Transmission trunk multichannel dispatch system with priority queuing

In a communication system having a central control station and a plurality of identifiable remote stations, the central station routing communications between remote stations over a limited number of identified information channels, communication between the remote stations and the central station occurring on a signal channel, each remote stations adapted for generating an end of transmission signal at the conclusion of its transmission, the central station comprising:

• means for transmitting to the remote stations;
• means for receiving transmissions from remote stations;
• channel request responsive means, coupled to the receiver, sensing for the presence of a signal indicating a remote station request to transmit a message on an information channel;
• station identification, responsive means, coupled to the receiver, sensing the identification signal of said requesting remote station;
• means for detecting and storing the identification signal of available information channels;
• assigning means, coupled to the transmitter, and responsive to the request responsive means, for assigning an available channel to the requesting remote station, the assign means having
• a. a nonpriority queue register for storing the identification of remote stations requesting an information channel,
• b. a priority queue register for storing the identification of remote stations to which channels have been assigned, and
• c. priority means for assigning available channels to the stations in the priority queue register before channels are assigned to stations in the nonpriority queue register, and
• transmission trunking means, coupled to the receiver,
• for detecting the end of transmission signal generated by a remote station on an assigned channel, and, in response thereto, transferring the identification of said channel to the information channel storage means such that the channel is available for assignment to another remote station.

In a communication system having a central control station and a plurality of identifiable remote stations, the central station routing communications between remote stations over a limited number of identified information channels, communication between the remote stations and the central station occurring on a signal channel, each communication including a message by each remote station, which message comprises a plurality of individual transmission, each remote station comprising:

• controllably tuned transmitter means for transmitting on the signal channel or on an assigned information channel;
• controllably tuned receiver means for receiving transmissions on the signal channel or on an assigned information channel;
• channel requesting means coupled to the transmitter, for generating and sending a channel request signal, on the signal channel, to the central station;
• identification means, coupled to the transmitter, for generating and sending a predetermined identification signal in conjunction with the request signal;
• channel assigning means, coupled to the receiver, for receiving a channel assignment signal from the central station and, in response thereto, controllably tuning the transmitter and receiver to the assigned channel;
• and
• end of transmission signalling means for transmitting an end of transmission signal to th central station at the conclusion of each of said individual transmissions.

A method [of assigning] for a central station to assign one of a limited [number] plurality of rf information channels to a requesting one of a plurality of rf remote stations for communication by each of said remote stations of a message on [said] assigned [channel, said] channels, each message comprising a plurality of individual transmissions, the method comprising the steps of:

• a. receiving [the] a requesting signal;
• b. identifying the requesting station;
• c. transmitting to the requesting station a signal enabling the requesting station to operate continuously on an rf channel identified by the central station until the requesting station transmits a signal indicative of the end of a complete transmission;
• [c] d . monitoring said requesting station;
• and
• [d] e . truncating the assignation of said rf channel to said requesting station [at the conclusion of each of the transmission of] in response to the signal indicative of the end of transmission received from said identified requesting station, such that the rf channel is available for assignation to a second requesting station.

A method for a central station to assign one of a limited plurality of rf information channels to a requesting one of a plurality of rf remote stations for communication by said remote stations of messages on assigned channels, each message comprising a plurality of individual transmissions, the method comprising, the steps of:

• (a) receiving a requesting signal;
• (b) identifying the requesting station;
• (c) assigning a priority to said identified requesting station;
• (d) assigning an information channel to said requesting station in accordance with the assigned priority;
• (e) monitoring said requesting station;
• and
• (f) truncating the assignment of said channel to said requesting station at the conclusion of each of the transmissions of said identified requesting station, such that the channel is available for assignment to a second requesting station.