Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for supporting roaming wireless devices and roaming wireless groups with access controls. One exemplary method involves obtaining a set of permissions associated with a roaming device from its home radio system, obtaining a set of permissions for the roaming device from the visited radio system, merging the obtained sets of permissions, and responding to a request from the roaming device in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming device within the visited radio system. Another exemplary method involves obtaining permissions associated with a roaming radio group from its home radio system, obtaining permissions for the roaming radio group from the visited radio system, merging the obtained permissions, and responding to a group service request for the roaming radio group in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming radio group within the visited radio system.

Abstract: A communication system, console, and method of patching a PTT call are provided. An audio stream and control messages are provided to the console, which patches the either or both to target devices. The identity of the audio stream source is embedded only in the audio stream. Initially, when the audio stream is first patched, the identity is not provided. While the audio stream is being patched, the identity is extracted and the control messages updated so that the identity is immediately relayed through the console without having to wait for the next periodic transmission of a control message from the console.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for supporting roaming wireless devices and roaming wireless groups with access controls. One exemplary method involves obtaining a set of permissions associated with a roaming device from its home radio system, obtaining a set of permissions for the roaming device from the visited radio system, merging the obtained sets of permissions, and responding to a request from the roaming device in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming device within the visited radio system. Another exemplary method involves obtaining permissions associated with a roaming radio group from its home radio system, obtaining permissions for the roaming radio group from the visited radio system, merging the obtained permissions, and responding to a group service request for the roaming radio group in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming radio group within the visited radio system.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for supporting roaming wireless devices and roaming wireless groups with access controls. One exemplary method involves obtaining a set of permissions associated with a roaming device from its home radio system, obtaining a set of permissions for the roaming device from the visited radio system, merging the obtained sets of permissions, and responding to a request from the roaming device in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming device within the visited radio system. Another exemplary method involves obtaining permissions associated with a roaming radio group from its home radio system, obtaining permissions for the roaming radio group from the visited radio system, merging the obtained permissions, and responding to a group service request for the roaming radio group in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming radio group within the visited radio system.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for supporting roaming wireless devices and roaming wireless groups with access controls. One exemplary method involves obtaining a set of permissions associated with a roaming device from its home radio system, obtaining a set of permissions for the roaming device from the visited radio system, merging the obtained sets of permissions, and responding to a request from the roaming device in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming device within the visited radio system. Another exemplary method involves obtaining permissions associated with a roaming radio group from its home radio system, obtaining permissions for the roaming radio group from the visited radio system, merging the obtained permissions, and responding to a group service request for the roaming radio group in accordance with the merged set of permissions for the roaming radio group within the visited radio system.

Abstract: System and method for efficiently managing communication channel assignments within talkgroups having dual mode communication units capable of operating on a first communication channel type and on a second communication channel type, and single mode communication units capable of operating only on the second communication channel type. If, at a base site, each of the communication units associated with a talkgroup is a dual mode communication unit, a call for that talkgroup is assigned to be broadcast using a channel of the first communication channel type. If, at least one of the communication units associated with the talkgroup at the base site is a single mode communication unit, the call for that talkgroup is assigned to a channel of the second communication channel type. As communication units roam between sites, channel assignments are continuously updated based on the types of communication units at each base site at any one time.

Abstract: A system and method for transmitting call information in a communication system having sites with long link delays. Upon a call being initiated within the communication system, a zone controller determines the participating sites that are to be involved in the call and assigns an IP multicast group address for the call. The zone controller also determines whether any of the participating sites have a long link delay. If any of the participating sites do have a long link delay, the zone controller also assigns an IP unicast address for each such site. The call information is then transmitted both on the IP multicast address as well as on each assigned IP unicast address to ensure that the call is received by each participating site without the loss of call information.

Abstract: A system and method for improving the interoperability of communication system components using multiple audio encoding formats within a single talkgroup is provided. The system includes at least two base site repeaters, each of which may be configured to receive and process voice calls from communication units using different audio encoding formats. The system also includes a transcoder provided at either the base sites or as a separate infrastructure server. When a voice call is transmitted to a first repeater using a first audio encoding format, the audio signal is transcoded by the transcoder and provided to a second repeater using a second audio encoding format. The second repeater then broadcasts the voice call to any communication unit within range using the second audio encoding format.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an efficient and effective method for allocating provisional PUIDs and PGIDs to subscriber units and groups during a failure, such that when the communication system recovers, there is a decrease in or elimination of the number of dropped or missed communications. The present disclosure reserves a range of provisional PUIDs and PGIDs for resource controllers operating in a region of system failure to assign when subscriber units roam into the region of failure in the communication system. The present disclosure addresses creating PUID and PGID ranges for resource controllers to assign to roaming subscriber units in order to allow for assignment of PUIDs and PGIDs during periods of subsystem isolation and site trunking, i.e., when the particular site or subsystem cannot communicate with the rest of the communication system. The present disclosure also addresses recovering from these situations, re-registration, and reallocation of PUIDs and PGIDs.

Abstract: A communication system, console, and method of patching a PTT call are provided. An audio stream and control messages are provided to the console, which patches the either or both to target devices. The identity of the audio stream source is embedded only in the audio stream. Initially, when the audio stream is first patched, the identity is not provided. While the audio stream is being patched, the identity is extracted and the control messages updated so that the identity is immediately relayed through the console without having to wait for the next periodic transmission of a control message from the console.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an efficient and effective method for allocating provisional PUIDs and PGIDs to subscriber units and groups during a failure, such that when the communication system recovers, there is a decrease in or elimination of the number of dropped or missed communications. The present disclosure reserves a range of provisional PUIDs and PGIDs for resource controllers operating in a region of system failure to assign when subscriber units roam into the region of failure in the communication system. The present disclosure addresses creating PUID and PGID ranges for resource controllers to assign to roaming subscriber units in order to allow for assignment of PUIDs and PGIDs during periods of subsystem isolation and site trunking, i.e., when the particular site or subsystem cannot communicate with the rest of the communication system. The present disclosure also addresses recovering from these situations, re-registration, and reallocation of PUIDs and PGIDs.

Abstract: A system and method for transmitting call information in a communication system having sites with long link delays. Upon a call being initiated within the communication system, a zone controller determines the participating sites that are to be involved in the call and assigns an IP multicast group address for the call. The zone controller also determines whether any of the participating sites have a long link delay. If any of the participating sites do have a long link delay, the zone controller also assigns an IP unicast address for each such site. The call information is then transmitted both on the IP multicast address as well as on each assigned IP unicast address to ensure that the call is received by each participating site without the loss of call information.

Abstract: System and method for efficiently managing communication channel assignments within talkgroups having dual mode communication units capable of operating on a first communication channel type and on a second communication channel type, and single mode communication units capable of operating only on the first communication channel type. If, at a base site, each of the communication units associated with a talkgroup is a dual mode communication unit, a call for that talkgroup is assigned to be broadcast using a channel of the first communication channel type. If, at least one of the communication units associated with the talkgroup at the base site is a single mode communication unit, the call for that talkgroup is assigned to a channel of the second communication channel type. As communication units roam between sites, channel assignments are continuously updated based on the types of communication units at each base site at any one time.

Abstract: A system and method for improving the interoperability of communication system components using multiple audio encoding formats within a single talkgroup is provided. The system includes at least two base site repeaters, each of which may be configured to receive and process voice calls from communication units using different audio encoding formats. The system also includes a transcoder provided at either the base sites or as a separate infrastructure server. When a voice call is transmitted to a first repeater using a first audio encoding format, the audio signal is transcoded by the transcoder and provided to a second repeater using a second audio encoding format.

Abstract: System and methods for confining multicast routing trees to within single zones of a multi-zone communication systems, thereby enabling faster convergence of the trees relative to trees spanning multiple zones. Separate multicast routing trees are established using different multicast addresses in a source zone and one or more listening zones. Packets for a call distributed by routers (104, 116) of a packet network within the source zone via a source zone multicast address are received by a source zone packet duplicator (132). The source zone packet duplicator forwards the packets, via routers (116, 118, 120, 122) of the packet network using unicast routing, to various listening zone packet duplicators (136, 138). The listening zone packet duplicators, upon receiving the packets, separately distribute the packets within their respective zones via the packet network using different multicast addresses of the listening zones.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for determining a link Op from among a plurality of host devices on a LAN, for exchanging control messages between a communication server and one or more sites having a link Op and a listening Op and for the link Op and/or listening Op to detect and recover from missing packets in a sequence of IP packets received from the server. The link Op and listening Op join a control multicast group address to receive control messages from the server. The link Op establishes a reliable message transfer session with the server. Upon the link Op detecting a missing packet, the link Op may request that the communication server resend the packet. Upon the listening Op detecting a missing packet, the listening Op determines whether the link Op will request retransmission of the missing packet.

Abstract: A method of call control in a packet-based communication system having consoles, distributed among one or more console sites, that are adapted to monitor talkgroup calls. The console sites are served by console site links having a limited available bandwidth. Upon receiving a request for a talkgroup call, there is identified a number of priority consoles requesting participation in a talkgroup call. For example, the priority consoles (or console operators) may indicate that monitoring of the talkgroup call is “critical” for those consoles. Based on the location of the priority consoles, a number of priority console sites are identified for the talkgroup call. If sufficient bandwidth (e.g., call units of bandwidth) is available (or made available) to each of the priority console sites, the call is granted. Alternatively or additionally, the call may be granted to certain non-priority console sites if bandwidth is available.

Abstract: A Packet Network for use in association with a wireless communication system employs packet distribution and call set-up methods optimized to select from a plurality of network routing devices, a single node (i.e., Rendezvous Point (VP) or.multicast core) as a function of attributes exhibited by the communication devices involved in the call or as a function of various communication system performance and/or quality of service (QOS) attributes, including but not limited to, bandwidth requirements, resource availability, network processing capacity, network response time, network traffic data, information technology and other knowledge and know-how regarding system equipment, system software, system integration, installation and/or deployment, bit error rate (BER), received signal strength indication (RSSI), quality of service (QOS) metrics, and any other measure of system performance or call quality.

Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing dispatch calls using IP multicasting protocols are disclosed. The methods include utilizing a payload multicast group address for distributing payload, and utilizing a control multicast group address for distributing control messages to members of the talkgroup in a single-zone (FIG. 1). A zone controller 116 dynamically identifies payload and control multicast group addresses and sends them to participating sites 102, 104. The participating sites 102, 104 issue Join commands to associated network devices 108, 110 to receive payload and control messages addressed to the respective payload and control multicast group addresses. There is further disclosed a system and method for implementing dispatch calls for members in multiple zones (FIG. 6). Zone controllers 630, 632 separately identify control multicast group addresses and send them to affiliating devices in their respective zones.

Abstract: System and methods for confining multicast routing trees to within single zones of a multi-zone communication systems, thereby enabling faster convergence of the trees relative to trees spanning multiple zones. Separate multicast routing trees are established using different multicast addresses in a source zone and one or more listening zones. Packets for a call distributed by routers (104, 116) of a packet network within the source zone via a source zone multicast address are received by a source zone packet duplicator (132). The source zone packet duplicator forwards the packets, via routers (116, 118, 120, 122) of the packet network using unicast routing, to various listening zone packet duplicators (136, 138). The listening zone packet duplicators, upon receiving the packets, separately distribute the packets within their respective zones via the packet network using different multicast addresses of the listening zones.