Patent ID: 8271000

Claim:
A paging system comprising: a radio access network controller (RAN controller); and a plurality of base transceiver stations (BTSs) communicatively linked with the RAN controller, each BTS radiating to define at least one respective wireless coverage area for serving mobile stations, wherein the RAN controller detects a paging trigger for paging a mobile station and responsively sends a repeat-paging directive to each BTS to cause each BTS to repeatedly page the mobile station, wherein each BTS is arranged to (i) receive the repeat-paging directive and responsively begin broadcasting a series of page messages destined to the mobile station and (ii) upon receipt from the mobile station of a response to one of the page messages, provide to the RAN controller a notification of the received response, wherein, in response to receipt of the notification from a given BTS, the RAN controller sends a paging-stop directive to at least each other BTS of the plurality, wherein the paging-stop directive causes each BTS that receives the paging-stop directive to discontinue broadcasting the series of page messages before completing broadcast of the entire series of page messages, wherein, upon receipt of the repeat-paging directive, each BTS of the plurality broadcasts a first page message and, respectively before broadcasting each page message of the series following an initial page message of the series, sends a query to the RAN controller to determine whether to continue or discontinue broadcast of the series, wherein if the RAN controller has received the notification, the RAN controller sends the paging-stop directive to the BTS in response to the query, and wherein if the RAN controller has not received the notification, the RAN controller does not send the paging-stop directive to the BTS in response to the query.