Intersystem communication system and method

• US 5,293,638 A
• Filed: 06/03/1992
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Erickson, Gary D., Sasuta, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAILE, ANDREW I
• Application Number:
  US07/892,916
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 455/15, 455/16, 455/17, 455/34.1, 455/54.1, 455/56.1, 455/53.1, 455/33.1, 379/58, 379/63
• US Class Current: 455/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

Communication systems (101, 102) having dedicated communication resources are provided with receivers (111, 116) that monitor the communication resources (104, 108) of other communication systems. Communications between communication units in various systems are interchanged through appropriate interaction of the repeaters and the dedicated receivers so provided.

Claims

1. In a communication system comprising a first communication system and a second communication system;

the first communication system including at least a first communication unit, a first set of communication resources, and a first resource control means for controlling the first set of communication resources;

the second communication system including at least a second communication unit, a second set of communication resources, second resource control means for controlling the second set of communication resources, and second receiver means substantially compatible with the first set of communication resources for receiving communications sourced by the first communication system;

the first communication system further including first receiver means substantially compatible with the second set of communication resources for receiving communications sourced by the second communication system;

a method for establishing communications between the first communication unit and the second communication unit, comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving, at the first communication system, a request from the first communication unit to communicate with the second communication unit;

(b) sourcing, from the first resource control means using the first set of communication resources, a notification for at least the second communication unit of a need to communicate;

(c) receiving, at the second receiver means, the notification from the first communication system and providing that notification to the second resource control means; and

,

(d) sourcing, for the benefit of the second communication unit, at the second resource control means using the second set of communication resources, a notification of the need to communicate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) includes a step of identifying a communication resource from the second set of communication resources that has been allocated to support the requested communication, in an outbound transmission on said second resource control means, the outbound transmission including information indentifying the allocated resource.

3. The method of claim 2 and including the further steps of:

(e) receiving, at the first receiver means, the outbound transmission including the identification of the allocated channel resource from the second set of communication resources;

(f) sourcing, from the first resource control means using the first set of communication resources, identification of a channel resource from the first set of channel resources that is allocated to support the requested communication.

4. The method of claim 3, and further including the steps of:

(g) thereafter transmitting a subsequent communication from the first communication unit using the allocated communication resource from the first set of communication resources;

(h) receiving, at the second receiver means, the subsequent communication;

(i) retransmitting, for the benefit of the second communication unit, the subsequent communication using the allocated communication resource from the second set of communication resources.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first communication system further includes a plurality of repeaters that support communications on the first set of communication resources; and

the second communication system further includes a plurality of repeaters that support communications on the second set of communication resources.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) includes a step of receiving the request on a previously identified first control resource that is a part of the first set of communication resources.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) includes a step of transmitting the notification on a previously identified first control resource that is a part of the first set of communication resources.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) includes a step of receiving the notification on a previously identified first control resource that is a part of the first set of communication resources.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) includes a step of transmitting the notification on a previously identified second control resource that is a part of the second set of communication resources.

10. In a communication system comprising:

a first communication system including;

at least a first communication unit,

a first set of communication resources, including a first control resource;

a first resource controller for controlling the first set of communication resources;

a second communication system including;

at least a second communication unit,

a second set of communication resources, including a second control resource;

a second resource controller for controlling the second set of communication resources; and

,

a set of second receivers substantially compatible with the first set of communication resources for receiving communications sourced by the first communication system;

the first communication system further including a set of first receivers substantially compatible with the second set of communication resources for receiving communications sourced by the second communication system;

a method of establishing communications between the first communication unit and the second communication unit, comprising the steps of;

(a) receiving, at the first communication system on the first control resource, a request from the first communication unit to communicate with the second communication unit;

(b) sourcing, from the first resource controller using the first control resource, a notification for at least the second communication unit of a need to communicate;

(c) receiving, at the set of second receivers using the first control resource, the notification from the first communication system and providing that notification to the second resource controller;

(d) sourcing, for the benefit of the second communication unit, at the second resource controller using the second control resource, a notification of the need to communicate.

11. An arrangement comprising a first communication system and a second communication system,

the second communication system comprising a plurality of communication resources;

the first communication system comprising;

a plurality of communication units;

a set of predetermined communication resources;

resource control means for allocating the predetermined communication resources amongst communication units;

receiver means operably coupled to the resource control means for receiving radio frequency communications supported by the second communication system communication resources that are ordinarily used in the second communication system and that are not included in the set of predetermined communication resources;

means for selectively coupling the receiver means and the set of predetermined communication resources to allow communications received by the receiver means from the second communication system to be retransmitted using the predetermined communication resources.

12. In a communication system comprising a first communication system and a second communication system;

the first communication system including a first set of communication resources and a plurality of communication units capable of utilizing the first set of communication resources;

the second communication system including a second set of communication resources, a second receiver means substantially compatible with the first set of communication resources and capable of recovering communications sourced at the first set of communication resources, a second resource controller for controlling the second set of communication resources and the second receiver means, and a plurality of communication units capable of utilizing the second set of communication resources;

the first communication system further including a first receiver means substantially compatible with a second set of communication resources and capable of recovering communications sourced at the second set of communication resources, and a first resource controller for controlling the first set of communication resources and first receiver means;

a method for establishing communications between at least a first communication unit of the first communication system and at least a second communication unit of the second communication system, comprising the steps of;

at the first communication system;

(a) receiving a request from the first communication unit to communicate with at least a second communication unit;

(b) sourcing, by the first resource controller utilizing a first communication resource, a notification of the need to communicate with at least a second communication unit;

at the second communication system;

(c) receiving, at the second receiver means, the notification of the need to communicate to the second communication unit from the first communication system, and providing this notification to the second resource controller;

(d) sourcing a communication resource assignment to satisfy the received need to communicate notification from the first communication system;

at the first communication system;

(e) receiving, via the first receiver means, the communication resource assignment of the second communication system to satisfy the need to communicate notification from the first communication system, and using the assigned communication resource to process the communication;

(f) sourcing a communication resource assignment to satisfy the communication need at the first communication system;

at the second communication system;

(g) receiving the communication resource assignment of the first communication system to satisfy the communication need, and using the assigned communication resource to process the communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sourcing step (d) includes a step of identifying a communication resource of the second set of communication resources that has been allocated to support the requested communication between at least a second communication unit and at least a first communication unit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sourcing step (f) includes a step of identifying a communication resource of the first set of communication resources that has been allocated to support the requested communication between at least a first communication unit and at least a second communication unit.

15. The method of claim 14, including the further steps of:

at the first communication system;

(h) thereafter transmitting a subsequent communication using the allocated communication resource from the first set of communication resources;

at the second communication system;

(i) receiving at the second receiver means the subsequent communication; and

,

(j) retransmitting the subsequent communication using the allocated communication resource from the second set of communication resources.