Patent ID: 7761110

Claim:
A processor-implemented method of operation for managing a push-to-talk (PTT) session involving a plurality of participants, comprising: applying a first floor control algorithm that corresponds to a first floor control template at a PTT server, the first floor control template being selected from a plurality of floor control templates, each of which arbitrate among talk requests received from the participants; and during the PTT session, changing from the first floor control algorithm to a second floor control algorithm at the PPT server, the second floor control algorithm corresponding to a second floor control template; during the PTT session, changing from the second floor control algorithm to a third floor control algorithm applied at the PTT server, the third floor control algorithm corresponding to a third floor control template; wherein application of either the first or second floor control algorithm grants only one participant associated with a corresponding endpoint device permission to transmit speech from the corresponding endpoint device directly to a remaining group of the participants, endpoint devices associated with the remaining group of the participants not being permitted to transmit speech, and further wherein either the second or the third floor control algorithm comprises a distributed floor control algorithm that functions as an overlay to the first floor control algorithm, the distributed floor control algorithm distributing floor control among a plurality of servers that select local arbitration winners for corresponding groups of the participants, the PTT server selecting the one participant from the local arbitration winners.