US 8,554,138 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for priority signaling over a wireless serial communication channel

AssigneeMotorola Solutions, Inc.

InventorsRobert J. Higgins, John B. Preston

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Abstract

A communication device performs a method for establishing a fast path for signaling priority data. The method includes: establishing a first short range wireless data path to a second communication device for exchanging non-priority data; and establishes a second autonomous short range wireless data path to the second communication device, for exchanging priority data, wherein the second short range wireless data path comprises a wireless serial communication channel such as a radio frequency communication Bluetooth (RFCOMM) channel. An application layer in an upper layer stack of the communication device establishes both the first and the second short range wireless data paths. Non-priority data communicated to the second communication device along the first short range wireless data path is processed by the application layer. However, priority data communicated to the second communication device along the second short range wireless data path bypasses the application layer.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method for priority signaling over a wireless serial communication channel, the method comprising:

at a first communication device:
establishing a first short range wireless data path to a second communication device for exchanging non-priority data;
establishing a second short range wireless data path to the second communication device, which is different than the first short range wireless data path, for exchanging priority data encoded into a byte stream, wherein the second short range wireless data path comprises a wireless serial communication channel, further wherein the priority data comprises a one-bit indication of a push-to-talk (PTT) state encoded into the byte stream,
wherein the first and second short range wireless data paths are both established by upper layer of a protocol stack, in the first communication device, that includes an application layer, and
further wherein the established second short range wireless data path bypasses the upper layer of the protocol stack, that includes the application layer when the priority data is sent from the first communication device to the second communication device to reduce the latency of the sending the priority data on the second short range wireless data path compared to the latency of sending the priority data on the first short range wireless data path.

2 more elements

Apparatus for priority signaling over a wireless serial communication channel, the apparatus comprising:

a Bluetooth radio for communicating data over a Bluetooth wireless link to a second Bluetooth apparatus;
a lower layer Bluetooth stack coupled to the Bluetooth radio;
an upper layer Bluetooth stack coupled to the Bluetooth radio and to the lower layer Bluetooth stack, wherein the upper layer Bluetooth stack includes an application layer that:
establishes a first short range wireless data path to the second Bluetooth apparatus for exchanging non-priority data, wherein the first short range wireless data path comprises the upper layer Bluetooth stack;
establishes a second short range wireless data path to the second Bluetooth apparatus for exchanging priority data encoded into a byte stream, wherein the second short range wireless data path comprises a wireless serial communication channel operated by the lower layer Bluetooth stack, and wherein the second short range wireless data path bypasses the upper layer Bluetooth stack that includes the application layer when the priority data is sent to the second Bluetooth apparatus, to reduce the latency of the sending the priority data on the second short range wireless data path compared to the latency of sending the priority data on the first short range wireless data path;
further wherein the priority data comprises a one-bit indication of a push-to-talk (PTT) state encoded into the byte stream.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/538,505Filed 10 Aug 2009
Published: US 2011/0034126 A110 Feb 2011
Granted: 8 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04W 4/10
Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective…:…
H04W 76/45
For selective distribution or broadcast: for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
H04L 65/4061
Support for services or applications: push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
H04W 76/14
Connection setup: direct-mode setup