Two way personal message system with extended coverage

A paging executive for a first radio paging central site interfacing with at least one paging executive of a second radio paging central site and controlling messages to be transmitted by at least one fixed transceiver in the first paging central site to a plurality of two-way data pagers, each pager having a unique address and an association with one of the paging executives, comprising:

• means for accepting messages, each message having an address identifying at least one of the pagers;
• means of maintaining a file of pager addresses, their paging central site associations, and location information for those pages associated with the paging executive of the first paging central site but located in radio range of the second paging central site;
• means for searching said maintained file for a match to said address of said accepted message and subsequently discovering central site association and location information for said selected pager;
• means for storing an accepted message and address for later communication to and addressed pager if said addressed pager is associated with the paging executive of the first paging central site;
• means for routing any of said accepted message and addresses to the paging executive of the second paging central site when an addressed pager is determined to be in the radio range of the second paging central site;
• means for selecting the fixed transceiver in the first paging central site which is most likely to be in radio range of said addressed pager and for transmitting said accepted message to said addressed pager;
• means for receiving an acknowledgment signal of message reception from said addressed pager and deleting said stored message and address from storage in response thereto;
• and
• means for receiving a message-presented verification from said addressed pager and for storing said verification.

A portable data transceiver for operation in a communications system carrying messages via a radio channel and having a unique internal address for comparison with addresses included in messages transmitted from one of a network of central sites and having an association with one central site comprising:

• means for generating and transmitting a logging-in message to one of the central sites;
• means for receiving the messages transmitted from said logged-in central site and storing any of said messages which have an address matching the unique internal address;
• means for acknowledging on the radio channel the reception of each message having a matching address;
• means for recalling a stored message, presenting said message in human perceptable form, and transmitting a verification of message presentation on the radio channel to said logged-in central site;
• and
• means for generating a message and for transmitting same on the radio channel to said logged-in central site.

A method of message routing between at least two central sites having essentially distinct radio coverage areas and a plurality of remote transceivers, each remote transceiver having a unique address and an association to one of the central sites comprising the steps of:

• accepting messages in a first central site, each of said messages having an address identifying at least one particular remote transceiver;
• maintaining a file of remote transceiver addresses, their central site associations, and location information for those remote transceivers located within the radio coverage area of a second central site and associated with said first central site;
• storing an accepted message at said first central site for later communication to an addressed remote transceiver if said addressed remote transceiver is associated with said first central site;
• routing any of said accepted messages and addresses to said second central site when an addressed remote transceiver is determined to be located in said second central site location;
• selecting the radio coverage area of said first central site which is most likely to contain said addressed remote transceiver and transmitting said stored message to said addressed remote transceiver;
• receiving and storing said transmitted message at said addressed remote transceiver and transmitting a message received acknowledgement signal in response thereto;
• deleting said stored message at said first central site upon receipt of said acknowledgement signal;
• and
• transmitting a logging-in message from a remote transceiver associated with said first central site but located in said second central site to said second central site thereby logging-in said remote transceiver having said transmitted address in said second central site.

A method of receiving and responding to messages transmitted on a radio channel from one of a network of central sites at a portable data transceiver having a unique internal address for comparison to addresses included with the transmitted messages and having an association with one central site, comprising the steps of:

• generating and transmitting a logging-in message from the portable data transceiver to one of the central sites thereby informing the associated central site of the location of the portable data transceiver;
• receiving the messages transmitted from said logged-in central site on the radio channel and storing any of said messages which have an address matching the unique internal address;
• acknowledging on the radio channel the reception of each message having a matching address;
• recalling a stored message, presenting said stored message in human perceptable form, and transmitting a verification of message presentation on the radio channel to said logged-in central site;
• and
• generating a message and transmitting same on the radio channel to said logged-in central site.