Cellular communication system messaging
A method of operating a cellular communications system, the method comprising a subscriber unit, e.g. mobile station or user equipment such as a mobile telephone, participating in a session context such as a session conference call that has been set up using a session initiation protocol such as Internet IP Session Initiation Protocol; a first user inputting a voice message to the subscriber unit; and the subscriber unit transmitting the voice message to a second user by means of the session context. The voice message is input on a push-to-talk basis and transmitted over a push-to-talk bearer path.
1 . A method of operating a cellular communications system, the method comprising the steps of:
a subscriber unit of the cellular communications system participating in a set up of a session context using a session initiation protocol;
a first user inputting a voice message to the subscriber unit;
a voice message module converting the voice message to a data stream; and
the subscriber unit transmitting the data stream carrying the voice message to a second user by means of the session context without making a dedicated call, wherein the inputting, converting and transmitting steps are all performed within a single subsequent session.
2 . A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the subscriber unit initiating the session context using the session initiation protocol.
3 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the voice message is input to the subscriber unit using a push-to-talk process.
4 . A method according to claim 3 , further comprising a push-to-talk bearer path being established from the subscriber unit to a gateway node, the voice message being transmitted over the push-to-talk bearer path.
5 . A method according to claim 4 , further comprising the gateway node performing push-to-talk to stream conversion.
6 . A method according to of claim 5 From 1 , further comprising the step of compressing the voice message.
7 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the session context is compliant with the Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, of the Internet Protocol, IP.
8 . A method according to of claim 1 , wherein the session context comprises use of the Multimedia Messaging, MMS, Presence service.
9 . A cellular communications subscriber unit, comprising:
means for participating in a set up of a session context;
means for receiving an input voice message;
means for converting the voice message to a data stream; and
means for transmitting the data stream carrying the voice message by means of the session context without making a dedicated call, wherein the means for receiving, converting and transmitting are all performed within a single subsequent session.
10 . A cellular communications subscriber unit according to claim 9 , further comprising means for initiating the session context using a session initiation protocol.
11 . A cellular communications subscriber unit according to claim 9 , wherein the means for receiving an input voice message comprises push-to-talk means for receiving the input message by a push-to-talk process.
12 . A cellular communications subscriber unit according to claims 9 , further comprising means for compressing the voice message.
13 . A cellular communications subscriber unit according to claim 9 , wherein the session context is compliant with the Session Initiation Protocol, SIP, of the Internet Protocol, IP.
14 . A cellular communications subscriber unit according to claims 9 , wherein the session context comprises use of the Multimedia Messaging, MMS, Presence service.
15 - 20 . (canceled)