Adaptive communication system for transmitting between base stations and portable transceivers via different data rate communication links

A communication system comprising:

• a plurality of fixed location base stations, each having a unique set of RF communication parameters and select ones of said base stations having a common polling channel;
• a non-fixed location communication transceiver having a unique ID number for communicating with said base stations on said polling channel and operable to communicate with each of said base stations with the respective unique RF communication parameters;
• the select ones of said base stations operable to generate and output a location request on said polling channel, said request having associated therewith the unique ID number of said communication transceiver and information relating to the unique RF communication parameters associated with the generating one of said base stations;
• said communication transceiver operable to receive on said polling channel said location request and to initiate a communication link with one of said base stations in accordance with the received unique RF communication parameters, to allow said communication transceiver to communicate with the one of said base stations;
• and
• predetermined ones of said fixed location base stations have associated therewith separate fixed location high data rate transmission base stations having unique RF communication parameters that are part of the unique RF communication parameters associated with said associated fixed location base station and said communication transceiver is operable to establish a communication link with said high data rate communication base station associated with the one of said base stations from which said location request was received by said communication transceiver.

A method for establishing a communication link with a non-fixed communication transceiver, comprising

• providing a plurality of fixed location base stations, each having a unique set of RF communication parameters, and select ones of the base stations having a common polling channel, the unique RF communication parameters operable to allow transmission at a high data rate and a low data rate;
• storing message data at the base stations, which message data is destined to be delivered to the communication transceiver;
• generating and outputting from at least one of the select ones of the base stations a location request on the polling channel, the location request having associated therewith a unique ID number of the communication transceiver and information relating to the unique RF communication parameters associated with the generating one of the base stations and containing message information regarding the data to be transferred to the communication transceiver, the message information including information regarding the length of the message data and the type of message data;
• receiving at the transceiver on the polling channel the location request;
• recognizing at the transceiver the associated unique ID number of the communication transceiver;
• initiating a communication link with one of the base stations in accordance with the received unique RF communication parameters, to allow the communication transceiver to communicate with the one of the base stations, the step of initiating the communication link initiating the communication link at a high data rate in accordance with message information in the received location request, indicating that the data can be transmitted over a high data rate communication link;
• and
• transferring the stored message data from the one of the base stations with which the communication transceiver establishes the communication link.

A method for establishing a communication link with a non-fixed location transceiver, comprising:

• providing a plurality of fixed location base stations, each having a unique set of RF communication parameters, and select ones of the base stations having a common polling channel;
• predetermined ones of the fixed location base stations having associated therewith separate fixed location high data rate transmission base stations having unique RF communication parameters that are part of the unique RF communication parameters associated with the associated fixed location base station;
• generating and outputting from at least one of the select ones of the base stations a location request on the polling channel, the location request having associated therewith a unique ID number of the communication transceiver and information relating to the unique RF communication parameters associated with the generating one of the base stations;
• receiving at the transceiver on the polling channel the location request;
• recognizing at the transceiver the associated unique ID number of the communication transceiver;
• and
• initiating a communication link with one of the base stations in accordance with the received unique RF and communication parameters, to allow the communicating transceiver to communicate with the one of the base stations;
• the step of initiating initiating the communication link with the high data rate communication base station associated with the one of the base stations from which the location request was received by the communication transceiver.