Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining and remedying audio quality issues in a voice communication. One example electronic computing device includes an electronic processor configured to receive, via a communication interface, a voice communication including a request from a communication device. The electronic processor is also configured to perform an analysis of the voice communication. The analysis includes disambiguating the voice communication. The electronic processor is also configured to store a profile of the voice communication associated with a state of the communication device in a history of profiles, when disambiguating the voice communication is successful. When disambiguating the voice communication fails, the electronic processor determines whether the voice communication is associated with a profile in the history of profiles.

Abstract: A device, system and method for preventing audio loss is provided. A device receives scheduling data, for a plurality of timeslots, indicative of when different communication types are to occur in a present voicecall, the plurality of timeslots including at least one data timeslot for transmitting data on the present voicecall.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing audio delay for mixed mode delivery of audio transmissions. One example system includes a communication interface communicatively coupled to a communication network, and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is coupled to the communication interface, and configured to receive, via the communication interface, a group call request for a talkgroup. The electronic processor is configured to transmit, in response to receiving the group call request, a call grant message to a plurality of subscriber units affiliated with the talkgroup. The electronic processor is configured to determine, using a machine learning algorithm, a subset of the plurality of subscriber units based on a call grant response time, and, while a transmission hold-off timer has not expired, when a call grant response has been received from each of the subscriber units of the subset, forward an audio transmission to the subset based on the group call request.

Abstract: A method, device, and system for scheduling a status update in a time division multiple access (TDMA) communication system. One method includes transmitting, with a call controller, scheduling information to the each of the plurality of communication devices via an outbound time slot associated with a control channel of a local common TDMA channel to schedule the each of the plurality of communication devices to transmit the status data in a pre-determined sequence. The method also includes receiving the status data from at least one of the plurality of communication devices in the pre-determined sequence.

Abstract: A method of assigning a priority to a portable communication device in a communication system. The method includes determining an incident profile. The incident profile defines an expected timeline having a first incident stage, a first role associated with the first incident stage, a second incident stage, and a second role associated with the second incident stage. The first role is different than the second role, and the incident profile indicates a desired priority rank for the first role and the second role. The method also includes assigning a priority rank to a first portable communication device when the first portable communication device corresponds to the first role during the first incident stage, detecting a transition between the first incident stage and the second incident stage, and assigning the priority rank of the portable communication device according to the second role during the second incident stage.

Abstract: A method of assigning a priority to a portable communication device in a communication system. The method includes determining an incident profile. The incident profile defines an expected timeline having a first incident stage, a first role associated with the first incident stage, a second incident stage, and a second role associated with the second incident stage. The first role is different than the second role, and the incident profile indicates a desired priority rank for the first role and the second role. The method also includes assigning a priority rank to a first portable communication device when the first portable communication device corresponds to the first role during the first incident stage, detecting a transition between the first incident stage and the second incident stage, and assigning the priority rank of the portable communication device according to the second role during the second incident stage.

Abstract: A method, device, and system for scheduling a status update in a time division multiple access (TDMA) communication system. One method includes transmitting, with a call controller, scheduling information to the each of the plurality of communication devices via an outbound time slot associated with a control channel of a local common TDMA channel to schedule the each of the plurality of communication devices to transmit the status data in a pre-determined sequence. The method also includes receiving the status data from at least one of the plurality of communication devices in the pre-determined sequence.

Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for implementing data sovereignty safeguards in a distributed services network architecture are disclosed. Embodiments of a distributed services system may have a number of distributed nodes that each implements a set of services. When a user requests a service at a particular node of a distributed services system, the node is configured to determine if that node is not (or is) data sovereign for a region associated with the user. If the node is not data sovereign for the user's region, the user may be directed to a corresponding service at a node of the distributed service system that is data sovereign for the user's region.

Abstract: Devices and methods for receiving a data file in a communication system. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device includes a transceiver, a memory, and an electronic processor. The transceiver is configured to send and receive data over a wireless communication network. The electronic processor is electrically coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to receive, with the transceiver, a first seed, a sequence of blocks, and a subsequent seed, cause the memory to save the sequence of blocks in the memory, and determine whether the subsequent seed is aligned with the first seed. When the subsequent seed is not aligned with the first seed, the electronic processor is configured to cause the memory to delete the sequence of blocks. When the subsequent seed is aligned with the first seed, the electronic processor is configured to cause the memory to maintain the sequence of blocks.

Abstract: A method is provided that sets up a Push-To-Talk (PTT) call. A first group is given a first value of an attribute, such as the priority of the PTT call or the state of the PTT call. A second group is given a second value of the attribute, such that the second value of the attribute is different from the first value of the attribute.

Abstract: Devices and methods for receiving a data file in a communication system. In one embodiment, the wireless communication device includes a transceiver, a memory, and an electronic processor. The transceiver is configured to send and receive data over a wireless communication network. The electronic processor is electrically coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to receive, with the transceiver, a first seed, a sequence of blocks, and a subsequent seed, cause the memory to save the sequence of blocks in the memory, and determine whether the subsequent seed is aligned with the first seed. When the subsequent seed is not aligned with the first seed, the electronic processor is configured to cause the memory to delete the sequence of blocks. When the subsequent seed is aligned with the first seed, the electronic processor is configured to cause the memory to maintain the sequence of blocks.

Abstract: A first group auditory data stream, from a transmitting subscriber device of a first group of subscriber devices or from a dispatch console and intended for the first group of subscriber devices, is received at a conference server. A second group auditory data stream from a transmitting subscriber device of a second group of subscriber devices is similarly received. The conference server determines a relative priority level of one of (i) the first group of subscriber devices relative to the second group of subscriber devices and (ii) the first group auditory data stream relative to the second group auditory data stream, and sets different relative signal gains of the first group auditory data stream and the second group auditory data stream as a function of the determined relative priority level. The two auditory data streams are then summed and forwarded towards the second group of subscriber devices.

Abstract: A first group auditory data stream, from a transmitting subscriber device of a first group of subscriber devices or from a dispatch console and intended for the first group of subscriber devices, is received at a conference server. The conference server determines whether the first group auditory data stream generated for the first group of subscriber devices is of interest to a second group of subscriber devices, and if so, sums the first group auditory data stream with a second group auditory data stream intended for the second group of subscriber devices to form a summed group auditory data stream. The conference server then forwards the summed group auditory data stream towards the second group of subscriber devices and forwards the first group auditory data stream towards the first group of subscriber devices.

Abstract: A subscriber unit-based method and a subscriber unit include locally maintaining a status of each working channel of a plurality of working channels in a wireless communication system; responsive to an inbound request, selecting one of a plurality of idle working channels of the plurality of working channels and a dedicated control channel; and sending the inbound request on the selected channel. An infrastructure-based method is also provided. Variously, the methods and systems increase service capacity in radio communication systems using idle working channels as flexible control channels. An infrastructure-based method is also described.

Abstract: Group-based emergency notifications and acknowledgments are managed via a radio controller. A request to transmit an emergency notification with acknowledgment to an identified target group of subscriber devices is received at the radio controller from a requesting device. The radio controller identifies one or more base stations actively serving subscriber devices associated with the identified target group and identifies, for each of the identified one or more base stations, active channels including one or more of a control channel associated with the base station and active voice or data channels associated with the base station. The radio controller causes an emergency notification outbound signaling packet (OSP), requesting individual acknowledgment and identifying the target group of subscriber devices, to be broadcast on the identified active channels at the identified one or more base stations. Acknowledgments are forwarded back to one of the requesting device and a dispatch console.

Abstract: User personalities are presented for interoperable push to talk (PTT) across a plurality of separate PTT networks. A gateway server device (GSD) maintains a user personality mapping that, for each subscriber device and each of a plurality of separate PTT networks communicatively coupled to the GSD, maps a first unique identifier used to identify the subscriber device in a first PTT network with respective second unique identifiers used to identify the subscriber device in other ones of the plurality of PTT networks. The GSD receives a transmission from a source subscriber device in the first PTT network destined for target subscriber devices in the other PTT networks, and modifies the transmission by replacing the first unique identifier with the respective second unique identifiers as a function of the user personality mapping, and forwards the corresponding modified transmissions to the other PTT networks.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for talkgroup-state-dependent routing of group data. An embodiment takes the form of a process that includes handling receipt of packet data addressed to a talkgroup by responsively: determining whether the talkgroup currently has an active voice session on a voice channel; if not, then routing the received packet data to the talkgroup on a data channel; and if so, then routing the received packet data to the talkgroup via metadata fields in the voice channel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for assigning a talk group to a radio within a communication system is provided herein. During operation a router receives a communication from a radio over a channel. The communication uses a first talk group that is not assigned to the channel. In response, the router will forward identification information for the user over the channel using a pre-arranged second talk group. Once communication is received using the second talk group (at, for example a console), the receiver will program the radio with an appropriate talk group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for assigning a talk group to a radio within a communication system is provided herein. During operation a router receives a communication from a radio over a channel. The communication uses a first talk group that is not assigned to the channel. In response, the router will forward identification information for the user over the channel using a pre-arranged second talk group. Once communication is received using the second talk group (at, for example a console), the receiver will program the radio with an appropriate talk group.

Abstract: Reduction of audio truncation when transcoding speech data from one coding format to another. Embodiments include receiving packets of a first communication session containing first encrypted speech data encoded according to a vocoder of a first type and encrypted using an encryption protocol, and containing a first encryption protocol identification information distributed among the received packets. Further embodiments include extracting the first encryption protocol identification information from the received packets and processing the received packets based on the first encryption identification information. Embodiments include transmitting one or more voice header packets containing a second encryption protocol identification information in a second communication session as well as transmitting packets in the second communication session containing second encrypted speech data encoded according to a vocoder of a second type.