Code division multiplexed acknowledge back paging system

An acknowledge back pager having a unique address associated therewith, said pager comprising;

• receiving means for receiving paging signals from a central station, said paging signals including a batch of M pager addresses transmitted in a sequential order during a first time period, wherein M is the number of pager addresses in said batch;
• memory means for storing a look-up table of M pseudorandom codes including pseudorandom code 1, pseudorandom code 2, . . . pseudorandom code M;
• transmitting means for transmitting acknowledge back signals at a selected frequency employing a selected one of said M pseudorandom codes;
• microcomputer means, coupled to said receiving means and said memory means, for processing paging signals received by said pager, said microcomputer means including
• decoding means for detecting the presence of said pager's address within said batch of M addresses;
• address order determining means for determining the order of said pager's address within said batch of M addresses, and
• pseudorandom code control means, coupled to said transmitting means, for generating an acknowledge back signal coded with a selected one of said plurality of M predetermined pseudorandom codes, said selected one of said pseudorandom codes exhibiting a predetermined relationship to the order of the address of said pager within said batch of M addresses.

In a radio paging system including a central paging terminal for transmitting address and message signals to a plurality of remotely located radio pagers, each pager having an address corresponding thereto, a method of radio paging comprising the steps of:

• A. sequentially transmitting a batch of M pager addresses during a first time period, wherein M is the number of pager addresses in said batch;
• B. providing an alert to indicate to a user of an addressed one of said M pages that said pager has been addressed;
• C. indicating respective responses to said M addressed pagers;
• and
• D. the batch of pagers addressed in step A transmitting respective acknowledge back signals indicative of the respective responses provided thereto, such acknowledge back signals being transmitted simultaneously in a second time period subsquent to said first time period, each of said batch of pagers transmitting acknowledge back signals with a different one of M pseudorandom codes which is assigned to each respective pager based on a predetermined relationship to the order in which said batch of M addresses were transmitted by said central paging terminal.

In a radio paging system including a central paging terminal for transmitting address and message signals to a plurality of remotely located radio pagers, each pager having an address corresponding thereto, a method of radio paging comprising the steps of:

• A. sequentially transmitting a batch of M pager addresses during a first time period, wherein M is the number of pager addresses in said batch;
• B. dynamically assigning a different pseudorandom code to each pager of the batch of pagers addressed in step A;
• and
• C. simultaneously transmitting from selected pagers of said batch of pagers respective acknowledge back signals in a second time period subsequent to said first time period, each acknowledge back signal including the correspondingly assigned pseudorandom code of its transmitting pager.

In a radio paging system including a central paging terminal for transmitting address and message signals to a plurality of remotely located radio pagers, each pager having an address corresponding thereto, a method of radio paging comprising the steps of:

• A. sequentially transmitting a batch of M pager addresses during a first time period, wherein M is the number of pager addresses in said batch;
• B. providing an alert to indicate to a user of an addressed one of said M pagers that pager has been addressed;
• C. indicating respective responses to pagers of said M addressed pagers;
• D. dynamically assigning a different pseudorandom code to each pager of the batch of pagers addressed in step A;
• and
• E. transmitting from said pagers acknowledge back signals indicative of the respective responses provided thereto, such acknowledge back signals being transmitted simultaneously in a second time period subsequent to said first time period, each acknowledge back signal including the assigned pseudorandom code of its respective transmitting pager.