(12) United States Patent
`Fumarolo et al.
`
`111111
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US006204844Bl
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`Mar.20,2001
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`DYNAMICALLY GROUPING
`COMMUNICATION UNITS IN A
`COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Arthur L. Fumarolo, Schaumburg;
`Brett A. Jackson, Arlington Heights,
`both of IL (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/415,298
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Oct. 8, 1999
`
`Int. Cl? ...................................................... G09F 13/00
`(51)
`(52) U.S. Cl. ............................................. 345/329; 345/349
`(58) Field of Search ..................................... 345/352-355,
`345/356-357, 329-330, 331, 332, 340,
`348-349, 326, 333; 707/9, 10; 709/201,
`205
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,613,209 * 3/1997 Peterson eta!. .................... 455/34.1
`5,836,529 * 11/1998 Gibbs ................................... 246/122
`5,884,035 * 3/1999 Butman et a!.
`................. 395/200.48
`5,909,217 * 6/1999 Bereiter ................................ 345/357
`
`5,966,443 * 10/1999 Gonzalez et a!. ...................... 380/21
`5,966,659 * 10/1999 McDonald et a!. .................. 455/445
`6,016,478 * 1!2000 Zhang et a!. ............................. 705/9
`6,072,490 * 6/2000 Bates et a!. .......................... 345/347
`6,105,027 * 8/2000 Schneider eta!. ....................... 707/9
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner-Steven Sax
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Val Jean Hillman
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A display-based terminal (101) employs a method and
`apparatus for dynamically grouping communication units
`(105-113) operating in a communication system (100). The
`display-based terminal displays a map (300, 400) to a user
`of the terminal that indicates, among other things, locations
`of communication units in at least a portion of the commu(cid:173)
`nication system. The terminal receives the user's selection of
`communication units from the map and an identification of
`at least one talkgroup with which the selected units are to
`become members. The communication units may be
`selected individually, as a group (e.g., using "click and drag"
`rectangling techniques), or both. After communication units
`have been selected from the map, the terminal automatically
`groups the selected units into the indicated talkgroup. If the
`terminal user desires to ungroup a previously grouped
`communication unit, the user selects the unit from the map
`and the terminal automatically removes the newly selected
`unit from the talkgroup.
`
`31 Claims, 12 Drawing Sheets
`
`~ 107
`
`~ 108
`
`~ 106
`
`~ 105
`
`WIRELESS
`INFRASTRUCTURE
`
`103
`
`Google 1006
`U.S. Patent No. 9,445,251
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 1 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`100
`
`~ ~
`
`108
`
`107
`
`~
`
`109
`
`113
`
`~
`
`106
`
`105
`
`112
`
`USER
`INPUT
`DEVICE
`
`~ ~ 110
`
`114
`
`w
`
`WIRELESS
`INFRASTRUCTURE
`
`1)6
`
`~~
`
`"~~ ~
`1~ v
`
`~5
`
`,129
`INTERFACE
`
`~9
`GUI
`t •
`PROCESSOR
`
`'-121
`'
`MEMORY
`
`....--r-.
`
`---- SELECTION
`DEVICE
`'-127
`
`'-123
`
`'-----
`
`AVL
`SYSTEM
`
`'- 115
`
`DISPLAY-BASED TERMINAL
`I
`911
`SYSTEM
`
`...... 117
`
`'-101
`
`'-1 03
`
`~IG. 1
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 2 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`WIRELESS
`INFRASTRUCTURE
`
`205
`
`' v
`
`i-209
`
`~5
`
`,.207
`TRANSCEIVER
`
`--- -- '(211
`AVL
`911
`SYSTEM
`SYSTEM
`'-1 17
`./
`115
`
`MAP
`INTERFACE
`\.... 213
`
`GUI
`
`rl9
`
`USER
`INPUT
`DEVICE
`
`f '
`PROCESSOR
`r-- ....... SELECTION
`* '-121
`DEVICE
`'-127
`MEMORY
`
`'-123
`
`DISPLAY-BASED TERMINAL
`
`'-201
`
`F'IG. 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 3 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`r------------------------,
`PD CAR 10
`
`300
`
`PD UNIT 6
`
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`I
`---------~
`301
`
`110
`
`106
`
`L-----
`
`112
`
`EASY STREET
`
`305
`~------------~
`TARGET TALKGROUPC:
`306
`I
`
`OK
`
`I CANCEL!
`
`TARGET TALKGROUP
`
`•
`•
`TALKGROUP N
`
`OK
`
`ICANCELI
`
`~311
`
`r - - - - - - ,
`TARGET
`1
`1
`304- f--IL _ T ALKGROUP _ ~ r-----303
`
`~Ic;-. 3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 4 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`106
`
`PD CAR 10
`
`PD UNIT 6
`
`I
`)
`
`/
`~
`// 401
`' ,APPLE STREET
`'------ ----.../
`
`/
`
`I--
`Lo.J
`Lo.J
`a:::
`I--
`c.n
`
`I--
`Lo.J
`Lo.J
`a:::
`I--
`c.n
`
`112
`FD ENG 4
`
`EASY STREET
`
`111
`
`TARGET TALKGROUPC:
`
`405
`
`407
`I
`
`IFILTERS~409
`OK I
`I CANCEL I
`
`TARGET TALKGROUP
`TALKGROUP 1
`TALKGROUP 2
`•
`•
`•
`TALKGROUP N
`
`413
`
`FILTERS
`
`OK I 419
`
`423
`
`425
`
`IriG. 4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 20,2001
`
`Sheet 5 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`(
`
`501
`
`START
`~
`DISPLAY MAP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`COMMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`•
`
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION FROM MAP
`OF ONE OR MORE COMMUNICATION
`UNITS
`+
`RECEIVE ID(S) OF TALKGROUP(S) WITH
`WHICH SELECTED COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) w
`IS/ ARE TO BECOME MEMBER(S)
`+
`AUTOMATICALLY GROUP SELECTED
`COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) INTO INDICATED
`TALKGROUP(S)
`
`500
`
`OJ
`-5
`
`-5 05
`
`07
`
`09
`i--5
`
`1--511
`
`513
`f--;
`
`•
`
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION FROM MAP OF
`ALREADY SELECTED COMMUNICATION
`UNIT(S)
`
`•
`
`AUTOMATICALLY REMOVE RESELECTED
`COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) FROM
`PREVIOUSLY INDICATED TALKGROUP(S)
`
`• END
`
`515
`
`FIG. 5
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 20,2001
`
`Sheet 6 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`600
`
`601
`
`START
`~
`DISPLAY MAP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`COMMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`+
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION FROM MAP
`OF ONE OR MORE COMMUNICATION
`UNITS
`+
`RECEIVE ID(S) OF TALKGROUP{S) WITH
`WHICH SELECTED COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) ~
`07
`IS/ ARE TO BECOME MEMBER(S)
`~
`AUTOMATICALLY REMOVE SELECTED
`COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) FROM INDICATED
`TALKGROUP(S)
`+
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION FROM MAP OF
`ALREADY SELECTED COMMUNICATION
`UNIT(S)
`+
`AUTOMATICALLY GROUP RESELECTED
`COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) INTO
`PREVIOUSLY INDICATED TALKGROUP(S)
`+
`END
`
`OJ
`~'
`
`~ 05
`
`H 09
`
`611 _,
`
`13
`-6
`
`(
`
`615
`
`FIG. 6
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 7 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`700
`
`701
`
`INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`DISPLAY WAP
`COWMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE INDICATION OF
`GEOGRAPHIC AREA ON WAP
`
`703
`
`705
`
`NO
`
`711
`
`709
`
`RECEIVE TARGET
`T ALKGROUP ID(S)
`FROW USER
`
`DISPLAY LIST OF T ALKGROUP
`
`IDS TO USER
`
`713
`
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION OF TARGET
`TALK GROUP ID(S) FROM DISPLA YEO LIST OF
`T ALKGROUP
`IDS
`
`715
`
`718
`
`AUTOMATICALLY ACCESS
`COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
`
`SEND GROUP COMMAND OVER
`COMMUNICATION CHANNEL TO
`SELECTED COMMUNICATION UNIT(S)
`INSTRUCTING SELECTED COMMUNICATlON
`UNIT(S) TO RECONFIGURE INTO
`StLECTEO TALKGROUP S
`
`719
`
`~IG-.. 7
`
`721
`
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION FROM
`MAP OF ALREADY SELECTED
`COMMUNICATION UNIT(S)
`
`AUTOMATICALLY REMOVE/ADD
`SELECTED COMMUNICATION UNIT(S}
`FROM/TO PREVIOUSLY INDICATED
`TALKGROUP(S)
`
`723
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 8 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`801
`
`BOO
`
`DISPLAY UAP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`COMMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE INDICATION OF
`GEOGRAPHIC AREA ON UAP
`
`OJ
`
`05
`
`809
`RECEIVE TARGET
`TALKGROUP ID(S)
`FROU USER
`
`NO
`
`DISPLAY LIST OF TALKGROUP IDS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION OF TARGET
`T ALKGROUP ID(S) FROU DISPLA YEO LIST OF
`T ALKGROUP IDS
`
`813
`
`815
`
`AUTOMATICALLY ACCESS
`COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
`
`SEND UNGROUP COMMAND OVER
`COMMUNICATION CHANNEL TO
`SELECTED COMMUNICA liON UNIT(S)
`INSTRUCTING SELECTED COMMUNICATtON
`UNIT(S) TO RECONFIGURE OUT OF
`S(LECTED TALKGROUP S
`
`821
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION FROU
`UAP OF ALREADY SELECTED
`COUUUNICA liON UNIT(S)
`
`AUTOMATICALLY REWOVE/ADD SELECTED
`COMMUNICATION UNIT(S) FROM/TO
`PREVIOUSLY INDICATED TALKGROUP(S)
`
`19
`
`~IG. B
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 9 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`901
`
`900
`
`DISPLAY MAP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`COMMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE INDICATION OF ONE OR MORE
`GEOGRAPHIC AREAS ON MAP
`
`RECEIVE ID(S) OF TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`FROM USER
`
`903
`
`905
`
`907
`
`913
`AUTOMATICALLY GROUP
`~______;::..;..;.....__~ COMMUNICATION UNIT INTO
`TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`
`EXIT
`AUTOMATICALLY REMOVE COMMUNICATION
`UNIT FROM TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`
`915
`
`FIG. 9
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 10 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`1001
`
`1000
`
`DISPLAY ~AP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`CO~MUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE INDICATION OF ONE OR
`MORE GEOGRAPHIC AREAS ON MAP
`
`1003
`
`1005
`
`RECEIVE ID(S) OF TARGET TALKGROUPS FROM USER
`
`1007
`
`RECEIVE FROM USER CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING
`COM~UNICATION UNITS IN TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`AND CRITERIA FOR REMOVING COMMUNICATION
`UNITS FROM TARGET TALKGROUP(S}
`
`1009
`
`AUTOMATICALLY REMOVE
`COMMUNICATION UNIT
`FROM TARGET T ALKGROUP(S}
`
`1025
`
`NO
`
`DO NOT
`GROUP
`1015
`
`AUTOMATICALLY GROUP
`COMMUNICATION UNIT
`INTO TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`
`1017
`
`~IG-. 10
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 11 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`1101
`
`1100
`
`DISPLAY MAP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`COMMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE INDICATION OF ONE OR MORE
`GEOGRAPHIC AREAS ON MAP
`
`RECEIVE ID(S} OF TARGET T ALKGROUP(S)
`FROM USER
`
`RECEIVE FROM USER CRITERIA FOR
`EXCLUDING COMMUNICATION UNITS FROM
`BEING REMOVED FROM TARGET TALKGROUP(S}
`
`1103
`
`1105
`
`1107
`
`1109
`
`NO
`
`NO
`
`1113
`
`DO NOT
`._U_N_GR_OU_P ....- 1119
`
`YES
`
`AUTOMATICALLY REMOVE COMMUNICATION
`UNIT FROM TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`
`1121
`
`1123
`
`~IG. 11
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.20,2001
`
`Sheet 12 of 12
`
`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`1200
`
`DISPLAY MAP INDICATING LOCATIONS OF
`COMMUNICATION UNITS TO USER
`
`RECEIVE USER'S SELECTION OF ONE OR MORE
`GEOGRAPHIC AREAS ON MAP
`
`RECEIVE ID(S) OF TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`FROM USER
`
`ACCEPT FROM USER CRITERIA FOR
`EXCLUDING COMMUNICATION UNITS FROM BEING
`GROUPED INTO TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`
`1203
`
`1205
`
`1207
`
`1209
`
`STORE TALK GROUP ID OF COMMUNICATION
`UNIT'S CURRENT TALKGROUP
`
`1213
`
`AUT OWA TIC ALLY GROUP COWMUNICA TION
`UNIT INTO TARGET TALKGROUP(S)
`
`1219
`
`~IG-. 12
`
`1223
`
`1225
`
`

`

`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`DYNAMICALLY GROUPING
`COMMUNICATION UNITS IN A
`COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates generally to communication
`systems and, in particular to, dynamically grouping com(cid:173)
`munication units in a communication system from a display(cid:173)
`based terminal.
`
`5
`
`2
`In many situations, the communication units assigned to
`handle an incident belong to different agencies, such as
`police, fire, ambulance, public works, and so forth. The
`communication units are, however, generally programmed
`to permit direct group communications only with other
`communication units from the same agency, and are not
`programmed to facilitate direct group communications
`between communication units of different agencies. To
`permit such inter-agency communications, dispatch systems
`10 generally provide for dynamic regrouping of communica(cid:173)
`tion units into a common talkgroup, thereby enabling direct
`group communications between regrouped units. Dynamic
`regrouping is typically performed by a radio management
`program in the dispatch console or by a CAD program that
`15 interacts with the dispatch console via a defined interface,
`such as an application programming interface.
`In the case of a large emergency incident, many commu(cid:173)
`nication units may arrive at and leave the scene of the
`emergency during the course of the emergency. Therefore,
`grouping and ungrouping of the units attending to the
`emergency is very important to enable the attending units to
`directly communicate while at the scene, but enable the units
`to communicate in their original talkgroups (e.g., with other
`units of their particular agency) after leaving the scene. In
`existing dispatch systems, the dispatcher or another
`individual, such as an emergency response supervisor, must
`manually group and ungroup units as they arrive at and leave
`the scene of the emergency incident using the aforemen-
`tioned radio management or CAD program. The CAD or
`radio management dynamic grouping program can be run
`from or displayed on the CAD terminal; however, such
`programs require the dispatcher to leave the map environ(cid:173)
`ment to execute them, thereby losing the benefit of having
`a map display to view the system and, in particular, the
`35 geographic area near the emergency incident in the first
`place.
`Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that
`allows a user of a display-based terminal, such as a CAD
`terminal, having an integrated mapping program to dynami(cid:173)
`cally group and ungroup communication units from a single
`map environment.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`Dispatch communication systems are known to include a
`wireless infrastructure and a plurality of communication
`units, such as two-way radios. Some dispatch systems, such
`as those used for public safety, also include a dispatch
`console and a so-called "computer aided dispatch (CAD)
`system" that includes a display-based terminal to control
`communications between the communication units. The
`CAD terminal typically displays categorized tables of infor- 20
`mation to the terminal user (typically referred to as a
`"dispatcher" or "dispatch operator"). For example, the CAD
`terminal may display queues of currently pending incidents
`and/or a list of communication units that are currently
`available. In addition, some CAD terminals include an 25
`integrated mapping program that enables the CAD terminal
`to display locations of communication units on a map that
`represents a geographic area supported by the dispatch
`system. The locations of the communication units are typi(cid:173)
`cally provided to the CAD system on a periodic basis by an 30
`automatic vehicle location (AVL) system that is coupled to
`the CAD system via a dedicated communication link.
`In addition to receiving communication unit location
`information, the CAD system may also receive incident
`information from a 911 system that is coupled to the CAD
`system. In such a case, the map displays the origination point
`of a 911 telephone call to the dispatcher as an icon on the
`map. By viewing communication unit location, communi(cid:173)
`cation unit status, and incident location on the map, the
`dispatcher can quickly determine which communication unit 40
`users (e.g., policemen, firemen, paramedics, and so forth)
`would be in the best situation to respond to the incident. As
`an incident is attended to by users of the communication
`units, the status of the communication units associated with
`such users is updated either manually by the dispatcher or 45
`automatically by the CAD system responsive to messaging
`from the wireless infrastructure. In the latter case, the
`wireless infrastructure receives status updates over a wire(cid:173)
`less communication channel from the communication units
`that are participating in the handling of the incident. 50
`Changes in communication unit status are typically indi(cid:173)
`cated to the dispatcher by some type of visual change, such
`as a color change or icon update, to the participating unit's
`representation on the map.
`A map display, with icons representing the incidents and 55
`the communication units with their current status, gives a
`dispatcher a powerful tool for quickly evaluating an emer(cid:173)
`gency situation. By using standard graphical user interface
`(GUI) cursor interaction (e.g., "point and click" or "drag and
`drop"), the dispatcher can manipulate the screen icons to 60
`assign units to incidents. In some systems, the action of
`assigning communication units to incidents on the map
`automatically sends data to the assigned communication
`units (e.g., if the units are equipped with mobile data
`terminals) to enable the communication unit users to imme- 65
`diately obtain critical information related to the incident,
`such as the incident location and other details.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication
`system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
`present invention.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a communication
`system, less communication units, in accordance with an
`alternative embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary map displayed to a user of
`a display-based terminal in accordance with the present
`invention.
`FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative exemplary map displayed
`to a user of a display-based terminal in accordance with the
`present invention.
`FIG. 5 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically group and
`ungroup communication units in accordance with one
`embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 6 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically ungroup and
`group communication units in accordance with another
`embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically group and
`
`

`

`US 6,204,844 Bl
`
`3
`ungroup communication units in accordance with yet
`another embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 8 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically ungroup and
`group communication units in accordance with yet another
`embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 9 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically group and
`ungroup communication units in accordance with yet
`another embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 10 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically group and
`ungroup communication units in accordance with yet
`another embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 11 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically group and
`ungroup communication units in accordance with yet
`another embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 12 illustrates a logic flow diagram of steps executed 20
`by a display-based terminal to dynamically group and
`ungroup communication units in accordance with yet
`another embodiment of the present invention.
`
`25
`
`4
`grouped or ungrouped and perform the regrouping. The
`present invention links the regrouping functionality directly
`into the map display to enable the terminal user to simply
`"point and click", "click and drag", or the equivalent to
`5 quickly regroup communication units being monitored by
`the terminal user as such regrouping may be necessary to
`accomplish system-related tasks, such as responding to
`emergency incidents.
`The present invention can be more fully understood with
`10 reference to FIGS. 1-12, in which like reference numerals
`designate like items. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a
`communication system 100 in accordance with a preferred
`embodiment of the present invention. The communication
`system 100 includes a display-based terminal101, a wireless
`15 infrastructure 103, which contains memory, and a plurality
`of communication units 105-113 that communicate with the
`wireless infrastructure 103 over one or more communication
`resources 114 (one shown). The communication system 100
`may be either a conventional system or a trunked system and
`each communication resource 114 may comprise a fre(cid:173)
`quency carrier, one or more time slots of a frequency carrier,
`or an orthogonal code implemented by a respective fre(cid:173)
`quency hopping pattern or by a pseudo-random noise
`sequence spread over a wide (e.g., 3 MHz) bandwidth.
`The communication units 105-113 comprise two-way
`mobile radios, two-way portable radios, or two-way wireless
`data terminals. As depicted in FIG. 1, the communication
`units 105-113 preferably comprise a combination of mobile
`radios, portable radios, and wireless data terminals. The
`30 wireless infrastructure 103 supports the particular commu(cid:173)
`nication system 100 and, therefore, comprises one or more
`base stations (e.g., in a conventional system) or one or more
`base stations and one or more system controllers (e.g., in a
`trunking system). The wireless infrastructure 103 is coupled
`35 to the display-based terminal101 via one or more commu(cid:173)
`nication links 116 (one shown), such as broadband leased
`telephone lines (e.g., T1 or T3 lines), standard telephone
`lines, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, or microwave links
`when the terminal101 is located a substantial distance from
`the wireless infrastructure 103 or an RS232 cable or stan(cid:173)
`dard telephone lines when the terminal 101 is collocated
`with the wireless infrastructure 103.
`In the preferred embodiment, the display-based terminal
`101 is a fixed computer-aided dispatch (CAD) terminal that
`45 is coupled to an automated vehicle location (AVL) system
`115 and an emergency 911 system 117. The AVL system 115
`and the 911 system 117 are well known; thus, no further
`discussion of them will be presented except to facilitate an
`understanding of the present invention. The display-based
`50 terminal 101 preferably includes a graphical user interface
`(GUI) 119, a processor 121, a memory 123, a user input
`device 125, a selection device 127, and an interface 129 to
`the wireless infrastructure 103. The interface 129 corre(cid:173)
`sponds to the particular type of communication link 116
`55 between the terminal101 and the wireless infrastructure 103
`and may comprise a radio frequency (RF) modem or a
`wireline modem to couple the processor 121 to the wireless
`infrastructure 103.
`The GUI 119 is well known and, responsive to the
`processor 121, presents the user of the terminal101 with a
`map display of locations of communication units 105-113 in
`at least a portion of the communication system 100. The
`processor 121 preferably comprises a microprocessor and a
`digital signal processor for controlling the various elements
`of the terminal101 and for communicating with the wireless
`infrastructure 103. The user input device 125 preferably
`comprises a foot switch, a panel microphone, a push-to-talk
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`Generally, the present invention encompasses a method
`and apparatus for dynamically grouping communication
`units in a communication system. A display-based terminal
`displays a map to a user of the terminal, wherein the map
`indicates locations of communication units in at least a
`portion of the communication system. The terminal receives
`the user's selection of at least one communication unit from
`the map and an identification of at least one talkgroup with
`which the selected communication unit or units are to
`become members. The selection of communication units
`may be made by selecting the communication units
`individually, by selecting the communication units as a
`group (e.g., using "click and drag" or "drag and drop"
`rectangling techniques), by selecting one or more geo- 40
`graphic areas or regions on the map and thereby indirectly
`selecting communications units that are presently in or that
`enter the areas or regions, or by some combination of such
`selection techniques.
`After communication units have been selected for
`grouping, the terminal automatically groups the selected
`communication units into the indicated talkgroup or talk(cid:173)
`groups. If, at some later time, the terminal user desires to
`ungroup the previously grouped communication units, the
`user selects the units to be ungrouped using any one or more
`of the above selection techniques and, upon such selection,
`the terminal automatically ungroups the newly selected
`units. The terminal user may further establish criteria for
`grouping and ungrouping communication units. For
`example, the terminal user may specify certain individual
`communication units that will remain dynamically grouped
`even if such communication units leave the geographic area
`used to indirectly select communication units for regroup(cid:173)
`ing.
`By grouping and ungrouping communication units in this 60
`manner, the present invention incorporates the terminal
`user's ability to dynamically regroup communication units
`directly into the map display, in contrast to prior art
`computer-aided dispatch (CAD) regrouping approaches that
`require the user to first determine from the map which 65
`communication units to regroup or ungroup and then use a
`separate regrouping program to actually select the units to be
`
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`(PTT) activator, a computer mouse, a keyboard, a touch(cid:173)
`screen portion of the GUI 119, a voice activated device, a
`voice recognition device, or some combination thereof to
`enable the user of the terminal101 to input user information
`for transmission to one or more of the communication units 5
`105-113. The memory 123 preferably comprises a combi(cid:173)
`nation of random access memory (RAM), read only memory
`(ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), and a
`floppy disk to store software algorithms and data used by the
`processor 121 during operation of the terminal101. Finally,
`the selection device 127 preferably comprises a computer
`mouse or equivalent (e.g., trackball or touchpad), a
`keyboard, a touchscreen portion of the GUI 119, a voice
`recognition device, a voice activated device or some com(cid:173)
`bination thereof to enable the user of the terminal 101 to 15
`make selections from the map displayed on the GUI 119.
`In an alternative embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 2, the
`display-based terminal 201 is a remote terminal (e.g., a
`mobile dispatch or dummy terminal positioned in the geo(cid:173)
`graphic area of an emergency) that is not coupled directly to 20
`the AVL system 115 and the 911 system 117. In this
`embodiment, the display-based terminal 201 includes a
`radio transceiver 207 coupled to the processor 121 and an
`antenna 209 coupled to the radio transceiver 207 to enable
`the terminal 201 to exchange information with the wireless 25
`infrastructure 203 via an RF channel205. In addition, in this
`embodiment, the AVL system 115, the 911 system 117, and
`a map interface 213 are coupled to the wireless infrastruc(cid:173)
`ture 203 either directly or indirectly, for example, via a
`processor, such as an X Windows processor 211 (shown in 30
`dash). In this embodiment, the terminal 201 receives com(cid:173)
`munication unit location updates from the AVL system 115
`and emergency incident locations from the 911 system 117
`via the wireless infrastructure 203 over the RF channel205.
`FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate exemplary maps 300, 400 dis- 35
`played to a user of the display-based terminal 101, 201 in
`accordance with the present invention. As shown in both
`FIGS., the map 300, 400 preferably depicts representations
`of the communication units 105-113 positioned on and off
`streets in a geographic area of the communication system 40
`100. In addition, the map 300,400 also preferably displays
`the identities of the users of the communication units
`105-113 (e.g., Fire Department Engine 4 ("FD ENG 4"),
`Fire Department Captain ("FD CPT"), Police Department
`Car 10 ("PD CAR 10"), Police Department Unit 6 ("PD 45
`UNIT 6"), Fire Department Engine 6 ("FD ENG 6"), Police
`Department Captain ("PD CPT"), and Ambulance
`("AMB")) and the names of the streets. Only some exem(cid:173)
`plary street names and communication unit user identities
`are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for the sake of clarity. The map 50
`300, 400 may further indicate (e.g., below the representation
`of the respective communication unit 105-113 or through
`the use of a color coding scheme for each communication
`unit representation) the status of each communication unit
`105-113 (e.g., active, inactive, off-duty, busy, assigned to an 55
`incident, and so forth). In addition, the map 300, 400
`preferably displays the location of an incident 302, 403
`which some of the communication units may be responding
`to if, for example, the communication system 100 is a city's
`or a county's emergency response system.
`Besides depicting the locations of the communication
`units 105-113, the location of an incident 302, and various
`information about the communication units 105-113 or their
`users, the map 300, 400 also preferably displays one or more
`of various means for the user of the display-based terminal
`101, 201 to select a talkgroup for dynamically regrouping at
`least some of the communication units 105-113. For
`
`6
`example, the map 300, 400 may include a virtual button 303
`that, when depressed or selected (as indicated by dashed box
`304) by placement of a cursor 311, 419 on top of a portion
`of the button 303 preferably using a computer mouse and
`depressing or "clicking" a physical button on the mouse,
`opens a window 305, 405 containing an entry field 306, 407
`in which the terminal user may enter the identification of a
`target talkgroup to be formed upon the dynamic regrouping.
`The window 305,405 may further include "OK" and "CAN(cid:173)
`CEL" buttons as shown to enable the user to confirm or
`cancel his or her entry and preferably close the window 305,
`405.
`Additionally or alternatively, depression or selection of
`the virtual button 303 may open a window 307, 411 that
`includes a list of possible target talkgroups from which the
`user may use the cursor 311, 419 under the control of a
`computer mouse, a keyboard, a voice recognition device or
`some other selection device 127 to select an identification of
`a talkgroup to be formed upon the dynamic regrouping. In
`such a case, depression of the virtual button 303 functions as
`a request to the terminal 101, 201 to retrieve a list of
`talkgroup identifications stored in the terminal's memory
`123, in response to which, the terminal101, 201 retrieves the
`list and displays it in the window 307,411. Alternatively, the
`list of talkgroup identifications may be stored in and
`retrieved from memory within the wireless infrastructure
`103. Selection of a talkgroup identification from the list may
`be indicated by highlighting the selected talkgroup identi(cid:173)
`fication 309, 413 as depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, by changing
`the color of the text of the selected talkgroup identification
`309, 413, or by any other means. This window 307, 411 may
`also include "OK" and "CANCEL" buttons as shown to
`enable the user to confirm or cancel his or her selection and
`preferably close the window 307, 411.
`Besides providing means for enabling the terminal user to
`select one or more talkgroups for the regrouping, the termi(cid:173)
`nal 101, 201 may also include means for the terminal user
`to enter or select criteria to limit which communication units
`are to be affected by the regrouping and how they are to be
`affected. For example, as depicted in FIG. 4, the map 300,
`400 may include a virtual button 409, 415 from which the
`user of the terminal101, 201 can select filters to be checked
`and applied during the regrouping process. Thus, when the
`terminal user clicks on or otherwise selects button 415 (as
`indicated by dashed box 417), a window 421 preferably
`appears on the display that lists various criteria or that may
`include additional buttons 423, 425 to enable the terminal
`user to further select the application of the criteria (e.g.,
`grouping-related or ungrouping-related). For instance, selec(cid:173)
`tion of the "GROUP" button 423 indicates to the terminal
`101, 201 that the subsequently entered or selected criteria
`applies to the communication units as they are being
`regrouped. By contrast, selection of the "UNGROUP" but(cid:173)
`ton 425 indicates to the terminal 101, 201 that the subse(cid:173)
`quently entered or selected criteria applies to the commu-
`nication units as they are being ungrouped after a
`regrouping. Selection of either the GROUP button 423 or the
`UNGROUP button 425 preferably opens another window
`(not shown) that is either similar to window 305, 405 in that
`it includes an entry field for entering filtering criteria or is
`60 similar to window 307, 411 in that it includes a list of
`filtering criteria. Similar types of criteria may be used in the
`grouping and ungrouping filters. Such criteria includes, but
`is not limited to, talkgroup identifications, individual com(cid:173)
`munication unit identifications or aliases, and communica-
`65 tion unit statuses.
`Although the above discussion of the means for selecting
`or identifying talkgroups and filter criteria focused primarily
`
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`US 6,204,844 Bl
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`on virtual buttons that, when selected, opened various
`windows, the map 300, 400 may instead or in addition
`include one or more pull-down menus that include the list of
`talkgroups and/or the list of filtering criteria. Therefore, the
`terminal user may simply select an appropriately-labeled
`pull-down menu (e.g., at the top of the map 30