MXPA06007971A - Method and apparatus for sharing user information in a group communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide methods and apparatus for detecting or announcing presence and/or location information in a wireless communication network. In one aspect, a method for sharing user information in a wireless communication network includes sending an alert from an originator to a target, the alert including information about the originator and requesting information about the target, receiving information by the originator from the target in response to the alert, and updating information in the originator about the target, based on the received information. In another aspect, a method includes sending at least one alert from an originator, requesting information about at least one target user;receiving information by the originator in response to the alert;and updating information by the originator about the target user, based on information received.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHARING USER INFORMATION IN A GROUP COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to point-to-point or point-to-multiple point communications systems. Very specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for detecting, sharing and / or announcing the presence of users and / or location information in a group wireless communication network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For several years and in various forms there has been a class of wireless services intended for rapid, efficient, one-to-one or one-to-many (group) communication. In general, these services have been half-duplex, where a user presses a "push-to-talk" (PTT) button or a telephone / radio to initiate a group communication. If the word is granted, then the speaker usually speaks for a few seconds. After the speaker releases the PTT button, other available users can request the floor. Traditionally, these services have been used in applications where a person needs to communicate with a group of people, such as field service personnel or taxi drivers, generally known as group communication services. Therefore, there is a need for mechanisms to allow a user or group of users to detect or advertise information efficiently, such as the presence of users and / or location information, to another user or group of users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The described embodiments provide novel and improved methods and apparatus for detecting and / or announcing the presence of users and / or location information in a wireless communication network. In one aspect, the method for sharing user information in a wireless communication network includes sending an alert from an originator to an objective, the alert includes information related to the originator and requests information from the target, the originator receives information from the target in response to the alert, and update information in the originator regarding the objective, based on the information received. In another aspect, the method includes sending at least one alert from an originator requesting information about a target user at least, receiving information by the originator in response to the alert, and updating information by the originator about the target user, based on the information received. In one aspect, an apparatus for sharing user information in a wireless communication network includes a memory unit, a receiver, a transmitter, and a processor communicatively coupled with the memory unit, the receiver, and the transmitter. The processor has the ability to carry out the aforementioned methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of the modalities mentioned below: Figure 1 illustrates a group communication system; Figure 2 illustrates the way in which various communication devices interact with a group communication server; Figure 3 illustrates a modality for an infrastructure to execute several described modalities; Figures 4 (A) and 4 (B) illustrate flow charts for detecting and / or announcing presence and / or location information; and Figure 5 illustrates a flow chart for determining status information about a group of users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Before explaining various embodiments in detail, it will be understood that the scope of the invention should not be limited to the details of the construction and arrangement of the components mentioned in the following description or that are illustrated in the figures. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used here are for descriptive purposes and should not be viewed as a limitation. Figure 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of a group communication system 100, to execute a modality. The group communication system 100 is also known as a push-to-talk system (PTT), a network broadcast service (NSB), a dispatch system, or a point-to-point communication system. In one embodiment, the group communication system 100 includes a group communication server (GCS) 102, which can be displayed in a centralized deployment or a regionalized deployment. The group communication server 102 can be executed as is known in the art, including one or more processors, one or more memory units, and hardware and software input / output modules for various media communications, for example, IP media communication. The group communication devices (CD) 104 and 106, which can be deployed as CDMA equipment (for example, cdma2000), for example, can request packet data sessions using a data service option. Each CD can use the session to register its Internet Protocol (IP) address with the group communication server to execute group communication initiations. In one embodiment, the group communication server 102 is connected to packet data service (PDSN) nodes of the service provider through the network of the service provider 116. CDs 104 and 106, when requesting data sessions in packets to the wireless infrastructure, they can have IP connectivity with the group communication server 102 through the PDSN 114. Each PDSN can be interfaced to a base station controller (BSC) through a control function of packets (PCF) 108 and a network 112. The PCF can be placed with the BSC inside a base station (BS) 110. A packet data service node can enter one of several states, for example, active state or connected, latency, and null or inactive state. In the active or connected state, there is an active traffic channel between the participating CD and the BS or BSC, and either side can send data. In the dormant state, there is no active traffic channel between the participating CD and the BSC, but the point-to-point protocol (PPP) link between the participating CD and the PDSN is maintained. In the null or inactive state, there is no active traffic channel between the participating CD and the BSC, and a PPP link between the participating CD and the PDSN is not maintained. Each of the CDs 104 and 106 may request data sessions. As part of setting up a packet data session, each CD can be assigned an IP address. Each CD can execute a registration procedure to notify the group communication server 102 regarding the IP address of the CD. The registration can be carried out using an IP protocol, such as the session initiation protocol (SIP) over the user datagram protocol (ÜDP). The IP address of a CD can be used to contact the CD when the corresponding user is invited to a group communication or informed about it. Once a group communication is established, the CDs 104 and 106 and the group communication server 102 can exchange signaling means and messages. In one embodiment, the media can be exchanged between the participating CDs and the group communication server using the real-time protocol (RTP) over UDP. Signaling messages can also be exchanged using a signaling protocol over UDP. The communication system 100 performs several different functions to operate the group communication services. Functions that relate to the user side include user registration, group communication initiation, group communication termination, sending messages to group participants, late joining to a group communication, arbitration of the speaker, the annexation of members to a group, the removal of members of a group, the deletion of a member's registration, and the authentication of the user. The functions that relate to the preparation and operation of the system include administration and provisioning, scalability and reliability. Figure 2 illustrates a group communication arrangement 200 to show how CD 202, 204 and 206 interact with a group communication server 208. Multiple group communication servers can be deployed as desired for large groups. scale. A user can enter his desire on a CD 202, 204, 206 to initiate a communication session to exchange media, for example, data, voice, image and / or video, with one or more CDs. In a modality, the user first invites the user or target users before starting to communicate means, by pressing an "invite" button or PTT button on a CD. In Figure 2, when CD 202 is allowed to transmit media to other members of the group, then CD 202 is known as the originator and can transmit media on an established channel. When CD 202 is designated as the originator, the remaining participants, CD 204 and CD 206, may not have authorization to transmit media to the group. Accordingly, CD 204 and CD 206 are designated as objectives. As described above, the CDs 202, 204 and 206 are connected to the group communication server 208, using at least one channel. In one embodiment, channels 210, 212 and 214 may include a session initiation protocol (SIP) channel, a media signaling channel, and a media traffic channel. Figure 3 is a simplified block diagram of an infrastructure mode that includes a base station / base station controller (BS / BSC) 304 and a communication device 306, which have the capability to execute various described modes. For a particular media communication, voice messages, data, packet and / or alert data can be exchanged between BS / BSC 304 and communication device 306, through an air interface 308. Several types can be transmitted of messages, such as messages used to establish a communication session between the base station and the communication device, registration and location messages and messages used to control a data transmission (for example, power control, data speed information, recognition and so on). Some of these messages are described in more detail below. For the reverse link, in the communication device 306, voice and / or packet data (for example, from a data source 310) and messages (for example, from a controller 330) are provided to a transmission data processor (TX) 312, which formats and encodes the data and messages with one or more coding schemes to generate coded data. Each coding scheme can include any combination of cyclic redundancy review (CRC), convolutional, turbo, block and other coding, or no coding at all. The voice, data in packets and messages can be encoded using different schemes, and different types of messages can be encoded in different ways. The encoded data is then provided to a modulator (MOD) 314 and further processed (for example, covered, broadcast with short PN sequences, and mixed with a long PN sequence assigned to the communication device). The modulated data is then provided to a transmitter unit (TMTR) 316 and conditioned (e.g., converted to one or more analog signals, amplified, filtered and quadrature modulated) to generate a reverse link signal. The reverse link signal is guided through a duplexer (D) 318 and transmitted through an antenna 320 to the BS / BSC 304. In BS / BSC 304, the reverse link signal is received by an antenna 350, guided through a duplexer 352, and provided to a receiving unit (RCVR) 354. Alternatively, the antenna can be part of the wireless operator network, and the connection between the antenna and the BS / BSC can be guided through the Internet. The BS / BSC 304 may receive media information and alert messages from the communication device 306. The receiving unit 354 conditions (eg, filters, amplifies, sub-converts and digitizes) the received signal and provides samples. A demodulator (DEMOD) 356 receives and processes (for example, agglutinates, discovers and demodulates in pilot) the samples to provide the recovered symbols. The demodulator 356 can execute a rake receiver that processes multiple instances of the received signal and generates combined symbols. A reception data processor (RX) 358 then decodes the symbols to retrieve the data and messages transmitted on the reverse link. The recovered packet / voice data is provided to a data collector 360 and retrieved messages can be provided to a controller 370. Controller 370 can include instructions to receive and send alerts, and receive and send alerts to alerts. The processing by the demodulator 356 and the data processor RX 358 is complementary to that executed in the remote access device 306. The demodulator 356 and the data processor RX 358 can also be operated to process multiple transmissions received through multiple channels, for example, a fundamental inverse channel (R-FCH) and an inverse supplementary channel (R-SCH). Also, transmissions can come simultaneously from multiple communication devices, each of which can be transmitted on a fundamental reverse channel, a reverse supplementary channel, or both. In the forward link, in BS / BSC 304, voice and / or data in packets (e.g., from a data source 362) and messages (e.g., from controller 370) are processed (e.g., formatted and coded) by a transmission data processor (TX) 364, further processed (eg, covered and strewn) by a modulator (MOD) 366, and conditioned (e.g., converted to analog, amplified, filtered and quadrature modulated signals) ) by a transmitter unit (TMTR) 368 to generate a forward link signal. The forward link signal is guided through the duplexer 352 and transmitted via the antenna 350 to the remote access device 306. The forward link signals include location signals. In the communication device 306, the forward link signal is received by the antenna 320, guided through the duplexer 318, and provided to a receiving unit 322. The receiving unit 322 conditions (for example, sub-converts, filters, amplifies, modulates in quadrature, and digitizes) the received signal and provides samples. The samples are processed (for example, bonded, uncovered and demodulated in the pilot) by a demodulator 324 to provide symbols, and the symbols are further processed (eg, decoded and reviewed) by a reception data processor 326 to retrieve the data. and messages transmitted in the forward link. The recovered data is provided to a data collector 328, and retrieved messages can be provided to the controller 330. The controller 330 may include instructions to receive and send alerts, receive and send alerts to alerts, maintain status information about other users in a designated user group, and update the status information. A user or group of users can detect or announce user information, such as the presence of users, the availability of users, and / or location information of users to another user or group of users, without placing a call, establishing a communication session, u load the server. In one embodiment, each user can alert the members of a designated group when the user becomes available, for example, when the user is online. This would eliminate the configuration problems associated with server-based solutions. Users can configure their group lists, because users can belong to multiple groups, and switch between groups, without requiring changes to the server configuration, according to one modality. In one embodiment, the presence of the user and / or location detection is announced through point-to-point alerts or group alerts (point-to-multiple points) by means of the on (hello) and off (bye). Periodically, additional alerts can be sent to detect if a user has become available without sending a "goodbye" (for example, to detect loss of coverage or power). For example, by using the point-to-point alerts initiated by the user, user A sends a "hello" alert, with the power on, to the rest of the members in a designated group (for example, A, B, and C). If a guaranteed point-to-point delivery alert is used, user A receives an "Ack" alert (acknowledgment) if the alert is delivered successfully, or a "Nak" alert (without acknowledgment) if it is not. If an Ack alert is received from user B and a Nak alert from user C, then user A deduces that user B is already online and that user C is not online. When user B, who is already online, receives a Hello alert from user A, user B determines that user A is already online. Subsequently, when user A is no longer online, user A sends a "Goodbye" message to users B and C. When user B receives the "Goodbye" message from user A, user B determines that the user A is no longer online.

Figures 4 (A) and 4 (B) illustrate flow charts for announcing and / or sharing presence and / or location information, according to one modality. User A can select a list of members of a directory of lists of group members and / or individuals, and press a button (for example, the PTT button) on his CD, to announce his presence and / or location information to selected group. User A can also create a group list on purpose for the case, or designate a default group list for this purpose. For example, the designated group may include users B, C and D, as shown by the "friend list" of user A. At the time of activation by user A, user A's CD sends alerts of group to the target users B, C and D, for example, through the group communication server, as shown in step 402. The group message may include information such as the presence of user A (eg, "on", "off", "absent", etc.), the location of user A (for example, "at work", "at meeting", "I went out to eat", etc.), and / or the availability of the user A (for example, "busy", "on the phone", etc.). In one embodiment, the group communication server sends an alert to each target user in the designated group (e.g., B, C, and D), as shown in step 404.

Each target user in the designated group receiving an alert can respond with a message, for example, an alert, indicating the status of the target user, as shown in step 406. For example, target user B can respond with a response "ACK", indicating that user B is ON or available, user C may respond with a "NAK" response, indicating that user C is OFF or unavailable, user D may respond with a response "in session" or "in the airport". In one embodiment, the group communication server receives responses from members of the target group (e.g., user B, C and D), and forwards a group response to user A, as shown in step 408. Al At the time of receiving the group response, user A can update the status of his friend list to include information that user B is "ON", user C is "OFF" and user D is "in session" or "at the airport". In one mode, some or all of the target users (for example, B, C, and D) can also update the status information of their friends list members. When said target users receive an alert from user A, in step 404, indicating that user A is ON, said target users can update their friends list to include information that user A is ON, if user A appears in the list of friends of these target users. As recognized in Figure 4 (A), the user can have different personalized friend lists to preserve their privacy. For better privacy, a user can block any number of other users so they do not have contact with the blocking user. So that no information about the blocking user can be shared with other blocked users. In one embodiment, when any of the target users sends a status response to the GCS to be forwarded to the user A, in step 406, the GCS may also send said responses to other of the target users to update its list of friends by consequent. For example, when user B sends an "ACK" response, in step 406, indicating that user B is ON, the GCS can send the ACK response received from user B to target users C and D to update the status of the user. user B to ON in their friend lists, if user B appears in their friend lists. Figure 4 (B) shows the final state of the user's presence and / or location information exchange after user A sends the group alerts in step 402.

In one modality, a user can request the GCS to determine the status of a designated user or group of users, determine the group members that are currently registered, and / or determine the group members that are participating in a communication session of the group. group. The user can choose an existing group name or create a group on purpose for the case, and send the request for information about the group to the GCS, as shown in step 502. The GCS can provide status information about the designated group , for example, if the designated group is active or inactive, as shown in step 504, provide information about the members of the designated group who are registered, as shown in step 506, provide information about the members of the designated group who are participating in a current communication session, as shown in step 508, and / or provide information, eg, location information, about the group members, as shown in step 510. For example, when the user A requests information about a user group that includes seven members (e.g., A, BC, D, EF, and G), the server response, in step 508, may include information that the group designates is active with five participants (for example, A, B, C, F, and G), and the non-participating members of the designated group are either registered (for example, user D) or unregistered (for example, user E). In one embodiment, the presence and / or location information may be shared among the members of a designated group without establishing a communication session, for example, without speaking; therefore, providing better privacy for group members. In one embodiment, the presence and / or location information may be shared among the members of a designated group without loading the group communication server with group configuration; therefore, providing service providers with easy ways to charge each user based on their activity. Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and protocols. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols and chips, which can be referenced throughout the preceding description, can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, fields or magnetic particles, fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments shown herein, may be executed as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this hardware and software exchange capability, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is executed as hardware or software depends on the particular application and the design restrictions imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art can execute the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such execution decisions should not be interpreted as a cause for departing from the scope of the present invention. The various illustrative logic blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the embodiments described in the present invention can be executed or realized with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a specific application integrated circuit (ASIC) , a programmable field door layout (FPGA) signal or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present invention. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or conventional state machine. A processor may also be executed as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a central DSP, or any other configuration. The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments described in the present invention can be incorporated directly into hardware, into a software module executed by a processor, or into a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read the information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal. The prior description of the described embodiments is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these modalities will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other modalities, for example, in an instant messaging service or any wireless data communication applications, without departing of the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the modalities shown herein but will be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features described herein. The word "exemplary" is used exclusively in the present invention to mean "that it serves as an example, case or illustration". Any modality described here as "exemplary" will not necessarily be interpreted as preferred or advantageous over other modalities.

Claims (30)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following is claimed as a priority: CLAIMS

1. - A method for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: sending an alert from an originator to a target, the alert includes information about the originator and request information about the target; receive information from the originator of the objective in response to the alert, and update the information at the originator regarding the objective based on the information received.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said sending includes sending a group alert to a group of objectives, said reception includes receiving information from the group of objectives, and said updating includes updating the information about the group of objectives. .

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising updating the information on at least one target based on the information received from the originator.

4. - The method according to claim 2, further comprising updating the information on at least one target based on the information received from at least one other target in the group.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said information includes presence information.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said information includes location information.

7. - A computer readable medium that incorporates codes to execute a method for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, the method comprises: sending an alert from an originator to an objective, the alert includes information about the originator and information of request on the objective; receive information from the originator of the objective in response to the alert, and update the information at the originator regarding the objective based on the information received.

8. - The means in accordance with the claim 7, characterized in that said sending includes sending a group alert to a group of objectives, said reception includes receiving information from the group of objectives, and said updating includes updating the information about the group of objectives.

9.- The means in accordance with the claim 8, the method also includes updating the information on at least one objective based on the information received from the originator.

10. The means according to claim 8, the method further comprising updating the information in at least one objective based on the information received from at least one other objective in the group.

11. The medium according to claim 7, characterized in that said information includes presence information.

12. The medium according to claim 7, characterized in that said information includes location information.

13. An apparatus for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, comprising: means for sending an alert from an originator to an objective, the alert includes information about the originator and request information about the target; means to receive information from the originator of the objective in response to the alert, and means to update the information at the originator regarding the objective based on the information received.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said sending means include means for sending a group alert to a group of targets, said receiving means include means for receiving information from the group of targets, and said means of update include means to update the information on the group of objectives.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, which also includes means to update the information on at least one objective based on the information received from the originator.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising means for updating the information on at least one target based on the information received from at least one other target in the group.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said information includes presence information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said information includes location information.

19. An apparatus for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, comprising: a memory unit; a receiver; a transmitter; and a processor coupled to the memory unit, the receiver and the transmitter, the processor has the ability to: send an alert from an originator to a target, the alert includes information about the originator and request information about the target; receive information from the originator of the objective in response to the alert, and update the information at the originator regarding the objective based on the information received.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the sending includes sending a group alert to a group of objectives, said reception includes receiving information from the group of objectives, and said updating includes updating the information about the group of objectives. .

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, the processor further has the ability to include update information on at least one target based on the information received from the originator.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, the processor also has the ability to update the information on at least one target based on the information received from at least one other target in the group.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that said information includes presence information.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that said information includes location information.

25. A method for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, comprising: sending at least one alert from an originator requesting information about a target user at least; receive information from the originator in response to the alert, and update the information in the originator with respect to the target user based on the information received.

The method according to claim 25, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information as to whether the group is active or passive.

The method according to claim 25, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding which target user in the group is registered.

28. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding which target user is participating in a current communication session.

29. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving location information for the target users.

30. - A computer readable medium for incorporating codes to execute a method for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: sending at least one alert from an originator requesting information about a target user at least; receive information from the originator in response to the alert, and update the information in the originator with respect to the target user based on the information received. 31. - The means according to claim 30, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information as to whether the group is active or passive. 32. The medium according to claim 30, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding which target user in the group is registered. The medium according to claim 30, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding which target user is participating in a current communication session. 34. The medium according to claim 30, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving location information for the target users. 35. An apparatus for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, comprising: means for sending at least one alert from an originator requesting information about a target user at least; means to receive information from the originator in response to the alert, and means to update the information in the originator with respect to the target user based on the information received. 36. The apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that said request means include means for requesting information about a group of target users, and said receiving means include means for receiving information regarding whether the group is active or passive. The apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that said request means include means for requesting information about a group of target users, and said receiving means include means for receiving information regarding which target user in the group is registered. . 38.- The apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that said request means include means for requesting information about a group of target users, and said receiving means include means to receive information regarding which target user is participating in a session. of current communication. The apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that said requesting means include means for requesting information about a group of target users, and said receiving means include means for receiving location information for the target users. 40.- An apparatus for sharing user information in a wireless communication network, comprising: a memory unit; a receiver; a transmitter; and a processor coupled to the memory unit, the receiver and the transmitter, the processor has the ability to: send at least one alert from an originator requesting information about a target user at least; receive information from the originator in response to the alert, and update the information in the originator with respect to the target user based on the information received. 41. The apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding whether the group is active or passive. 42. The apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding which target user in the group is registered. 43. The apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving information regarding which target user is participating in a current communication session. 44. The apparatus according to claim 40, characterized in that said request includes requesting information about a group of target users, and said reception includes receiving location information for the target users.