Methods and apparatus for managing group membership for group communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9503866-B2
Application number	US-201313937727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2013
Priority date	Aug 16, 2004
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

Improved group communications methods which are well suited for a wireless environment are described. End nodes request that access nodes make changes in group membership information maintained at the access node. The access node responds to the requests by a response signal indicating a grant or denial of the request. Requests may be to add or remove the end node, e.g., a mobile wireless terminal, from a particular group membership list identified in the request signal. The access node maintains a detailed list of group members and uses the information to control how signals, e.g., packets, are transmitted to the group members. Group membership information may be updated at the access node at the time of handoff and/or an end node enters the cell or otherwise changes its point of network attachment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for communications, comprising:
generating, at a standard group membership client module in a mobile wireless terminal, signaling that does not enable an access node to maintain a group membership list;
generating, at a group communication module in the mobile wireless terminal, a group membership information change request signal based on the signaling, wherein the group membership information change request signal enables the access node to maintain the group membership list; and
transmitting the group membership information change request signal to the access node to request a change in group membership.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving from the access node a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising retransmitting the group membership information change request signal when a response to the group membership information change request signal is not received in a preselected period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group membership information change request signal requests that the access node add the mobile wireless terminal as a member of a group.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signaling is generated based on information obtained from a multicast group communication application.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the standard group membership client module comprises a multicast listener discovery protocol module.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group communication module queries the standard group membership client module for group membership client information.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signaling comprises Internet group management protocol (IGMP) compliant signaling.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the signaling that does not enable the access node to maintain the group membership list is directed toward the access node by the standard group membership client module; and
the group communication module intercepts the signaling.

10. An apparatus for communications, comprising:
a standard group membership client module in a mobile wireless terminal, the standard group membership client module being enabled to generate signaling that does not enable an access node to maintain a group membership list;
a group communication module in the mobile wireless terminal, the group communication module being enabled to generate a group membership information change request signal based on the signaling, wherein the group membership information change request signal enables the access node to maintain the group membership list; and
a transmitter module enabled to transmit the group membership information change request signal to the access node to request a change in group membership.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a receiver module enabled to receive from the access node a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the transmitter module is further enabled to retransmit the group membership information change request signal when a response to the group membership information change request signal is not received in a preselected period of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the group membership information change request signal requests that the access node add the mobile wireless terminal as a member of a group.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the standard group membership client module generates the signaling based on information obtained from a multicast group communication application.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the standard group membership client module comprises a multicast listener discovery protocol module.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the group communication module queries the standard group membership information client module for group membership client information.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the signaling comprises Internet group management protocol (IGMP) compliant signaling.

18. An apparatus for communications, comprising:
means for generating, in a mobile wireless terminal, signaling that does not enable an access node to maintain a group membership list;
means for generating, in the mobile wireless terminal, a group membership information change request signal based on the signaling, wherein the group membership information change request signal enables the access node to maintain the group membership list; and
means for transmitting the group membership information change request signal to the access node to request a change in group membership.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising means for receiving from the access node a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising means for retransmitting the group membership information change request signal when a response to the group membership information change request signal is not received in a preselected period of time.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the group membership information change request signal requests that the access node add the mobile wireless terminal as a member of a group.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the means for generating signaling uses information obtained from a multicast group communication application.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the means for generating comprises a multicast listener discovery protocol module.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising means for querying a standard group membership information client module for group membership client information.

25. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the signaling comprises Internet group management protocol (IGMP) compliant signaling.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:
instructions for generating, at a standard group membership client module in a mobile wireless terminal, signaling that does not enable an access node to maintain a group membership list;
instructions for generating, at a group communication module in the mobile wireless terminal, a group membership information change request signal based on the signaling, wherein the group membership information change request signal enables the access node to maintain the group membership list; and
instructions for transmitting the group membership information change request signal to the access node to request a change in group membership.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , further comprising instructions for receiving from the access node a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , further comprising instructions for retransmitting the group membership information change request signal when a response to the group membership information change request signal is not received in a preselected period of time.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , wherein the group membership information change request signal requests that the access node add the mobile wireless terminal as a member of a group.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Corson Mathew Scott
• O'Neill Alan
• Park Vincent D

Classifications

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04W4/08 Primary

  User group management · CPC title

• H04W4/06

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title

• H04W8/186

  Processing of subscriber group data · CPC title

• H04L12/18

  for broadcast or conference {, e.g. multicast} · CPC title