Communication system and method providing minimum message transmission delay

A communication system providing minimum transmission delay for delivery of a message, the communication system comprising:

• a plurality of transmission cells which include one or more cell receivers and a cell transmitter and which define geographical transmission areas;
• said cell transmitter located within each of said plurality of transmission cells, transmitting during a first scheduled transmission time interval an address identifying a communication transceiver for which a message is intended and a color code signal identifying said cell transmitter;
• said communication transceiver being responsive to the address and the color code signal being received during the first scheduled transmission time interval, for generating and transmitting during a second scheduled transmission time interval an acknowledgment signal including the address and the color code signal identifying the cell transmitter;
• at least one of said one or more cell receivers located within said plurality of transmission cells receiving during the second scheduled transmission time interval the acknowledgment signal generated by said communication transceiver for which the message is intended, the acknowledgment signal including the color code signal identifying said cell transmitter transmitting the address;
• said cell transmitter identified by the color code signal further transmitting, during a third time interval including a predetermined sequence of scheduled message transmission frames, the address identifying said communication transceiver for which the message is intended and the message during one of the predetermined sequence of scheduled message transmission frames designated by the color code signal;
• and
• said communication transceiver further receiving the address identifying said communication transceiver for which the message is intended and the message transmitted by said cell transmitter during the one of the predetermined sequence of scheduled message transmission frames designated by the color code signal.

A communication transceiver for use in a communication system providing minimum transmission delay for delivery of a message, said communication transceiver comprising:

• a receiver for receiving during a first scheduled transmission time interval an address identifying a communication transceiver for which a message is intended, and a color code signal identifying a cell transmitter transmitting the message;
• a transmitter, for transmitting during a second scheduled transmission time interval an acknowledgment signal including the address identifying the communication transceiver for which a message is intended, and the color code signal received identifying the cell transmitter;
• a memory for storing a table of predetermined color code signals and scheduled message transmission frames associated therewith;
• and
• a controller responsive to the color code signal received for selecting from said table of predetermined color code signals a transmission frame associated with the color code signal received,
• wherein said receiver is further responsive to said controller for receiving the address identifying the communication transceiver to which a message is intended and message during the transmission frame associated with the color code signal received.

A method for transmitting messages to a communication transceiver operating within a communication system which comprises a plurality of transmission cells which define geographical transmission areas and which include a transmitter assigned a transmitter ID identifying the transmitter and one or more receivers for receiving an acknowledgment signal generated by the communication transceiver, said method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting, during a first scheduled transmission time interval, within the plurality of transmission cells, an address identifying the communication transceiver for which a message is intended, and the transmitter ID identifying the transmitter transmitting the address;
• receiving, by the communication transceiver, the address and the transmitter ID of the transmitter transmitting the address, and in response thereto transmitting the acknowledgment signal including the address of the communication transceiver and the transmitter ID received during a second scheduled transmission time interval;
• selecting, from a table of predetermined transmitter IDs and associated predetermined scheduled message transmission frames stored within the communication transceiver;
• receiving the acknowledgment signal by at least one of the one or more receivers located within one or more of the plurality of transmission cells during the second scheduled transmission time interval;
• comparing the transmitter ID received with a table of predetermined transmitter IDs identifying the transmitter and identifying therefrom the transmitter from which the address was transmitted;
• transmitting from the transmitter identified, during a third time interval including a predetermined sequence of scheduled message transmission frames, the address and the message during a selected one of the predetermined sequence of scheduled message transmission frames associated with the transmitter ID received;
• and
• receiving, by the communication transceiver, the address and message which is transmitted during the selected one of the predetermined sequence of scheduled message transmission frames.