Method of locating a subscriber unit within the coverage area of a communication system

A method of determining the location of a subscriber unit operating in a communication system having a high power transmitter for transmitting information throughout a wide coverage area, and having low power transmitters for transmitting information within their own smaller coverage areas located substantially within the wide coverage area, the method comprising:

• causing the high power transmitter and the low power transmitters to repeatedly transmit information throughout their respective coverage areas, the transmitters using a common frequency and different assigned frames of a transmission cycle for transmitting information, and the information transmitted by the low power transmitters including an indicator for location information and a time stamp;
• and
• at the subscriber unit:
• receiving information transmitted during at least one of the assigned frames;
• identifying a coverage area from which received information was transmitted, based, at least in part on which frame was used to transmit the received information;
• and storing location information, including the identity of an identified coverage area with a time stamp for later retrieval.

A method of tracking the movement of a subscriber unit operating in a communication system having transmitters that are located in different coverage areas and that use different frames of a transmission cycle to transmit information on a common frequency, the method comprising, in the subscriber unit:

• receiving transmitted information;
• identifying a coverage area from which received information was transmitted, based, at least in part, on which frame was used to transmit the received information;
• and
• storing an indication of an identified coverage area for later retrieval.

A method of tracking the movement of a subscriber unit operating in a communication system having a receiver and having transmitters that are located in different areas and that use different frames of a transmission cycle to transmit information on a common frequency, the method comprising, in the subscriber unit:

• receiving transmitted information;
• identifying a coverage area from which the received information was transmitted based, at least in part, on which frame was used to transmit the received information;
• storing indications of identified coverage areas, and storing a time stamp with each such indication;
• and
• transmitting to the receiver at least a most recently stored indication of an identified coverage area.