Method for allocating a communication right, communication conference session server and communication conference session server arrangement

• US 7,747,270 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Schmidt, Andreas, Schmidt, Holger, Schwagmann, Norbert, Luft, Achim
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hai V
• Application Number:
  US11/463,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 455/519
• US Class Current: 455/519
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A plurality of communication conference sessions coupled to one another such that when a communication right is requested, a check is made to ascertain whether the communication right has already been allotted to subscribers in a different, coupled communication conference session. In such a case, the communication right is denied, and otherwise, the communication right is granted.

Claims

1. A method for allocating a communication right in a first communication conference session between a first plurality of subscribers, comprising:

determining, after a communication right has been requested by a first subscriber in the first communication conference session, whether a communication right has been granted to a different subscriber in a second communication conference session between a second plurality of subscribers, at least one second subscriber of the first plurality of subscribers in the first communication conference session also being a subscriber in the second communication conference session, the at least one second subscriber participating in the first communication conference session and in the second communication conference session by means of a subscriber server assigned to the at least one second subscriber, and a process of determining whether a communication right has been granted to a different subscriber in the second communication conference session being carried out by the subscriber server assigned to the at least one second subscriber;

denying the first subscriber the requested communication right when a communication right has been granted to a subscriber in the second communication conference session; and

granting the first subscriber the requested communication right when a communication right has not been granted to any subscriber in the second communication conference session.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication conference session or the second communication conference session is a half-duplex communication conference session.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication conference session and the second communication conference session are half-duplex communication conference sessions.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication conference session or the second communication conference session is a push-to-talk communication conference session.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication conference session and the second communication conference session are push-to-talk communication conference sessions.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication conference session or the second communication conference session is a push-to-talk-over-cellular communication conference session.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication conference session and the second communication conference session are push-to-talk-over-cellular communication conference sessions.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, when the requested communication right is granted to the first subscriber in the first communication conference session, sending a notification of the granting of the communication right to at least one of the second plurality of subscribers in the second communication conference session.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

when a communication right has been granted to a subscriber in the second communication conference session, determining whether the first communication conference session has been assigned a higher communication right priority than the second communication conference session;

and

when the first communication conference session has been assigned a higher communication right priority than the second communication conference session, withdrawing the communication right from the subscriber in the second communication conference session and granting the communication right to the subscriber in the first communication conference session; and

when the first communication conference session has not been assigned a higher communication right priority than the second communication conference session, denying the subscriber in the first communication conference session the requested communication right.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, when the subscriber in the first communication conference session is denied the requested communication right, storing the subscriber in a communication right allocation queue.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising requesting a coupling of the communication conference sessions with regard to the allocation of a communication right by the at least one second subscriber in both communication conference sessions.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first communication conference session and the second communication conference session is an Internet multimedia subsystem communication conference session.

13. A communication conference session server for providing a first communication conference session between a first plurality of subscribers and a second communication conference session between a second plurality of subscribers, at least one subscriber of the first plurality of subscribers in the first communication conference session also being a subscriber in the second communication conference session and participating in the first communication conference session and in the second communication conference session by means of a subscriber server assigned to the at least one subscriber, comprising:

a communication right allocation unit allocating a communication right, which grants a subscriber in a communication conference session a right to introduce communication data into the communication conference session; and

a communication right determining unit that, after receiving a request from a subscriber in the first communication conference session for granting a communication right, requests the subscriber server to determine whether a communication right has been granted to a different subscriber in the second communication conference session,

when a communication right has been granted to a subscriber in the second communication conference session, denying the subscriber in the first communication conference session the requested communication right, and

when a communication right has not been granted to any subscriber in the second communication conference session, granting the subscriber in the first communication conference session the requested communication right.

14. The communication conference session server as claimed in claim 13, wherein the communication conference session server is a push-to-talk server.

15. The communication conference session server as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communication conference session server is a push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

16. A communication conference session server arrangement, comprising:

a first communication conference session server, providing and controlling a first communication conference session between a first plurality of subscribers;

a second communication conference session server, providing and controlling a second communication conference session between a second plurality of subscribers, at least one subscriber of the plurality of subscribers in the first communication conference session also being a subscriber in the second communication conference session; and

a subscriber server, being coupled to the first communication conference session server and to the second communication conference session server and by means of which the subscriber participates in the first communication conference session and in the second communication conference session,

wherein the first communication conference session server, upon receiving a request from a subscriber in the first communication conference session for granting a communication right, forwarding the request to the subscriber server and granting the communication right to the subscriber only if the first communication conference session server receives a corresponding release by the subscriber server.

17. The communication conference session server arrangement as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first communication conference session server and the second communication conference session server control push-to-talk-over-cellular servers, and the subscriber server is a participating push-to-talk-over-cellular server.

18. A communication conference session server arrangement, comprising:

a first communication conference session serving means for providing and controlling a first communication conference session between a first plurality of subscribers;

a second communication conference session serving means for providing and controlling a second communication conference session between a second plurality of subscribers, at least one subscriber of the plurality of subscribers in the first communication conference session also being a subscriber in the second communication conference session; and

a subscriber serving means, coupled to the first communication conference session server and to the second communication conference session server, for allowing the subscriber to participates in the first communication conference session and in the second communication conference session,

wherein the first communication conference session serving means, upon receiving a request from a subscriber in the first communication conference session for granting a communication right, is also for forwarding the request to the subscriber serving means and granting the communication right to the subscriber only if the first communication conference session serving means receives a corresponding release by the subscriber serving means.