Allocation of paging capacity in cellular applications by storing a set of page request group designations, paging extents and paging priority parameters

A method of paging mobile stations within a cellular telecommunication exchange comprising:

• selectively preassigning a set of page request group designations, paging extents and paging priority parameters to each of a plurality of cooperating exchanges from which said telecommunication exchange expects to receive page requests;
• retrieving said preassigned paging priority parameters in response to identification of a page request as having been received from a particular cooperating exchange;
• otherwise:
• assigning to each page request received by said exchange a page request group designation based upon the characteristics of the page request, said characteristics of said page request including indications of a most probable location and an alternative location of the mobile station to which the page is directed;
• assigning to each of said page requests received a paging extent designation to be associated with one or more page attempts and representing the geographic area within the exchange to which each page attempt is to be broadcast;
• and
• assigning to each page attempt in response to said page request a paging priority which is related to the page request group designation and the paging extent designation, of said page request;
• and executing each page attempt within said telecommunications exchange in a sequential order based upon its assigned paging priority.

A system for paging mobile stations within a cellular telecommunications exchange comprising:

• means for storing a set of own exchange page request group designation paging extents and paging priority parameters;
• means for assigning to each page request received by said exchange a page request group designation based upon the characteristics of the page request, said characteristics of said page request including indications of a most probable location and an alternative location of the mobile station to which the page is directed;
• means for assigning to each of said page requests received a paging extent designation to be associated with one or more page attempts and representing the geographic area within the exchange to which each page attempt is to be broadcast;
• means for assigning to each page attempt in response to said page request a paging priority which is related to the page request group designation and the paging extent designation, of said page request;
• means for retrieving said own exchange paging priority parameters in the event the page request is received from an uncooperating exchange and the plural means for assigning fail;
• and
• means for executing each page attempt within said telecommunications exchange in a sequential order based upon its assigned paging priority.

A system for paging mobile stations within a cellular telecommunication exchange comprising:

• means for selectively preassigning a set of page request group designations, paging extents and paging priority parameters to each of a plurality of cooperating exchanges from which said telecommunication exchange expects to receive page requests;
• means for retrieving said preassigned paging priority parameters in response to identification of a page request as having been received from a particular cooperating exchange;
• otherwise:
• means for assigning to each page request received by said exchange a page request group designation based upon the characteristics of the page request, said characteristics of said page request including indications of a most probably location and an alternative location of the mobile station to which the page is directed;
• means for assigning to each of said page requests received a paging extent designation be associated with one or more page attempts and representing the geographic area within the exchange to which each page attempt is to be broadcasts;
• and
• means for assigning to each page attempt in response to said page request a paging priority which is related to the page request group designation and the paging extent designation, of said page request;
• and
• means for executing each page attempt within said telecommunications exchange in a sequential order based upon its assigned paging priority.

Within a cellular telecommunication exchange, a method for optimizing the allocation of control channel resources in the execution of paging attempts to mobile stations in response to page requests from at least one source, said method comprising the steps of:

• classifying page requests into groups based upon the characteristics of each request, said classifying step further comprising:
• analyzing the certainty with which the location of the mobile station sought in said page request is known;
• and
• obtaining an indication of the source of said page request;
• assigning a value to various possible paging patterns based upon the relative costs of execution of said paging patterns wherein said paging patterns include the directing of page attempts into different geographic regions within said exchange comprising location areas paging areas and service areas wherein the more economically efficient ones of said paging patterns are given preference over the others when assigning said values;
• assigning paging priorities to each of said page requests based upon its associated characteristics and the value of the requested paging pattern;
• and
• executing page attempts in response to each of said page requests in a sequential order according to said assigned priorities.