Patent ID: 6311060
Filing Date: 2001-10-30
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
In or for a cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) system having an array of cells for communicating with cellular mobile radiotelephones within coverage areas of the array of cells, a data message system for communicating selected data collected from a plurality of data sources, the data message system comprising:a plurality of mobile data reporting devices, each of the mobile data reporting devices operative for monitoring the data sources to obtain the selected data, and for transmitting a reverse data message formatted as an initialization signal transmitted by one of the cellular mobile radiotelephones for communication via the CMR system;a mobile switching center (MSC) for receiving the reverse data message via a reverse control channel (RECC) from each of the mobile data reporting devices operating within the coverage areas of the array of cells, and for transmitting a beacon page via a forward control channel (FOCC), wherein:the beacon page is formatted as a page transmitted by an MSC over the FOCC when an incoming call is placed via the MSC to at least one of the cellular mobile radiotelephones, the beacon page comprising a mobile identification number (MIN),the MIN is a reserved MIN, andeach mobile data reporting device has a memory for storing a plurality of MINs, at least one of the MINs corresponding to the reserved MIN;a data collection system for collecting the selected data in response to receiving the reverse data message from the MSC via a communications link;each of the mobile data reporting devices is further operative to receive the beacon page from the MSC, to compare the beacon page with a previously received beacon page, and to transmit a beacon-responsive signal to the MSC via the RECC when the beacon page is different from the previously received beacon page; andthe MSC is operative to forward the beacon-responsive signal to the data collection system via the communications link, the data collection system responsive to the beacon-responsive signal to determine the CMR system within the coverage areas of which a particular mobile data reporting device is operating.