Apparatus and method for transmitting data via a digital control channel of a digital wireless network

A method for transmitting data via a digital control channel of a digital wireless network, the digital wireless network including a base station controller and at least one base transceiver system associated with the base station controller, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a universal meter reader having meter data associated therewith, the universal meter reader further having an address;
• transmitting a plurality of data packets over the digital control channel, each of the plurality of data packets including a data packet header, wherein during conventional operation data packets are communicated from the base station controller to said at least one base transceiver system and each data packet header includes either a channel control identifier identifying its corresponding data packet as including channel control information or a dummy information identifier identifying its corresponding data packet as including dummy information;
• monitoring the data packet headers transmitted from the base station controller to the base transceiver system using a control channel assembler/disassembler;
• and,
• transmitting instructions from a remote device to the universal meter reader via the control channel assembler/disassembler and the control channel,
• wherein the control channel assembler/disassembler receives an instruction from the remote device, identifies a data packet header having a dummy information identifier, replaces the dummy information included in the data packet with diverted data, and replaces the dummy information identifier with a diverted data identifier which corresponds to the address of the universal meter reader, the diverted data including the instruction to be sent to the universal meter reader from the remote device, and wherein the control channel assembler/disassembler neither creates additional packets nor increases packet traffic in the control channel.

An apparatus for transmitting information using a digital control channel of a digital wireless network, wherein the network transmits information from its base station controller to its base transceiver system using data packets having either channel control information or dummy information therein while in standard mode, each of the data packets including a data packet header for identifying whether its corresponding data packet includes channel control information or dummy information, the data packet header including a channel control identifier when its corresponding data packet includes channel control information, the data packet header including a dummy information identifier when its corresponding data packet includes dummy information, the apparatus comprising:

• a universal meter reader having associated meter data, the universal meter reader having an address;
• a remote device which communicates with the universal meter reader via the digital wireless network;
• a control channel assembler/disassembler which receives instructions from the remote device which are to be provided to the universal meter reader via the digital wireless network, the control channel assembler/disassembler being adapted to monitor the data packet headers, wherein the control channel assembler/disassembler, for at least one data packet when transmitting diverted data from the base station controller to the base transceiver system, replaces dummy information with diverted data that includes the instructions to be provided to the universal meter reader and replaces the dummy information identifier with a diverted data identifier related to the address of the universal meter reader, and wherein the control channel assembler/disassembler neither creates additional packets nor increases packet traffic in the control channel.