Device to device grouping of personal communication nodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9936010-B1
Application number	US-201615157517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Systems, methods, software and apparatus enable device to device grouping of personal communication nodes include managing a communication node group having communication node members. Attribute information from the communication nodes is provided to a management system that defines communication group membership based on the received attribute information. The management system transmits group membership status notifications to the communication nodes. Membership status controls a node's participation in group communications. Attribute information can include changes (such as dynamic changes) in one or more communication node attributes, such as location, proximity to other communication nodes, speed, etc.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a management system controlling communication node group comprising a plurality of communication nodes, wherein the plurality of communication nodes comprises a first node and a second node, the method comprising:
the management system receiving attribute information from the plurality of communication nodes, wherein the attribute information comprises dynamic changes to the location of at least one of the first node and/or the second node;
the management system determining changes to communication group operation based on the received attribute information, the changes comprising changes to node speaker operation based on the proximity of the first and second nodes; and
the management system transmitting a group membership status notification to each communication node in the plurality of communication nodes;
wherein each group membership status notification provides a group membership status that controls participation of the receiving communication node in group communications, and further wherein a first node group membership status directs the first node to mute a first node speaker due to the proximity of the first node to the second node, and further wherein a second node group membership status directs the second node to mute a second node speaker due to the proximity of the first node to the second node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the attribute information comprises changes in one or more communication node attributes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the attribute information comprises at least dynamic changes in one or more communication node attributes.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each communication node comprises a computing system executing a communication software application.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each communication node comprises a wireless intermediate communication device linked to an end user device.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the end user device comprises a wearable personal communication device wirelessly linked to the intermediate communication device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein defining a communication group based on the received attribute information comprises defining a first group of emergency responder communication nodes and defining a second group of emergency responder communication nodes;
further wherein each group status notification provides a group membership status that controls participation of the receiving communication node in the first group of emergency responder communication nodes and the second group of emergency responder communication nodes.

8. A method of managing a plurality of communication nodes comprising a first communication node and a second communication node, the method comprising:
a group communication management system receiving first node attribute information from the first communication node, wherein the first communication node is a member of a communication group managed by the management system;
the group communication management system receiving second node attribute information from the second communication node, wherein the second communication node is a member of the communication group, wherein the received first node attribute information and the received second node attribute information comprises dynamic changes to the location of at least one of the first node and/or the second node;
the management system defining a first membership status for the first communication node and defining a second membership status for the second communication node, wherein each membership status is based on the received first and second node attribute information; and
the management system transmitting a group membership status notification to each communication node in the plurality of communication nodes;
wherein each group membership status notification comprises a group membership status that controls participation of the receiving communication node in the communication group, and further wherein a first node group membership status directs the first communication node to mute a first node speaker due to the proximity of the first communication node to the second communication node, and further wherein a second node group membership status directs the second communication node to mute a second node speaker due to the proximity of the first communication node to the second communication node.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein attribute information comprises changes in one or more communication node attributes.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein attribute information comprises at least dynamic changes in one or more communication node attributes.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein each communication node comprises a computing system executing a communication software application.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein each communication node comprises a wireless intermediate communication device linked to an end user device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the end user device comprises a wearable personal communication device wirelessly linked to the intermediate communication device.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein attribute information comprises information regarding at least one of the following communication node attributes:
time;
date;
location;
communication state;
network state;
user identity;
device identity;
physical proximity to another communication node; and
speed.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions to operate a group communication management system, including instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a computing system of a group communication management system, cause the group communication management system to:
receive attribute information from a plurality of communication nodes, wherein the plurality of communication nodes comprises a first node and a second node, wherein the attribute information comprises dynamic changes to the location of at least one of the first node and/or the second node;
determine changes to communication group operation based on the received attribute information, the changes comprising changes to node speaker operation based on the proximity of the first and second nodes; and
transmit a group membership status notification to each communication node in the plurality of communication nodes;
wherein each group membership status notification provides a group membership status that controls participation of the receiving communication node in group communications, and further wherein a first node group membership status directs the first node to mute a first node speaker due to the proximity of the first node to the second node, and further wherein a second node group membership status directs the second node to mute a second node speaker due to the proximity of the first node to the second node.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein attribute information comprises changes in one or more communication node attributes.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein attribute information comprises at least dynamic changes in one or more communication node attributes.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein each communication node comprises a wireless intermediate communication device linked to an end user device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the end user device comprises a wearable personal communication

Assignees

• Orion Labs

Inventors

• Robbins Jesse
• Albrecht Greg
• Juhlin Ellen
• Wood Roger
• Girling Neil

Classifications

• H04B1/385 Primary

  Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title

• H04L67/1044 Primary

  Group management mechanisms  (management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425) · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title