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A method and apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control provides receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device, comparing respective priori

A method and apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control provides receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device, comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device, and granting floor control to the second communication device if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level. In one embodiment, the controller receives the request for floor control from a push-to-talk (PTT) device.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A method for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control, the method comprising: receiving a floor-control request from the second communication devi

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control, the method comprising: receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; and granting floor control to the second communication device if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving the request from a push-to-talk (PTT) device. 3. The method of claim 1, further including: interrupting the first communication device after said granting floor control to the second communication device. 4. The method of claim 1, further including: informing participating communication devices in the network that the second communication device has the floor control. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the second communication device has a lower priority level, informing the second communication device that it has been denied floor control. 6. A method for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, the method comprising: receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device; placing the first communication in a wake-up state; receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; placing the second communication device in the wake-up state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving includes receiving the request from a push-to-talk (PTT) device. 8. The method of claim 6, further including: bringing the first communication device out of the wake-up state after said granting floor control to the second communication device. 9. The method of claim 6, further including: informing participating communication devices in the network that the second communication device has been placed in the wake-up state. 10. The method of claim 6, wherein if the second communication device has a lower priority level, informing the second communication device that it has been denied floor control. 11. A computer-readable medium embodying a method for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control, the method comprising: receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; granting floor control to the second communication device if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 12. A computer-readable medium embodying a method for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, the method comprising: receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device; placing the first communication in a wake-up state; receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; placing the second communication device in the wake-up state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 13. An apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control, comprising: means for receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device; means for comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; means for granting floor control to the second communication device if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 14. An apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, comprising: means for receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device; means for placing the first communication in a wake-up state; means for receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device; means for comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; means for placing the second communication device in the wake-up state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 15. An apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control, comprising: a receiver to receive information over the network; a transmitter to transmit information over the network; and a processor communicatively coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the processor being capable of: receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; granting floor control to the second communication device if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 16. An apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, comprising: a receiver to receive information over the network; a transmitter to transmit information over the network; and a processor communicatively coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the processor being capable of: receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device; placing the first communication in a wake-up state; receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; placing the second communication device in the wake-up state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular:r communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 17. A method for arbitrating between a first communication device having floor control in a group communication network and a second communication device competing for floor control, the method comprising: receiving a floor-control request from the second communication device; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device using a push-to-talk (PTT) arbitration algorithm for resolving arbitration conflicts; granting floor control to the second communication device if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 18. A method for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, the method comprising: receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device operating in a first state; placing the first communication device in a second state; receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device operating in a first state; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; placing the second communication device in a second state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 19. A computer-readable medium embodying a method for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, the method comprising: receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device operating in a first state; placing the first communication device in a second state; receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device operating in a first state; comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; placing the second communication device in a second state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis. 20. An apparatus for arbitrating between a first communication device and a second communication device competing for floor control in a group communication network, the method comprising: means for receiving a first floor-control request from the first communication device operating in a first state; means for placing the first communication device in a second state; means for receiving a second floor-control request from the second communication device operating in a first state; means for comparing respective priority levels of the first communication device and the second communication device; means for placing the second communication device in a second state if the second communication device has a higher or equal priority level and wherein the priority levels are dynamically assigned and a priority assigned to a particular communication device is a fixed value defined in a database maintained by a session initiation protocol (SIP) server and an arbitration algorithm is used to arbitrate conflicts and this algorithm can be individually configured on a per net basis.