Dynamic Floor Control Templates for Push-to-Talk Sessions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Legacy communication systems for push-to-talk (PTT) services are often incompatible, making it difficult to integrate different PTT services and manage floor control across disparate applications, which requires different floor control characteristics for various scenarios.

Innovation Solution

A framework for enhanced floor control in PTT conference sessions is introduced, allowing the use of multiple templates or algorithms that can be dynamically switched during a session, enabling different groups to apply specific floor control policies based on their needs, such as priority-based, barge-in, distributed, buffered talk bursts, round robin, variable-sized, and weighted-fair queue templates, managed through graphical or voice user interfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single floor control mechanism is used across all PTT applications, then system simplicity is maintained, but compatibility and adaptability to different application scenarios deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompatibility across different PTT servicesVSAvoidfloor control mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal floor control server that can execute multiple different floor control algorithms (e.g., priority-based, round-robin, barge-in, distributed, buffered talk bursts, variable-sized, weighted-fair queue) to serve diverse PTT applications including public safety, commercial, and consumer services through a single unified system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically selects and switches between different floor control algorithms based on the specific application scenario and service requirements, allowing the floor control mechanism to adapt its behavior in real-time rather than being fixed to a single control method

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple floor control algorithms are implemented to serve different applications, then adaptability to various scenarios improves, but system complexity and difficulty of integration increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefloor control characteristics for different scenariosVSAvoidintegration complexity across disparate applications
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The floor control server acts as an intermediary component that receives floor control requests from multiple different PTT applications and translates them into appropriate algorithm-specific processing, managing the complexity of multiple algorithms through a unified interface layer

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the floor control functionality into separate, independently selectable algorithms that can be chosen based on specific application needs, allowing each algorithm to be optimized for its particular use case while maintaining overall system coherence through the unified server architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2022249B1Floor control templates for use in push-to-talk applications
Publication Date: 2019.11.20 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC
  • EP2022249B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2022249B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2022249B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A processor-implemented method of operation for managing a push-to-talk (PTT) session involving a plurality of participants includes applying a first floor control algorithm at a PTT server. The first floor control algorithm being selected from a plurality of algorithms that arbitrate among talk requests received from the participants. The method further includes changing, during the PTT session, from the first floor control algorithm to a second floor control algorithm at the PPT server. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).