Method and apparatus for incorporating pager functionality into a land mobile radio system

• US 20030119498A1
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cunningham, James, Haas, Kevin L., Chrest, David Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 6,912,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/027 providing paging services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A land mobile radio system receives paging messages communicated via a paging service communication protocol, decodes the paging messages to identify respective target recipients of the paging messages and determines whether the target recipients are members of a user group. If a target recipient is a member of the user group, a communication unit (e.g., radio or console) of the target recipient is identified, the message is converted to an appropriate protocol (e.g., a wireless protocol) and sent to the communication unit.

Claims

1. In a radio communication system including a plurality of subscribers defining a user group, the subscribers having wireless subscriber units operable to receive messages communicated via a first wireless communication protocol, a method comprising:

receiving a message communicated via a second wireless communication protocol;

determining a target recipient of the message;

if the target recipient is a member of the user group, identifying a subscriber unit associated with the target recipient; and

if the subscriber unit is logged on the radio communication system, sending the message to the subscriber unit via the first wireless communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, performed by one or more infrastructure devices of the radio communication system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a message comprises receiving a paging message communicated via a paging service protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the paging service protocol comprises one of:

FLEX-TD, FLEX and POCSAG.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining a target recipient comprises:

decoding a header of the paging message to identify a target pager unit ID; and

determining the target recipient to be an individual associated with the target pager ID.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

constructing, prior to receiving the message, a database mapping one or more members of the user group with respective pager IDs and subscriber units;

upon identifying the target pager ID, consulting the database to determine whether the target pager ID corresponds to a member of the user group; and

if the target pager ID corresponds to a member of the user group, identifying the member as the target recipient, thereby determining that the target recipient is a member of the user group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of identifying a subscriber unit associated with the target recipient comprises, upon determining that the target pager ID corresponds to a member of the user group, consulting the database to identify the subscriber unit corresponding to the target pager ID.

8. In a radio communication system including a plurality of users defining a user group, a method comprising:

receiving a paging message communicated via a paging service communication protocol;

determining a target recipient of the paging message;

if the target recipient is a member of the user group,

identifying a communication unit associated with the target recipient, the communication unit being operable to receive messages communicated via a wireless protocol other than the paging service communication protocol; and

if the communication unit is logged on the radio communication system, converting the paging message to the wireless protocol, yielding a converted message, and sending the converted message to the communication unit.

9. The method of claim 8, performed by one or more infrastructure devices of the radio communication system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the paging service protocol comprises one of:

FLEX-TD, FLEX and POCSAG.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

constructing, prior to receiving the paging message, a database mapping one or more members of the user group with respective pager IDs and communication units;

upon identifying the target pager ID, consulting the database to determine whether the target pager ID corresponds to a member of the user group; and

if the target pager ID corresponds to a member of the user group, identifying the member as the target recipient, thereby determining that the target recipient is a member of the user group.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of identifying a communication unit associated with the target recipient comprises consulting the database to identify the communication unit of the target recipient.

13. A radio communication system comprising:

a receiver operable to receive paging messages communicated via a paging service communication protocol;

a decoder operable to decode the paging messages to identify respective target recipients of the paging messages;

a paging server for determining whether the target recipients are members of a user group and, if a target recipient is a member of the user group, identifying a communication unit associated with the target recipient;

a controller for converting the paging message to a wireless protocol of the communication unit, yielding a converted message; and

a transmitter for sending the converted message to the communication unit associated with the target recipient.