Radio paging system with local local loop

• US 5,166,973 A
• Filed: 03/06/1990
• Issued: 11/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Protocol-ip.com, LLC, Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Corporation (Seiko Group), Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hoff, Don G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Application Number:
  US07/489,432
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 379/56-59, 379/61, 379/63, 379/201, 379/214, 379/170, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 340/7.27
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/223 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging

Abstract

A local telephone/radio paging system includes a local paging system, a telephone, and a memory for indicating which telephone numbers are within the local area. When a telephone number is dialed, if the person dialed does not answer, the telephone switching equipment checks the memory to determine whether the dialed number is within the local paging area. If so, a local paging transmitter is activated, paging the person assigned to the unanswered phone. Such a paging transmitter may be included in each phone, or a single central local transmitter may be employed. The paging receivers desirably include alphanumeric displays and indicate the number of the telephone that originated the unanswered call, so that the person carrying the paging receiver may call back immediately.

Claims

1. In a telephone system which includes a large number of telephones, each of which has a number assigned thereto;

a local PBX; and

means connecting a first group of said telephones to said system through said local PBX, the combination of;

a remote radio paging system serving a first geographical area;

a local radio paging system serving a second geographical area smaller than said first geographical area, said second geographical area encompassing the area where said first group of telephones are located;

a local radio paging transmitter in each of the telephones in said first group of telephones, said local radio paging transmitters being connected as part of said local radio paging system,

manually operable means on telephones in said second geographical area for indicating that radio paging is desired if a numbers is dialed and no answer is received from the associated telephone,

means for monitoring numbers dialed by said telephones in said second geographical area for determining whether said numbers corresponds to a telephone within the second geographical area and for activating said local radio paging system if said manually operable means is operated and said dialed number is in said second geographical area and for activating said remote radio paging system if said number is not in said second geographical area;

said manually operable means including a radio Page button on an originating telephone which is operable to indicate that radio paging is desired if a telephone is called and the telephone does not answer, and

radio paging receivers for receiving signals from both the remote and local paging systems.

2. In a private branch exchange telephone system that includes a plurality of originating telephones in a particular geographical area and, means for logging the number of an originating phone and a number dialed by said phone, the combination of:

a local radio paging system covering said particular geographical area, said local radio paging system having a radio paging receiver corresponding to each of said telephones in said particular geographical area and a plurality of local transmitters associated with the telephones connected to said private branch exchange,

a page button on each of said originating telephones for indicating that radio paging is desired if a telephone is called and there is no answer,

first means for determining whether the number dialed is located within said particular geographical area;

second means responsive to said radio page button and to said first means for providing data corresponding to the numbers of the originating and dialed phones to said local radio paging system; and

means for activating said local radio paging system to send said number of said originating phone to the paging receiver corresponding to said called telephone.

3. In a private branch exchange telephone system that includes a plurality of originating telephones and means for logging the number of an originating phone and a number dialed by said phone, an improvement comprising:

a radio page button on each of said originating telephones for indicating that paging is desired if a telephone is called and the telephone does not answer,

a local radio paging transmitter associated with each of said originating telephones, said local radio paging transmitters being connected to form a local radio paging network,

first means for determining whether the number dialed is located within a predetermined geographical area; and

second means responsive to said radio page button and to said first means for providing data corresponding to the numbers of the originating and dialed phones to said local radio paging system,

said second means including means for providing data corresponding to the numbers of the originating and dialed phones to the radio paging system in response to an instruction issued from the originating phone,

said second means including means for providing data corresponding to the numbers of the originating and dialed phones to said local radio paging system in response to activation of said radio page button and to a failure of the dialed phone to answer after a predetermined number of rings.