System and method for providing an early notification when paging a wireless device

• US 8,868,685 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhaskaran, Hamsini
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hitesh
• Application Number:
  US11/353,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,172 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/206, 709/204, 709/224, 455/90, 455/90.2, 455/412.1, 455/416, 455/518, 370/252, 370/328, 370/352
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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 and method for a server to provide an early notification to a target group devices when paging a wireless device during a push-to-talk (PTT) communication. When a wireless device is ready to transmit a PTT communication, a message is sent from the wireless device to a server that then sends an early PING message to a base station while processing a call request message from the wireless device. After processing the call request message, the server sends an announce message to the base station. On receipt of the PING message, the base station sends a paging message to all targeted devices while processing the announce message. The early PING message causes a communication channel to be established between a targeted device and the base station, and the communication channel can then be used by the announce message with less set-up time.

Claims

1. A method for reducing delay in being granted a floor due to queuing time for an announce message during a push-to-talk (PTT) communication in a wireless communication network, comprising:

receiving at a server a first message from an originating wireless device, the first message is a call request message;

identifying at least one target wireless device for the PTT communication in response to receiving the first message;

transmitting a second message, in response to receiving the first message, from the server to a base station to determine if the at least one target wireless device is online, the second message having a header with an empty message body and being transmitted before the announce message is sent by the server to the base station;

allocating resources by the server to the originating wireless device;

transmitting the announce message from the server to the base station in response to receiving the first message and after transmitting the second message, but before receiving an acknowledgement receipt of the second message;

receiving at the server, after transmitting the announce message, acknowledgement messages acknowledging receipt of the second message and the announce message from the at least one target wireless device; and

transmitting, after receiving the acknowledgment messages, a status message to the originating wireless device granting the floor to the originating wireless device to enable transmission of an audio message to the at least one target wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of allocating resources further comprises steps of:

selecting a vocoder for the PTT communication;

selecting a media hosting device for the PTT communication; and

checking for call restrictions for the at least one target wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message is a PING message.

4. A server capable of handling push-to-talk (PTT) communications in a communication network, comprising:

a processor configured with software instructions such that the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving a call request message from an originating wireless device for a PTT communication;

identifying at least one target wireless device in response to receiving the call request message;

transmitting a testing message to a base station in response to receiving the call request message to determine if the at least one target wireless device is online before allocating resources to the PTT communication;

allocating resources to the at least one target wireless device;

transmitting the announce message to the base station in response to receiving the call request message and after allocating the resources to the PTT communication after transmitting the testing message, but before receiving an acknowledgement receipt of the testing message;

receiving at the server, after transmitting the announce message, acknowledgement messages acknowledging receipt of the testing message and the announce message from the at least one target wireless device; and

transmitting, after receiving the acknowledgment messages, a status message to the originating wireless device granting a floor to the originating wireless device to enable transmission of an audio message to the at least one target wireless device.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform operations further comprising:

checking call limitations for the at least one target wireless device before transmitting the testing message to the base station.

6. The server of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform operations further comprising:

selecting a vocoder and a media host for the PTT communication after transmitting the testing message to the base station.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a server to perform operations for reducing delay in being granted a floor due to queuing time for an announce message during a push-to-talk (PTT) communication in a wireless communication network, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor of a server to perform operations comprising:

receiving at the server a first message from an originating wireless device, wherein the first message is a call request message;

invoking the PTT feature at the server in response to receiving the first message;

identifying at least one target wireless device for the PTT communication in response to receiving the first message;

transmitting a second message, in response to receiving the first message, from the server to a base station to determine if the at least one target wireless device is online, the second message having a header with an empty message body and being transmitted before the announce message is sent by the server to the base station;

allocating resources by the server to the originating wireless device;

transmitting the announce message from the server to the base station in response to receiving the first message and after transmitting the second message, but before receiving an acknowledgement receipt of the second message;

receiving at the server, after transmitting the announce message, acknowledgement messages acknowledging receipt of the second message and the announce message from the at least one target wireless device; and

transmitting, after receiving the acknowledgment messages, a status message to the originating wireless device granting the floor to the originating wireless device to enable transmission of an audio message to the at least one target wireless device.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor of the server to perform operations such that allocating resources by the server to the originating wireless device comprises:

selecting a vocoder for the PTT communication;

selecting a media hosting device for the PTT communication; and

checking for call restrictions for the at least one target wireless device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the second message is a PING message.

10. A system for reducing delay in being granted a floor due to queuing time for an announce message during a push-to-talk (PTT) communication in a wireless communication network, comprising:

an originating wireless device;

at least one target wireless device;

a base station in communication with the at least one target wireless device;

a server in communication with the originating wireless device, the at least one target wireless device, and the base station through the wireless communication network, the server selectively transmitting to the at least one target wireless device a plurality of messages,

wherein the server comprises a processor configured with software instructions such that the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving a call request message from the originating wireless device for a PTT communication;

identifying the at least one target wireless device in response to receiving the call request message;

transmitting a testing message, in response to receiving the call request message, to the base station to determine that the at least one target wireless device is online before the server allocates resources to the PTT communication, the testing message having a header with an empty message body and being transmitted before the announce message is sent by the server to the base station;

allocating resources by the server to the originating wireless device;

transmitting the announce message to the base station in response to receiving the call request message and after allocating the resources to the PTT communication after transmitting the testing message, but before receiving an acknowledgement receipt of the testing message;

receiving, after transmitting the announce message, acknowledgement messages acknowledging receipt of the testing message and the announce message from the at least one target wireless device, and

transmitting, after receiving the acknowledgment messages, a status message to the originating wireless device granting the floor to the originating wireless device to enable transmission of an audio message to the at least one target wireless device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform operations further comprising:

checking call limitations for the least one target wireless device before transmitting the testing message to the base station.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured with software instructions to perform operations further comprising:

selecting a vocoder and a media host for the PTT communication after transmitting the testing message to the base station.