TRANSMISSION OF CONTENTS IN A PUSH-TO-TALK SYSTEM

摘要

A system provides a push-to-talk communications facility to a group of user equipment via an access network, the system comprising a push-to-talk server and an applications server. The push-to-talk server includes a controller component and a media mixer component. The controller component is operable to receive and to send control messages to and from the user equipment to establish a push-to-talk communications channel for one member of the group of user equipment to communicate a push-to-talk message to the other members of the group. The media mixer component is operable to receive the push-to-talk message from the one member of the group and to communicate the push-to-talk message to the other members of the group of user equipment via the push-to-talk communications channel. The application server is operable to provide data representing content for communication to the group of user equipment. The push-to-talk server includes a data interface for receiving the content data from the applications server and a control message generator, which is operable in combination with the controller component to generate control messages. The control messages establish a push-to-talk communications channel for communicating the content data from the data interface to the group of user equipment. The push-to-talk server is thereby arranged to push content data from the application server to the group of user equipment in addition to the push-to-talk communications which is being conducted between members of the group. As such information of general interest or which is associated with a particular task being performed by the group is automatically communicated to members of the group. In some embodiments the push-to-talk server may include a text-speech engine which is operable to convert the content data into audio signals so that the content data may be communicated as a push-to-talk communication to each member of the group.