# US 2014/0194100 A1 · Enabling a wireless communication device to swtich from one local network to a separate wide area network for a high priority multicast group communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0194100 A1 - Document ID: US20140194100A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/146,497 - Filed: 2014-01-02 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-04 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Kirankumar ANCHAN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194100A1 ## CPC - H04W 4/06: Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 65/611: for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) - H04W 76/45: for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services - H04L 65/4038: with floor control - H04W 4/10: Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services - H04W 72/30: Resource management for broadcast services - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The disclosure is related to group communications over multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS). An aspect determines whether a number of one or more user devices in an MBMS coverage area participating in a group call is less than a threshold, and delivers a media stream for the group call to a user device of the one or more user devices over a wireless local area network (WLAN) to which the user device is connected based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being less than the threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for group communications over multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS), comprising: determining whether a number of one or more user devices in an MBMS coverage area participating in a group call is less than a threshold; and delivering a media stream for the group call to a user device of the one or more user devices over a wireless local area network (WLAN) to which the user device is connected based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being less than the threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the media stream comprises group communication media generated during the group call. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the media stream comprises a lower bandwidth version of the group communication media generated during the group call than would be delivered over MBMS. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the media stream comprises an audio stream, an image stream, and/or a video stream. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: notifying the user device that the media stream will be delivered over the WLAN; and notifying the user device that a supplemental media stream for the group call will be delivered over a unicast service. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: delivering the supplemental media stream to the user device over the unicast service. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the supplemental media stream is encoded at a higher bitrate than an encoding bitrate of the media stream. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the user device combines the media stream and the supplemental media stream for playback at the user device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: delivering the media stream to a second user device of the one or more user devices over a unicast service based on whether the second user device is connected to a WLAN. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: delivering all content for the group call over MBMS to the one or more user devices based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being greater than the threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: notifying the one or more user devices that the one or more user devices will receive a higher bandwidth media stream for the group call over MBMS. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the higher bandwidth media stream comprises a higher bandwidth version of the media stream that was delivered over the WLAN. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the delivering is performed in response to determining that a high priority user has joined the group call. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the delivering is performed in response to determining that the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area is greater than the threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: ceasing delivery of a supplemental media stream to the user device over a unicast service. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and delivering are performed by an application server in communication with the user device. ### Claim 17 An apparatus for group communications over multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS), comprising: logic configured to determine whether a number of one or more user devices in an MBMS coverage area participating in a group call is less than a threshold; and logic configured to deliver a media stream for the group call to a user device of the one or more user devices over a wireless local area network (WLAN) to which the user device is connected based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being less than the threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the media stream comprises group communication media generated during the group call. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the media stream comprises a lower bandwidth version of the group communication media generated during the group call than would be delivered over MBMS. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the media stream comprises an audio stream, an image stream, and/or a video stream. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: logic configured to notify the user device that the media stream will be delivered over the WLAN; and logic configured to notify the user device that a supplemental media stream for the group call will be delivered over a unicast service. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: logic configured to deliver the supplemental media stream to the user device over the unicast service. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the supplemental media stream is encoded at a higher bitrate than an encoding bitrate of the media stream. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the user device combines the media stream and the supplemental media stream for playback at the user device. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: logic configured to deliver the media stream to a second user device of the one or more user devices over a unicast service based on whether the second user device is connected to a WLAN. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: logic configured to deliver all content for the group call over MBMS to the one or more user devices based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being greater than the threshold. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The apparatus of claim 26, wherein delivering all content for the group call over MBMS is performed in response to determining that a high priority user has joined the group call. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the delivering all content for the group call over MBMS is performed in response to determining that the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area is greater than the threshold. ### Claim 29 An apparatus for group communications over multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS), comprising: means for determining whether a number of one or more user devices in an MBMS coverage area participating in a group call is less than a threshold; and means for delivering a media stream for the group call to a user device of the one or more user devices over a wireless local area network (WLAN) to which the user device is connected based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being less than the threshold. ### Claim 30 A non-transitory computer-readable medium for group communications over multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS), comprising: at least one instruction to determine whether a number of one or more user devices in an MBMS coverage area participating in a group call is less than a threshold; and at least one instruction to deliver a media stream for the group call to a user device of the one or more user devices over a wireless local area network (WLAN) to which the user device is connected based on the number of the one or more user devices in the MBMS coverage area being less than the threshold.