Method for assuring data integrity during a repeater transition

• US 5,446,924 A
• Filed: 05/03/1993
• Issued: 08/29/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chapman, Scott G., Christian, Paul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US08/055,332
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 455/8, 455/9, 455/51.2, 455/67.1, 455/115, 455/103, 455/67.7, 455/53.1, 455/33.1, 371/8.2, 371/9.1, 371/7, 375/107, 375/108, 375/357, 340/825.01
• US Class Current: 455/8
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging

Abstract

In a paging system that includes a system controller, an active repeater, and a backup repeater, data integrity during a repeater transition is assured. As each repeater receives a stream of paging information from the system controller, the repeaters store it. When the repeater transition occurs, the backup repeater determines the paging messages that were not transmitted during the repeater transition based on the most recently stored stream of paging information. Subsequently, the backup repeater transmits a paging failure message to the system controller indicating the paging messages that were not transmitted. Upon receiving this, the system controller commands the backup repeater to retransmit the paging messages that were not transmitted during the repeater transition.

Claims

1. In a paging system that includes a paging terminal, a system controller, and a plurality of repeaters distributed throughout a coverage area, wherein at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters are located at a given site, and wherein one of the at least two repeaters functions as an active repeater while another repeater of the at least two repeaters functions as a backup repeater for information transmission in an event that the active repeater experiences operational failure, a method for assuring data integrity during a transition of information transmission from the active repeater to the backup repeater, the method comprising the steps of:

a) storing, by each of the plurality of repeaters, a stream of paging information for a predetermined period of time, wherein the paging information includes a control word that identifies at least one paging message;

b) determining in response to detection of the transition by the backup repeater associated with the active repeater experiencing operational failure, the at least one paging message that was not transmitted during the repeater transition based on most recently stored control word;

c) transmitting, by the backup repeater associated with the transition, a paging failure message to the system controller, wherein the paging failure message indicates that the at least one paging message was not transmitted; and

d) commanding, by the system controller, at least the backup repeater associated with the repeater transition to retransmit the at least one paging message that was not transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the step of commanding, by the system controller, the paging terminal to hold off transmitting a new stream of paging information until the at least one paging message that was not transmitted has been retransmitted.

3. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the step of ignoring, by a pager unit, the at least one paging message that was retransmitted when the pager unit validly received the at least one paging message during an initial transmission by another active repeater.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises commanding, by the system controller, each of active repeaters to retransmit the at least one paging message that was not transmitted.

5. In a paging system that includes a paging terminal, a system controller, and a plurality of repeaters distributed throughout a coverage area, wherein at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters are located at a given site, and wherein one of the at least two repeaters functions as an active repeater while another repeater of the at least two repeaters functions as a backup repeater for information transmission in an event that the active repeater experiences operational failure, a method for the backup repeater to assure data integrity during a transition of information transmission from the active repeater to the backup repeater, the method comprising the steps of:

a) storing, by the backup repeater, a stream of paging information for a predetermined period of time, wherein the paging information includes a control word that identifies at least one paging message;

b) determining, by the backup repeater, that the transition occurred and that at least one paging message was not transmitted by the active repeater;

c) transmitting, by the backup repeater, a paging failure message to the system controller, wherein the paging failure message indicates that the at least one paging message was not transmitted; and

d) retransmitting in response to a retransmit command received from the system controller by the backup repeater, the at least one paging message that was not transmitted.

6. In a paging system that includes a paging terminal, a system controller, and a plurality of repeaters distributed throughout a coverage area, wherein at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters are located at a given site, and wherein one of the at least two repeaters functions as an active repeater while another repeater of the at least two repeaters functions as a backup repeater for information transmission in an event that the active repeater experiences operational failure, a method for the system controller to assure data integrity during a transition of information transmission from the active repeater to the backup repeater, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a paging failure message from the backup repeater associated with the transition, wherein the paging failure message indicates that at least one paging message was not transmitted due to the transition;

b) transmitting a paging message hold-off command to the paging terminal, such that the paging terminal temporarily stops transmitting new streams of paging information; and

c) transmitting a retransmit command to at least the backup repeater, such that at least the backup repeater retransmits the at least one paging message that was not transmitted.

7. In a paging system that includes a paging terminal, a system controller, and a plurality of repeaters distributed throughout a coverage area, wherein at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters are located at a given site, and wherein one of the at least two repeaters functions as an active repeater while another repeater of the at least two repeaters functions as a backup repeater for information transmission in an event that the active repeater experiences operational failure, a method for assuring data integrity during a transition of information transmission from the active repeater to the backup repeater, the method comprising the steps of:

a) storing, by each of the plurality of repeaters, a stream of paging information for a predetermined period of time, wherein the paging information includes a control word that identifies a plurality of paging messages;

b) determining in response to detection of the transition by the backup repeater associated with the active repeater experiencing operational failure, when the backup repeater became active in relation to reception of a control word immediately preceding the transition;

c) determining, by the backup repeater associated with the transition, paging messages of the plurality of paging messages that were not transmitted during the repeater transition based on a duration of the transition;

d) transmitting, by the backup repeater associated with the repeater transition, a paging failure message to the system controller, wherein the paging failure message indicates the paging messages that were not transmitted; and

e) commanding, by the system controller, at least the backup repeater associated with the repeater transition to retransmit the paging messages that were not transmitted.

8. The method of claim 7, and further comprising the step of commanding, by the system controller, the paging terminal to hold off transmitting a new stream of paging information until the paging messages that were not transmitted have been re-transmitted.

9. The method of claim 7, and further comprising the step of ignoring, by a pager unit, the paging messages that were retransmitted when the pager unit validly received the paging messages during an initial transmission by another active repeater.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein step (d) further comprises commanding, by the system controller, each of active repeaters to retransmit the paging messages that were not transmitted.

11. In a paging system that includes a paging terminal, a system controller, and a plurality of repeaters distributed throughout a coverage area, wherein at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters are located at a given site, and wherein one of the at least two repeaters functions as an active repeater while another repeater of the at least two repeaters functions as a backup repeater for information transmission in an event that the active repeater experiences operational failure, a method for the backup repeater to assure data integrity during a transition of information transmission from the active repeater to the backup repeater, the method comprising the steps of:

a) storing, by the backup repeater, a stream of paging information for a predetermined period of time, wherein the paging information includes a control word that identifies a plurality of paging messages;

b) determining, by the backup repeater, that the transition occurred and determining paging messages that were not transmitted by the active repeater;

c) transmitting, by the backup repeater, a paging failure message to the system controller, wherein the paging failure message-indicates that the paging messages were not transmitted; and

d) retransmitting in response to a retransmit command received from the system controller, by the backup repeater, the paging messages that were not transmitted.

12. In a paging system that includes a paging terminal, a system controller, and a plurality of repeaters distributed throughout a coverage area, wherein at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters are located at a given site, and wherein one of the at least two repeaters functions as an active repeater while another repeater of the at least two repeaters functions as a backup repeater for information transmission in an event that the active repeater experiences operational failure, a method for the system controller to assure data integrity during a transition of information transmission from the active repeater to the backup repeater, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a paging failure message from the backup repeater associated with the repeater transition, wherein the paging failure message indicates paging messages that were not transmitted due to the repeater transition;

b) transmitting a paging message hold-off command to the paging terminal, such that the paging terminal temporarily stops transmitting paging information; and

c) transmitting a retransmit command to at least the backup repeater, such that at least the backup repeater retransmits the paging messages that were not transmitted.