System and method for transmitting graphics data in a push-to-talk system

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING GRAPHICS DATA IN A PUSH-TO-TALK SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly, to systems and methods for transmitting graphics in a push-to-talk system of a wireless network.

Technological advances are making mobile phones or wireless communication devices affordable and affordable to almost everyone. As cordless telephones are manufactured with greater processing power and storage space, cordless telephones are also becoming more versatile and incorporate many features, including direct radio communication capability between two or more separate handsets. This direct wireless communication capability is commonly known as a push-to-talk (PTT) or "walkie-talkie" feature, which allows a user with a handset to connect to a destination phone number. Allows to communicate with a predefined set of group members without dialing the

In a PTT system, the handset uses one single frequency for both upward and downward communications with a remote server, whereas in typical wireless communications a wireless telephone performs communications with the server, ie, upward and downward. Two frequencies are used for PTT systems require the speaker to press a button while speaking and release the button when the conversation is over. Any listener in the group can then press their button to respond. In this way, the system can determine in which direction the signal should travel. When a user makes a call to a recipient or group of recipients using the PTT system, the user's handset first makes a request to the remote server. The remote server verifies that the communication channel is not in use on the other side and is available, and then assigns the channel to the user. The user's message is received by the server and the server duplicates the message for each and every recipient. After the message has been sent to all recipients, the channel is released and ready for use by others.

PTT systems rely on cellular technology to connect to receiving devices. Conversely, a generic "walkie-talkie" style two-way radio will only work if the radios are located within a certain distance with respect to each other. Systems utilizing PTT features can communicate at any location within a service area specified by its service provider, typically a large urban area or a national area.

In general, communication through the PTT feature uses a semi-bidirectional channel with a limited bandwidth, and the PTT communication concentrates on the audio aspect without having other data functions due to bandwidth limitations. As a result, members of a PTT communication group cannot readily express emotions that cannot be verbally described, but the communication between members through the delivery of "emotions" significantly improves.

A system and method according to the present invention allows for the transfer and display of graphical images between wireless devices in a push-to-talk system. A predefined set of graphical images is stored on the wireless device, and when the user presses a push-to-talk button on the wireless device, the wireless device displays a list of predefined images for the user to select. After the user selects an image, the wireless device sends an image code associated with the selected image to the server for relay to all wireless devices in the push-to-talk communication group. When the receiving wireless device receives the image code, the receiving wireless device retrieves an image corresponding to the image code from a predefined set and displays the image to the wireless device user.

In one embodiment, the method is for transmitting graphical image information of a push-to-talk system over a wireless communication network, the method comprising: displaying a predefined set of graphical images to a user of the wireless device; receiving an indication for the graphical image, selecting an image code corresponding to the representation of the selected graphical image at the wireless device, and transmitting the image code to a remote server via a push-to-talk communication channel; include A predefined set exists on the wireless device and each graphic image in the predefined set is identified by an image code.

In another embodiment, the method is for displaying graphical image information in a push-to-talk communication system. The method includes receiving an indication of a push-to-talk request at a wireless device, receiving an image code at the wireless device, selecting a graphical image corresponding to the image code from a predefined set of graphical images, and and displaying the graphical image to a user of the wireless device. The method further includes receiving a first image set code from a remote server, comparing the first image set code to a second image set code, and if the first image set code is different from the second image set code, to the remote server sending a request for new graphic images.

In another embodiment, the method is for displaying graphical image information in a push-to-talk system, the method comprising: receiving a request for a push-to-talk session at a server; push-to-talk communication receiving an image code corresponding to the graphical image at a server over a channel, determining a group of receiving wireless communication devices destined for a push-to-talk session, and displaying an indication of the push-to-talk session to each in the group and transmitting the image code to each intended receiving wireless communication device in the group via a push-to-talk communication channel. The method further includes receiving the graphic image from the remote user device, storing the graphic image in an image database, and assigning a new image set identification code to the image database.

In one embodiment, the device enables the transfer of graphical images during a push-to-talk session. The apparatus provides a transceiver for transmitting and receiving push-to-talk communications from a remote server, a storage unit for receiving a predefined set of graphic images received from a remote server, and a predefined set of graphic images to the user. selecting a display unit for displaying, a user interface unit for receiving a display of a selected graphic image from a user, a push-to-talk interface for receiving a push-to-talk request from a user, and an image code corresponding to the display; and a controller for sending the image code and the push-to-talk request to the remote server. A predefined set of graphic images is associated with an image set code.

The server communicates with a wireless communication network, and a plurality of wireless communication devices may communicate with the server through the wireless communication network, wherein the first wireless communication device transmits an image code to the server together with push-to-talk communication, and the server Sends the image code along with the push-to-talk communication to the second wireless communication device, the second wireless communication device receives the image code with the push-to-talk communication and displays the image identified by the image code. Each wireless communication device has a predefined set of graphic images and each graphic image in the predefined set is identified by an image code. The server includes information about at least one push-to-talk communication group having a plurality of members.

The system and methods of the present invention therefore have the advantage of being able to provide a group of wireless communication devices with the ability to communicate via graphical images. The use of a predefined set of graphic images allows the user to select from a wide range of images. Also, the delivery of smaller graphic image codes allows to conserve costly bandwidth.

Other advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following brief description of the drawings, detailed description of the invention and claims.

1 is a wireless network architecture that supports the transmission and display of graphical images in a push-to-talk system.

2 is a block diagram of a wireless device supporting the transmission and display of graphical images in a push-to-talk system.

3 is a diagram illustrating interactions between a server and wireless handsets.

4 shows a wireless device displaying a graphical image.

5 is a flowchart of updating a graphic image database.

6 is a flowchart for transmitting graphic image information in a push-to-talk system.

7 is a flowchart for displaying graphic image information in a push-to-talk system.

8 is a flowchart for a graphic image database update process.

In this description, the terms "communication device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "wireless handset", "handheld device" and "handset" are used interchangeably, and the terms "fetch" )" and "download" are used interchangeably, and the term "application" includes executable and non-executable software files, raw data, aggregate data, patches, and other code segments. used as a concept Also, like numbers refer to like elements throughout the multiple figures, and the articles "a" and "the" include multiple references unless otherwise specified in this description.

Schematically, a system and method for transmitting and displaying graphical information in a push-to-talk system allows a user to send a graphical image along with his/her audio message to members of a communication group, or alternatively, a user Allows you to send graphic images instead of messages. Graphical images are pre-installed on each handset of the communication group and each graphic image is associated with a predefined image code. The user selects a graphic image upon activation of the PTT feature and the image code associated with the selected graphic image is transmitted to the members of the communication group. When the member's wireless handset receives the image code, the wireless handset selects an associated image and displays the image to the receiving member. The use of the system and method thus enables the transmission of graphical information without significantly increasing the traffic of the wireless communication network.

1 shows a communication network 100 used in accordance with the present invention. The communication network 100 includes one or more communication towers 106 , each of which is connected to service users having a base station (BS) 110 and a communication device 102 . Communication device 102 may be cellular telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, or other hand-held, fixed or portable communication devices that support push-to-talk (PTT) communications. can Commands and data input by each user are transmitted as digital data to the communication tower 106 . Communication between a user using the communication device 102 and the communication tower 106 may include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). ) or other protocols that may be used in a wireless communication network or data communication network. Data from each user is transmitted from the communication tower 106 to a base station (BS) 110 and forwarded to a mobile switching center (MSC) 114 , which is then transferred to a public telephone network ( PSTN) 118 and the Internet 120 may be connected. The MSC 114 may be coupled to a server 116 that supports the PTT feature in the communication network 100 . Server 116 includes an application supporting the PTT feature as well as storing a table with a list of members of each communication group. Optionally, server 116 may be part of MSC 114 .

2 shows a block diagram 200 of a wireless handset 102 . The wireless handset 102 includes a controller 202, a storage unit 204, a display unit 206, an external interface unit 208, a user interface unit 212, a push-to-talk activation unit 210, a transceiver ( 214 ) and an antenna 216 . The controller 202 may be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The storage unit 204 may store a set of predefined graphic images, wherein the predefined set of graphic images includes pictures of members in each group, pictures expressing human emotions, and graphics having data information. and the like. Alternatively, the predefined set of graphical images may be stored on the remote server 116 . The display unit 206 may display graphical images or other digital information to a user. The external interface unit 208 controls hardware such as a speaker, microphone and display unit used for communication with a user. The user interface unit 212 controls hardware such as a keypad, push-to-talk activation unit 210 . Transceiver 214 receives wireless signals from and transmits wireless signals to communication tower 106 . The controller 202 interprets the commands and data received from the user and the communication network 100 .

Generally, graphic images are defined and provided by a service provider. Graphical images may include standard emoji icons or "emotes". Alternatively, the graphic images may be defined and/or generated by members of the communication group and may be self-identifying. Graphical images may be uploaded to server 116 by a user using a computing device that connects to server 116 via the Internet 120 . Graphical images may also be uploaded from the wireless handset 102 to the server 116 if the wireless handset 102 is equipped with a camera or other graphics generating devices. Each graphic image is assigned a graphic image code and is associated with a graphic image set. Each graphic image set is identified by an image set code. Graphical images on the wireless device must be continuously updated and synchronized with the other wireless devices in the communication group.

3 is a diagram 250 illustrating interactions between a server (also referred to as a group communication server) and user devices during a PTT communication process. Communication does not occur between the initiating user device 251 and the server 253 until the user activates the PTT button and selects an image to be sent along with the audio message. After the user selects an image, the initiating user device 251 sends a PTT communication channel request to the server 253 . Upon receiving the PTT communication channel request, the server 253 checks the availability of the PTT communication channel and grants the PTT communication channel to the initiating user equipment 251 if the PTT communication channel is available. After use of the PTT communication channel is authorized for the initiating user device 251, the initiating user device 251 receives the user audio and retrieves the image code associated with the selected image. Both user audio and image codes are sent to server 253 . Upon receiving the user audio and image code, the server 253 identifies the members 255-259 of the PTT communication group to which the initiating user device 251 wishes to send the audio message. Server 253 also duplicates the audio messages and image codes and sends them to each member 255-259 of the PTT communication group. When the user audio and image code is received by each member 255-259 of the PTT communication group, each member device, in addition to executing the user audio, retrieves the image identified by the image code and sends the image to the receiving member. Display.

4 illustrates a wireless communication device 270 displaying an emoji icon 276 on its display screen 274 . The user activates the push-to-talk communication by pressing the push-to-talk button 272, and the push-to-talk communication is sent to the remote server. When the wireless communication device 270 receives an image code from a remote server during push-to-talk communication, the wireless communication device 270 retrieves the graphic image 276 associated with the image code and displays the retrieved image on the display screen 274 . displayed on

5 is a flowchart for a graphical image update process 300 . When the wireless handset 102 is powered on, the wireless handset 102 checks whether a new set of graphical images exists for the communication group to which it belongs (step 302). The wireless handset 102 compares its image set code with the image set code received from the server 116 . If a new set of images exists, wireless handset 102 sends a download request to server 116 (step 304). Wireless handset 102 will then receive new images from server 116 (step 306). Server 116 may minimize bandwidth usage by sending only new images to wireless handset 102 instead of sending the entire set of images.

6 is a flowchart for a graphical image transfer process 400 . If the user wants to communicate with other members of the asset's communication group, the user activates the PTT activation unit 210 . The wireless handset 102 interprets the PTT activation unit 210 and displays a predefined set of graphical images to the user (step 402). The user can select an image to be sent along with his audio message, or alternatively the user can select an image and send only the selected image to other members. After the user makes a selection, the wireless handset stores the selection (step 404) and requests a PTT connection (step 406). The PTT connection request is sent to the server 116 and the wireless handset 102 waits for a PTT communication channel. If a PTT communication channel is available, wireless handset 102 sends the selected image to server 116 along with audio communication (step 410). If the PTT communication channel is not available, a timeout will occur (step 412) and the user must wait and then retry.

7 is a flowchart for a graphical image display process 500 . When the wireless handset 102 receives the PTT communication with the graphic code (step 502), the handset 102 compares the graphic code with a predefined graphic database (step 504). The handset 102 checks whether the received graphic code is listed in the database (step 506). If the received graphic code is in the database, wireless handset 102 displays a graphic image corresponding to display unit 206 (step 508). If the received graphic code is not in the database, wireless handset 102 displays a default graphic image or error message on display unit 206 (step 510).

8 is a flowchart for an image set creation process 600 at server 116 . Server 116 receives a new graphical image from the user of remote handset 102 (step 602) and stores the graphical image in a database (step 604). Every graphic image in the database is associated with an image code, and the database records all the image codes of the images stored in it as a list. Alternatively, the new image may be delivered from a user of the computing device connected to the server 116 via the Internet 120 or other communication channel. After storing the new graphic image, the server 116 generates a new image set identification code to be associated with the new image set (step 606).

The following is a description of one usage scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the user wants to communicate with the receiving party via the PTT feature, the user presses the PTT activation unit 210 on his wireless handset 102 . The controller 202 interprets the press of the PTT activation unit 210 and displays a menu with a predefined set of graphics to the user. The user can select a predefined picture or graphic image to be sent to the receiving members via PTT communication. Controller 202 receives and stores the user's selections for predefined graphics, and then sends a PTT request to remote server 116 via transceiver 214 and antenna 216 . The PTT request is transmitted as a radio wave from the wireless handset 102 to the communication tower 106, where the PTT request is forwarded to the remote server 116f. The link between the wireless handset 102 and the communications tower 106 is via a semi-bidirectional communications channel, which may be a voice channel or a data channel. PTT communication may be performed over a dedicated wireless network. Alternatively, the PTT communication may be performed over a wireless communication network that supports conventional wireless communications.

After receiving the PTT request from the subscribing wireless handset, the server 116 determines the availability of the communication channel. If the communication channel is available, the server 116 grants the channel to the requesting wireless handset. After the communication channel is granted, the requesting wireless handset 102 retrieves the code associated with the user-selected graphic image and sends the code to the server 116 along with the audio communication. Transmitting the code associated with the graphic image instead of the actual graphic image minimizes the use of bandwidth. Graphical images are sent to each handset only when the user updates the set of graphical images on the wireless handset 102 .

Server 116 receives the audio communication along with the graphic code and identifies members in the PTT communication group. Server 116 duplicates the audio communication and graphics code and sends one copy of the audio communication and graphics code to each member in the PTT communication group. A user may belong to one or more PTT communication groups and may transmit PTT communication to any group to which the user belongs. The PTT request and PTT communication include a group identification code that identifies the target PTT communication group.

The following are other usage scenarios for the present invention. A user may belong to a PTT communication group comprising his family members and close friends, wherein the PTT communication group is a predefined set of graphic images including icons representing human emotions such as happy faces, grimaces, angry faces, etc. can have a set. A user may queue to purchase movie tickets for his family members and finds out that the movie tickets are sold out. The user can use PTT to communicate this to his family members, and the user's younger sister can send a grimace icon via PTT communication to express her disappointment instead of verbally.

With respect to a method executable in a computer device or wireless communication device of a wireless service provider, the method may be performed by a program stored in a computer readable medium, wherein the program is configured by a server or other computer device having a computer platform. Instructs to perform the steps of the method. The computer readable medium may be the memory of a server, or it may be in a database to which it is connected. The computer readable medium may also be in a secondary storage medium loadable on a wireless communication device computer platform, such as a magnetic disk or tape, an optical disk, a hard disk, a flash memory, or other storage medium known in the art.

5-8, the method may be implemented by operating a portion(s) of a wireless network, eg, a wireless communication device or server, to execute a sequence of machine-readable instructions. The instructions may reside in various types of primary, secondary or tertiary media for signal-bearing or data storage. The medium may include, for example, RAM (not shown) accessible by or within components of a wireless network. Whether contained in RAM, diskette, or other secondary storage medium, the instructions may include DASD storage (eg, a traditional "hard drive" or RAID array), magnetic tape, electronic read-only memory (eg, , ROM, EPROM or EEPROM), flash memory cards, optical storage devices (eg, CD-ROM, WORM, DVD, digital optical tape), paper "punch" cards or other including digital and analog transmission media. It may be stored in a variety of machine-readable data storage media such as suitable data storage media.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. will understand Also, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form is also contemplated unless explicitly limited to the singular form.