The present invention relates generally to push-to-talk (PTT), or push to transmit, systems.
Agencies and organizations such as Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) often utilize PTT devices to facilitate their communication. PTT devices, which include two-way radios or other devices which support two-way communications, include a mechanism that may be engaged to transmit media, e.g., a voice signal or voice data, and disengaged to receive media. Some PTT systems facilitate floor control such that a specified number of end users, often only a single end user, may control the floor and send media on a given channel. All other end users associated with the channel may only listen to the specified number of end users who have control of the floor and, hence, receive media from those end users.
PTT systems may include both relatively high latency networks, such as a communication network over a satellite connection, and relatively low latency networks, such as local area networks (LANs). If an agency or organization member utilizes a PTT device on a low latency network, e.g., a local network, and an agency or organization utilizes a PTT device over a high latency network, e.g., a communication network over a satellite connection, both initiate requests for floor control at substantially the same time, the agency or organization that utilizes the PTT device on the low latency network will generally gain floor control. Hence, the difference in latency may place a remote user at a disadvantage when he or she is competing for floor control with a local user. It should be understood that the term “local user” refers to a user who is generally located within a substantially minimal short delay to the floor control server, while the term “remote user” refers to a user who accesses the floor control server over a relatively high delay network such as over a satellite connection.