Enhancing conference bridge muting to save network resources

• US 8,818,345 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Shah, Maulik K., Vargantwar, Sachin R., Penugonda, Srinivasarao Venkata Naga Satya
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/448,984
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 709204-206
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for reducing the use of network resources during a conference call with mobile communications devices. An active conference call is detected between a conference bridge service, including a conference bridge leader, and participants who are ace sing the conference call by way of a mobile communications device in a wireless communications network. An indication is received that the conference bridge leader has muted the lines of the participants. As a result, each of these mobile communications devices are notified to stop transmitting data over a reverse link other than data used for signaling purposes until the devices are no longer muted.

Claims

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for reducing the use of network resources during a conference call, the method comprising:

detecting that a conference bridge service is currently active between a conference bridge leader and one or more participants who access the conference bridge service by way of mobile communications devices in a wireless communications network;

receiving an indication that the conference bridge leader has activated a mute function for each of the one or more participants on the conference call;

at the wireless communications network, notifying each of the mobile communications devices associated with the one or more participants to stop transmitting data over a reverse link other than the data used for signaling purposes for a period of time that extends until the mute function is deactivated; and

altering a timer associated with the reverse link such that the one or more participants on the conference call are not disconnected from the conference call when the wireless communications network detects that the data is not being transmitted over the reverse link for a predetermined amount of time.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the mute function is deactivated by one of the mobile communications devices for that mobile communications device only.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the mute function is deactivated by the conference bridge leader.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the data that the one or more communications devices stop transmitting is a traffic portion of the reverse link such that blank frames are not transmitted over the reverse link.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising detecting that the data other than the data used for signaling purposes is being transmitted over the reverse link from one of the mobile communications devices, thus indicating an unmute action initiated by the one of the mobile communications devices.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 5, further comprising sending the one of the mobile communications devices a confirmation message confirming the unmute action.

7. The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the conference bridge leader has activated an unmute function for each of the participants on the conference call; and

in response to the unmute function being activated, notifying the mobile communications devices to resume transmitting the traffic portion of the reverse link.

8. Non-transitory computer readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for reducing the use of network resources during a conference call, the method comprising:

determining that the conference call is currently active between a conference bridge service and one or more mobile communications devices in a wireless communications network;

in an existing voice link between a base station controller in the wireless communications network and the conference bridge service, receiving a mute request from the conference bridge service to mute the one or more mobile communications devices participating on the conference call;

using an identification associated with each of the one or more mobile communications devices, identifying a base transceiver station associated with the each of the one or more mobile communications devices;

at a network component, requesting that each of the base transceiver stations notify the associated one or more mobile communications devices to stop transmitting a traffic portion of a reverse link from the one or more mobile communications devices to the wireless communications network but continue transmitting a signaling portion of the reverse link to save network resources;

altering a timer associated with the reverse link between the wireless communications network and the one or more mobile communications devices such that the one or more mobile communications devices are not disconnected from the conference call when the wireless communications network detects that data is not being transmitted over the reverse link for a predetermined amount of time;

receiving an unmute request with respect to the one or more mobile communications devices; and

in response to the unmute request, requesting that the base transceiver stations notify their associated one or more mobile communications devices to resume transmitting the traffic portion of the reverse link.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the unmute request is received from the conference bridge service.

10. The computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the unmute request is received from one of the one or more mobile communications devices.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the signaling portion of the reverse link includes one or more of messages to handover a call to a different base transceiver station, messages regarding a quality of a forward link, or messages notifying the wireless communications network to power up or power down.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein only the one of the one or more mobile communications devices resumes transmitting the traffic portion of the reverse link when it initiates the unmute request.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein further in response to the unmute request, altering the timer associated with the reverse link such that the one or more mobile communications devices are disconnected from the conference call when the wireless communications network detects that the data is not being transmitted over the reverse link for a predetermined amount of time.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the data is transmitted on the traffic portion of the reverse link.

15. A system for reducing the use of network resources during a conference call, the system comprising:

a base station controller that receives a mute request from a conference bridge service in relation to the conference call between a conference leader and one or more mobile communications devices, the mute request requesting that each of the one or more mobile communications devices not provide any audio to the conference call, wherein the base station controller alters a timer associated with a reverse link between a wireless communications network and the one or more mobile communications devices such that the conference call is not terminated when the wireless communications network detects that data is not being transmitted over the reverse link;

at least one base transceiver station that receives the mute request from the base station controller and notifies at least one of the one or more mobile communications devices with which it is associated to stop transmitting a traffic portion of a reverse link from the at least one of the one or more mobile communications devices to the wireless communications network but continue transmitting a signaling portion of the reverse link to save network resources; and

one or more mobile communications devices that, upon receiving a notification from the associated base transceiver station to stop transmitting the traffic portion of the reverse link, refrain from transmitting any data associated with the traffic portion of the reverse link but continue transmitting a signaling portion of the reverse link until the associated base transceiver station provides a notification to resume transmitting the traffic portion of the reverse link.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the base station controller further identifies a base transceiver station associated with the each of the one or more mobile communications devices to which the mute request is to be sent.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one base transceiver station receives an unmute request from the base station controller upon the base station controller receiving the unmute request from the conference bridge service, thus indicating that the one or more mobile communications devices are to resume transmitting the traffic portion of the reverse link.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the base station controller, along with the mute request, receives from the conference bridge service a list of identifications associated with the one or more mobile communications devices that are participating in the conference call.