Patent ID: 8442506

Claim:
A communications networking system comprising: a push to talk radio interface through which communication with a plurality of push to talk radio devices travel via an external radio base station; a network interface through which Voice Over internet Protocol (VOIP) communications with a plurality of VOIP devices travel and through which data communications with external devices travel; a call control unit defining communication session parameters for the push to talk radio interface and the network interface, the call control unit operable to be controlled by a user of one of the VOIP devices such that the call control unit allows VOIP device users to simultaneously monitor communications from at least one network interface and at least one push to talk radio interface and select from at least one network interface and at least one push to talk radio interface to establish communication sessions with one or more other users; a programmable signaling processor configured by a VOIP device user to establish communication sessions between the push to talk radio devices and the VOIP devices allowing for multiple push to talk devices and multiple VOIP devices to all communicate concurrently in a conference including enabling at least one of the users of one of the push to talk radio devices and/or at least one of the users of one of the VOIP devices to join the conference or initiate the conference; the programmable signaling processor further configured to generate a mix of audio originating from a multiple of the push to talk radio devices as a single VOIP audio stream according to a mix selection specified by one of the VOIP device users; wherein the communications networking system is configured to convert audio and signaling communications received over the push to talk radio interface and the network interface into a common format for use within the communications network system.