Method and apparatus for dynamic group address creation

Dynamic group address creation method and equipment technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and device for dynamically creating a group address, which is beneficial to communication between user groups.

Background technique

[0002] Wireless communication devices such as cellular phones or mobile stations can make and receive voice calls and/or send and receive data through a wireless communication network. Current developments have used the push-to-talk (PoC) technology on the cellular to give such mobile stations the ability to communicate in accordance with the "push-to-talk" (PTT) mode. PoC communication uses Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, which involves the communication of data packets that carry voice information. PoC communication is suitable for conversation-based one-to-one conversations or group conversations.

[0003] The end user of the mobile station can send PoC communication invitations to other potential "participants" who may "accept" or ignore the invitation. When the invitation is accepted, a PoC session is created between the two participants. Other acceptances of the invitation expand the conversation into a group conversation with more than two participants.

[0004] There are two general ways of creating PoC groups for PoC services: 1) Predefine the group definition through a PoC service provider or network-based application tool; and 2) When in use, it is defined by a user-defined group.

[0005] Similarly, in a chat session, users can communicate with user groups through instant messages, and exchange instant messages in the group.

[0006] An individual may wish to initiate a relationship with other people (known or unknown to the individual) who share at least one common characteristic (such as location, personal preference for dining or other activities, or a common set of interests or a combination of these characteristics). Group communication. [0007] Examples of using such dynamic groups may be:

[0008] 1. "Friends by my side"-based on a subset of the pre-listed members (friends) near the owner of the group, the membership of this group is dynamically created.

[0009] 2. "My lunch buddies"-dynamically create the membership of this group based on a pre-listed subset of members (friends) who have announced lunch preferences similar to those of the group owner.

[0010] 3. "My love partner"-based on the comparison of similar consistency characteristics with the group owner and that it is located near the group owner, the membership of this group is dynamically created.

[0011] 4. "My shopping partner"-dynamically creates the membership of this group based on a subset of the pre-listed members (friends) who have indicated that they want to shop today.

[0012] 5. "My board game opponent"-based on the announcement of interest in playing online board games, the membership of this group is dynamically created.

[0013] 6. The introduction of "distress call"-this kind of dynamic group will facilitate the new concept of "distress call". In the event of an accident, the user can directly call a group of users who may need help that the user does not know beforehand to request emergency assistance. An example application for this is a skier who has encountered an accident and needs emergency assistance from other skiers in its vicinity. Based on all users who have been authorized to join as members of the distress call group and are located near the group owner, the membership of the distress call group is dynamically created.

[0014] 7. Dispatch call based on taxi location A taxi dispatcher wishes to contact a taxi located near the passenger pick-up location. Dynamically create dispatch calls based on all pre-listed taxi driver users near the pick-up location

Called the membership of the group.

[0015] W001/97539 discloses a system for delivering messages to multiple cell phone subscribers. This system is set up to broadcast messages to target subscriber groups substantially simultaneously. The user is taken as a target, as a group filtered out from all subscribers based on at least one common subscriber characteristic. The message broadcaster creates a group that wants to receive broadcast messages by filtering the subscriber profiles stored in the database. Although such selected groups of subscribers can form channels that support one-to-many and many-to-many interactions, the messages from the receiving mobile device are limited to messages composed of predetermined vocabulary or predetermined messages.

[0016] Therefore, there is a need for solutions to one or more of the above-mentioned needs.

Summary of the invention

[0017] Here, methods and devices that facilitate the creation of dynamic groups of push-to-talk (PoC) group communication sessions, instant messaging sessions, chats, and other communications on a cellular are described.

[0018] In one embodiment, the method includes: receiving at least one rule associated with a group address that defines dynamic group members; and expanding the office with a member from the mobile station determined according to the at least one rule. The dynamic group. At least the rule is defined by reference to its appearance, and it can also be defined by reference to the location information available for the mobile station. This information can be published on behalf of the site to one or more servers used to identify mobile stations that match the rules. The method may include: subscribing to a server to obtain a matching mobile station whose dynamic group address is expanded. These and other aspects including one or more methods, servers, mobile stations, and computer program products will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Description of the drawings

[0019] In order to make the present invention easy to understand, the embodiments of the present invention will be described as examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the relevant components of a wireless communication network and a mobile station communicating in this network. The wireless communication network and the mobile station are configured to facilitate push-to-talk (PoC) on the cellular Communication

[0021] FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic diagram of a mobile station that can communicate within a wireless communication network;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the configuration of system components related to the PoC communication session of the present application;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system component configuration related to an example PoC communication session between three users according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a typical dynamic group creation communication process between system components shown in FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a typical dynamic group creation communication process between system components shown in FIG. 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system 100, including a mobile station 102 communicating through a wireless communication network 104. Preferably, the mobile station 102 includes a visual display 112, a keyboard 114, and one or more auxiliary user interfaces (UI) 116, each of which is connected to the controller 106. The controller 106 is also connected to a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 108 and an antenna 110.

[0027] Typically, the controller 106 is embodied as a central processing unit (CPU) that runs operating system software in a memory component (not shown). The controller 106 generally controls the overall operation of the mobile station 102, and the communication function-related

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The signal processing operations are typically performed in the RF transceiver circuit 108. The controller 106 interfaces with the device display 112 to display received information, stored information, user input, and the like. The keyboard 114, which can be a telephone-type keypad or a full alphanumeric keyboard, is generally used to input data to be stored in the mobile station 102, information to be transmitted to the network 104, phone numbers for making telephone calls, and information to be executed on the mobile station 102. Commands and possibly other or different user input.

[0028] The mobile station 102 transmits and receives communication signals to and from the network 104 via a wireless link through the antenna 110. The RF transceiver circuit 108 performs functions similar to the radio network (RN) 128, including, for example, modulation/demodulation and possibly encoding/decoding and encryption/decryption. It should be clear that the RF transceiver circuit 108 may perform some functions other than those performed by the RN 128. It should be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that the RF transceiver circuit 108 is applicable to a specific wireless network or a network in which the mobile station 102 operates.

[0029] The mobile station 102 includes a battery interface 122 for accommodating one or more rechargeable batteries 124. The battery 124 supplies power to the circuits in the mobile station 102, and the battery interface 122 provides mechanical and electrical connections to the battery 124. The battery interface 122 is connected to the regulator 126 for regulating the power to the device. When the mobile station 102 is fully operating, usually only when it transmits to the network, the RF transmitter of the RF transceiver circuit 108 is turned on, otherwise, it is turned off to reserve resources. Similarly, within a specified time period, the RF receiver of the RF transceiver circuit 108 is periodically turned off to reserve power until it is needed to receive signals or information (if necessary).

[0030] The mobile station 102 operates by using a memory module 120, such as a subscriber identity module (SIM) or a detachable user identity module (R-UIM), connected to the mobile station 102 at the interface 118, or inserted in the mobile station 102 . As an alternative to SIM or R-UIM, the mobile station 102 can operate according to the configuration data programmed into the internal memory as a non-volatile memory by the service provider. The mobile station 102 may be composed of a single unit, such as a data communication device, a cellular phone, a multi-function communication device with data and voice communication capabilities, a personal digital assistant (PDA) capable of wireless communication, or a computer including an internal modem. Alternatively, the mobile station 102 may be a multi-module unit including multiple discrete components, including but not limited to a computer or other equipment connected to a wireless modem. Specifically, for example, in the block diagram of the mobile station shown in FIG. 1, the RF transceiver circuit 108 and the antenna 110 may be implemented as a radio modem unit that can be inserted into a port on a laptop computer. In this case, the laptop computer will include a display 112, a keyboard 114, and one or more auxiliary UIs 116, and the controller 106 can be held in a radio modem unit to communicate with the CPU of the computer, or be embodied as the CPU of the computer. It should also be understood that it can be Other devices that perform wireless communication are adjusted to connect to the RF transceiver circuit 108 and antenna 110 of a single unit device (such as one of the above-mentioned devices), and to effectively control them. Such a mobile station 102 may have a more specific implementation described later with reference to the mobile station 202 shown in FIG. 2.

[0031] The mobile station 102 communicates in and through the wireless network 104. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the wireless network 104 is a third generation (3G) support network based on code division multiple access (CDMA) technology. Specifically, the wireless network 104 is a CDMA2000 network including fixed network components connected as shown in FIG. 1. The CDMA2000 wireless network 104 includes a radio network (RN) 128, a mobile switching center (MSC) 130, a signaling system 7 (SS7) network 140, a home location register/verification center (HLR/AC) 138, and a packet data service node (PDSN) ) 132, IP network 134 and remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) server 136. The SS7 network 140 is communicatively connected to the network 142 (such as the public switched telephone network or PTSN), and the IP network is communicatively connected to the network 144 (such as the Internet). It should be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that, based on the teachings here, other networks and related technologies including GPRS, E-GPRS and UMTS radio networks can be used.

[0032] During operation, the mobile station 102 interacts with those performing functions such as call setup, call processing, and mobility management.

RN128 communicates. The RN128 includes multiple base station transceiver systems to provide wireless network coverage for a specific coverage area commonly referred to as a "cell". As shown in Figure 1, a given base station transceiver system of RN128 transmits and receives communication signals to and from mobile stations located in its cell. Under the control of its controller, the base transceiver system usually performs modulation and possibly encoding and/or encryption of the signal to be transmitted to the mobile station according to specific, usually predetermined communication protocols and parameters. If necessary, the base transceiver system similarly demodulates and possibly decodes and decrypts any communication signals received from the mobile station 102 in its cell. The communication protocol and parameters may be different between different networks. For example, one network may adopt a different modulation scheme than another network and operate at a different frequency. According to its specific protocol revision, the basic services are also different.

[0033] The wireless link in the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 represents one or more different channels, typically different radio frequency (RF) channels, and the association used between the wireless network 104 and the mobile station 102 protocol. The RF channel is a limited resource that must be reserved, typically due to the limitation of the overall bandwidth and the limited battery power of the mobile station 102. It should be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that, according to the overall expansion of the network coverage, a wireless network in actual application may include hundreds of cells. All relevant components can be connected through switches and routers (not shown) and controlled by multiple network controllers.

[0034] For all mobile stations 102 registered with the network operator, permanent data (such as the profile of the user of the mobile station 102) and temporary data (such as the current location of the mobile station 102) are stored in the HLR/AC138. In the case of a voice call to the mobile station 102, the HLR/AC 138 is queried to determine the current location of the mobile station 102. The Visited Location Register (VLR) of the MSC130 is responsible for the location area group and stores the data of those mobile stations currently in its responsible area. This includes part of the permanent mobile station data that has been transmitted from the HLR/AC138 to the VLR for faster access. but, The VLR of MSC130 can also allocate and store local data, such as temporary identification. For system access, the mobile station 102 is verified by the HLR/AC138. In order to provide packet data services to the mobile station 102 in a CDMA2000-based network, the RN128 communicates with the PDSN132. The PDSN 132 provides access to the Internet 144 (or an intranet, a wireless application protocol (WAP) server, etc.) through the IP network 134. PDSN132 also provides the remote agent (FA) function in the mobile IP network and packet transmission for virtual private networking. PDSN132 has an IP address range and performs IP address management, session maintenance, and optional caching. The RADIUS server 136 is responsible for performing functions related to authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) of packet data services, and may be referred to as an AAA server.

[0035] The wireless communication network 104 also includes a push-to-talk (PoC) server 137 on a cell that can be connected to the IP network 134. The PoC server 137 operates to facilitate PoC individual and group communication sessions between mobile stations in the network 104. The traditional PoC communication session involves the session connection between the end users of the mobile station (called the "participants" of the session). It communicates with one participant at a time in a half-duplex manner, which is very similar to a traditional walkie-talkie or Two-way radio.

[0036] It should be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that the wireless network 104 may be connected to other systems, and may include other networks, which is not clearly shown in FIG. 1. Even if there is no actual packet data exchanged, the network usually transmits with very few paging types and ongoing system information. Although the network is composed of multiple components, these components work together to obtain specific behaviors at the wireless link.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of the preferred mobile station 202. Preferably, the mobile station 202 is a two-way communication device with at least voice and advanced data communication capabilities, including the ability to communicate with other computer systems. According to the functions provided by the mobile station 202, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellular phone with data messaging capability, a wireless Internet device, or a data communication device (with or without telephone capability). The mobile station 202 can communicate with

Any one of multiple base station transceiver systems 200 within its geographic coverage area communicates.

[0038] The mobile station 202 generally includes a communication subsystem 211, which includes a receiver 212, a transmitter 214 and associated components, such as one or more (preferably embedded or built-in) antenna elements 216 and 218, a local oscillator (L0) 213 and processing modules such as digital signal processor (DSP) 220. The communication subsystem 211 is similar to the RF transceiver circuit 108 and antenna 110 shown in FIG. 1. As is clear to those of ordinary skill in the communication field, the specific design of the communication subsystem 211 depends on the communication in which the mobile station 202 operates. The internet.

[0039] After the required network registration or activation process has been completed, the mobile station 202 can send and receive communication signals through the network. The signal received by the antenna 216 through the network is input to the receiver 212, which can perform common receiver functions such as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., and in the example shown in FIG. 2, also performs analog to Digital (A/D) conversion. The A/D conversion of the received signal allows more complex communication functions, such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP220. In a similar manner, the signal to be transmitted is processed, including modulation and coding, for example, by the DSP220. The signals processed by the DSP are input to the transmitter 214 for digital to analog (D/A) conversion, frequency up-conversion, filtering, and amplification, and are transmitted on the communication network through the antenna 218. DSP220 not only processes communication signals, but also provides receiver and transmitter control. For example, it is possible to adaptively control the gain of the communication signal to be applied to the receiver 212 and the transmitter 214 by implementing an automatic gain control algorithm in the DSP 220.

[0040] The network access is associated with the subscriber or user of the mobile station 202. Therefore, the mobile station 202 requires a memory module 262, such as a subscriber identity module or a "SIM" card or a detachable user identity module (R-UIM), which is inserted Or connect to the interface 264 of the mobile station 202 to operate in the network. Alternatively, the memory module 262 may be a non-volatile memory, which is programmed with configuration data by the service provider, so that the mobile station 202 can operate in the network. Since the mobile station 202 is a mobile battery-powered device, it also includes a battery interface 254 for accommodating one or more rechargeable batteries 256. This battery 256 powers most, if not all, circuits in the mobile station 202, and the battery interface 254 provides mechanical and electrical connections to it. The battery interface 254 is connected to a regulator (not shown in FIG. 2) that provides power V+ to all circuits.

[0041] The mobile station 202 includes a microprocessor 238 (as an implementation of the controller 106 in FIG. 1), which controls the overall operation of the mobile station 202. This control includes the network selection technology of this application. The communication sub-system 211 performs communication functions including at least data and voice communication. The microprocessor 238 is also connected to the display 222, flash memory 224, random access memory (RAM) 226, auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 228, serial port 230, keyboard 232, speaker 234, microphone 236 , The short-distance communication subsystem 240 interacts with additional equipment subsystems such as other equipment subsystems collectively denoted as 242. Some of the subsystems shown in Figure 2 perform communication-related functions, while other subsystems can provide "resident" or on-device functions. Obviously, some subsystems such as keyboard 232 and display 222 can be used for communication-related functions (such as inputting text messages for transmission on a communication network) and device resident functions (such as calculators or task tables). Specifically, the operating system software used by the microprocessor 238 is stored in a permanent memory such as the flash memory 224, which instead may be a read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). It should be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that an operating system, a special device application or a part of it can be temporarily loaded into a volatile memory such as RAM226.

[0042] In addition to its operating system functions, the microprocessor 238 is preferably capable of executing software applications on the mobile station 202. Generally, during manufacturing, a predetermined set of applications for controlling basic device operations, including at least data and voice communication applications, is installed on the mobile station 202. The preferred application program that can be loaded on the mobile station 202 may be a personal information manager (PIM) application program, which has the ability to organize and manage data items related to the user.

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Data items include, but are not limited to, emails, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. Naturally, there may be one or more memories on the mobile station 202 and the SIM 262 in order to store PIM data items and other information.

[0043] Preferably, the PIM application has the ability to transmit and receive data items through a wireless network. In a preferred embodiment, the PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated through the wireless network through corresponding data items of mobile station users stored and/or associated with the host system, so that these items are Create a mirroring host on the station 202. This is particularly advantageous when the host system is the office computer system of the mobile station user. Additional applications can be loaded to the mobile station 202 ± via the network, auxiliary I/O subsystem 228, serial port 230, short-range communication subsystem 240, or any other appropriate subsystem 242, and the user installs it on the mobile station 202 ± In the RAM 226, or preferably in a non-volatile memory (not shown), so as to be executed by the microprocessor 238. This flexibility in application installation increases the functions of the mobile station 202, and can provide enhanced on-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. For example, a secure communication application may make it possible to use the mobile station 202 to perform e-commerce functions and other such financial transactions.

[0044] In the data communication mode, the communication subsystem 211 processes received signals such as text messages, email messages, or downloaded web pages, and inputs them to the microprocessor 238. Preferably, the microprocessor 238 further processes the signal and outputs it to the display 222 or to the auxiliary I/O device 228. The user of the mobile station 202 can also construct data items, such as e-mail messages, etc., for example, using the keyboard 232 and the display 222 and possibly the auxiliary I/O device 228. Preferably, the keyboard 232 is a fully alphanumeric keyboard and/or a telephone-type keypad. These constructed items can be transmitted on the communication network through the communication subsystem 211.

[0045] For voice communication, the overall operation of the mobile station 202 is substantially similar, except that the received signal is output to the speaker 234 and the microphone 236 generates a transmission signal. An alternative voice or audio I/O subsystem such as a voice message recording subsystem can be implemented on the mobile station 202. Although the voice and audio signal output is preferably mainly realized through the speaker 234, the display 222 may also be used to provide indications such as the identity of the caller, the duration of the voice call, or other information related to the voice call.

[0046] The serial port 230 in FIG. 2 is usually implemented in a personal digital assistant (PDA) type communication device, for which synchronization with the user's desktop computer is a required component, although it is optional. The serial port 230 enables the user to set preferences through external devices or software applications, and expand the capabilities of the mobile station 202 by providing the mobile station 202 with information or software downloads other than through a wireless communication network. For example, the optional download path can be used to load the encryption key onto the mobile station 202 through a direct and thus reliable and trustworthy connection, thereby providing secure device communication.

[0047] The short-range communication subsystem 240 of FIG. 2 is an additional optional component that provides communication between the mobile station 202 and different systems and devices that are not necessarily similar devices. For example, the subsystem 240 may include an infrared device and associated circuits and components, or a BluetoothTM communication module to provide communication with similarly enabled systems and devices. BluetoothTM is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

[0048] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of relevant system components related to the PoC communication of the present application. The system components 300 include a user equipment (UE) 302 representing a mobile station, a PoC server 304, an access network 306, a group and list management server (GLMS) 308, a SIP/IP core 312, a presence server 310, and a location server 316. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) defined by 3GPP is an example of the SIP/IP core of a mobile network. Some of these components are optional or unnecessary for basic operations. Although shown as separate component devices, some or all of the components 304.308.310 (collectively 314) may be configured in the same device (not shown).

[0049] A PoC communication session is a session connection between end users (referred to as "participants") of the UE302, which is

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The duplex mode communicates with one participant at a time. PoC communication utilizes Voice over IP (VoIP) technology involving communication of data packets carrying voice information. UE302 is a terminal device (such as a mobile station) including PoC application client software, which includes the functions of the present application, but applies traditional technology. The SIP/IP core 312 includes a plurality of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxies and SIP registrars. The first point of contact with the UE302 is one of the agents in the SIP/IP core 312, which is used as an outbound agent by the UE302. In the 3GPP IMS architecture, the outbound agent is known as the Proxy-CSCF (P-CSCF). SIP/IP core 312 performs the following functions: (1) routing SIP signaling between UE302 and PoC server 204; (2) terminating SIP sessions from UE302; (3) authentication and authorization; (4) maintenance of registration status; And (5) report to the billing system. After parsing the SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) of the outgoing agent into an IP address, the UE302 sends all its SIP messages to the IP address of the outgoing agent.

[0050] End users use GLMS308 to manage groups, contact lists, and access lists. End users can use the contact list to establish instant chat sessions with other PoC users or PoC groups. End users may have one or several contact lists that include the identities of other PoC users or PoC groups. Contact list management includes operations that allow UE302 to store and retrieve the contact list managed by GLMS308. The end user can define a PoC group, which will be described in detail later with reference to Figures 4 and 5. End users can use PoC groups to initiate instant chat sessions or chat group chat sessions based on the type of group. The end user uses the access list as a means to control who is allowed to initiate an instant chat session with the end user. The access list includes the identities of other end users or groups defined by the end user. End users can have a list of blocked identities and a list of permitted identities.

[0051] With reference to the group management according to the present invention as further described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the GLMS 308 stores a group list indexed by a group address (such as a group URL). The list of group members can be static or dynamic. GLMS308 accepts subscriptions from users to group addresses that include a set of rules (ie, filters) that define who is a valid member of the group identified by the group address. Users can obtain the group address from GLMS308, or create a group address according to the protocol, such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) Configuration Access (XCAP) and so on.

[0052] Conversely, the GLMS 308 subscribes to or interfaces with the presence server 310 to obtain users whose presence information matches the rules specified in the user subscription. Therefore, GLMS becomes a watcher for this kind of information. When group members satisfying the rules in the subscription are available according to the received information from the presence server 310, the GLMS 308 also notifies the subscribed user. This notification can be controlled by the group address owner according to the authorization policy defined when the dynamic group is created. Moreover, this type of group address information may only be sent to subscribers who have subscribed to this group of such information.

[0053] In addition, when a member joins or leaves, the GLMS can notify the PoC server 304 (for example, through a SIP subscription-notification mechanism or other means) which persons are valid members of the group.

[0054] The PoC server 304 includes a function of performing PoC services. The PoC server 304 typically performs the following functions: (1) SIP signaling endpoint; (2) Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) and RTP Control Protocol (RTCP) signaling endpoints; (3) SIP session processing; group connection Incoming policy control; group session processing; access control; bottom layer control function (bottom layer control is a control mechanism used to arbitrate the request for speech rights from the UE); speaker identification; participant information; ( 10) Quality feedback; (11) Billing report; and (12) Media distribution.

[0055] The presence server 310 manages the presence information uploaded by the presence user/network/external agent, and is responsible for combining the presence-related information from the information it receives from multiple sources into a single presence document. The presence server 310 delivers the notification of the appearance of the information to the authorized monitor of the above-mentioned information. Monitors can subscribe to appearing information to receive notifications.

[0056] The location information is information related to the location of the user (ie, UE302). It can be generated in a variety of ways, such as through the GPS satellite information of the UE, or based on triangulation of signals from the UE collected from multiple base stations in the access network 306. In addition to the direct announcement by the user to the presence server 310, the location server 316 may collect and publish location information. The GSM/UMTS network supports the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) network element, which collects location information from multiple location collection sources. Such elements may be suitable for publishing this information to the presence server 310. If the location information is published to the presence server 310, the presence server 310 can match the rules determined by the dynamic group address of the location information, or alternatively the location server 316 (such as GMLC or other servers that communicate with the GMLC) can be suitable for performing Matching of rules.

[0057] Each entity in the PoC system is allocated one or more IP addresses belonging to the public or private IP domain. On the other hand, the end user can address another user by phone number. The UE 302 sends the phone number to the SIP/IP core 312 in the TEL uniform resource locator (URL). Telephone numbers can be in the international E.164 format (with a number as the prefix) or local format, using local dial plans and prefixes. SIP/IP core 312 interprets the telephone number, the ones beginning with'+, are

E. 164 number. Addressing the PoC session through the TEL URL requires the PoC server 304 to be able to resolve the TEL URL into a SIP URL, for example, using DNS/ENUM or other local data benchmarks. Before using DNS/ENUM, convert the phone number in local format to E. 164 format.

[0058] In order to perform group communication (such as push-to-talk communication, or instant messaging chat session), the group address is used to address communication signaling used to establish group communication with group members. According to the teachings here, in order to dynamically create a group for communication, the members of the dynamic group address need to be expanded. The presence information including location information related to users stored or provided by the network and filtered according to rules can be used to expand the dynamic group address with members selected from the network users. Users who want to create a specific dynamic group can provide rules for expanding the group.

[0059] The rule definition conditions that must be met by another participant to be included in a specific group can be defined in a variety of ways, for example, including the use of an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document known in the prior art. Rules can refer to appearance and/or location data elements, and use comparison expressions and other data to define qualifications as group members. For example, a distress filter can refer to presence data, such as the users announced willingness to be regarded as a distress group, etc. Current location and nearby threshold (eg 500m) ο

[0060] According to the simplest form, the user has the ability to create a group address (such as SIP URL) (using a protocol such as XCAP), or the network provides a group address without permanent group members. Or, the user defines rules or filters for group address association, and determines the dynamic membership of the group based on information stored in or provided by the network and related to other users.

[0061] The dynamic group membership can be determined in a variety of ways. Membership can be determined as a subset of users in the network who indicate that they are interested in becoming members of a particular dynamic group. Potential users can announce the desire to be considered for a specific group through the emergence of technology. Membership can be determined based on a specific pre-selected or declared subset of users identified by the dynamic group address owner and associated with the group when the dynamic group address was created. The user can be the group owner who defines the rules of membership and pre-selects the partner user group as potential candidates, and provides for dynamic definition by publishing the appearance and/or location information of these pre-selected users in any case The rules of the group.

[0062] Other users who want to become candidate members of this dynamic group can publish (using the emergence technology) instructions that they want to participate in a specific dynamic group, and in addition, or directly or through information collected by the network, publish information related to the user The presence and/or location of the information in order to be used to dynamically determine the membership. In addition to publishing interest in a specific dynamic group, users can generally publish their interest in becoming a candidate for a dynamic group. Therefore, it is easy to exclude those who did not choose

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Users who are willing to be considered.

[0063] In addition to the technology of the present invention described here, the PoC architecture and signaling can be the same as the traditional solutions described in the current specifications, such as Push-to-talk over Cellular (PoC), Architecture, PoC R eleasel. 0~ArchitectureVl. 1.0 (2003-08) Technical Specification; Push-to-talk overCellular (PoC), Signaling Flows, PoC Release 1. 0-ArchitectureVl. 1. 3 (2 003-08) Technical Specification; and 0ΜΑ Standard Pushto Talk over Cel lular (PoC)-Architecture Draft Versionl. 0-March 25, 2004.

[0064] When they become members of a dynamic group, some users may choose to be anonymous. Anonymous users can only choose to watch/listen to communications within the dynamic group-this is known as passive participation. It is possible to provide a mechanism that enables users to indicate whether they need anonymity when joining the dynamic group they wish to join. The creator of a dynamic group can also determine whether to allow anonymous members, which are active or just passive participation as part of the group creation rules. It also provides a mechanism for anonymous group members to reveal their identity later once they join the dynamic group. Preferably, in order to facilitate anonymity, users may include such preference information in their respective appearance information. Therefore, the dynamic group owner can choose to allow or deny membership to anonymous users (for example, authorization attributes, etc.).

[0065] The user subscribes to the group address, and the network subscription is based on the presence information of the rules associated with the group address. This can include the use of presence filters in subscriptions to trigger notifications only when the rules for the effective membership of the group are met. When a candidate member of a group directly announces (or announces on its behalf by the network) information that meets the rules of the effective membership of the group, a notification that the member is now an effective member of the group is sent. If the owner of the dynamic group address authorizes such a notification, the notification can be delivered to other valid members of the group who have subscribed to the group address. Subscription to this group membership information is optional.

[0066] When an effective group member conducts a group communication to a dynamic group address (such as a push-to-talk burst call), the communication is routed to all members of the group that are currently valid.

4 is a block diagram of the configuration of system components related to PoC communication between three users according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the selection of three users is only exemplary and not restrictive. The configuration 400 includes the components of the configuration 300, namely PoC server 304, GLMS 308, and presence server 310, which can be provided as separate components or integrated and provided as a single component (such as 314), or according to other integrated component configuration (not shown) Provide, as well as location server 316 and SIP/IP core 312. In addition, three example users, user-1402, user-2404, and user-3406, are included, each with a corresponding UE302.

[0068] In the case of the above structure, FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 showing an example PoC communication session between three users shown in FIG. 4. The corresponding flow shows the dynamic group address creation method of PoC communication. The method can be specifically implemented in a computer program product, which includes a computer storage medium (such as a computer disk or a memory) and computer instructions stored in the computer storage medium.

[0069] In this example, as known, the group address and candidate members (friends) of the group are defined in advance by the owner. Utilizing a user interface (ui) not shown (eg UE302), user-1402 defines rules for dynamically creating addresses. Preferably, the UI allows the user to specify or select from a set of rules/options, facilitating the definition of rules associated with the group address.

[0070] The process operation 500 starts at step 502, and the user T402 subscribes to the group address (URL) by sending a SIP subscription to the GLMS308. The SIP subscription request includes a filter that indicates the rules of the effective membership of the group in the request body. In this case, the filter represents the lunch preference of user T402, which is a preference for Italian food. GLMS308 may use SIP subscription or some other mechanism to obtain a list of appearing users that meet the group membership conditions from the appearing server 310

(Step 504) ο

[0071] In step 506, the user-2404 sends a SIP announcement to the presence server 310 to announce the presence information related to the user, including information related to lunch preferences. In this case, Chinese and Italian foods are announced. In step 508, the presence server 310 uses SIP notification or some other mechanism to notify the GLMS 308 that the user-2404 is available and meets the rules specified by the user-1402. Provide the contact address of user-2404. GLMS308 added user-2404 to the group.

[0072] In step 510, GLMS308 sends a SIP notification to user-1402, indicating that user-2404 is now a member of the group because of a common preference for Italian food. In step 512, the GLMS uses SIP notification or some other mechanism to notify the PoC server 304 that user-2404 is now a member of the group.

[0073] In step 514, the user-3406 sends a SIP announcement to the presence server 310 to announce the presence information related to this user, including information related to lunch preferences, in this case, Italian and Mexican food. In step 516, the presence server 310 uses SIP notification or some other mechanism to notify the GLMS308 that the user-3406 is available and meets the rules specified by the user-1402, and provides the contact address of the user-3406. GLMS308 added user-3406 to the group. [0074] In step 518, GLMS308 sends a SIP notification to user-1402, indicating that user-3406 is now a member of the group. In step 520, the GLMS 308 uses SIP notification or some other mechanism to notify the PoC server 304 that the user-3406 is now a member of the group.

[0075] In step 522, user-1 uses the mobile station to invite partner users who like Italian food to have lunch, and establishes a PoC call by sending a SIP invitation to the PoC server 304, addressed to the users who now include user-2404 and user-3406 Group address.

[0076] In step 524, the PoC server 304 with this group address parses it into the member addresses of user-2404 and user-3406, and sends a SIP call invitation to user-2404. In step 526, the PoC server 304 also sends a SIP invitation to the user-3406.

[0077] In steps 528 and 530, user-2404 and user-3406 respectively accept the call by sending a SIP2000K response to the PoC server 304. In steps 532 and 534, by sending a SIP2000K response to user-1402, PoC server 304 replays each acceptance to user-1402.

[0078] In step 536, user-1402 starts to use the voice communication path established by the PoC server 304 to talk with other users (404, 406) in order to select an Italian restaurant where users 402-406 will meet and have lunch.

[0079] In the case of the general structure shown in FIG. 4 and including an additional presence server not shown, FIG. 6 shows that the group address is dynamically defined by the user from among the users whose presence information is managed by a plurality of presence servers. The member's example PoC communication session is initiated as part of the process 600. Individual presence servers can come from the same or different domains and networks. The method can be specifically implemented in a computer program product, which includes a computer storage medium (such as a computer disk or a memory) and computer instructions stored in the computer storage medium.

[0080] Operation 600 starts with the process of searching multiple servers. In step 602, the user (such as user-1) sends a SIP subscription to the GLMS, the subscription group address (URL), and the SIP subscription request contains a group in the request body. The filter of the rules of effective membership. GLMS has a list of resources, including its own or possibly presence servers in other domains that may also contain matches to filters in subscription messages. In this case, GLMS has a resource list containing presence server-1 and presence server-4. GLMS uses SIP subscription to subscribe to presence server-1 to obtain a list of appearing users that meet the group membership conditions. Route this subscription to presence server-1 (step 604).

[0081] The presence server-1, and searches for matching entries in its own memory (such as the presence database), and also has a resource list, including its own or may also contain the matching of the filter in the subscription message in other domains Appear service

Device. In this case, presence server-1 has a resource list containing presence server-2 and presence server-3. The appearing server-1 uses SIP subscription to subscribe to the appearing server-2 to obtain a list of appearing users that meet the group membership conditions. Route this subscription to presence server-2 (step 606).

[0082] In step 608, it appears that the server-1 confirms the subscription by sending SIP2000K back to the GLMS, and in step 610, the GLMS confirms the user-1's subscription by sending SIP2000K back to the PTT terminal of the user-1.

[0083] In step 612, presence server-2 confirms the subscription by sending SIP2000K back to presence server-1. The presence server-2 uses SIP notification to notify the presence server-1 of the matching entries found, and receives the returned SIP2000K (steps 614 to 616).

[0084] In step 618, the presence server-1 uses SIP subscription to subscribe to the presence server-3 to obtain a list of presence users meeting the group membership condition. Route this subscription to presence server-3. In steps 610~624, the presence server-3 confirms the subscription by sending SIP2000K back to the presence server-1, and the presence server-3 uses SIP notification to notify the presence server-1 of the matching entry, and receives the returned presence server- 1 Confirmation of notification.

[0085] In steps 626 to 628, the GLMS uses SIP subscription to subscribe to the presence server-4 to obtain a list of presence users meeting the group membership condition. Route this subscription to the presence server-4, which confirms the subscription by sending SIP2000K back to GLMS.

[0086] The presence server-4 uses SIP notification to notify matching entries found in GLMS, and GLMS passes

SIP2000K sends back the presence server-4 to confirm the notification (steps 630 to 632).

[0087] The presence server-1 aggregates (combines) the responses in the reception notification messages from the presence server-2 and the presence server-3, and uses SIP notifications to notify the GLMS of the matching entries found (step 634). GLMS confirms the notification by sending SIP2000K back to the presence server-1 (step 636).

[0088] The GLMS aggregates (combines) the responses from the presence server-1 and the presence server-4 in the received notification communication. GLMS uses SIP notification to notify user-1 of the matching entry found, and the user's UE confirms the notification by sending SIP2000K back to GLMS (steps 638 to 640). Although notification is described, thereby gathering members before sending a message to another entity (for example, GLMS, presence server, or UE, etc.), message sending can be initiated once the members are determined to gradually expand the group. Moreover, it should be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that the server entity can communicate with the partner server at the same time instead of sequentially as described above and shown.

[0089] The above flowchart shows how the resource list search hierarchy can be applied to search for matching entries in multiple servers and multiple domains. This technique can be used when searching in multiple domains/networks. For example, user-1s distress call can use the groups "distress" URL. User-1's PTT terminal subscribes to the help group URL. The GLMS in the home network of the PTT terminal starts to add users to the group according to predetermined rules (filters). The rules can check the presence and location information by subscribing to the presence server in the home network, such as available users located within -1500 meters of the user.

[0090] In the case of a British skier traveling in the French Alps (with a "home" network) roaming on a "roaming" network, the initial addition to the group will be other home network subscribers in this area. In this case, once an other user has been added to the group, GLMS will return a notification to the PTT terminal so that the call can be established.

[0091] Subsequently, the GLMS in the home network uses the resource list accessed according to the visited network information in the subscription request to subscribe to the roaming network. The presence server in the roaming network searches for its own presence information to find other users within the 500m range specified in the filter, and returns the notification message to the home network, which can send this

Some roaming network users are added to the help group.

[0092] After that, the roaming network presence server can use its own resource list, and use the rules it receives from the filter in the subscription sent from the home (UK) network to operate to one or more other networks in France. The providers presence server subscribes. Then, the notification communication from other networks is returned from the roaming network to the belonging network, so that the user notified to GLMS will also become a member of the distress group.

[0093] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present application are for illustrative purposes only. Those of ordinary skill in the art can implement changes, modifications and changes to the specific embodiments without departing from the scope of the present application. The invention described in the appended claims tends to cover and include all appropriate changes in technology.

CN 1684530 Β