Management of dynamic groups in a communication system

• US 8,892,747 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Laumen, Josef, Schmidt, Holger, Schwagmann, Norbert, Kowalewski, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): KATSIKIS, KOSTAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/926,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/227, 455/518
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A communication system in which a communication service client terminal specifies a criterion, with further communication service client terminals which meet the criterion being able to be participants in a communication service which is provided. A server computer is configured to produce a list of the further communication service client units which meet the criterion and to transmit the list.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a communication service client terminal to generate;

a first one or more messages that contain at least one first criterion that is respectively met or not met by each of a plurality of further communication service client terminals, and

after reception of an identifier for a group including one or ore of the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion, a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion, different from the at least one first criterion, that is respectively met or not met by each of the plurality of further communication service client terminals, the second one or more messages further containing a request for provision of a communication service and a specification that the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion can be participants in the communication service provided; and

a server computer configured to;

generate, in response to the first one or more messages, the identifier for the group including the one or more of the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion, and

dynamically generate, in response to the second one or more messages and during an establishment of a communication session of the communication service between the communication service client terminal and the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion or during a running communication session of the provided communication service between the communication service client terminal and the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion, information describing the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion and can be participants in the communication session of the communication service provided,

check, in the course of providing the communication session of the communication service, the validity of the information, and

update the information in response to changes in the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least second criterion;

wherein a communication service server computer is to provide the communication session of the communication service between the communication service client terminal and the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion as participants on the basis of the information, and to alter the participants in the communication session of the communication service provided on the basis of the updated information.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication service is a communication service which is based on SIP.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is to store the at least one criterion.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion is specified by XML data in the first one or more messages.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the request and the at least one first criterion are included in different messages of the first one or more messages and are transmitted from the communication service client terminal to the communication service server computer.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein generate a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion comprises generate an invite message that contains the at least one second criterion.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the communication service client terminal is further to transmit the invite message to the communication service server computer.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is further to generate dynamically information of the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion by transmission, to at least one information server unit, of a message that contains a request for information that is required for checking whether individual ones of the further communication service client terminals meet the at least one second criterion.

9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the information server unit is a presence server unit or a location server unit.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication service is a service selected from the group consisting of:

a PoC service, a communication service for sending instant messages, an MMS communication service, and a conference communication service.

11. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions thereon that, in response to execution by one or more processing devices of a communication service client terminal, cause the communication service client terminal to:

generate a first one or more messages that contain at least one first criterion that is respectively met or not met by each of a plurality of further communication service client terminals;

receive an identifier for a group including one or more of the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion;

in response to reception of the identifier, generate a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion, different from the at least one first criterion, that is respectively met or not met by each of the plurality of further communication service client terminals, the second one or more messages further containing a request for provision of a communication service and a specification that the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion, during an establishment of a communication session of a communication service or during a running communication session of the communication service, can be participants on a dynamic basis in the communication session of the communication service; and

send a request for checking, in the course of the communication session of the communication service, the validity of information describing the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion and that participate in the communication session of the communication service.

12. The one or more computer readable media according to claim 11, wherein the request for checking is part of the one or more first messages or the one or more second messages generated by the communication service client terminal.

13. The one or more computer readable media according to claim 11, wherein send the request for checking is includes send an automatic update flag.

14. A communication service client terminal comprising circuitry to:

generate;

a first one or more messages that contain at least one first criterion that is respectively met or not met by each of a plurality of further communication service client terminals, and

after reception of an identifier for a group including one or more of the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion, a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion, different from the at least one first criterion, that is respectively met or not met by each of the plurality of further communication service client terminals, the second one or more messages further containing a request for provision of a communication service and a specification that the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion during an establishment of a communication session of a communication service or during a communication session of the communication service, can be participants on a dynamic basis in the communication session of the communication service provided; and

send a request for checking, in the course of the communication session of the communication service, the validity of information describing the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion and that participate in the communication session of the communication service.

15. The communication service client terminal according to claim 14, wherein send the request for checking comprises send an automatic update flag.

16. The communication service client terminal according to claim 14, wherein the request for checking is included in the first one or more messages or the second one or more messages generated by the communication service client terminal.

17. The communication service client terminal according to claim 14, wherein generate a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion comprises generate an invite message that contains the at least one second criterion.

18. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein the communication service client terminal is further to transmit the invite message to the communication service server computer.

19. A method for operating a communication service client terminal in a communication system having a plurality of further communication service client terminals, a communication service server computer, and a server computer, wherein the method comprises:

the communication service client terminal generating a first one or more messages that contain at least one first criterion that is respectively met or not met by each of the plurality of further communication service client terminals;

the communication service client terminal receiving an identifier for a group including one or more of the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion;

the communication service client terminal, in response to receiving the identifier, generating a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion, different from the at least one first criterion, that is respectively met or not met by each of the plurality of further communication service client terminals, the second one or more messages further containing a request for provision of a communication service and a specification that the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion, during an establishment of a communication session of a communication service or during a running communication session of the communication service, can be participants on a dynamic basis in the communication session of the communication service;

the communication service client terminal sending a request for checking, in the course of the communication session of the communication service, the validity of information describing the further communication service client terminals that meet the at least one first criterion and the at least one second criterion and that participate in the communication session of the communication service.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein sending the request for checking is includes sending an automatic update flag.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the request for checking is part of the one or more first messages or the one or more second messages generated by the communication service client terminal.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein generating a second one or more messages that contain at least one second criterion comprises generate an invite message that contains the at least one second criterion.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

the communication service client terminal transmitting the invite message to the communication service server computer.