 |
Description  |
|
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a paging system comprising various central
stations, each of which controls a number of pager apparatus. Each central
station contains a profile or a listing of transmission services for each
of the pager apparatus associated with that station. The profile includes,
among other information, a listing of plural identification numbers to
which a pager apparatus will respond, screening capabilities to limit who
can reach the called party, echo capabilities to advise the caller of the
completion of a paging call, and other items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Paging systems are well known in the art. The paging systems operate
wherein a calling party sends a message to the control station or clearing
house which then transmits the page to the pager apparatus. The pager
apparatus receives a signal resulting from the call and includes an audio
and/or visual indicator associated with it to inform the called party that
he has been paged. In some paging systems, a numeric field such as the
telephone number of the calling party is displayed on the pager apparatus.
In others, limited messages can also be transferred from the calling party
to the called party through the central station.
Generally, the individual placing the call is referred to as the caller,
and the individual holding the pager apparatus as the called party. Paging
apparatus differ from telephone equipment in that pagers can only receive
remotely transmitted signals and alert the called party but they do not
have the capability of transmitting responses. Thus, they cannot support
real time, two-way communication. Hereinafter, reference to a pager, pager
apparatus or receiver, refers to a receive only device of this type.
Various paging systems have been well known in the art. By way of example,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,969 issued to A. B. Levine describes a paging system
wherein a transmitting station automatically receives and transmits
limited content coded signals from a caller, and automatically sends out
messages to remotely located receivers. The pager receivers include a
video display panel for displaying messages, and a memory for storing the
messages for later retrieval and display.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,480, issued to A. B. Levine, further improves the
aforementioned invention by expanding the size and scope of the
transmitting station to comprise a central broadcast station capable of
serving a large number of subscribers at greater distance from the
station. It also provides completely automated operation in paging
subscribers and transmitting messages thereto in response to a large
number of callers. The pager receiver described by Levine requires that
the station include an automatic answering device for instructing a
telephone caller to dial an alpha-numeric address that selects one of the
pager receivers and additionally instructs the caller to dial a further
alpha-numeric limited content message to be transmitted to the selected
receiver.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,860, to Toshihiro Mori, describes a radio paging method
for use in transmitting radio call signals from a subscriber's substation
through a base station to pager receivers in the form of a radio call
signal, the message information is divided into a plurality of species to
which key codes are assigned, respectively. The radio paging method
described therein provides for rapid transmission of a wide variety of
message information without the need for special input devices. Thus it is
possible to increase greatly the calling rate in each radio channel. It
also provides for drastic reduction of reception sensitivity at each pager
receiver despite a substantial increase in transmission rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,272 to Nishimura et al provides for a paging
communication system adapted to transmit an individual calling code from a
base station to a plurality of receivers assigned to a particular group
number. This invention circumvents the problem of conventional paging
systems that are unable to inhibit information to a particular receiver
within the same group. Furthermore, this invention inhibits information to
those receivers that have as yet no renewed contracts for using the
communication system by paying due rental fees.
While such paging systems have attempted to provide improved features, thus
far, paging systems have not been able to provide a system that can be
universal with pager use by each and every individual and yet
individualized for selective features. Also, thus far, there has not been
provided a system wherein the caller is billed for the call rather than
the called party.
Additionally, typical paging systems include a central station which does
little more than serve as an information transmission facility. Such
systems may provide switching, forwarding or routing of the paging call.
The call is initiated by the caller and the central station transmits the
page to the called party. If the central station is in the nature of an
answering service or a secretary, they can select which calls get through,
but such selectivity is achieved by secretarial decision and restriction
and not through automatic implementation of selection criteria established
by the called party. Furthermore, there is no response given to the caller
to assure him that the page has in fact been transmitted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved paging system which can be utilized by a large segment of the
population and yet provides unique individualized selected services and
features to each pager holder.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system which
gives the called party the ability to define the parameter of the calls
that he will receive.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
which includes a central station having a number of pager apparatus
associated with it with a unique set of profile information stored for
each of the subscribers associated therewith.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
which can be used to call selectively an individual pager apparatus, a
group of pager apparatus, or all pager apparatus associated with the
central station.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
having a number of central stations each of which contains a plurality of
pager apparatus associated with it, and having the ability of one central
station to transfer calls to another central station.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
wherein the caller is billed for the transmission of the page call to the
called party.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
wherein a pager holder can restrict the paging calls addressed to him
through the use of a lockout provision, such as a password, or other
security identifier, or through the use of a restrictive list of ID
numbers that should be transmitted, or through the callers decision to
accept a call after he receives the ID of the caller on his page
apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
wherein a central station can store voice messages for a called party and
send out an indication to the called party that it has a voice message
stored and waiting for him.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system which
permits each of the pager apparatus associated therewith to be called
through more than one identifying number.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
which operates on a time synchronization arrangement to permit addressing
groups of pager apparatus in each time frame thereby permitting reduced
power utilization by the pager apparatus associated therewith.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital paging
system which operates on a protocol achieving data synchronization, time
synchronization, and message addressing to each of one or a plurality of
pager apparatus associated therewith.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
permitting both local and global commands, as will be hereinafter defined,
to the pager apparatus associated therewith.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
which permits transmission of command signals to control remotely the
pager apparatus associated therewith.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
capable of processing and transmitting paging data to a single or,
simultaneously, to a plurality of pager holders, such that each pager
holder is identified by at least one distinct, and preferably, by a
plurality of identifying means shared by other pager apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
permitting transmission of emergency signals to override any calls in
progress to a particular pager apparatus.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a paging system
permitting a pager apparatus holder to prioritize the messages he is to
receive and to permit their display in a predetermined order.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a paging system which
can limit the number of calls to be transmitted to a particular pager
apparatus associated with the system.
An additional object of the present invention is to allow the pager to
receive pages at desired times that may not correspond to time slots
assigned to the pager.
A further object of the present invention is to provide the pager with
audible page suppression and page message suppression capability for
callers that the pager owner designates to exclude from activating the
pager.
Another object is to provide pager echo capability for echoing the paging
signal to a third party not the calling or called party.
An object of the present invention is to provide third party transaction
authorization capability of a transaction.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide random
passwords for transaction authorization.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an echo back to the
caller of the completion of the paging transmission allowing the caller to
verify that the page has occurred.
The aforementioned and other objects, and features of the invention, are
brought about in accordance with the present invention, wherein there is
provided a paging system including at least one central station with a
plurality of pager apparatus associated therewith. A caller utilizes a
telephone or other electronic means to place a call to the central
station, specifying the particular pager apparatus he wishes to page and
send a particular message to that pager apparatus. The central station
includes appropriate means for receiving the information from the caller.
Processing means at the central station processes the information in
accordance with a profile of information provided by the called party and
the central station. Transmission means at the central station responds to
the processed information, signals the specified pager and transmits the
information relative to the message being sent. Calculating means
associated with the system bills for the transmission of the call. It
should be understood that reference to a "call" includes not only
telephone calls but also calls through other electronic means.
Additionally, the central station contains a profile of information for
each of the pager apparatus associated therewith. The profile is a set of
information stored within a computerized storage capability at the central
station. It relates to the mode of operation and transmission services
requested by the particular pager apparatus holder. Heretofore, in
previous paging systems, the central station essentially only provided
information transmission of the page from the caller to the called party.
If the called party temporarily moved to another location, he would store
a forwarding number in the central station thereby allowing the central
station to forward his call. Thus, paging was simply a matter of
transmitting a call from the caller to the called party.
In previous paging systems, any restriction on which a caller could get
through was done almost in a quasi-manual way. By way of example, the
pager holder would only give out his page number to a select number of
people in order to restrict anyone else from paging him. Alternatively, he
would only give his secretary or answering service his page number and
they, in turn, would provide the selectivity. In all cases, however, the
central station served only as a focal point for receiving paging calls
and for determining the number for calling the pager apparatus. It did not
provide for an intelligence processing, selectivity, or capabilities for
the called party to specifically tailor the type of service to be
received. The called party could not define the parameters for automatic
control of the type and particulars of calls that were to reach him.
In the present system, the profile information stored at the central
station is information which is set up for each individual pager apparatus
and includes numerous types of information that a called party can set up
at the central station. This information can restrict the type of calls,
select the type of messages to get through, determine the various numbers
by which the called party will respond, determine the type of signal that
the called party wants to receive, and provide other characteristic
information with regard to the service desired. When a call from a caller
comes in, the central station first processes the call based on the
profile information selected by that called party. Based upon the type of
profile information, it then determines whether the call will go through,
the type of alerting signal it will emit, the requirement that the caller
insert an ID number, the selection of particular caller ID numbers for
priority paging, and other information with respect to the page. It should
be appreciated that this ability of a paging system to provide processing
of paging information and not merely transmission of paging data is
unique. Furthermore, the use of an information profile for processing the
page wherein the called party can initially define the parameters of the
calls it receives, is also unique with the present system. Thus,
processing is used in the sense of acting upon the incoming call to make
such changes and modifications as are needed to comply with the profile of
information set up by the called party.
By way of example, information in the profile can include various numbers
to which the pager apparatus will respond. While in typical prior art
systems, each pager is uniquely identified by a single number, in the
present paging system, each pager apparatus can be called by means of a
plurality of identification numbers. The pager can respond to its own
assigned number as well as to a number which is part of a corporate or
family group, etc. Thus, if one desires to place a call to all members of
a corporate group, one can do so through a single call which will be
transmitted through the identification number associated with that company
group. Likewise, one can call all members of a family group with a single
call, and so forth.
Moreover, the identification number can include not only the number itself,
but also prefixes, suffixes, or additional extension numbers. Thus, a
particular identification number can be assigned to a family and an
additional suffix to each of its members. Thus, each pager apparatus can
be particularly selected not only by the family telephone number, but by
the individual member of the family through the entry of an additional
prefix or suffix. It should be noted that while these identification
numbers can be accommodated in the profile information, they could also be
stored in the memory of the pager apparatus.
There will also exist a group profile for all the pager apparatus belonging
to a group such as a corporate group, a family group, etc. Each individual
profile is linked to all the group profiles with which the pager is
associated. Information can therefore be shared between related profiles.
When a caller calls a number which relates to a group of pagers, such a
corporate or a family group, or the like, the system checks the group
profile and determines which pagers are associated with that group.
Typically, each pager responds to more than one identification code. Thus,
in addition to its own unique identification code it will also respond to
the code for the group or groups to which it belongs. Normally, all the
identification codes to which a pager responds are built in the memory of
the individual pager units. These ID codes could be altered remotely. When
a pager is added to another group, it includes the additional group
identification code or the existent pager of the new group could be
remotely reprogrammed to include the new code. Alternatively, it is
possible to list all the individual pager codes which belong to the group.
When a group page is received, it will transmit the individual pager codes
to all members of the group rather than a single group code. Furthermore,
the system can have both a group code for original participants and
individual codes for those pagers added on which have not yet been updated
with new apparatus having the ability to receive the group code.
Other types of services can also be associated with each profile. The pager
apparatus holder can prioritize the types of messages that he wants to
receive in a certain order, and these will, likewise, be displayed within
that particular priority order.
Additionally, certain messages can be restricted so that the pager holder
will selectively receive only certain messages. The restrictions can be
included at several different levels. The first is where the called party
requires that each caller dial a preassigned password to allow his page to
go through. In this way, the called party can give the password only to
individuals of his choice, thereby, completely controlling access to his
pager. The passwords are also stored in the profile information to be
matched up and to ensure that the correct password is inserted for that
called party. A second level of security can be included. In this case,
the called party gives a list of personal identification numbers to the
central station for inclusion in his profile of information. As each
caller dials into the central station and thereafter dials the number of
the called party, he is instructed to insert his own ID number. The ID
number may be the telephone number of the caller or another ID number
associated with the telephone calling card that the caller may have. Once
the ID number is inserted, the profile information compares the ID number
with the list of ID numbers stored in the profile information for that
called party. If there is a match, the page will go through. Otherwise,
the caller is notified that he is not cleared for making that paging call.
A third level of screening allows every call to go through. However, along
with the call, the caller must again insert his identification number.
When the page is transmitted to the called party, the ID number of the
caller is also transmitted. Alternatively, the central station can match
the ID number of the caller with his actual name and, instead of
transmitting to the called pager the ID number of the caller, it can
instead transmit the name of the caller. As a result, all page calls get
through to the called party. However, the called party can now determine
who is calling him and can selectively decide to whom he wants to respond.
A further level is provided in the pager receiver whereby the pager holder
can indicate that a page just received is by an unwelcome party and
deactivate the audible page signal and the page message for future calls
by that caller. Subsequently the deactivation can be cancelled.
As part of the profile information for a particular called party other
information is to be elicited from the caller. For example, the level of
urgency can be elicited, etc. The profile information can also include
handling of emergency calls, checking caller ID numbers, times when paging
calls can be transmitted, and other parameters desired by the called
party.
Particular pager apparatus can also be limited within their profile so as
to receive only a restricted number of calls. This can be used to avoid
abuse by children, preventing them from making multiple paging calls to
friends. The profile can also identify the type of sound and visual
signals to be emitted for certain types of calls. Thus, the pager
apparatus holder can request to be signalled with one type of signal for
certain calls and with another signal for other calls. This is especially
useful for emergency calls which can emit a specified audio signal at the
pager apparatus. Furthermore, emergency signals will generally override
any type of ongoing calling signal previously received.
The central station also contains the ability for storing voice messages.
While these cannot be transmitted to the pager, an indication can be
transmitted to the pager that a voice message is being stored for it at
the central station. The pager apparatus holder can then call in to the
central station and receive the voice message waiting for him.
Through the use of a plurality of central stations, each of the central
stations has associated therewith a number of pager apparatus. A
particular caller calls the nearest central station and thereafter dials
the telephone number of the pager apparatus he desires to page. He then
enters his message, thereafter entering his own billing number or
telephone number to be billed for the transmission of the call. There
could also be other options available or built in simple defaults. For
example, billing the phone number called from if no ID or billing number
is entered.
The entire paging system can be set up with an "800" toll free number. Any
caller simply calls into the "800" number and he is automatically
connected to the closest central station which will receive his page. The
central station into which the caller is connected then checks the called
number and determines the appropriate central station of the called party
and transfers the call to that central station.
The central station to which the particular called pager apparatus is
associated will handle the message for the called pager apparatus. If the
called party happens to be associated with the same central station to
which the caller placed the call, the message will be processed only to
that individual central station. However, if the called party is
associated with a different central station, the central station of the
caller will make contact the central station of the called party, query
the called party's profile and transmit the call to the central station of
the called party. The called party's central station will handle the
transmission to the pager apparatus of the called party.
Through the use of the profile information, the holder of the pager
apparatus can arrange to forward his calls. In that case, the caller will
first call the called party. The central station of the called party will
check the profile of the called party and determine from the profile where
to transfer the call. It will then forward the call to the new central
station at which the called party is temporarily located. In each case, it
is the home central station with which the called party is associated that
will handle the storage of information for that called party. This process
is transparent to the caller.
The paging system operates in accordance with a preassigned protocol. By
way of example, the protocol can include a frame of information commencing
with a data synchronization, followed by a global code signal and
thereafter a time synchronization signal. This is then followed by
sequences of paging signals with each paging signal containing the address
or identification number of the called pager apparatus followed by the
particular message addressed to it. Instead of and/or along with the
messages, particular control codes can also be utilized to control the
operation of the particular pager apparatus either to enable or disable
indicators, provide special indications or signals to the pager apparatus.
Global codes are such that signals affect all of the pager apparatus
within the central station. Local codes are those that affect less than
all of the pager apparatus that belongs to the particular central station.
Pagers can be grouped to be associated with different frames. A pager
belonging to a particular group can only receive messages during the
particular time interval that the frame is being transmitted. During the
transmission of the other frames, the pagers of this group can all be
powered down. Thus, for a particular short time interval, the frame which
is sent out in accordance with the predescribed protocol will only address
a limited number of pager apparatus, all operating during the same time
interval. Thereafter, a second frame is sent out following the same
protocol but this time addressing a second group of pager apparatus, again
having their own common time. After all of the groups of pagers have been
addressed, the sequence repeats with the message going back to the first
group. During the time period the pager apparatus of a particular group
are not operational to receive information, their particular pager
apparatus can be switched to a low power mode, providing for low power
consumption and long life of the pager battery, so as to reduce its cost,
increase its longevity, and add convenience.
The system can also include an auditorium cutoff which provides a signal to
all pager apparatus within a specified area to cut off operation of that
pager apparatus so as to prevent any audio and/or visual indications from
disturbing others within that area, such as in theaters, concert halls,
etc.
The system can also confirm the paging transmission to a receive only pager
in several different ways. The paging transmission can be echoed
simultaneously or within a proximate time interval to the caller through
the telephone system using a wireless receiver at the central station that
receives all the paging transmissions, thereby allowing the system to
confirm that paging transmissions have occurred and echo that confirmation
back to the caller through the telephone network. The callers pager can
also be paged as confirmation. The paging transmission can also be echoed
to a third party via the pager of the third party or through the telephone
network, allowing a third party to confirm the paging transaction by the
calling party.
The third party echo may be transmitted before the page is transmitted to
the called party, in which case it can be coupled with an authorization
code to a third party who is the payer of the account. The third party
would then be required to call into the central station with authorization
before the transaction by the caller is allowed to proceed. The payer of
the account might in fact be the called party, in which case the called
party would be the party to whom the third party echo and authorization
code would be transmitted. In that case, the called party's calling into
the central station with the authorization code would signal the called
party's willingness to accept the reversal of the charges for the page.
During a paging call the system can provide an additional level of security
by sending to the pager of the caller an authorization code which is a
random number which the caller then enters using the keypad of the
telephone, thereby confirming that the pager holder is authorizing the
page.
Transmission of authorization codes to the receive only pagers of the
payers of the account may be triggered by initiations of transactions
other than paging. Authorization of telephone calls or credit card
merchandizing may also be accomplished through this system.
It is also possible to allow the receiver to receive pages in time slots
other than those predesignated by the system.
These together with other objects and advantages which will be subsequently
apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more
fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer
to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
The invention itself, together with any other objects and advantages
thereof, may be better understood by reference to the following
description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 shows a representation of the overall system comprised of central
stations and plurality of pager apparatus at various geographical
locations and means for simultaneously transmitting paging information to
any selected subset of paging devices;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the typical central station;
| | |
