Wide area paging with roaming subscriber units

A roaming subscriber unit for use in connection with a paging system wherein a plurality of similar subscriber units are responsive to coded radio transmissions, wherein said paging system includes a plurality of satellite nodes that move with respect to the surface of earth and that provide a plurality of antenna beams serving a plurality of geographic areas, and wherein said subscriber units are able to roam between said areas, said subscriber unit comprising:

• a location receiver configured to receive a beam identifier from a broadcast channel associated with one of said antenna beams, said beam identifier uniquely identifying said one antenna beam from other antenna beams of said plurality of antenna beams;
• a memory for storing said beam identifier and a receipt time, said receipt time being a time of receipt of said beam identifier, said beam identifier and said receipt time forming current location data and defining a current location of said subscriber unit;
• a loudspeaker for audibly broadcasting a data message intended for said subscriber unit;
• a user input means coupled to a controller;
• said controller configured to obtain said current location data in response to an input from said user input means;
• a broadcaster for transferring said current location data over a telephone line during a telephone call to a destination controller;
• and
• a page receiver for receiving said coded radio transmissions intended for said subscriber unit,
• wherein said broadcaster is configured to broadcast said current location data from said loudspeaker in response to an input from said user input means,
• wherein said destination controller comprises a database for storing system configuration data of said paging system, said destination controller determining a geographic location of said subscriber unit based on said transferred current location data and said stored system configuration data of said paging system, and
• wherein when said destination controller receives said data message intended for said subscriber unit, said destination controller identifies one of said satellite nodes which has an antenna beam presently serving said current location, sends said data message to said identified satellite node, and broadcasts said data message within said antenna beam presently serving said current location.

In a paging system wherein subscriber units respond to radio transmissions, wherein said radio transmissions are broadcast from one of a plurality of satellite nodes that move with respect to the surface of the earth, each of said satellite nodes having cells that serve a plurality of geographic areas, and wherein said subscriber units are able to roam between said areas, a roaming subscriber unit operating method comprising the steps of:

• receiving, at said subscriber unit, a cell identifier (ID) from a cell in which said subscriber unit is currently located, and determining at said subscriber unit a time of receipt of said cell ID, said cell ID and said time of receipt forming current location data;
• providing, at said subscriber unit upon receipt of an external input, a perceptible indication of said current location data;
• and
• transferring said cell ID and said time of receipt of said cell ID from said subscriber unit to a destination controller of said paging system, said transferring step directing said destination controller to route data messages intended for said subscriber unit to a current location of said subscriber unit defined by said cell ID and said time of receipt, wherein the transferring step comprises audibly broadcasting said cell ID and said time of receipt over a telephone line to said destination controller upon receipt of an external input at said subscriber unit,
• wherein said paging system performs the steps of:
• determining, by said destination controller, a geographic location of said subscriber unit based on said cell ID, said time of receipt, and system configuration data of said paging system, said system configuration data being stored in a database at said destination controller;
• identifying one of said satellite nodes which has an antenna beam presently serving said current location in response to receipt of a data message intended for said subscriber unit;
• sending said data message intended for said subscriber unit to said identified satellite node;
• and
• broadcasting said data message within said antenna beam presently serving said current location.