Granted Patent B2

US 7,295,853 · App. 10/880,716 · Granted Nov 13, 2007

Abstract

Claims (130)

1. A method for use in Push-To-Talk (PTT) voice communications for a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a user actuation of a PTT switch for initiating a PTT voice communication through a wireless communication network;

in response to identifying the user actuation of the PTT switch:

saving, in memory, digital voice data corresponding to voice input signals;

causing a request for the PTT voice communication to be made through the wireless communication network;

identifying that a floor grant has been received through the wireless communication network in response to the request;

after identifying the floor grant, causing the digital voice data, from the memory to be retrieved and transmitted to the wireless communication network for the PTT voice communication;

wherein an input pointer is used to identify a next memory location for storing voice data and an output pointer is used to identify a next memory location for retrieving and transmitting the voice data;

identifying a user release of the PTT switch;

storing an end marker for a memory location associated with the input pointer in response to identifying the user release of the PTT switch, the end marker being used to identify an end of the PTT voice communication;

after identifying the user release of the PTT switch, continuing transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the end marker; and

if a subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch is identified during the continued transmission of the voice data front the memory: storing a pause marker in place of the end marker and causing a transmission of silent data when the output pointer reaches the pause marker, for thereby producing a silent pause in between the PTT voice communication and a subsequent PTT voice communication associated with the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of saving the digital voice data in the memory is performed at least in part during a delay time period between the user actuation of the PTT switch and the identifying of the floor grant.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a delay time period between the act of identifying the user actuation of the PTT switch and receiving the voice input signals at the mobile station is zero or nearly zero.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the saving of the digital voice data is performed prior to the act of identifying the floor grant.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving analog voice signals from a microphone; and

performing an analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion of the analog voice signals to produce the digital voice data.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving analog voice signals from a microphone;

performing an analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion on the analog voice signals to produce data; and

voice encoding the A/D converted voice signals to produce the digital voice data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing PTT floor release procedures to be initiated after the output pointer reaches the end marker.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying subsequent user release of the PTT switch after the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch;

in response to identifying the subsequent user release of the PTT switch, storing a new end marker for a new memory location associated with the input pointer; and

continuing transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the new end marker.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer memory.

10. A mobile station, comprising:

a wireless transceiver which operates with a wireless communication network;

a user interface which includes:

a Push-To-Talk (PTT) switch for initiating a PTT voice communication;

a microphone for receiving voice input signals;

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to:

identify a user actuation of the PTT switch;

in response to identifying the user actuation of the PTT switch:

save, in the memory, digital voice data corresponding to the voice input signals received at the microphone;

cause a request for the PTT voice communication to be made through the wireless communication network;

identify that a floor grant has been received through the wireless communication network in response to the request;

after identifying the floor grant, cause the digital voice data from the memory to be retrieved and transmitted to the wireless communication network for the PTT voice communication;

wherein an input pointer is used to identify a next memory location for storing voice data and an output pointer is used to identify a next memory location for retrieving and transmitting the voice data;

identify a user release of the PTT switch;

store an end marker for a memory location associated with the input pointer in response to identifying the user release of the PTT switch, the end marker being used to identify an end of the PTT vote communication;

after identifying the user release of the PTT switch, continue transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the end marker; and

if a subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch is identified during the continued transmission of voice data from the memory: store a pause marker in place of the end marker and cause a transmission of silent data when the output pointer reaches the pause marker, for thereby producing a silent pause in between the PTT voice communication and a subsequent PTT voice communication associated with the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch.

11. The mobile station of claim 10 , wherein a delay time period exists between the user actuation of the PTT switch and the identifying the floor grant, and the saving, the digital voice data in the memory is performed at least in part during the delay time period.

12. The mobile station of claim 10 , further comprising:

a coder/decoder (CODEC) having an input coupled to the microphone;

a voice encoder having an input coupled to an output of the CODEC;

the memory having an input for coupling to an output of the voice encoder;

a switch coupled between the output of the voice encoder and the input to the memory; and

the one or more processors being further operative to control the switch so as to route encoded voice data from the voice encoder to the input to the memory for the PTT voice communication.

13. The mobile station of claim 10 , further comprising:

a coder/decoder (CODEC) having an input coupled to the microphone and an output which provides for voice data;

the memory having an input for receiving the voice data from the CODEC;

a switch coupled between the output of the CODEC and the input to the memory; and

the one or more processors being further operative to control the switch so as to route the voice data from the CODEC to the input to the memory for the PTT voice communication.

14. The mobile station of claim 10 wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

cause PTT floor release procedures to be initiated after the output pointer reaches the end marker.

15. The mobile station of claim 10 wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

identify a subsequent user release of the PTT switch after the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch;

in response to identifying subsequent user release of the PTT switch, store a new end marker for a new memory location associated with the input pointer; and

continue transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the new end marker.

16. The mobile station of claim 10 wherein the memory comprises a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer memory.

17. A computer readable medium having computer instructions stored therein, the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors for:

identifying a user actuation of a PTT switch for initiating a PTT voice communication through a wireless communication network;

in response to identifying the user actuation of the PTT switch:

causing digital voice data corresponding to voice input signals to be saved in memory;

causing a request for the PTT voice communication to be made through the wireless communication network;

identifying that a floor grant has been received through the wireless communication network in response to the request;

after identifying the floor grant, causing the digital voice data from the memory to be retrieved and transmitted to the wireless communication network for the PTT voice communication;

wherein an input pointer is used to identify a next memory location for storing voice data and an output pointer is used to identify a next memory location for retrieving and transmitting the voice data;

identifying a user release of the PTT switch;

storing an end marker for a memory location associated with the input pointer in response to identifying the user release of the PTT switch, the end marker being used to identify an end of the PTT voice communication;

after identifying the user release of the PTT switch, continuing transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the end marker; and

if a subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch is identified during the continued transmission of the voice data from the memory: storing a pause marker in place of the end marker and causing a transmission of silent data when the output pointer reaches the pause marker, for thereby producing a silent pause in between the PTT voice communication and a subsequent PTT voice communication associated with the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch.

18. The computer readable medium of clam 17 , wherein the saving the digital voice data in the memory is performed at least in part during a delay time period between the user actuation of the PTT switch and identifying the floor grant.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein a delay time period between the act of identifying the user actuation of the PTT switch and receiving the voice input signals at the mobile station is zero or nearly zero.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein at least some of the saving of the digital voice data is performed prior to identifying the floor grant.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , the computer instructions being further executable for:

causing PTT floor release procedures to be initiated after the output pointer reaches the end marker.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , the computer instructions being further executable for:

identifying a subsequent user release of the PTT switch after the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch;

in response to identifying the subsequent user release of the PTT switch, storing a new end marker for a new memory location associated with the input pointer; and

continuing transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the new end marker.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the memory comprises a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer memory.

24. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a wireless communication network;

a Push-to-talk (PTT) over Cellular (PoC) server coupled in the wireless communication network;

one or more mobile stations which operate in the wireless communication network, each mobile station including:

a wireless transceiver which communicates through the wireless communication network;

a user interface which includes:

a Push-To-Talk (PTT) switch for initiating a PTT voice communication via the PoC sever;

a microphone for receiving voice input signals;

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to:

identify a user actuation of the PTT switch;

in response to identifying the user actuation of the PTT switch:

save, in the memory, digital voice data corresponding to the voice input signals received at the microphone;

cause a request for the PTT voice communication to be made through the wireless communication network;

identify that a floor grant has been received through the wireless communication network in response to the request;

after identifying the floor grant, cause the digital voice data from the memory to be retrieved and transmitted to the wireless communication network for the PTT voice communication;

wherein an input pointer is used to identify a next memory location for storing the voice data and an output pointer is used to identify a next memory location for retrieving and transmitting the voice data;

identify a user release of the PTT switch;

store an end marker for a memory location associated with the input pointer in response to identifying the user release of the PTT switch, the end marker being used to identify an end of the PTT voice communication;

after identifying the user release of the PTT switch, continue transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the end marker; and

if a subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch is identified during the continued transmission of the voice data from the memory: store a pause marker in place of the end marker and cause a transmission of silent data when the output pointer reaches the pause marker, for thereby producing a silent pause in between the PTT voice communication and a subsequent PTT voice communication associated with the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch.

25. The wireless communication system of claim 24 , wherein the act of saving the digital voice data in the memory is performed at least in part during a delay time period between the user actuation of the PTT switch and the act of identifying the floor grant.

26. The wireless communication system of claim 24 , wherein the mobile station further comprises:

a coder/decoder (CODEC) having an input coupled to the microphone;

a voice encoder having an input coupled to an output of the CODEC;

the memory having an input for coupling to at output of the voice encoder;

a switch coupled between the output of the voice encoder and the input to the memory; and

the one or more processors being further operative to control the switch so as to route encoded voice data from the voice encoder to the input to the memory for the PTT voice communication.

27. The wireless communication system of clan 24 , wherein the mobile station further comprises:

a coder/decoder (CODEC) having an input coupled to the microphone and an output which provides for voice data;

the memory having an input for receiving the voice data from the CODEC;

a switch coupled between the output of the CODEC and the input to the memory; and

the one or more processors being further operative to control the switch so as to route the voice data from the CODEC to the input to the memory for the PTT voice communication.

28. The wireless communication system of claim 24 wherein the one or more processors of the mobile station are further operative to:

cause PTT floor release procedures to be initiated after the output pointer reaches the end marker.

29. The wireless communication system of claim 24 wherein the one or more processors of the mobile station are further operative to:

identify a subsequent user release of the PTT switch after the subsequent user actuation of the PTT switch;

in response to identifying the subsequent user release of the PTT switch, store a new end marker for a new memory location associated with the input pointer; and

continue transmission of the voice data from the memory as the output pointer approaches the new end marker.

30. The wireless communication system of claim 24 wherein the memory comprises a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer memory.

Assignments (8)