Call management for a multi-site mobile radio dispatch network

A method of controlling dispatch communications in a mobile radio network of the type having a plurality of radio cell sites, a plurality of mobile radio groups and a plurality of mobile radios assigned to each said group, comprising the steps of:

• providing a hub controller for controlling dispatch communications between the plurality of mobile radios of a group, where the mobile radios are associated with respective said radio cell sites;
• programming the hub controller with a first table for providing an association of each said mobile radio group with the mobile radio cell sites servicing the respective mobile radio groups;
• programming the hub controller with a second table for writing therein by said hub controller data identifying resources employed in establishing dispatch communications between the various mobile radios of a one of said groups;
• and
• providing cross-referencing data between said first and second tables so that when said hub controller accesses one of said first or second tables, the cross-referencing data read from said one of said first or second tables, the other of said first or second tables can be readily accessed by using said cross-referencing data.

A dispatch communication mobile radio network, comprising:

• a plurality of radio cell sites, a plurality of mobile radio groups and a plurality of mobile radios assigned to each said group;
• a hub controller for controlling dispatch communications between the plurality of mobile radios of a group, where the mobile radios are associated with various of the mobile radio cell sites;
• said hub controller being programmed with a first table providing an association of each said mobile radio group with the mobile radio cell sites servicing the respective mobile radio groups;
• said hub controller being programmed with a second table for writing therein by said hub controller data identifying resources employed in establishing a dispatch communication between the various mobile radios of a group;
• and
• cross-referencing data fields for use in cross-referencing between said first and second tables so that when said hub controller accesses one of said first or second tables, data read from said cross-referencing field of said one of said first or second tables, the other of said first or second tables can be readily accessed by using said cross-referencing data.

A dispatch communication mobile radio network, comprising:

• a hub controller having a switching network for switchably coupling a plurality of telephone lines together, where the telephone lines extend to respective radio cell sites, said hub controller including a modem for receiving and transmitting data from and to said radio cell sites;
• said hub controller including a programmed processor responsive to data received by said modem for coupling together ones of said telephone lines via said switching network;
• said processor being programmed with a routing table and with a connection table;
• said routing table including a plurality of records, each record being associated with a different mobile radio group, and each said record being identified by a routing group number and associating a group ID for the mobile radio group for each radio cell site serving the mobile radio group;
• and
• said connection table including a plurality of records, each record being associated with a routing group number, an in-use flag field showing whether a mobile radio group is in a busy/idle state, and a plurality of fields, each said field showing an identification of a telephone line coupling the hub controller to a respective radio cell site serving a mobile radio group.