Abstract:
There is disclosed an application controller for use with a two-way wireless messaging system. The application controller is distributed, at least in part, among a plurality communication units associated with the two-way wireless messaging system. The application controller is capable of controlling cooperative communication among ones of the communication units in accordance with a prescribed application task, and comprises a data repository, first and second communication controllers, and an operations controller. The data repository maintains at least one subscriber profile. The first communication unit controller senses change in a characteristic monitored at a first communication unit, wherein the monitored characteristic is evaluated in accordance with the prescribed application task, and, in response thereto, automatically causes the first communication unit to transmit a first data signal. The operations controller analyzes the first data signal in accordance with the prescribed application task using the at least one subscriber profile, and, in response thereto, causes a second data signal to be communicated automatically to at least a second communication unit. The second communication unit controller automatically analyzes the second data signal at the second communication unit, and, in response thereto, transmits an acknowledgment signal to at least said first communication unit.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional. No. 60/098,873 filed. Sep. 1, 1998. 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention is related to those disclosed in the following. United. States. Patent. Applications:
         1. Ser. No. 09/002,191, filed. Dec. 31, 1997, entitled “ANTENNA SYSTEM FOR NARROWBAND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND METHOD OF OPERATION” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,970;   2. Ser. No. 09/001,717, filed. Dec. 31, 1997, entitled “CONTROLLER FOR USE WITH COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS FOR CONVERTING A VOICE MESSAGE TO A TEXT MESSAGE” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,808;   3. Ser. No. 09/001,759, filed. Dec. 31, 1997, entitled “SYSTEM FOR SCHEDULING REVERSE-CHANNEL MESSAGES IN NARROWBAND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF OPERATION” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,969;   4. Ser. No. 09/138,438, filed Aug. 21, 1998, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MODELING SIMULCAST DELAY SPREAD AND OPTIMIZING LAUNCH DELAYS” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,930;   5. Provisional Ser. No. 60/098,873, filed Sep. 1, 1998, entitled “NARROWBAND TELEMETRY SYSTEM AND METHODS OF OPERATION”;   6. Ser. No. 09/87,470, filed concurrently herewith, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING TRANSMITTER POWER OF A NARROWBAND ADVANCED MESSAGING SYSTEM” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,976;   7. Ser. No. 09/388,255, filed concurrently herewith, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING SUBSCRIBER DATA IN A NARROWBAND ADVANCED MESSAGING SYSTEM USING UNSCHEDULED MESSAGE TIME SLOTS”; and   8. Ser. No. 09/387,463, filed concurrently herewith, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OVER-THE-AIR REPROGRAMMING OF AN ADVANCED WIRELESS MESSAGING DEVICE”.       

     The above applications are commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The disclosures of these related patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed, in general, to wireless communication systems and methods of operating the same and, in particular, to systems and methods for controlling an end-user application distributed among a plurality of communication units in a narrowband wireless messaging network. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The demand for better and cheaper wireless communication services and equipment continues to grow at a rapid pace. Much of this growth is spurred by the Federal Communication Commission&#39;s (“FCC”) approval of certain frequency bands for the next generation of Personal Communication Service (“PCS”) devices that provide advanced voice and/or data messaging services, as well as voice telephone services. A relatively small portion of the available frequency bands was set aside for narrowband PCS (“NPCS”) to encourage efficient use of the available spectrum. 
     To maximum use of the NPCS spectrum, wireless service providers are making new services available to subscribers beyond traditional paging services. These advanced wireless messaging services include two-way paging, voice messages, telemetry applications, e-mail applications, news information, and other end-user applications that are typically regarded as desktop personal computer (PC) applications or cellular telephone applications. These advanced wireless messaging services are instead performed via a subscriber communication unit owned by the end-user, such as a two-way paging device or a telemetry device. These advanced wireless messaging services attract more subscribers and increase use by existing subscribers. 
     Unfortunately, these advanced wireless messaging services generally are single-user oriented applications. There is a lack of advanced wireless messaging services and devices that enable cooperation among two or more end users (or subscribers) for the purposes of, for example, executing a common application or sharing data entered or modified by one end user. 
     There is therefore a need in the art for new end-user applications for use in advanced wireless messaging systems. In particular, there is a need for advanced wireless messaging systems and/or end-user applications capable of allowing cooperative communication across an NPCS wireless messaging network between two or more end users. More particularly, there is a need for advanced wireless messaging systems and/or end-user applications that allow a subscriber to enter commands or to modify data in a subscriber communication unit and then transmit the commands or modified data via the wireless messaging network to one or more other end-user devices that then may respond via the wireless messaging network. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide, for use in a two-way wireless messaging system, an application controller distributed, at least in part, among a plurality communication units associated with the two-way wireless messaging system, wherein the application controller is capable of controlling cooperative communication among ones of the plurality of communication units in accordance with a prescribed application task. In an advantageous embodiment, the application controller comprises: 1) a first communication unfit controller that senses change in a characteristic monitored at a first communication unit, the monitored characteristic evaluated in accordance with the prescribed application task, and, in response thereto, automatically causes the first communication unit to transmit a first data signal; 2) an operations controller that analyzes the first data signal in accordance with the prescribed application task using at least one subscriber profile, and, in response thereto, causes a second data signal to be communicated automatically to at least a second communication unit; and 3) a second communication unit controller that automatically analyzes the second data signal at the second communication unit, and, in response thereto, transmits an acknowledgment signal to at least the first communication unit. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the two-way wireless messaging system includes at least one base station that communicates with at least one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one base station comprises 1) a transmitter that is capable of transmitting messages in a forward-channel having a first frequency range; 2) a receiver that is capable of receiving messages in a reverse-channel having a second frequency range; and 3) an antenna that is capable of transmitting the forward-channel messages at a first angle of electrical downtilt below horizon and receiving the reverse-channel messages at a second angle of electrical downtilt, wherein the second angle of electrical downtilt is less than the first angle of electrical downtilt. 
     In still another embodiment of the present invention, the second data signal is communicated automatically to the second communication unit and at least a third communication unit. 
     In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the second data signal is communicated concurrently to the second communication unit and the third communication unit. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second communication unit transmits the acknowledgment signal to the first communication unit and the third communication unit. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, the acknowledgment signal is transmitted concurrently to the first communication unit and the third communication unit. 
     According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the prescribed application task is one of a calendering task, an environmental monitoring task, an automation task, and a security task. 
     According to a still further embodiment of the present invention, the prescribed application task is one of a calendering task, an environmental monitoring task, an automation task, and a security task. 
     According to a yet further embodiment of the present invention, the operations controller is associated with a data repository that maintains the at least one subscriber profile. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form. 
     Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers designate like objects, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a portion of an exemplary messaging network according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates forward and reverse-channels associated with base station  112  in one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary subscriber communication unit (SCU) according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates an exemplary subscriber communication unit according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention used in a telemetry system; 
         FIGS. 4B and 4C  depict exemplary screen menus that may be used by a subscriber unit in a telemetry application; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary subscriber communication unit and/or an exemplary user device according to one embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flow diagram depicting the operation of two exemplary subscriber communication units in a wireless network according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1 through 6 , discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless messaging network. 
     Turning initially to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a representative portion of a conventional messaging network (generally designated “100” and referred to below as “network  100 ”). Network  100  provides two-way data messages to subscribers (or users) of network  100 . Network  100  is represented by three exemplary fixed land sites, called base stations, which communicate with a plurality of subscriber communication units  121 - 128  (e.g., message pagers, telemetry devices, PCS devices, personal data assistants, or other processing systems that include wireless communication capability, etc.) within network  100 . 
     Base stations  111 ,  112  and  113 , each labeled “BS” in  FIG. 1 , have coverage areas  101 ,  102 , and  103 , respectively, that are determined by the power of the transmitters in base stations  111 ,  112 , and  113 . For the purposes of illustration and discussion, coverage areas  101 ,  102 , and  103  are shown as circles. In real world environments, however, each of coverage areas  101 ,  102 , and  103  may differ significantly from an idealized circular form. 
     For purposes of illustration, a plurality of subscriber communication units, each labeled “P” in  FIG. 1 , are shown scattered throughout messaging network  100 . Subscriber communication units  121  and  122  are located within coverage area  101  and may engage in two-way messaging with base station  111 . Subscriber communication units  123  and  124  are located in coverage area  102  and may engage in two-way messaging with base station  112 . Subscriber communication units  126 ,  127  and  128  are located in coverage area  103  and may engage in two-way messaging with base station  113 . Subscriber communication unit  125  is located in coverage areas  102  and  103  and may engage in two-way messaging with base stations  112  and  113 . 
     In a NPCS environment, base stations  111 ,  112 , and  113  transmit signals in a forward-channel, such as from 939-940 MHZ, for example. Base stations  111 ,  112 , and  113  receive signals in a reverse-channel at, for example, 901-902 MHZ. Each base station is effectively a transceiver that contains a transmitter and a receiver for carrying out two-way communications. Each subscriber communication unit receives forward-channel messages directed to it at a selected frequency within the forward-channel. Each communication also transmits reverse-channel messages at a selected frequency within the reverse-channel. 
     Messaging network  100  may be, for example, a two-way wireless messaging system compatible with the MOTOROLA® ReFLEX™ transport protocol. The ReFLEX™ protocol may be used to send a message to a subscriber communication unit. The subscriber communication unit may then transmit in the reverse-channel an automatic acknowledgment message that does not require subscriber action. Alternatively, the ReFLEX™ protocol may be used in an enhanced messaging mode to send a more complex message to the subscriber communication unit. The subscriber communication unit may then transmit in the reverse-channel an automatic acknowledgment message that does not require subscriber action. Some time later, the subscriber may transmit a “canned” message stored in the subscriber communication unit, such as “Will Call You Later”, or a unique message composed by the subscriber using a keypad on the subscriber communication unit. 
     Base station  111  transmits messages to subscriber communication units in coverage area  101 . Base station  112  transmits messages to subscriber communication units in coverage area  102 . Base station  113  transmits messages to subscriber communication units in coverage area  103 . Base stations  111 - 113  may be associated with one another and to a control facility  10  by a wired backbone, such as a proprietary fiber-optic network. In alternate embodiments, base stations  111 - 113  may be associated with one another and to control facility  10  by a satellite communications link, such as through a very small aperture terminal (“VSAT”). 
     It should be noted that while the illustrated embodiment discloses centralized control facility  10  for controlling communication among the exemplary subscriber communication units, in alternate advantageous embodiments communications control may be distributed. It should also be noted that messages may be received into control facility  10  from a variety of sources. Some messages may be received from a public telephone system in the form of simple call-back numbers entered by a caller on a DTMF keypad. Other messages may be transmitted by or received by control facility  10  to or from end-user device  160  via Internet  150 , or alternatively via a privately owned intranet. End-user device  160  may be, for example, a desktop PC. 
     In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, base station  112  has an antenna for transmitting and receiving at different angles of electrical downtilt, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/002,191, incorporated by reference above.  FIG. 2  illustrates forward and reverse-channels associated with base station  112  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Base station  112  comprises base station (BS) platform  201  and tower  202  for holding antenna  203  in an elevated position above ground  200 . Base station  112  comprises transmitter  206  for transmitting messages in the forward-channel and receiver  207  for receiving messages in the reverse-channel. The forward and reverse-channel messages are appropriately transferred to or from a central control facility  10  (not shown). Tower-top amplifier  204  may optionally be included to strengthen received signals at antenna  203  before transferring the received signals to receiver  207 , providing the means for compensating for line losses which occur on long cables between the antenna and the receiver. 
     Although the remainder of the discussion of the exemplary embodiment focuses on base station  112 , it should be noted that this is by way of illustration only, and that the following discussion applies with equal force to the other base stations and receivers in the improved messaging network. 
     Reference beam  211  is a horizontal reference axis indicating the relative position of the horizon. Antenna  203  employs electrical downtilt to transmit messages in the forward-channel along transmit beam  212 . Transmit beam  212  represents the direction of travel with respect to the horizon of the main power lobe transmitted by antenna  203 . As  FIG. 2  indicates, transmit beam  212  is transmitted below the horizon at a downtilt angle θ 1 . The downtilt angle θ 1  is determined by the electrical characteristics of antenna  203  and is dependent on the transmission frequency of the forward-channel. 
     Antenna  203  also employs electrical downtilt to receive messages in the reverse channel along receive beam  213 . Receive beam  213  represents the direction of travel with respect to the horizon of an incident signal transmitted from a subscriber communication unit located at an optimum distance away from antenna  203 . Antenna  203  has been optimized to amplify signals received from subscriber communication units at the optimum distance. The downtilt angle θ 2  is determined by the electrical characteristics of antenna  203  and is dependent on the transmission frequency of the reverse channel. 
     However, unlike prior art messaging networks, the downtilt angle θ 2  of receive beam  213  is above the downtilt angle θ 1  of transmit beam  212 . Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the downtilt angle θ 2  of receive beam  213  is only slightly below the horizon. In other embodiments of the present invention, the downtilt angle θ 2  of receive beam  213  may be oriented directly at the horizon. The use of a smaller angle of electrical downtilt in the reverse channel in antenna  203  focuses antenna  203  on incoming signals from more distant subscriber communication units, including those beyond the boundaries of the forward channel coverage area in which base station  112  resides. This type of antenna pattern optimization increases the probability that antenna  203  will receive reverse-channel signals from remote subscriber communication units in other coverage areas, thereby increasing the overall macro-diversity of the antennas in the network. 
     The present invention optimizes antenna  203  for the amplification of signals from remote subscriber communication units, and, thereby, maximizes antenna macro-diversity effects, under the assumption that although antenna  203  may occasionally lose the signal from a nearby subscriber communication unit due to blocking or multipath fading, at least one other less close antenna will properly receive the subscriber communication unit&#39;s “lost” signal because the less close base station antenna has also been optimized to amplify the signal of remote subscriber communication units. Maximizing the ability of more remote base station receivers to receive the subscriber communication unit&#39;s transmissions improves the overall performance of the network. If a reverse channel signal from a single subscriber unit is detected by multiple receivers in wireless network, control facility  10  is capable of adding the received signals together to form a composite signal and/or select whichever one of the multiple copies of the reverse channel signal is best received. 
     Subscriber communication units  121 - 128  are capable of performing a variety of end-user applications, including, but not limited to, telemetry applications, personal calendar applications, home/office automation applications. The present invention provides distributed control over the end-user application in order to allow two or more of subscriber communication units  121 - 128  to execute the application together across wireless network  100 . The present invention also provides distributed control over the end-user application in order to allow at least one of subscriber communication units  121 - 128  and another end-user device, such as a desktop PC, to execute the application together across wireless network  100  and another data network, such as the Internet or a privately owned intranet. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates exemplary subscriber communication unit (SCU)  124  according to one embodiment of the present invention. SCU  124  comprises antenna  301 , transceiver  305 , message controller  310 , user input  315 , user display  320 , and memory  325 . Message controller  310 , under the control of one or more application programs stored in memory  325 , controls the overall operation of SCU  124 , which in the illustrated embodiment is an advanced two-way messaging device capable of running, for example, an electronic calendar (or schedule) program, an e-mail program, or the like. A calendar program is used by a person to enter appointments, schedule tasks, coordinate meetings, and the like. There are a number of well-known electronic calendar programs commercially available, including Microsoft Outlook™. 
     Memory  325 , which may be any known type of electronic or magnetic data repository, contains application program  325 , application program database  335 , and operating characteristics table  340 . Operating characteristics table  340  contains user profiles  345 ,  350 , and  355 , referred to hereafter as User 1 Profile, User 2 Profile and User 3 Profile, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, User 1 Profile contains data parameter list  360 , which stores up to N data parameters, labeled Data Parameter 1 through Data Parameter N. User 1 Profile also comprises action list  365 , which stores up to M executable actions defined by Subscriber 1 and labeled Action 1 through Action M. User 2 Profile and User 3 Profile are similar to User 1 Profile and need not be discussed separately. User 1 Profile is associated with a specific user, referred to herein as Subscriber 1, and User 2 Profile and User 3 Profile may be associated with other users of SCU  124  or with Subscriber 1 if Subscriber 1 requires different profiles for any reason. 
     Message controller  310  executes application program  330 , which retrieves some or all of the user profile data found in operating characteristics table  340  from application program database  335 . Application program database  335  also may contain configuration data used by message controller  310  to control user input device  315 , user display  320 , and/or transceiver  305 . In an exemplary embodiment, user display  320  may be an LED device capable of displaying text and graphics to Subscriber 1. User input device  315  is a manually operated user interface, such as a small keyboard on SCU  124 , or SCROLL and ENTER keys used to select items displayed on user display  320 . When Subscriber 1 changes any of the data in operating characteristics table  340 , the changed information is eventually saved to application program database  335 . 
     SCU  124  communicates through wireless network  100  with, for example, SCU  123 , or through wireless network  100  and internet  150  to communicate with user device  160  to jointly execute an end-user application according to the user profile of Subscriber 1 in SCU  124 . The user profile comprises data and/or instructions that are executed by SCU  124  and at least one of SCU  123  and user device  160  to accomplish a certain task and to synchronize data shared among SCU  123 , SCU  124  and/or user device  160 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, Subscriber 1 uses SCU  124  to run an electronic calendar. Subscriber 1 wants to automatically transmit changes that Subscriber 1 makes using SCU  124  to Subscriber 1&#39;s secretary, who operates a corresponding electronic calendar on user device  160 , which in this case is a desktop PC. It also is Subscriber 1&#39;s desire to automatically transmit to SCU  123  changes that Subscriber 1 makes using SCU  124 . A coworker operates a corresponding electronic calendar on SCU  123 , which in this case is also two-way messaging device. In this manner, when Subscriber 1 adds a new appointment, deletes an old appointment, schedules a task, or the like, the changed information is automatically reflected in the electronic calendars used by the secretary and the coworker. 
     Message controller  310  receives data and/or commands that Subscriber 1 enters via user input device  315 . Message controller  310  may display options on user display  320  that maybe selected by Subscriber 1 using, for example, SCROLL and ENTER keys. Alternatively, message controller  310  may receive alphanumeric text representing data and/or commands that are entered by Subscriber 1. Depending on the information entered or selected by Subscriber 1, message controller may modify one or more of Data Parameters 1-N, or execute one or more of Actions 1-M, or both, in User 1 Profile in operating characteristics table  345 . 
     In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, message controller  310  responds to any change in operating characteristics table  340  by determining one or more additional corresponding actions, if any, specified in User 1 Profile that must be executed in response to a given change. For example, if Subscriber 1 changes the time of a scheduled appointment and “Saves” the change, message controller  310  changes one of Data Parameter 1-N corresponding to the appointment time while performing the save action. In response to the change in the value of the data or the execution of a save action, or both, message controller  310  may automatically perform one or more subsequent actions specified by Subscriber 1 in User 1 Profile. 
     For example, Subscriber 1 may configure User 1 Profile so that message controller  310  transmits data parameters associated with all new or changed appointments in Subscriber 1&#39;s electronic calendar to user device  160 , used by Subscriber 1&#39;s secretary, to Subscriber 1&#39;s office PC, and to SCU  123 , used by a coworker. Additionally, Subscriber 1 may configure User 1 Profile so that message controller  310  transmits data parameters associated with all new or changed job tasks in Subscriber 1&#39;s electronic calendar only to Subscriber 1&#39;s office PC. As will be explained below in greater detail, user device  160  and SCU  123  execute corresponding electronic calendar programs that cooperate with application program  330  to maintain (or “synchronize”) the data parameters related to the electronic calendaring program. User-device  160  and SCU  123  may also send data parameter changes to SCU  124  to reflect changes made to Subscriber 1&#39;s electronic calendar by Subscriber 1&#39;s secretary or coworker. 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates exemplary subscriber communication unit (SCU)  124  according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention used in a telemetry system. Telemetry systems, broadly stated, are communication systems that transmit “status” information from a remote process, function, or device (collectively, “telemetry application”) to a monitoring facility ro device. Telemetry systems may be used in lieu of maintenance workers to remotely monitor a given telemetry application. In a telemetry application, a two-way wireless messaging device may be integrated in, or connected to, a piece of equipment to gather statistics, status information, alarms, and the like, and to communicate the gathered information (i.e., telemetry data) over a paging network to the monitoring facility. 
     SCU  124  comprises antenna  401 , transceiver  405 , message controller  410 , optional user input  415 , optional user display  420 , monitored equipment  422 , and memory  425 . Message controller  410 , under the control of one or more application programs stored in memory  425 , controls the overall operation of SCU  124 , which in the illustrated embodiment monitors commands, alarms, measured parameters, status messages, and the like, transmitted to or from monitored equipment  422 . Monitored equipment  422  may be any one or more of, for example, a vending machine, remote electrical power generation equipment, a burglar or fire alarm system (i.e., a security system) in a home or office, a home heating system, a home sprinkler system, a utility meter, a vehicle locator, an environmental monitor, medical equipment, oil drilling equipment, and the like. The monitoring facility may be a beverage distributor, an energy production company, an alarm service company, another subscriber communication unit, such as SCU  123 , a PC, such as user device  160 , or the like. 
     Memory  425  contains application program  430 , application program database  435 , and operating characteristics table  440 . Operating characteristics table  440  contains monitored equipment table  445  and user entry table  450 . In the illustrated embodiment, monitored equipment table  445  contains data parameter list  460 , which stores up to N data parameters, including Data Parameter 1, Data Parameter 2, and Data Parameter 3, and action list  465 , which stores up to M executable actions defined for monitored equipment  422 , including Action 1, Action 2 and Action 3. In an optional embodiment of the present invention, a user interface is included as part of SCU  124  in order to enter manually enter data and or command associated with monitored equipment  422 . Optional user display  420  may be an LED device capable of displaying text and graphics to Subscriber 1. User input device  415  is a manually operated user interface, such as a small keyboard on SCU  124 , or SCROLL and ENTER keys used to select items displayed on user display  420 . In the illustrated embodiment, user entry table  450  contains data parameter list  470 , which stores up to R data parameters, including Data Parameter 4, Data Parameter 5, and Data Parameter 6, and action list  475 , which stores up to M executable actions defined for monitored equipment  422 , including Action 4, Action 5, and Action 6. 
     Message controller  410  executes application program  430 , which retrieves some or all of the telemetry and/or user entry data found in operating characteristics table  440  from 435. Application program database  435  also may contain configuration data used by message controller  410  to control user input device  415 , user display  420 , monitored equipment  422 , and/or transceiver  405 . When Subscriber 1 or monitored equipment  422  changes any of the data in operating characteristics table  440 , the changed information is eventually saved to application program database  435 . 
     SCU  124  communicates through wireless network  100  with, for example, SCU  123 , or through wireless network  100  and internet  150  to communicate with user device  160  to jointly execute the telemetry application according to the monitored equipment table  445 . This allows a user of SCU  123  or user device  160 , referred to hereafter as Subscriber 1, to remotely monitor and/or control the operation of monitored equipment  422  associated with SCU  124 . In such an embodiment, SCU  123  (or user device  160 ) may use a series of menu-type screen displays to receive commands and display information to Subscriber 1 in order to facilitate such monitoring and control operations.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  depict exemplary screen menus that may be used by SCU  123  (or user device  160 ). Screens  480 - 486  are screen displays associated with an exemplary security alarm application. Screens  491 - 495  are screen displays associated with an exemplary home automation application. 
     In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, message controller  410  responds to any change in operating characteristics table  440  by determining one or more additional corresponding actions, if any, specified in either monitored equipment table  445  or User Entry Table  450  that must be executed in response to the given change in operating characteristics table  440 . For example, if monitored equipment  422  changes the status of an alarm from “OFF” to “ON,” message controller  410  changes one of the N data parameters in data parameter list  460  corresponding to the alarm. In response to the change in the value of the data or receipt of a “Transmit Alarm” command from monitored equipment  422 , message controller  410  may automatically perform one or more subsequent actions specified in monitored equipment table  445 . Similarly, message controller  410  may automatically perform one or more actions specified in user entry table  450  in response to data or commands entered by Subscriber 1 using user input device  415 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates exemplary subscriber communication unit (SCU)  123  and exemplary user device  160  according to one embodiment of the present invention. For the purpose of avoiding redundant description, the following description will be directed towards SCU  123 , since many of the components in SCU  123  and user device  160  are identical. Where SCU  123  and user device  160  are different, the following description will so indicate. 
     SCU  123  comprises antenna  501 , transceiver  505 , message controller  510 , user input  515 , user display  520 , and memory  525 . Message controller  510 , under the control of one or more application programs stored in memory  525 , controls the overall operation of SCU  123 , which in the illustrated embodiment is capable of performing telemetry applications and user applications such as electronic calendar programs, e-mail programs, and the like. User device  160  comprises an Internet protocol (IP) interface (If) that couples message controller  510  to Internet  150 . User device  160  does not require transceiver  505  and antenna  501  since both are used for over-the-air (OTA) communications and user device  160  communicates primarily through Internet  150 . The application programs performed by SCU  123  and/or user device  160  are counterpart applications to the application programs executed by SCU  124  and described above in  FIGS. 3 and 4A . 
     Memory  525  contains application programs  530  and  540 , application program databases  535  and  545 , and operating characteristics table  440 . Operating characteristics table  440  contains user profile  555 , referred to hereafter as User 1 profile, and monitored equipment table  570 . In the illustrated embodiment, monitored equipment table  570  contains data parameter list  575 , which stores up to N data parameters, including Data Parameter 1, Data Parameter 2, and Data Parameter 3, and action list  580 , which stores up to M executable actions defined for monitored equipment  422 , including Action 1, Action 2 and Action 3. In the illustrated embodiment, User 1 Profile contains data parameter list  560 , which stores up to N data parameters, labeled Data Parameter 1 through Data Parameter N. User 1 Profile also comprises action list  565 , which stores up to M executable actions defined by Subscriber 1 and labeled Action 1 through Action M. 
     Each of application program  530 , application program  540 , application program database  535 , and application program database  545  corresponds to one of application program  330 , application program  430 , application program database  335 , or application program database  435  in  FIGS. 3 and 4A . For example, as Subscriber 1 makes changes in operating characteristics table  340 , message controller  310  automatically transmits command messages and/or data messages to message controller  510  to update corresponding information in application program database  535  and user profile  555  according to the user profile for Subscriber 1. Similarly, as monitored equipment  422  makes changes in operating characteristics table  440 , message controller  340  automatically transmits command messages and/or data messages to message controller  510  to update corresponding information in application program database  545  and monitored equipment table  570  according to the profile information stored in monitored equipment table  445 . In this manner, Subscriber 1&#39;s personal data, such as appointment schedules and e-mail, can be “synchronized” in SCU  123 , SCU  124  and/or user device  160 . Similarly, telemetry data and commands may be “synchronized” between SCU  123 , SCU  124  and/or user device  160 , and monitored equipment may be remotely controlled from SCU  123  or SCU  124  via wireless messaging network  100 . Since each of SCU  123  and user device  160  contain copies of the user profile for Subscriber 1 and copies of the monitored equipment table for monitored equipment  422 , either or both of SCU  123  and user device  160  also may perform subsequent actions as specified in the user profile or the monitored equipment table. 
       FIG. 6  depicts flow diagram  600 , which illustrates the operation of two exemplary subscriber communication units in wireless network  100  according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the ordinary course of operation, SCU  124  detects a change in one or more of the operating characteristics in the operating characteristics table, according to commands or data received from Subscriber 1 or monitored equipment  422  (process step  605 ). In response to the detected change, SCU  124  transmits a command message and/or data to SCU  123 , user device  160 , or both, and perhaps other subscriber communication units in wireless network  100 . SCU  124  transmits to these other devices according to information stored in a user profile or a monitored equipment table in SCU  124  (process step  610 ). 
     Next, SCU  123  (or user device  160 ) receives the message transmitted by SCU  124  and makes a corresponding change in a local copy of the operating characteristics table (process step  615 ). Optionally, SCU  123  (or user device  160 ) may transmit one or more additional messages to other subscriber communication units according to a locally stored copy of the user profile or the monitored equipment table associated with SCU  124 . These additional messages may include an automatic acknowledgment message sent to SCU  124  (process step  620 ). 
     Those of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiments as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention in its broadest form.