Remote command, control and monitoring of apparatus by way of existing paging service network

• US 5,983,074 A
• Filed: 06/13/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reactel, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reactel, Inc.
• Inventors: Jansen, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US08/874,619
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 455/31.3, 455/38.1, 455/456, 455/457, 455/458, 455/518, 455/519, 455/38.4, 455/426, 455/31.2, 455/31.1, 455/38.2, 455/422, 455/520
• US Class Current: 340/7.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

A plurality of radio pagers which can perform apparatus related tasks and which include the same unique pager address ID code, emulate to an available commercial paging service a single pager having the unique pager address ID code, in responding with an acknowledgement transmission to receipt by the plurality of radio pagers to a location request transmission from the available commercial paging service of the unique pager address ID code.

Claims

1. A system for remote performance of apparatus related tasks through an available commercial paging service that is configured to transmit a pager address code by radio to a plurality of pagers wherein each pager of said plurality of pagers has a unique pager address code that is different from the pager address codes of the other pagers of the plurality of pagers, and in which the commercial paging service transmits a first pager address code belonging to one of said plurality of pagers, whereby a pager which receives the transmission of its own unique pager address code transmits an acknowledgment signal to the paging service, the system comprising:

a plurality of task pagers at least one of the plurality of task pagers comprising means for interfacing with an apparatus, each of the plurality of task pagers having control means programmed for controlling its functions, and having the same pager address code as the other ones of the plurality of task pagers and being configured to receive a transmission of the same pager address code from the available commercial paging service, only one task pager of said plurality of task pagers being a master pager programmed to transmit an acknowledgment signal to the paging service in response to said same pager address code, the remaining ones of said plurality of task pagers receiving the same transmission of said same pager address code being programmed to not transmit the acknowledgment signal to the paging service.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one of said plurality of task pagers having at least one of an individual ID code and a group ID code in addition to said same pager address ID code, by which said control means is addressed through the available commercial paging service to instruct the task pager to perform an apparatus related task.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one of said plurality of task pagers having an individual ID code and a group ID code in addition to said same pager address ID code, by which said control means is addressed through the available commercial paging service to instruct the task pager to perform an apparatus related task.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

each of at least two of the task pagers having the same pager address ID code comprising means for transmitting a signal to the available commercial paging service, one of the at least two task pagers programmed to transmit a signal within one of a plurality of predetermined width time slots of a first time frame predetermined by the available commercial paging service for transmission by pagers, and the other of the at least two pagers having the same pager location ID code programmed to transmit a signal within one of a plurality of predetermined width time slots of a second time frame predetermined by the available commercial paging service for transmission by pagers.

5. A method for remote performance of apparatus related tasks by radio communication between a radio pager and an available commercial paging service which broadcasts a signal, the radio pager having means for interfacing with apparatus and for processing a radio signal received by the pager and controlling functions of the pager, the method comprising the pager performing the steps of:

(a) receiving the broadcast signal,

(b) determining whether the signal includes the pager'"'"'s address ID code,

(c) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, the pager going into standby,

(d) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f),

(e) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, performing step (f),

(f) determining whether the signal includes an individual pager ID code that matches the pager'"'"'s own individual ID code, wherein an individual pager ID code is different from the pager'"'"'s pager address ID code, and performing the apparatus related task addressed by the signal for performance by a pager with the pager'"'"'s own individual ID code.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising the pager:

determining whether the signal includes a group pager ID code that matches the pager'"'"'s own group pager ID code, wherein the group pager ID code is different from the pager'"'"'s pager address ID code and the pager'"'"'s individual pager ID code, and performing the apparatus related task addressed by the signal for performance by a pager with the pager'"'"'s group pager ID code.

7. A method for remote performance of apparatus related tasks by radio communication between a plurality of radio pagers each comprising the same pager address ID code, and an available commercial paging service which broadcasts a signal, the radio pagers comprising means for interfacing with apparatus and each pager comprising means for processing a radio signal received by the pager and controlling functions of the pager, the method comprising each of the plurality of pagers performing the steps of:

(a) receiving the broadcast signal,

(b) determining whether the signal includes the pager'"'"'s address ID code,

(c) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, the pager going into standby,

(d) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f),

(e) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, not transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f),

(f) performing the apparatus related task specific for the pager according to instruction from the available commercial paging service.

8. A pager for performance of an apparatus related task in response to instruction by radio communication between an available commercial paging service which communicates with pagers by radio, the pager comprising means for interfacing with apparatus and for processing a radio signal received by the pager and for programmed control of functions of the pager, the pager being programmed to:

(a) receive a pager address ID code inquiry broadcast signal on the frequency broadcast by the available commercial paging service,

(b) determine whether the signal includes the pager'"'"'s address ID code,

(c) if the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, go into standby,

(d) if the pager determines that the signal does include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmit an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and perform (f),

(e) if the pager determines that the signal does include the pager'"'"'s address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, do not transmit an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and perform (f),

(f) perform the apparatus related task specific for the pager according to instruction from the available commercial paging service.