METHOD TO IDENTIFY VOICE OVER PACKET DEVICE CAPABILITY AND USE IT TO MAKE APPROPRIATE CALLS WITH OTHER CLIENT DEVICES

• US 20110188456A1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: RAWAT, Vikram Kumar, Bao, Derek Hongwei
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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 provides push-to-talk (PTT) or similar communication service via a radio access network providing wireless mobile packet data communications for mobile stations. A server distributes packets of digitized audio received from a broadcasting mobile station to one or more client devices of other parties. The called client device(s), however, may not all have the same communications capabilities as the broadcasting mobile station. Signaling procedures are adapted to inform the broadcasting station of the capabilities of the other client device(s). This enables the broadcasting mobile station to configure its transmissions of digitized audio through the network for compatibility with the capabilities of the other client device(s). Proper configuration avoids loss of data at the destination, particularly at the start of a PTT transmission, due to transmission in a form or configuration that may be incompatible with one or more of the receiving stations.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method of transmitting digitally encoded audio for one of a plurality of client devices from a mobile station, at least some of the client devices having a plurality of different communication capabilities, the method comprising steps of:

registering the mobile station with equipment of a provider of a voice over packet communication service;

transmitting packets of digital audio information through a mobile wireless communication network, for communication to the one client device, using a default communication capability;

following transmission of at least some of the packets of digital audio information using the default communication capability, receiving from the equipment of the service provider capability information indicating a communication capability of the one client device from among the different communication capabilities;

determining from the received capability information a communication configuration that is compatible with the indicated communication capability of the one client device selected from among a plurality of configurations compatible with the plurality of different communication capabilities of the client devices; and

transmitting packets of digital audio information through the mobile wireless communication network, for communication to the one client device, using the selected communication configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the receiving of the information indicating the communication capability of the one client device follows a first ad hoc call with the one client device; and

the transmitting of the packets of digital audio information using the selected communication configuration is part of a communication with the one client device that is subsequent to the first ad hoc call.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the mobile station and the one client device are associated as members of a group defined by a list in the equipment of the service provider.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitting of packets of digital audio information through the mobile wireless communication network is intended for communication to the plurality of client devices.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the plurality of client devices comprise mobile stations, and

the selected communication configuration corresponds to a communication capability common to the mobile station client devices.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the selected communication configuration implements vocoding of the audio information at a rate that is compatible with a vocoder rate that is common to the mobile station client devices.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the transmitting of the packets of digital audio information using the selected communication configuration utilizes a radio link service option, selected from a plurality of service options available in the mobile wireless communication network, and

the selected service option is compatible with a common receiving capability of the mobile station client devices.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of transmitting the packets of digital audio information using the selected communication configuration sends the digital audio information to the equipment of the service provider for distribution to the mobile station client devices, so as to provide a push-to-talk service.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of transmitting the packets of digital audio information using the selected communication configuration sends the digital audio information to the equipment of the service provider for distribution to the one client device, so as to provide a push-to-talk service.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of receiving information indicating a communication capability of the one client device is part of a procedure for the registering of the mobile station with the equipment of the service provider.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of registering with equipment of the service provider includes transmitting information indicating a communication capability of the mobile station to the equipment, for transmission to one or more of the client devices.

27. The method of claim of claim 26, wherein the registering comprises an exchange of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages with the equipment of the service provider.

28-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A system for providing an audio over packet communication service, comprising:

a radio access network for providing wireless mobile packet data communications for a plurality of mobile stations, at least some of the mobile stations having a plurality of different packet communication capabilities;

a server coupled to the radio access network for distributing packets of digitized audio for an audio over packet communication received from a broadcasting mobile station, which have been communicated through the radio access network in a manner that is compatible with a default communication capability, to a mobile station client device intended to receive the audio over packet communication; and

means for determining a packet communication capability of the mobile station client device, from among the different communication capabilities, after distribution of digitized audio communicated in the manner compatible with the default communication capability, and for communicating the determined communication capability of the mobile station client device to the broadcasting mobile station, to enable the broadcasting mobile station to configure its transmissions of digitized audio for the audio over packet communication through the radio access network for compatibility with the determined communication capability of the mobile station client device,

wherein after the communication of the identified capability, the server distributes packets of digitized audio for the audio over packet communication received from the broadcasting mobile station, which have been communicated through the radio access network in a manner that is compatible with the identified communication capability, to the mobile station client device.

32. A call processing method, for set-up of a voice over packet communication via a radio access network between a mobile station and one of a plurality of client devices, at least some of the client devices having a plurality of different communication capabilities, the method comprising steps of:

receiving registration information from the one client device;

receiving and forwarding encoded voice packet information between the mobile station and the one client device, which have been communicated through the radio access network in a manner that is compatible with a default communication capability;

in response to the received registration information, identifying a communication capability of the one client device from among the different communication capabilities;

communicating information as to the identified communication capability of the one client device, to the mobile station, through the radio access network, wherein the communication of the information as to the communication capability of the one client device to the mobile station follows completion of the receiving and forwarding of voice packet information communicated in the manner compatible with the default communication capability;

receiving encoded voice packet information from the mobile station, wherein the voice packet information has been communicated through the radio access network in one manner that is compatible with the communication capability of the client device selected from among a plurality of manners compatible with the plurality of different communication capabilities of the client devices; and

forwarding the encoded voice packet information to the one client device.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

communicating with the mobile station to register the mobile station;

wherein the information as to the communication capability of the one client device is communicated to the mobile station as part of the communication to register the mobile station.

34. The method of claim of claim 33, wherein:

the receiving of registration information from the one client device involves an exchange of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages with the one client device; and

the communication to register the mobile station includes an exchange of SIP messages with the mobile station.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising forwarding the encoded voice packet information to another client device.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein:

the client devices comprise mobile stations, and

the voice packet information has been communicated through the radio access network in a manner that is compatible with a communication capability that the mobile station client devices provide in common.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the encoded voice packet information has been vocoded at a rate that is compatible with the communication capability of the mobile station client devices.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the encoded voice packet information is received and forwarded via the radio access network using a radio link service option that is compatible with the common capability of the mobile station client devices, selected from among a plurality of service options available through the radio access network.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the receiving of registration information includes receiving information indicating communication capability from the one client device; and

the identifying of the communication capability is responsive to the information indicating communication capability received from the one client device.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the receiving of registration information does not explicitly indicate the communication capability of the one client device; and

the identifying of the communication capability of the client device comprises assigning the default communication capability with respect to the one client device.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein:

subscribers associated with the one client device and the mobile station are members of a pre-defined group; and

the set-up of voice over data-packet communication is between members of the pre-defined group.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein the set-up of voice over data-packet communication is done on an ad hoc basis between subscribers associated with the one client device and the mobile station.