CONTINUOUS BROADCAST INTERFACE MAINTENANCE FOR GROUP COMMUNICATIONS TO WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES

• US 20090082049A1
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gill, Harleen, SONG, Bongyong
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A system, method, and computer device that selectively maintain an open broadcast interface to a communication control device that is controlling wireless communication to at least one wireless communication device that is configured to receive group-directed communications for a communication group, such as a push-to-talk (PTT) group. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device registers at the communication control device, such as a base station controller, and at least one broadcast interface is established between the communication control device and another computer device, such as a broadcast A10 interface with a broadcast serving node (BSN). The communication control device maintains the broadcast interface while the wireless communication device configured to receive group-directed communications is registered such that group-directed broadcast communications can more rapidly be delivered to the wireless communication device. When the communication control device determines that the group communication has ended, it releases the broadcast interface.

Claims

1. A method for selectively maintaining an open broadcast interface to a communication control device that is controlling wireless communication to at least one wireless communication devices that is configured to receive a group-directed communication for a communication group, the method comprising:

registering at least one wireless communication device that is configured to receive group-directed communication for a communication group of wireless communication devices, and the at least one wireless communication device selectively becoming unregistered from the communication control device;

establishing at least one broadcast interface between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network, the at least one broadcast interface permitting delivery of a group-directed broadcast communications to the at least one wireless communication device;

maintaining the at least one broadcast interface while at least one wireless communication device configured to receive group-directed communications is registered with the communication control device; and

releasing the at least one broadcast interface when termination of the group communication is detected at the communication control device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication control device further maintaining a list of registered wireless communication devices and their routing information, and upon a wireless communication device being unregistered, removing the unregistered wireless communication device from the list.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising allowing group-directed broadcast packets received on the at least one broadcast interface to be sent to a wireless communication device based upon the routing information from the list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising releasing the at least one broadcast interface upon all wireless communication devices configured to receive group-directed communications registered at the communication control device becoming unregistered.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein establishing at least one interface occurs upon a group-directed communication directed to the at least one wireless communication device being received at the communication control device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication control device is a base station controller and the other computer device is a broadcast serving node, and wherein establishing at least one interface is establishing a broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a mapping information is pre-provisioned at the broadcast serving node, and further comprising bypassing a BCMCS authorization to thereby establish the broadcast A10 interfaces.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller is established by a BC registration request and reply between the base station controller and broadcast serving node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

establishing at least one broadcast interface occurs upon at least one registered wireless communication device engaging in a group-directed communication; and

further comprising releasing the at least one broadcast interface upon no registered wireless communication devices engaging in group-directed communications.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, at the communication control device, a termination of the group communication after a certain period of data inactivity.

11. A system for selectively maintaining an open broadcast interface to a communication control device that is controlling wireless communication to at least one wireless communication devices configured to engage in group-directed communications, the system comprising:

a communication control device resident on a wireless communication network and selectively receiving communications from one or more wireless communication devices and selectively having the wireless communication devices registered therewith, and the communication control device further configured to establish interfaces between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network for permitting delivery of a group-directed communications to registered wireless communication devices; and

at least one wireless communication device that is a member of a communication group of wireless communication devices, the at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communications for the communication group, and further configured to selectively register and unregister at the communication control device that at least controls group communications thereto,

wherein the communication control device further configured to establish and maintain at least one broadcast interface while at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communications is registered with the communication control device; and

the communication control device further configured to release at least one broadcast interface when termination of the group communication is detected at the communication control device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device is further configured to maintain a list of registered wireless communication devices and their routing information, and upon a wireless communication device being unregistered, removes the unregistered wireless communication device from the list.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to allow group-directed broadcast packets received on the at least one broadcast interface to be sent to a wireless communication device based upon the routing information from the list.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to establish at least one interface upon a group-directed communication directed to the at least one wireless communication device being received at the communication control device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to release the at least one broadcast interface upon all wireless communication devices configured to receive group-directed communications registered at the communication control device becoming unregistered.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device is a base station controller and the other computer device is a broadcast serving node, and wherein the broadcast interface is a broadcast A10 channel between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a mapping information is pre-provisioned at the broadcast serving node and a BCMCS authorization is bypassed to thereby establish the broadcast A10 interfaces.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller is established by a BC registration request and reply between the base station controller and broadcast serving node.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication control device further configured to detect termination of the group communication after a certain period of data inactivity.

20. A communication control device resident on a wireless communication network and configured to selectively control wireless communications for wireless communication devices that are registered therewith, with at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communication, the communication control device comprising:

means for establishing one or more interfaces between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network for group-directed communications directed to the registered wireless communication devices, and

means for maintaining at least one broadcast interface while at least one wireless communication device that is a member of a communication group is registered with the communication control device; and

means for releasing at least one broadcast interface when termination of the group communication is detected at the communication control device.

21. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for maintaining a list of registered wireless communication devices and their routing information; and

upon a wireless communication device being unregistered, means for removing the unregistered wireless communication device from the list.

22. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for releasing the at least one broadcast interface upon all wireless communication devices configured to receive group-directed communications registered at the communication control device becoming unregistered.

23. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for establishing at least one interface upon a group-directed communication directed to the at least one wireless communication device being received.

24. The communication control device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for allowing group-directed broadcast packets received on the at least one broadcast interface to be sent to a wireless communication device based upon the routing information from the list.

25. The communication control device of claim 20, wherein the communication control device is a base station controller and the other computer device is a broadcast serving node, and wherein the at least one broadcast interface is a broadcast A10 channel between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller.

26. The communication control device of claim 25, wherein mapping information is pre-provisioned at the broadcast serving node and a BCMCS authorization is bypassed thereby establishing the broadcast A10 interfaces.

27. The communication control device of claim 25, wherein the broadcast A10 interface between the broadcast serving node and the base station controller is established by a BC registration request and reply between the base station controller and broadcast serving node.

28. The communication control of claim 20, further comprising:

means for detecting termination of the group communication after a certain period of data inactivity.

29. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

a set of instructions to selectively register at least one wireless communication device at a communication control device, the at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communications and selectively becoming unregistered from the communication control device;

a set of instructions to establish at least one broadcast interface between the communication control device and another computer device on the wireless communication network, the communication control device controlling wireless communications for wireless communication devices registered therewith, and the at least one broadcast interface permitting delivery of a group-directed communications to the at least one wireless communication device;

a set of instructions to maintain the at least one interface while at least one wireless communication device configured to receive a group-directed communications is registered with the communication control device; and

a set of instructions to release at least one broadcast interface when termination of the group communication is detected at the communication control device.