Duplicate message detection and mending of garbled messages

A wireless communication device comprising:

• a receiver configured to receive message fragments transmitted over a forward channel from a messaging system, the message fragments each including an embedded message identifier and an embedded fragment number generated by the messaging system for the purpose of interleaving transmission of message fragments to individual wireless communication devices;
• a transmitter configured to transmit responses over a reverse channel to the messaging system;
• and
• a processor coupled to the receiver to receive message fragments from the messaging system, the processor further coupled to the transmitter to transmit acknowledgments to the messaging system, the processor configured to correct a garbled message fragment by
• determining whether or not a second message fragment is a duplicate of the garbled message fragment based upon the embedded message identifiers and fragment numbers of the garbled message fragment and the second message fragment, and
• if the second message fragment is a duplicate of the garbled message fragment, then correcting the garbled message fragment based upon the second message fragment.

A method of correcting garbled messages in a wireless communication device operated by a user, the method comprising:

• receiving a first message fragment at the wireless communication device containing an embedded message identifier and an embedded fragment number generated by a messaging system for the purpose of interleaving transmission of message fragments, the first message fragment including one or more errors;
• receiving a second message fragment at the wireless communication device;
• determining whether or not the second message fragment is a duplicate of the first message fragment;
• and
• if the second message fragment is a duplicate of the first message fragment, then correcting the one or more errors in the first message fragment based upon the second message fragment.

A wireless communication device, comprising:

• means for receiving a first message fragment at the wireless communication device, the first message fragment including an embedded message identifier and an embedded fragment number generated by a messaging system for the purpose of interleaving transmission of message fragments;
• and
• means for receiving a second message fragment at the wireless communication device, the second message fragment including an embedded message identifier and an embedded fragment number generated by a messaging system for the purpose of interleaving transmission of message fragments;
• means for determining the second message is a duplicate of the first mess age fragment based upon a plurality of parameters including the embedded message identifier and embedded fragment number;
• and
• means for correcting the first message fragment based upon the second message fragment sent from the messaging system in response to a communication protocol between the messaging system and the wireless communication device after determining the first message fragment contains one or more errors.