Patent ID: 7636339

Claim:
A method for automatic configuration of virtual talk groups based on location of media source, comprising: monitoring communications from a plurality of mobile endpoints, each communication comprising a media message and location information identifying a location of its transmitting endpoint; selecting a first group of mobile endpoints of the plurality of endpoints according to virtual talk group configuration instructions based on the locations of the mobile endpoints; configuring a first virtual talk group comprising the first group of mobile endpoints to facilitate communications among the first group of mobile endpoints, the first group of mobile endpoints comprising mobile endpoints of different communication networks; wherein the first group of mobile endpoints of the first virtual talk group comprise a plurality of mobile endpoints of different communication networks whose communications are mapped to a multicast IP address; wherein the first virtual talk group is associated with a geographical area; further comprising determining whether each of the selected first group of mobile endpoints are within a multicast reach of the geographical area; and wherein configuring the first virtual talk group comprises joining in the first virtual talk group via multicast each of the selected first group of mobile endpoints that are within the multicast reach of the geographical area.