Systems and methods for group communication using a mobile device using motion and voice activate controls

• US 9,560,099 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lindner, Mark A., Subbaramoo, Shobha M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH NGOC M
• Application Number:
  US13/479,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20130315108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4046 with distributed floor control
• 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 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and systems of communication using a mobile device include detecting the voice of a user of the mobile device, and sending a request to a server for control of the floor in a group communication in response to the detected voice. Further methods of controlling floor access for a plurality of mobile devices include receiving voice commands of a user from the plurality of mobile devices, scheduling floor access for the mobile devices in response to the received voice commands, and sending messages to the mobile devices indicating the status of floor control in a group communication session. Further methods of group communication include detecting a motion of a mobile device corresponding to a user action, in response to the detected motion, initiating a half-duplex group communication application, and displaying visual feedback associated with the half-duplex group communication application on a display screen of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of group communication using a first mobile device, comprising:

detecting at the first mobile device a voice of a user of the first mobile device;

determining at the first mobile device whether the detected voice of the user of the first mobile device is above a pre-determined threshold volume;

sending a request by the first mobile device to a server for control of the floor in a group communication in response to determining that the detected voice of the user of the first mobile device is above the pre-determined threshold volume;

buffering a voice message of the user while waiting for a response from the server;

receiving a response from the server granting control of the floor; and

transmitting the buffered voice message of the user to at least one second mobile device in response to receiving the response from the server granting control of the floor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the request to the server comprises relaying a voice command of the user to the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the voice of the user to detect a voice command; and

transmitting the request to the server in response to detecting the voice command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting silence of the user for a specified timeout period; and

relinquishing control of the floor in response to detecting silence of the user for the specified timeout period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group communication comprises a half-duplex communication.

6. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

detecting at the mobile communication device a voice of a user of the mobile communication device;

determining at the mobile communication device whether the detected voice of the user of the mobile communication device is above a pre-determined threshold volume;

sending a request by the mobile communication device to a server for control of the floor in a group communication in response to determining that the voice of the user of the mobile communication device is above the pre-determined threshold volume;

buffering a voice message of the user while waiting for a response from the server;

receiving a response from the server granting control of the floor; and

transmitting the buffered voice message of the user to at least one second mobile device in response to receiving the response from the server granting control of the floor.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that sending the request to the server comprises relaying a voice command of the user to the server.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

analyzing the voice of the user to detect a voice command; and

transmitting the request to the server in response to detecting the voice command.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

detecting silence of the user for a specified timeout period; and

relinquishing control of the floor in response to detecting silence of the user for a specified timeout period.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the group communication comprises a half-duplex communication.

11. A mobile communication device, comprising:

means for detecting at the mobile communication device a voice of a user of the mobile communication device;

means for determining at the mobile communication device whether the detected voice of the user of the mobile communication device is above a pre-determined threshold volume;

means for sending a request by the mobile communication device to a server for control of the floor in a group communication in response to determining that the detected voice of the user of the mobile communication device is above the pre-determined threshold volume;

means for buffering a voice message of the user while waiting for a response from the server;

means for receiving a response from the server granting control of the floor; and

means for transmitting the buffered voice message of the user to at least one second mobile device in response to receiving the response from the server granting control of the floor.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein means for sending the request to the server comprises means for relaying a voice command of the user to the server.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 11, further comprising:

means for analyzing the voice of the user to detect a voice command; and

means for transmitting the request to the server in response to detecting the voice command.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 11, further comprising:

means for detecting silence of the user for a specified timeout period; and

means for relinquishing control of the floor in response to detecting silence of the user for the specified timeout period.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the group communication comprises a half-duplex communication.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a first mobile communication device to perform operations comprising:

detecting at the first mobile communication device a voice of a user of the first mobile communication device;

determining at the first mobile communication device whether the detected voice of the user of the first mobile communication device is above a pre-determined threshold volume;

sending a request by the first mobile communication device to a server for control of the floor in a group communication in response to determining that the detected voice of the user of the first mobile communication device is above the pre-determined threshold volume;

buffering a voice message of the user while waiting for a response from the server;

receiving a response from the server granting control of the floor; and

transmitting the buffered voice message of the user to at least one second mobile device in response to receiving the response from the server granting control of the floor.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the first mobile communication device to perform operations such that sending the request to the server comprises relaying a voice command of the user to the server.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the first mobile communication device to perform operations further comprising:

analyzing the voice of the user to detect a voice command; and

transmitting the request to the server in response to detecting the voice command.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the first mobile communication device to perform operations further comprising:

detecting silence of the user for a specified timeout period; and

relinquishing control of the floor in response to detecting silence of the user for a specified timeout period.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the first mobile communication device to perform operations such that the group communication comprises a half-duplex communication.

21. A method of controlling floor access for a plurality of mobile devices using a server, comprising:

receiving at the server a plurality of audio voice messages comprising recognized voice commands of a user from the plurality of mobile devices;

analyzing, by the server, the recognized voice commands to determine at least one particular request for action by the server, wherein the request for action comprises at least one of a command to commence a communication session with a particular communication group, a request to terminate a communication session, a request to add at least one group member or to drop at least one group member from a group communication session, a request to send or download media files, and a request for the floor in a group communication session;

scheduling at the server floor access for the mobile devices based on the determined at least one particular request for action in response to the received recognized voice commands; and

sending messages from the server to the mobile devices indicating the status of floor control in a group communication session.

22. A server configured to operate in a group communication session between a plurality of mobile devices, comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving at the server a plurality of audio voice messages comprising recognized voice commands of a user from the plurality of mobile devices;

analyzing, by the server, the recognized voice commands to determine at least one particular request for action by the server, wherein the request for action comprises at least one of a command to commence a communication session with a particular communication group, a request to terminate a communication session, a request to add at least one group member or to drop at least one group member from a group communication session, a request to send or download media files, and a request for the floor in a group communication session;

scheduling at the server floor access for the mobile devices based on the determined at least one particular request for action in response to the received recognized voice commands; and

sending messages from the server to the mobile devices indicating the status of floor control in a group communication session.

23. A server configured to operate in a group communication session between a plurality of mobile devices, comprising:

means for receiving at the server a plurality of audio voice messages comprising recognized voice commands of a user from the plurality of mobile devices;

means for analyzing by the server the recognized voice commands to determine at least one particular request for action by the server, wherein the request for action comprises at least one of a command to commence a communication session with a particular communication group, a request to terminate a communication session, a request to add at least one group member or to drop at least one group member from a group communication session, a request to send or download media files, and a request for the floor in a group communication session;

means for scheduling at the server floor access for the mobile devices based on the determined at least one particular request for action in response to the received recognized voice commands; and

means for sending messages from the server to the mobile devices indicating the status of floor control in a group communication session.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor executable instructions configured to cause a server processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving at the server a plurality of audio voice messages comprising recognized voice commands of a user from the plurality of mobile devices;

analyzing by the server the recognized voice commands to determine at least one particular request for action by the server, wherein the request for action comprises at least one of a command to commence a communication session with a particular communication group, a request to terminate a communication session, a request to add at least one group member or to drop at least one group member from a group communication session, a request to send or download media files, and a request for the floor in a group communication session;

scheduling at the server floor access for the mobile devices based on the determined at least one particular request for action in response to the received recognized voice commands; and

sending messages from the server to the mobile devices indicating the status of floor control in a group communication session.