a current floor-holder of the half-duplex communication session; and

sending the media received from the given call participant at least to the current floor-holder.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the given communication session includes the given call participant, the current floor-holder and at least one additional call participant.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sending step sends the media from the given call participant to the current floor-holder and not to the at least one additional call participant.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the sending step sends the media from the given call participant to the current floor-holder and to the at least one additional call participant.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

mixing media received from the current floor-holder with the media received from the given call participant; and

wherein the sending step sends the mixed media to the at least one additional call participant.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the sending step sends an unmixed version of media from the current floor-holder to the given call participant.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the sending step sends an unmixed version of the media from the given call participant to the current floor-holder.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the configured call announcement includes an explicit indication of the given communication session'"'"'s priority level to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more fields that do not identify the call originator correspond to:

a session priority field that identifies a highest priority level or emergency priority level for the given communication session.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the session priority field is a Diffsery Code Point (DSCP) value in a header portion of the configured call announcement.

4. A method of supporting a high-priority communication session at an application server configured to arbitrate the high-priority communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving a request, from a call originator at the application server, to initiate a given communication session with at least one call target, the received request configured to indicate to the application server that the given communication session is associated with a high-priority;

configuring a call announcement to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session;

transmitting the configured call announcement to the at least one call target;

determining, at the application server, that sufficient resources for supporting the given communication session are not available; and

selectively reducing a resource load at the application server to make the sufficient resources available for supporting the given communication session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selectively reducing step is performed based on the given communication session being associated with the high-priority.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the selectively reducing step includes dropping one or more other currently active communication sessions and/or one or more current call-participants participating in the one or more other currently active communication sessions.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after the selectively reducing step, supporting the given communication session by exchanging media between the call originator and the at least one call target.

15. A method of participating in a high-priority server-arbitrated communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving a call announcement at a given access terminal that announces a given communication session;

determining, based upon a configuration of one or more fields within the call announcement that do not identify a call originator of the given communication session, that the call announcement is configured to force the given access terminal to accept the given communication session; and

responsive to the determination, transmitting an acknowledgment to the call announcement that indicates that the given access terminal has accepted the given communication session.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the given access terminal is engaged in another communication session when the call announcement for the given communication session is received.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

terminating the another communication session responsive to the determination.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

notifying a user of the given access terminal that the given communication session is being set-up without given the user an opportunity to reject the call announcement of the given communication session.

32. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more fields that do not identify the call originator correspond to:

a session priority field that identifies a highest priority level or emergency priority level for the given communication session.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the session priority field is a Diffsery Code Point (DSCP) value in a header portion of the configured call announcement.

18. A method of participating in a high-priority server-arbitrated communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving a call announcement at a given access terminal that announces a given communication session;

determining that the call announcement is configured to force the given access terminal to accept the given communication session;

responsive to the determination, transmitting an acknowledgment to the call announcement that indicates that the given access terminal has accepted the given communication session,

wherein the given access terminal is engaged in another communication session when the call announcement for the given communication session is received, further comprising;

notifying a user of the given access terminal that the given communication session is being set-up and that the another communication session is being terminated without giving the user an opportunity to reject the call announcement of the given communication session and/or to remain a call participant in the another communication session.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the notification includes a user-notification that the another communication session will be terminated within a threshold period of time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user has an opportunity to send media to one or more call participants associated with the another communication session within the threshold period of time.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

participating in the given communication session as a half-duplex communication session with a call originator as an initial floor-holder;

during the given communication session while the given access terminal is not a current floor-holder, determining to send media from the given access terminal at least to the current floor-holder; and

sending the media to an application server for transmission at least to the current floor-holder.

23. An application server configured to arbitrate a high-priority communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for receiving a request, from a call originator, to initiate a given communication session with at least one call target, the received request configured to indicate to the application server that the given communication session is associated with a high-priority;

means for configuring a call announcement to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session by modifying one or more fields of the call announcement that do not identify the call originator; and

means for transmitting the configured call announcement to the at least one call target.

24. An access terminal configured to participate in a high-priority server-arbitrated communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for receiving a call announcement that announces a given communication session;

means for determining, based upon a configuration of one or more fields within the call announcement that do not identify a call originator of the given communication session, that the call announcement is configured to force the access terminal to accept the given communication session; and

means for, responsive to the determination, transmitting an acknowledgment to the call announcement that indicates that the access terminal has accepted the given communication session.

25. An application server configured to arbitrate a high-priority communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic configured to receive a request, from a call originator, to initiate a given communication session with at least one call target, the received request configured to indicate to the application server that the given communication session is associated with a high-priority;

logic configured to configure a call announcement to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session by modifying one or more fields of the call announcement that do not identify the call originator; and

logic configured to transmit the configured call announcement to the at least one call target.

26. An access terminal configured to participate in a high-priority server-arbitrated communication session within a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic configured to receive a call announcement that announces a given communication session;

logic configured to determine, based upon a configuration of one or more fields within the call announcement that do not identify a call originator of the given communication session, that the call announcement is configured to force the access terminal to accept the given communication session; and

logic configured to, responsive to the determination, transmit an acknowledgment to the call announcement that indicates that the access terminal has accepted the given communication session.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by an application server configured to arbitrate a high-priority communication session within a wireless communications system, cause the application server to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to receive a request, from a call originator, to initiate a given communication session with at least one call target, the received request configured to indicate to the application server that the given communication session is associated with a high-priority;

program code to configure a call announcement to force the at least one call target to accept the given communication session by modifying one or more fields of the call announcement that do not identify the call originator; and

program code to transmit the configured call announcement to the at least one call target.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by an access terminal configured to participate in a high-priority server-arbitrated communication session within a wireless communications system, cause the access terminal to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to receive a call announcement that announces a given communication session;

program code to determine, based upon a configuration of one or more fields within the call announcement that do not identify a call originator of the given communication session, that the call announcement is configured to force the access terminal to accept the given communication session; and

program code to, responsive to the determination, transmit an acknowledgment to the call announcement that indicates that the access terminal has accepted the given communication session.