Patent ID: 8306203

Claim:
A method for terminating a group call based upon a termination option, comprising: establishing, by a dispatch area network subsystem of a communications system, the group call based on a group call request from a communication station; receiving, by a dispatch area network subsystem, a termination option for terminating the group call from the communication station comprising a time limit set by the communication station; notifying, by the dispatch area network subsystem, the participants of the group call of a pending termination and terminating the group call, when the communication station departs the group call and the time limit set by the communication station comprises zero; maintaining, by the dispatch area network subsystem, the group call, when the communication station departs the group call and the time limit set by the communication station comprises a code indicating that the call is not to be terminated when the communication station departs the group call; starting a timer, by the dispatch area network subsystem, when the time limit set by the communication station comprises a predetermined time limit; maintaining, by the dispatch area network subsystem, the group call for the predetermined time limit, when the communication station departs the group call and the time limit set by the communication station comprises the predetermined time limit; and notifying, by the dispatch area network subsystem, the participants of the group call of pending termination and terminating the group call, when the communication station departs the group call, the time limit set by the communication station comprises the predetermined time limit, and the timer expires.