High capacity protocol with multistation capability

In a time division multiplexed communication system having a transmitter system comprising a plurality of stations transmiting on different frequencies digital data packets to a plurality of receivers each having an address, a method of increasing the number of individual receivers that can be served by a single transmitter system, comprising:

• encoding format information in a data packet uniquely addressed to a receiver within the transmitter system indicating that the data therein is received control information rather than message information;
• encoding in the receiver control information the identification of stations within the transmitter system to which the addressed receiver must tune for message information;
• transmitting the data packet from all stations within the transmitter system to alert the addressed receiver to tune to any of the identified stations;
• and
• transmitting the data packets having message information to the addressed receiver only from the identified stations.

In a time division multiplexed communication system having a plurality of transmitter systems each comprising a plurality of stations for transmitting on different frequencies digital data packets including system control packets to a plurality of receivers each having an address, a method of splitting the receivers in an area among several transmitter systems to increase the number of receivers that can be served, comprising:

• encoding in a control packet a mask bit field corresponding to a predetermined portion of a receiver's address;
• encoding in a control packet an address field corresponding to the same portion of the receiver address;
• and
• masking bits in the mask bit field to indicate the bits in the address field that must be matched by the corresponding portion of the receiver address for the receiver to be served by the transmitter system transmitting to the control packet.

In a time division multiplexed communication system having a transmitter system comprising a plurality of stations for transmitting on different frequencies data packets including system control packets and message packets to a plurality of receivers each having an address, a method of improving the probability of reception of the message packet by the receiver, comprising:

• offsetting the time of transmission of data packets from each station within the transmitter system so that the same data packets are transmitted at different relative times;
• encoding within a control packet the frequency and time offset of the currently tuned station relative to a predetermined zero offset station;
• and
• encoding within a control packet a list of other station frequencies and the time offset for each other station,
• each receiver determining from the control packets the frequency and time offset of the station that will next transmit a message to the receiver.

In a time division multiplexed communication system for transmitting periodic frames of a first duration subdivided into subframes having time slots of a second duration, the subframes and time slots having unique identification numbers, the system including receivers each assigned an address that includes a unique number as one portion of the address and a subframe and time slot identification number as another portion, apparatus comprising:

• means for encoding data into digital data packets bearing a time slot identification number, each packet of substantially equal duration to a time slot;
• means for encoding format information within the data packet which alerts receivers assigned the time slot number as a portion of their address that more than one message is contained in the packet;
• means for placing the messages in predetermined positions within the packet to be recognized by the alerted receivers as multiple messages;
• and
• means for encoding within each message an address that corresponds to the unique numbered portion of the receiver address so that only the intended receiver reads the message.

In a time division multiplexed communication system having a transmitter system comprising a plurality of stations transmitting on different frequencies digital data packets to a plurality of receivers each having an address, apparatus for increasing the number of individual receivers that can be served by a single transmitter system, comprising:

• means for encoding format information in a data packet uniquely addressed to a receiver within the transmitter system indicating that the data therein is receiver control information rather than message information;
• means for encoding in the receiver control information the identification of stations within the transmitter system to which the addressed receiver must tune for message information;
• means for transmitting the data packet from all stations within the transmitter system to alert the addressed receiver to tune to any of the identified stations;
• and
• means for transmitting from the identified stations to the addressed receiver the data packets having message information.

In a time division multiplexed communication system having a plurality of transmitter systems each comprising a plurality of stations for transmitting on different frequencies digital data packets including system control packets to a plurality of receivers each having an address, apparatus for splitting the receivers in an area among several transmitter systems to increase the number of receivers that can be served, comprising:

• means for encoding in a control packet a mask bit field corresponding to a predetermined portion of a receiver's address;
• means for encoding in a control packet an address field corresponding to the same portion of the receiver address;
• and
• means for masking bits in the mask bit field to indicate the bits in the address field that must be matched by the corresponding portion of the receiver address for the receiver to be served by the transmitter system transmitting the control packet.

In a time division multiplexed communication system having a transmitter system comprising a plurality of stations for transmitting on different frequencies data packets including system control packets and message packets to a plurality of receivers each having an address, apparatus for improving the probability of reception of the message packet by the receiver, comprising:

• means for offsetting the time of transmission of data packets from each station within the transmitter system so that the same data packets are transmitted at different relative times;
• means for encoding within a control packet the frequency and time offset of the currently tuned station relative to a predetermined zero offset station;
• and
• means for encoding within a control packet a list of other station frequencies and the time offset for each other station,
• each receiver determining from the control packets the frequency and time offset of the station that will next transmit a message to the receiver.