System and method for radio disconnect and channel access for digitized speech trunked radio systems

Claim 2

A digital communications system including a plurality of portable/mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: an encoder for digitally encoding speech signals input to one of said transceivers; a transmitter for transmitting digitally encoded speech signals; a receiver for receiving digitized speech signals; a decoder for decoding the received speech signals; a data processor connected to the encoder, transmitter, decoder, and receiver for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected.

Claim 3

The system according to claim 1, wherein said: transmitter transmits a disconnect signal over the current working channel from the transceiver during a time frame immediately following an indication by the operator that a present communication has ended.

Claim 4

The system according to claim 2, further comprising: a switch actuable by the operator for indicating an end to said present communication.

Claim 5

The system according to claim 1, wherein said: data processor permits speech input to a transceiver immediately upon receipt of a communications channel.

Claim 6

The system according to claim 1, further comprising: means for initiating an access to a communications channel; means for generating an alert signal immediately upon receiving a communications channel assignment; and means for permitting transceiver speech input and for simultaneously performing channel set up tasks relating to speech transmission.

Claim 7

The system according to claim 1, wherein said system is a half-duplex, transmission-trunked, digital communications system.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 1, wherein the working channel is disconnected before all of the digitally encoded speech signals are transmitted.

Claim 9

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected, said means for encoding and transmitting capturing speech in consecutive speech frames; and means for processing and buffering speech captured in a current speech frame during the next speech frame such that said means for encoding and transmitting transmits the processed and buffered speech during a speech frame following said next speech frame.

Claim 10

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected, said means for encoding and transmitting capturing speech in consecutive speech frames; and means for processing and buffering speech captured in a current speech frame during the next speech frame such that said means for encoding and transmitting transmits the processed and buffered speech during a speech frame following said next speech frame.

Claim 11

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected, wherein said means for minimizing includes: means for detecting the status of a transmission switch of said one transceiver; means for transmitting a disconnect signal from said one transceiver during a disconnect time frame after detecting change in the status of said transmission switch; and means for preventing processing and transmission of speech information received during said disconnect time frame.

Claim 12

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected, wherein said means for minimizing includes: means for detecting the status of a transmission switch of said one transceiver; means for transmitting a disconnect signal from said one transceiver during a disconnect time frame after detecting change in the status of said transmission switch; and means for preventing processing and transmission of speech information received during said disconnect time frame.

Claim 13

A half-duplex trunked digital communications system for providing communications between a plurality of mobile transceivers, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring after one transceiver ends a transmission and before another transceiver communication may commence including; means for detecting the status of a transmission switch of said one transceiver; means for transmitting a disconnect signal from said one transceiver during a disconnect time frame after detecting change in the status of said transmission switch; and means for preventing processing and transmission of speech information received during said disconnect time frame; wherein said system is a time division multiple access (TDMA) communications system, each speech frame being divided into plural time slots such that said disconnect signal is transmitted during a first time slot in said disconnect time frame.

Claim 14

A half-duplex trunked digital communications system for providing communications between a plurality of mobile transceivers, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring after one transceiver ends a transmission and before another transceiver communication may commence including; means for detecting the status of a transmission switch of said one transceiver; means for transmitting a disconnect signal from said one transceiver during a disconnect time frame after detecting change in the status of said transmission switch; and means for preventing processing and transmission of speech information received during said disconnect time frame; wherein said system is a time division multiple access (TDMA) communications system, each speech frame being divided into plural time slots such that said disconnect signal is transmitted during a first time slot in said disconnect time frame.

Claim 15

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected; means for initiating an access to a communications channel; means for generating an alert signal immediately upon receiving a communication channel assignment; means for permitting transceiver speech input and for simultaneously performing channel set up tasks relating to speech transmission; and means for processing and buffering speech received during a speech frame following receipt of said communications channel assignment.

Claim 16

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected; means for initiating an access to a communications channel; means for generating an alert signal immediately upon receiving a communication channel assignment; means for permitting transceiver speech input and for simultaneously performing channel set up tasks relating to speech transmission; and means for processing and buffering speech received during a speech frame following receipt of said communications channel assignment.

Claim 17

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected; means for initiating an access to a communications channel; means for generating an alert signal immediately upon receiving a communication channel assignment; and means for permitting transceiver speech input and for simultaneously performing channel set up tasks relating to speech transmission, wherein said communications system is a time division multiple access system where speech is captured in consecutive speech frames and transceived during assigned time slots in speech frames subsequent to capture.

Claim 18

A digital communications system including a plurality of mobile transceivers, where a controller assigns an available one of a plurality of working communications channels to a transceiver requesting a working channel over a control channel, each transceiver comprising: means for digitally encoding and transmitting speech signals input to one of said transceivers; means for receiving and decoding transmitted digitized speech signals; and means, connected to the means for digitally encoding and transmitting and to the means for receiving and decoding, for minimizing time delays occurring between a time when an operator of the transceiver ends a transmission over a current working channel and a time when the current working channel is disconnected; means for initiating an access to a communications channel; means for generating an alert signal immediately upon receiving a communication channel assignment; and means for permitting transceiver speech input and for simultaneously performing channel set up tasks relating to speech transmission, wherein said communications system is a time division multiple access system where speech is captured in consecutive speech frames and transceived during assigned time slots in speech frames subsequent to capture.

Claim 19

The system according to claim 12, wherein said means for generating generates said alert signal during a time slot when said communications channel assignment is completed such that speech captured in time slots in a speech frame during which the alert tone is generated is not transmitted.

Claim 22

The method according to claim 14, further comprising before step (a): capturing speech in consecutive time frames, and processing and storing speech in time frames immediately following the time frame of capture.

Claim 23

The method according to claim 15, further comprising after step (a): during said first time frame, completing processing and storing of speech captured in the time period immediately preceding said first time frame, and transmitting the processed and stored speech from said preceding time frame during said second time frame.

Claim 24

The method according to claim 16, wherein said disconnect signal and the processed and stored speech from said preceding time frame is transmitted over a working communications channel.

Claim 25

The method according to claim 14, wherein step (a) includes detecting the release of a mobile transceiver push-to-talk switch.

Claim 26

The method according to claim 14, wherein said system is a half-duplex, transmission-trunked, digital communications system.

Claim 31

The method according to claim 21, further comprising before step (a) the steps of depressing a transceiver transmit switch, and generating a channel access request over said control channel.

Claim 32

The method according to claim 21, wherein said radio system is a time division multiple access system such that said working channel defines an particular frequency and one of plural time slots in a time frame.

Claim 33

The method according to claim 21, wherein said system is a half-duplex, transmission-trunked, digital communications system.

Claim 38

In a radio communications system, a method of controlling digital communications between radios where a controller assigns an available one of plural working radio channels to a radio requesting a working channel over a control channel, with the radio performing the steps of: (a) receiving information to be transmitted; (b) transmitting the received information over an assigned working channel; (c) detecting when an operator indicates completion of a communication; and (d) transmitting a disconnect signal before all of the received information is transmitted.

Claim 39

In a radio communications system, a method of controlling digital communications between radios where a controller assigns an available one of plural working radio channels to a radio requesting a working channel over a control channel, with the radio performing the steps of: (a) receiving information to be transmitted; (b) transmitting the received information over an assigned working channel; (c) detecting when an operator indicates completion of a communication; and (d) transmitting a disconnect signal before all of the received information is transmitted.

Claim 40

The method according to claim 27, further comprising after step (a) the step of storing the received information, wherein some of the stored information is not transmitted in step (d).

Claim 41

The method according to claim 27, further comprising after step (a) the steps of: dividing received information into frames, and processing the framed information, wherein one frame of information is not transmitted in step (d).

Claim 42

The method according to claim 29, wherein the one frame is also not processed.