US 6,683,526 B2 · Pager-based communications system

Abstract

A communications system is provided for communicating information to and from recipients scattered over wide geographic areas. A computer controlled head end communications interface adds address information to a message in accordance with who the intended recipients are. A media router directs the message through appropriate transport media in accordance with the address information. Preferably, the messages are communicated, at least in part, over existing paging systems. Additional transport media include existing power distribution networks, twisted wire pairs and fiber optics networks. Bi-directional reporting capability is provided. The system is well-suited for applications such as remote reading of utility meters, communication of emergency warnings, bi-directional alarm reporting, time synchronization, and encryption/authentication.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method of directing an aloha message to an alarm monitoring center, comprising the steps of:

providing an aloha message with a header and an eleven bit message, said header containing identification or location information;
encoding an alarm code from an alarm panel into said eleven bit message;
transmitting said aloha message with said alarm code to a transceiver or a modem;
providing a microprocessor and a memory device connected to said transceiver, said memory device having a look-up table which contains a list of customers and alarm codes;
comparing said alarm codes in said look-up table to the alarm code contained in said aloha message;
and
notifying said alarm monitoring center that a particular alarm is occurring at a specific physical location.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Pager-based communications system

Life of this patent

Pager-based communications system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8