Supplemental audio content for group communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11019369-B2
Application number	US-201916394198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2019
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

Systems, methods, software and apparatus enable providing supplemental audio content to members of a communication group via a group communication service that manages the multiple member user nodes' transmission and receipt of communications between and among the member user nodes. A request for audio content (e.g., from the communication group or a member user node) causes the group communication service to launch a bot node member to locate and deliver the requested audio content. The audio content can be merged with user node communications (e.g., as transmission packets or as streaming audio content). In some implementations each user node includes a wearable push-to-talk end user device linked to a communication device executing a communication application connected to the group communication service.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
operating a group communication system configured to manage audio communications between user nodes in a communication group, including:
receiving, at the group communication system, an audio content request from a user node in the communication group;
launching, at the group communication system based on the audio content request, a bot node as a member of the communication group to deliver audio content from an audio content source to the group communication system;
receiving, at the group communication system, audio content from the audio content source via the bot node; and
delivering, from the group communication system, the received audio content to one or more user nodes of the communication group, including merging the received audio content with member node communications by mixing the received audio content and user communications.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering the received audio content comprises merging the received audio content with member user node communications by adding the audio content as a member node audio stream to the communication group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein user nodes in the communication group each comprises an end user device wirelessly linked to an intermediate communication device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein each end user device comprises a wearable push-to-talk device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user nodes in the communication group each comprises a communication device executing a communication application.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein each communication device is one of the following:
a cellphone;
a smartphone;
a gaming device;
a tablet computer;
a laptop computer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the received audio content comprises one of the following:
a live audio feed;
audio content from a website;
audio content from a private audio content file.

8. A memory device storing instructions, which when executed, cause a processor to:
execute a communication group management system to manage audio communications between user nodes in a communication group, including:
receive an audio content request from a user node of the communication group;
in response to the audio content request, launch a bot node configured to deliver audio content from an audio content source to the communication group management system;
receive audio content from the audio content source via the bot node; and
deliver the received audio content to one or more user nodes of the communication group, including merging the received audio content with member node communications by mixing the received audio content and user communications.

9. The memory device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the communication group management system to merge the received audio content with member user node communications by adding the audio content as a member node audio stream to the communication group.

10. The memory device of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the communication group management system to:
receive an indication from a particular user node in the communication group to opt out of receiving the received audio content; and
do not merge the received audio content with member user node communications for the particular user node, based on the indication.

11. The memory device of claim 8 wherein a user node in the communication group comprises an end user device wirelessly linked to an intermediate communication device.

12. The memory device of claim 11 wherein each end user device comprises a wearable push-to-talk device.

13. The memory device of claim 8 wherein the received audio content is delivered to the one or more user nodes on a separate channel from communications between user nodes, to enable continuous play of the received audio content on user nodes without interrupting group communications.

14. The memory device of claim 8 wherein a user node in the communication group includes a communication device from among the following:
a cellphone;
a smartphone;
a gaming device;
a tablet computer;
a laptop computer.

15. The memory device of claim 8 wherein the received audio content comprises one of the following:
a live audio feed;
audio content from a website;
audio content from a private audio content file.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a memory storing instructions that cause the processor to implement a group communication management system configured to manage audio communications between user nodes in a communication group, including:
receive an audio content request from a first user node of the communication group;
in response to the audio content request, launch a bot node configured to deliver a unidirectional audio stream comprising audio content from an audio content source to the group communication management system;
receive audio content from the audio content source via the bot node; and
distribute the received audio content to one or more user nodes in the communication group, including merging the received audio content with member node communications by mixing the received audio content and user communications.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the audio content request comprises audio content configuration data from a communication group user node interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein distributing the received audio content comprises:
adding the bot node as a member node of the communication group; and
sending the received audio content to user nodes in the communication group as a group communication from a member node.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the received audio content is distributed to the one or more user nodes on a separate channel from communications between user nodes, to enable continuous play of the received audio content on user nodes without interrupting group communications.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processor implements the group communication management system, further including:
receive an indication from a second user node in the communication group to opt out of receiving the received audio content; and
do not distribute the received audio content to the second user node based on the indication.

Assignees

• Orion Labs
• Orion Labs Inc

Inventors

• Albrecht Greg
• Robbins Jesse
• Juhlin Ellen

Classifications

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• H04L67/04

  specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability · CPC title

• G06F16/635

  Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles · CPC title

• G06F16/632

  Query formulation · CPC title

• H04L65/4061

  Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video · CPC title