Method and apparatus for dynamic group calling in a selective call system

• US 5,635,914 A
• Filed: 08/18/1995
• Issued: 06/03/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Laflin, Barbara D., Willard, David F., Gade, Marcus A., Petreye, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US08/516,724
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.52, 455/38.1
• US Class Current: 340/7.46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/187 using digital or pulse address codes

Abstract

A selective call system provides dynamic group calling by transmitting a paging message (FIG. 10) to each data communication receiver in a defined group. The paging message comprises a group call address (1040) and frame (1050) and phase (1060) information identifying when the group message will be transmitted. The group call message is then transmitted (326, 328) in the assigned frame and phase. When the paging messages comprising the group call address are received (1904) by the data communication receivers, the group call address is decoded and temporarily stored (1910) as an address of the receiver. Within the identified frame and phase, address correlation with the group call address is attempted (1918, 1926) and the group call message, when found (1920), is received and decoded (1922) as a paging message. After reception of the group call message, the group call address and associated stored information is erased (1924).

Claims

1. A method in a selective call receiver receiving a selective call signal, the selective call receiver having at least one selective call address assigned thereto, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) decoding the selective call signal for the at least one assigned selective call address;

(b) decoding a selective call message comprising a group call address in response to decoding of one of the at least one assigned selective call address;

(c) storing the group call address;

(d) decoding the selective call signal for the group call address; and

(e) automatically erasing the group call address after receiving a group call message in response to decoding of the group call address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selective call signal comprises a plurality of flees and each of the at least one selective call address corresponds to one of the plurality of frames, and wherein the step (a) of decoding the selective call signal comprises decoding the selective call signal for the at least one assigned selective call address during the one of the plurality of frames corresponding to the at least one assigned selective call address.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step (b) of decoding the selective call message comprises decoding a group call address and frame identification information in response to decoding of one of the at least one assigned selective call address, and wherein the step (d) of decoding the selective call signal for the group call address comprises decoding the selective call signal for the group call address during one of the plurality of frames identified by the frame identification information.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of frames comprises a plurality of phases and each of the at least one selective call address corresponds to one of the plurality of frames and one of the plurality of phases therein, and wherein the step (a) of decoding the selective call signal comprises decoding the selective call signal for the at least one assigned selective call address during the one of the plurality of phases of the one of the plurality of frames corresponding to the at least one assigned selective call address.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step (b) of decoding the selective call message comprises decoding a group call address, frame identification information, and phase identification information in response to a successful decoding of one of the at least one assigned selective call address, and wherein the step (d) of decoding the selective call signal for the group call address comprises decoding the selective call signal for the group call address during one of the plurality of phases of one of the plurality of flames, the one of the plurality of frames identified by the frame identification information and the one of the plurality of phases identified by the phase identification information.

6. A selective call receiver having at least one selective call address assigned thereto, the selective call receiver comprising:

receiver circuitry for receiving a selective call signal;

a first memory for storing the at least one selective call address assigned to the selective call receiver;

an address decoder coupled to the first memory means and the receiver means for determining whether the selective call signal comprises signals matches one of the at least one selective call address;

a message decoder coupled to the address decoder for decoding a selective call message in response to the address decoder determining that the selective call signal comprises signals matching one of the at least one selective call address;

a second memory coupled to the message decoder for storing the selective call message; and

a controller coupled to the second memory and the address decoder for determining whether the selective call message is a group call address, for providing the group call address to the address decoder as one of the at least one selective call address in response to determining the selective call message is a group call address, and for automatically erasing the group call address from the second memory in response to the address decoder determining that the selective call signal comprises signals matching the group call address.