Method and computer-readable medium for social circle push-to-talk service

1. A method for establishing a push-to-talk social group, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at a server from a mobile station group setup information comprising a group name for the push-to-talk social group and a mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group;

transmitting from the server to each mobile station of the push-to-talk social group a confirmation request including an internet address for an internet application that manages communications in the push-to-talk social group in response to the group setup information;

receiving at the server from each mobile station of the push-to-talk social group a confirmation of membership in the push-to-talk social group, including a name corresponding to each member of the push-to-talk social group;

monitoring at a network gateway based on the received confirmations of membership in the push-to-talk social group push-to-talk calling activity to determine when a first member of the push-to-talk social group is involved in a push-to-talk call;

detecting at the network gateway a push-to-talk call including the first member of the push-to-talk social group further comprising receiving a call record for the detected call and parsing at the server the call record to determine a mobile station identifier of each of the originator mobile station and the recipient mobile station;

notifying via the network gateway a second member of the push-to-talk social group that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call, wherein a mobile station of the second member of the push-to-talk social group is automatically set up to call the first member to establish a one-to-one call; and

joining via the network gateway the second member of the push-to-talk social group to the detected push-to-talk call based on the one-to-one call from the second member, wherein when the detected push-to-talk call is a one-to-one call, the detected push-to-talk call is converted to a group call when the second member of the push-to-talk social group is joined to the detected push-to-talk call.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group and of each of the originator mobile station and the recipient mobile station comprises an Urban, Fleet, Mobile Station Identifier (UFMID).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group and of each of the originator mobile station and the recipient mobile station comprises a telephone number of the mobile station.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group name and the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group are transmitted to the internet application.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group name and the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group are transmitted to a service provider.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the group name and the mobile station identifier for each member of the push-to-talk social group are transmitted by text message.

7. A method for establishing a push-to-talk social group, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving at a server comprising an internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, group setup information from a member of the push-to-talk social group;

sending from the server a data transmission, including an internet address of the internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, to each member of the push-to-talk social group;

receiving at the server from each member of the push-to-talk social group a confirmation of membership in the push-to-talk social group;

monitoring at a network gateway push-to-talk calling activity to determine when a first member of the push-to-talk social group; is involved in a push-to-talk call;

detecting a push-to-talk call including the first member of the push-to-talk social group

sending a call record of the detected push-to-talk call to the internet application;

receiving, from the internet application, a mobile station identifier of an originator of the detected push-to-talk call and a mobile station identifier of a recipient of the detected push-to-talk call based on the call record;

notifying via the network gateway a second member of the push-to-talk social group that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call, wherein a mobile station of the second member of the push-to-talk social group is automatically set up to call the first member to establish a one-to-one call; and

joining via the network gateway the second member to the detected push-to-talk call based on the one-to-one call from the second member, wherein when the detected push-to-talk call is a one-to-one call, the detected push-to-talk call is converted to a group call when the second member of the push-to-talk social group is joined to the detected push-to-talk call.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the act of:

receiving at the server a confirmation of membership from each of the members of the push-to-talk social group.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the group setup information includes a group name and a mobile station identifier of each mobile station in the push-to-talk social group.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the acts of:

determining at the server that the second member of the push-to-talk social group has already been informed that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call; and

informing via the network gateway a third member of the push-to-talk social group, without again informing the second member, that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for establishing a push-to-talk social group, the computer program comprising instructions for:

receiving group setup information from a member of the push-to-talk social group;

sending a data transmission, including an internet address of an internet application that manages push-to-talk social groups, to each member of the push-to-talk social group;

monitoring push-to-talk calling in a push-to-talk gateway application, based upon the group setup information;

detecting a push-to-talk call in which a first member of the push-to-talk social group is active;

sending a call record of the detected push-to-talk call to the internet application;

receiving, from the internet application, a mobile station identifier of an originator of the detected push-to-talk call and a mobile station identifier of a recipient of the detected push-to-talk call;

notifying a second member of the push-to-talk social group that the first member is active on the detected push-to-talk call, wherein a mobile station of the second member of the push-to-talk social group is automatically set up to call the first member to establish a one-to-one call; and

joining the second member of the push-to-talk social group to the detected call based on the one-to-one call, wherein when the detected push-to-talk call is a one-to-one call, the detected push-to-talk call is converted to a group call when the second member of the push-to-talk social group is joined to the detected push-to-talk call.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising instructions for:

receiving a confirmation of membership from each of the members of the push-to-talk social group.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the group setup information includes a group name and a mobile station identifier of each mobile station in the push-to-talk social group.