Patent ID: 9655147
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method for bearer control in a group call, the method comprising: allocating a plurality of uplink bearers to a plurality of user devices participating in the group call, wherein the plurality of participating user devices allocated uplink bearers are fewer than all of the participating user devices; receiving a trigger to reevaluate the plurality of uplink bearers currently allocated for the group call; identifying, based on a profile associated with each user device of the plurality of participating user devices currently participating in the group call, a currently participating user device, of the plurality of currently participating user devices currently allocated uplink bearers, as a candidate for de-allocation of a currently used uplink bearer, wherein the participating user device identified as the candidate for de-allocation of an uplink bearer is different than the participating user device most recently holding a floor of the group call and has been identified as a least recent talker among a plurality of devices; identifying, based on a profile associated with each user device of a plurality of user devices currently participating in the group call, a currently participating user device of the plurality of currently participating user devices that is a candidate for establishment of an uplink bearer; releasing a currently used uplink bearer, of the plurality of uplink bearers, allocated to the currently participating user device identified as the candidate for de-allocation of an uplink bearer; establishing an uplink bearer for the currently participating user device, of the plurality of participating user devices, identified as the candidate for establishment of an uplink bearer; wherein receiving a trigger to reevaluate uplink bearers comprises receiving a floor request for the group call; and wherein establishing an uplink bearer for one or more participating user devices of the plurality of participating user devices identified as candidates for establishment of uplink bearers comprises establishing an uplink bearer for the participating user device requesting the floor, and wherein the method further comprises: delaying permission for the user of the participating user device requesting the floor to speak while the bearer is being established.