Paging system with local channel lists

• US 5,187,470 A
• Filed: 03/13/1991
• Issued: 02/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1985
• 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: King, Randolph E., Gaskill, Garold B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISSMAN, PETER
• Application Number:
  US07/668,368
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.48, 340/825.03, 340/825.01, 455/54, 455/62, 455/103, 455/182, 455/185, 455/54.1, 455/182.1, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 379/57, 379/58
• US Class Current: 340/7.24
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1016 using wireless transmission calling systems using transmission by inductive loop H04B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/223 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/026 using digital address codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

A page receiver is provided a list of alternative paging channels to which it can tune if the paging channel presently being received becomes unreliable. This list, and other lists used by paging receivers in the other geographical areas, are disseminated by linked paging transmitters that broadcast identical paging signals throughtout a large geographical area. When a paging receiver finds a channel carrying paging data, it identifies which of the plurality of transmitted lists is appropriate for its use by finding the list that references the channel to which the receiver is presently tuned. The channels referenced in the identified list are then stored in a memory and may be tuned if the existing paging signal is lost. Data is desirably transmitted with the local channel lists to permit each paging receiver to locate the list relevant to its geographical area without examining each of the transmitted lists.

Claims

1. In a paging system which includes

a plurality of individually addressable mobile paging radio receivers for receiving signals containing paging messages, each of said pagers having a local channel list through which said receiver scans to find a particular channel on which it can reliably receive said paging messages, each of said receivers storing information identifying said particular channel on which said receiver is operating at any particular time, and

a plurality of transmitters, each of which transmits the same data stream including paging messages and a plurality of local channel lists, one of which includes the transmitter channel on which the particular transmitter is operating,

the method of operating said paging receivers which comprises:

receiving said plurality of transmitted local channel lists and utilizing said transmitted local channel lists in conjunction with said stored particular channel information which indicates the particular channel to which said receiver is presently tuned to permit said receiver to ignore certain local channel lists and to receiver and store one local channel list transmission relevant thereto.

2. In a paging system which includes

a plurality of individually addressable mobile paging radio receivers for receiving signals containing paging messages, each of said pagers having a stored local channel list through which said receiver scans to find a channel on which it can reliably receive said paging messages, each of said receivers storing information indicating the particular channel on which said receiver is operating at any particular time, and

a plurality of transmitters, each of which transmits a data stream including paging messages and a plurality of local channel lists each of said transmitters transmitting the same data stream, the data stream of each of said transmitters including at least two local channel lists, each of said tow local channel lists including the channel of one of said transmitters,

the method of operating said paging receivers which comprises:

energizing said receivers to receive said plurality of channel lists;

selecting one of said channel lists based on the channel to which the paging receiver is presently tuned; and

operating said receiver based upon said selected channel list.

3. The method of claim 2 in which said channel lists comprise entries in a local channel list index.

4. The method of claim 3 in which said method additionally includes using said channel list to determine when next to energize depending on the relationship of the information in the channel to which the receiver is presently tuned.

5. The method of claim 3 in which the energizing step additionally includes using said channel list to determine when next to energize depending on the relationship of the data in said channel list to the channel to which the receiver is presently tuned.