Group communication method and system

• US 9,319,850 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Lin, Antonelli, Michelle M, Drozt, Peter M, Newberg, Donald G
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US14/109,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 370260-262, 370/310, 370/315, 370/318, 455517-520
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/36 for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A method and system of managing group calls is disclosed. The method of comprises receiving call control signaling associated with a group of user communication entities; identifying a user communication entity of the group of user communication entities; determining a first association between the user communication entity, the first group call and at least one of a first delivery method and a second delivery method; in response to determining the first association: determining that the user communication entity is participating in a second group call; determining whether a first priority associated with the first group call and the user communication entity is higher than a second priority associated with the second group call and the user communication entity; and based on a determination that the first priority is higher, conveying to the user communication entity via the first delivery method a call control message associated with the first group call.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of group calls, the method comprising:

receiving call control signaling associated with a first group call associated with a first group of user communication entities;

identifying a first user communication entity of the first group of user communication entities associated with the first group call;

determining one or more available delivery methods for the first user communication entity in association with the first group call, wherein the one or more available delivery methods comprises at least one of a first delivery method and a second delivery method; and

in response to determining the one or more available delivery methods;

determining that the first user communication entity is participating in a second group call involving a second group of user communication entities via an existing delivery method;

determining whether a first priority associated with the first group call for the first user communication entity is higher than a second priority associated with the second group call for the first user communication entity;

when the first priority is higher than the second priority, determining to deliver, to the first user communication entity, the call control signaling associated with the first group call via a delivery method of the one or more delivery methods;

when the second priority is higher than the first priority, determining to deliver, to the first user communication entity, the call control signaling associated with the first group call via any delivery method, of the one or more delivery methods, that does not convey higher priority than the existing delivery method; and

conveying, to the first user communication entity and via the determined delivery method, a call control message associated with the first group call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more available delivery methods is a first one or more available delivery methods and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a second user communication entity of the first group of user communication entities associated with the first group call;

determining a second one or more available delivery methods for the second user communication entity in association with the first group call, wherein the second one or more available delivery methods is different from the first one or more delivery methods; and

conveying to the second user communication entity, via a delivery method of the second one or more available delivery methods, a call control message associated with the first group call, wherein the delivery method used to convey the call control message to the second user communication entity is different than the delivery method used to convey the call control message to the first user communication entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first delivery method is a unicast delivery method.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second delivery method is a broadcast delivery method.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first delivery method and the second delivery method are on different networks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more available delivery methods comprises a background update.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call control message associated with the first group call comprises an indication to leave the second group call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the call control message associated with the first group call comprises an indication to participate in the first group call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the existing delivery method is a first existing delivery method and wherein the method of claim 1 further comprises:

identifying a second user communication entity of the first group of user communication entities associated with the first group call;

determining a second one or more available delivery methods for the second user communication entity in association with the first group call, wherein the second one or more available delivery methods comprises one or more of the first delivery method and the second delivery method; and

in response to determining the second one or more available delivery methods;

determining that the second user communication entity is participating in another group call involving another group of user communication entities via a second existing delivery method;

determining whether a priority associated with the first group call and the second user communication entity is higher than a priority associated with the another group call and the second user communication entity; and

based on the determination that the first priority associated with the first group call and the second user communication entity is not higher than the priority associated with the another group call and the second user communication entity and no delivery method in the second one or more delivery methods conveys lower priority than the second existing delivery method, adding the first group call to a background update associated with the second user communication entity.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising conveying the background update to the second user communication entity.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising conveying the background update to the second user communication entity one or more of periodically and at the start of the first group call.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deleting a third group call from the background update, wherein the third group call is associated with a lower priority than the first priority.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the call control signaling associated with the first group call comprises a session start request.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein priorities of the first group call and the second group call are contained in a scan list associated with the first user communication entity.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein conveying to the second user communication entity, via a delivery method of the second one or more available delivery methods, a call control message associated with the first group call comprises:

determining a priority associated with the second user communication entity and the first group call and a priority associated the second user communication entity and a different group call; and

determining a delivery method of the second one or more available delivery methods for delivery of the call control message to the second user communication entity based on the determined priority associated with the second user communication entity and the first group call and the determined priority associated the second user communication entity and the different group call.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first user communication entity, the call control message associated with the first group call; and

determining, by the first user communication entity, the first priority associated with the first group call based on the delivery method used to convey the call control message associated with the first group call.

15. A system for managing a plurality of group calls, the system comprising:

a network interface, for providing data to a plurality of user communication entities via each of a first delivery method and a second delivery method;

a processor coupled to the network interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instruction code executable by the processor for;

receiving call control signaling associated with a first group call associated with a first group of user communication entities;

identifying a first user communication entity of the first group of user communication entities associated with the first group call;

determining one or more available delivery methods for the first user communication entity in association with the first group call, wherein the one or more available delivery methods comprises at least one of a first delivery method and a second delivery method; and

in response to determining the one or more available delivery methods;

determining that the first user communication entity is participating in a second group call involving a second group of user communication entities via an existing delivery method;

determining whether a first priority associated with the first group call for the first user communication entity is higher than a second priority associated with the second group call for the first user communication entity; and

when the first priority is higher than the second priority, determining to deliver, to the first user communication entity, the call control signaling associated with the first group call via a delivery method of the one or more delivery methods;

when the second priority is higher than the first priority, determining to deliver, to the first user communication entity, the call control signaling associated with the first group call via any delivery method, of the one or more delivery methods, that does not convey higher priority than the existing delivery method; and

conveying to the first user communication entity and via the first data interface and the determined delivery method, a call control message associated with the first group call.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first delivery method routes data to user communication entities via a first data network and the second delivery method routes data to user communication entities via a second data network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the system is implemented in a call controller.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising the first user communication entity and wherein the first user communication entity is configured to:

receive the call control message associated with the first group call; and

determine the first priority associated with the first group call based on the delivery method used to convey the call control message associated with the first group call.