Push-to-Talk Interoperability Between Full-Duplex and Half-Duplex Endpoints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems for public and private security groups, such as police and fire departments, face inefficiencies in interoperability between different communication networks, particularly in facilitating push-to-talk communication sessions between half-duplex and full-duplex endpoints, often requiring laborious manual intervention and lacking seamless interoperability.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that enables push-to-talk communication sessions by using a full-duplex endpoint for simultaneous two-way communication with half-duplex endpoints, incorporating a proxy media service to mix and transmit multiple communication streams over low-bandwidth connections, and allowing floor control through separate control endpoints or signals, thereby enhancing interoperability and monitoring capabilities across different networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If push-to-talk communication is implemented between full-duplex and half-duplex endpoints, then interoperability between different communication networks is improved, but floor control conflicts and communication blocking occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a floor control mechanism that acts as an intermediary between full-duplex and half-duplex endpoints. The system mediates floor control signals and communication flow to prevent conflicts, allowing seamless interoperability while maintaining proper half-duplex protocol compliance.
2Loss of information
If multiple communication streams are transmitted over low-bandwidth connections, then monitoring capability across different networks is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple communication streams into a single mixed audio stream for transmission over low-bandwidth connections. The proxy media service merges multiple PTT streams, allowing monitoring of multiple networks simultaneously while consuming minimal bandwidth, as only one combined stream needs to be transmitted.
3Reliability
If full-duplex endpoint blocks communications during half-duplex floor control, then protocol compliance is improved, but communication continuity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary floor control signaling before actual communication transmission. The full-duplex endpoint receives and processes floor control signals in advance, blocking communications only when necessary, and automatically resuming transmission when floor control is granted, thereby maintaining both protocol compliance and communication continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing a push-to-talk communication session includes facilitating a push-to-talk communication session among a full duplex endpoint supporting simultaneous two-way communication and a plurality of half duplex endpoints. Communications are received from and transmitted to the full duplex endpoint along a two-way communications path. The method includes blocking communications received from the full duplex endpoint while one of the plurality of half duplex endpoints has floor control in the communication session and receiving from the full duplex endpoint in the two-way communications path a floor control signal comprising a request to transmit communications in the communication session. The method includes, in response to receiving the floor control signal, providing floor control to the full duplex endpoint and transmitting to the plurality of half duplex endpoints communications received from the full duplex endpoint.