1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wireless communications systems and, more particularly, to systems for communicating address-specific, limited content data messages in one or two directions via a wireless, pager-based communications link.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The need to communicate address-specific, limited content data messages over wide areas arises in a variety of applications and contexts. For example, as an increasing number of people move into and live in areas considered remote, rural or semi-rural, it becomes increasingly burdensome and costly for utilities, such as power companies, to send individual personnel into the field to read residential power consumption meters. The time and expense required for a person to physically visit a remote residence and read the meter is out of proportion to the relatively limited (but, nevertheless, important) data thus acquired. Similarly, when it is necessary for a utility to communicate with its customers (e.g. regarding rate changes and the like), this is typically done through the mailxe2x80x94another burdensome and costly process.
In addition to the expense, mail communication suffers from considerable delay between when the need to communicate arises and when the communication is actually received. Similarly, mail communication is ineffective in dealing with short term, immediate crises, such as a need to reduce power consumption in times of unusually heavy demand brought about, for example, by an oppressive heat wave. In such circumstance, utilities have relied on local broadcast media to spread the message to reduce unnecessary power consumption. Such broadcasts, effective as they are in transmitting a message quickly over a wide area, are, by nature, not address specific. Accordingly, they are transmitted equally to those who are affected by the crises as well as to those who are not. Although address-specific, wire-based communications links, such as private telephone lines have existed for years, the cost of providing dedicated lines for relatively limited communications needs is prohibitive.
One form of existing wireless, address-specific communications system is the xe2x80x9cpagingxe2x80x9d system of known configuration. Paging systems combine the speed and coverage of wireless xe2x80x9cbroadcastxe2x80x9d techniques with the address-specific capabilities of wire-based systems. Such paging systems are also configured for the address-specific transmission of limited data messages. Accordingly, wireless paging systems can be well suited for providing cost-effective, efficient and immediate, limited communications between, for example, utilities and police, fire and disaster control authorities on the one hand, and widely dispersed community residents on the other.
A paging protocol sold under the trademark name of ReFLEX is used for reporting information from a remote device to a central monitoring location. A message send request is generated at a remote device, the ReFLEX protocol sends an xe2x80x9cAlohaxe2x80x9d message to the central monitoring location. The Aloha message is a short data packet containing a small number of data bits. The Aloha message is used to request a time reporting slot for a future message which the remote device will send through the ReFLEX protocol. The central monitoring location will send the remote device a particular time reporting slot and the remote device will send numerous data bits describing the message during the assigned time reporting slot. This technology can be utilized for alarm reporting, but the alarm notification will take one to two minutes to complete which is unacceptable for emergency situations such as fire or theft of valuable material.
The invention provides a communications system including a plurality of potential message recipients categorized into one or more groups and assigned a specific address according to group. The system further includes a head end communication interface for generating a message to be received by one or more of the groups of potential message recipients and including in the message the specific address or addresses of the group or groups to receive the message. The system further includes a head end media interface including a wireless transmitter for broadcasting the message via a wireless signal over a geographic area including the potential message recipients, and a wireless receiver associated with each of the potential message recipients and responsive to the specific address of the group to which the associated message recipient belongs so that messages directed to members of the group are received by members of the group in response to receipt by the wireless receiver of the group specific address.
In one embodiment, the wireless transmitter and the wireless receivers are part of a paging system.
The invention also provides a wireless communications system for directing a message to a specific group within a plurality of potential message recipients. The system includes a transmitter operable to transmit a wireless signal over a geographic area containing the potential message recipients and a plurality of receivers each associate with a particular one of the potential message recipients. The receivers associated with members of the specific group are operable to respond to a specific address signifying the specific group. The system further includes a head end communication interface for incorporating into the message the specific address of the specific group intended to receive the message and for communicating to the transmitter the message containing the incorporated specific address so that, upon receiving the message and incorporated specific address, the receivers responsive to the specific address accept the message and communicate the message to the specific group.
The invention also provides a method of operating a wireless paging system so as to communicate group specific messages to specific groups among a plurality of potential message recipients. The method includes the steps of identifying specific groups among the plurality of potential message recipients, assigning to each of the identified specific groups a group specific address, equipping each of the potential message recipients with a wireless receiver responsive to the group specific address of the specific group to which the potential message recipient belongs, generating a message containing an informational portion and an address portion, the address portion including the group specific address of the specific group intended to receive the message, and transmitting via a wireless signal the message over a geographic area containing the potential message recipients so that the receivers responsive to the group specific address will accept the message and communicate the informational portion of the message to the member of the specific group.
In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of routing the message to an appropriate transport medium in accordance with a sub-address included in the address portion.
In one embodiment, the sub-address indicates a particular device associated with one or more of the receivers. The invention also provides a method of communicating location specific messages from a plurality of remote locations to another location wherein the remote locations are interconnected by means of an existing transport medium. The method includes the steps of providing a remote media interface gateway having a wireless transmitter, coupling the remote media interface gateway to the transport medium, generating a location specific message at one of the remote locations, communicating the location specific message to a remote media interface gateway via the transport medium, transmitting the location specific message via the wireless transmitter to a wireless receiver, communicating the location specific message from the receiver to a head end communications interface, and decoding the location specific message to determine the location of its origin and the meaning of its content.
It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved system for communicating with specific groups among a plurality of geographically dispersed potential recipients.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a communications system that permits communication with specific ones of several remote sites in a geographic area while utilizing existing, low-cost communications media.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a communications system that permits remote accessing of data generated at various specified ones of a plurality of remote sites dispersed over a geographic area.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a communications system that permits automatic communication of an alarm or other such non-scheduled message automatically from a remote site to a central location using existing, low-cost communications media.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a communications system that permits remote control of specific remotely located devices over a wide geographic area using existing, low-cost communications media.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a communications system that includes a media routing feature that provides for communications through various available media in accordance with the type, location and nature of communication needed.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a communications system that incorporates a logic protocol feature for translating between the logic/application level protocols of different physical media.