WO1996035297A1

WO1996035297A1 - A radio communication system for delivering a message

Info

Publication number: WO1996035297A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/004203
Authority: WO
Inventors: John George Clarke; Philip Dale Mason
Original assignee: Motorola, Inc.
Priority date: 1995-05-01
Filing date: 1996-03-25
Publication date: 1996-11-07
Also published as: IL117415A0; AU5375396A

Abstract

A method and apparatus in a radio communication system delivers (604, 606) a message (218, 222) to a telephone number (350), under control of a user of a selective call transceiver (122). In a fixed portion (102) of the radio communication system, the message (218, 222) and a corresponding message code (220, 224) are stored (214). Thereafter the telephone number (350) and the message code (344, 348) are received (204) from the selective call transceiver (122), and, in response, the message (218, 222) corresponding to the message code (344, 348) is delivered to the telephone number (350).

Description

A RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR DELIVERING A MESSAGE

Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to radio communication systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus in a radio communication system for delivering a message to a telephone number.

Background of the Invention

A radio communication system with two-way communication between base stations and selective call transceivers provides an important means for the base stations to determine the reliability of a paging transaction. Two-way communication can be used by a caller using the radio communication system to determine that the called party has received the caller's page. There are times, however, when it may not be possible for the called party to respond personally to the page if, for example, a telephone or other means of communication is not readily available. In addition, there may be instances when responding by way of telephone for a simple message such as a yes or no response may be inconvenient for the called party who, for example, could be busy in a business meeting and not wish to be disturbed.

Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus for delivering a message to a telephone number. Preferably, the method and apparatus should be cost effective and efficient, and the message should be delivered in a voice format.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an electrical block diagram of a radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of elements of a fixed portion of the radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an electrical block diagram of a selective call transceiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of elements of an outbound protocol and an inbound protocol of the fixed and portable portions of the radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting operation of the fixed portion of the radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart (continuation of FIG. 5) depicting operation of the fixed portion of the radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting operation of the selective call transceiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart (continuation of FIG. 7) depicting operation of the selective call transceiver in accordance with the preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1, an electrical block diagram of a radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a fixed portion 102 and a portable portion 104. The fixed portion 102 comprises a plurality of conventional base transceivers which are base stations 116 coupled by communication links 114 to a controller 112 for controlling the base stations 116. The hardware of the controller 112 is preferably similar to the Wireless Messaging Gateway (WMG™) Administrator! paging control center manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, Illinois. The hardware of the base stations 116 is preferably similar to the Nucleus™ Orchestra! manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, Illinois. Other similar controller hardware can be utilized as well for the controller 112 and base stations 116. The controller 112 comprises a plurality of firmware elements in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as will be described further below. Each of the base stations 116 transmits radio signals to the portable portion 104 comprising a plurality of selective call transceivers 122 via a transmitting antenna 120. The base stations 116 each receive radio signals from the plurality of selective call transceivers 122 via a receiving antenna 118. The radio signals comprise selective call addresses and messages transmitted to the selective call transceivers 122 and acknowledgments received from the selective call transceivers 122. It will be appreciated that the selective call transceivers 122 can also originate messages other than acknowledgments. The controller 112 preferably is coupled by telephone links 101 to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 110 for receiving selective call originations therefrom and for relaying messages to telephone numbers. Selective call originations comprising voice and data messages from the PSTN 110 can be generated, for example, from a conventional telephone 124 coupled to the PSTN 110 in a manner that is well known in the art.

Data and control transmissions between the base stations 116 and the selective call transceivers 122 preferably utilize a protocol similar to Motorola's well-known FLEX™ digital selective call signaling protocol. This protocol utilizes well-known error detection and error correction techniques and is therefore tolerant to bit errors occurring during transmission, provided that the bit errors are not too numerous in any one code word. Outbound channel transmissions comprising data and control signals from the base stations 116 preferably utilize four-level frequency shift keyed (FSK) modulation, operating at sixteen-hundred or thirty-two- hundred symbols-per-second (sps), depending on traffic requirements and system transmission gain. Inbound channel transmissions from the selective call transceivers 122 to the base stations 116 preferably utilize binary FSK modulation at a rate of ninety-six-hundred bits per second (bps). Inbound channel transmissions preferably occur during predetermined data packet time slots synchronized with the outbound channel transmissions. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, other signaling protocols, modulation schemes, and transmission rates can be utilized as well for either or both transmission directions. The outbound and inbound channels preferably operate on a single carrier frequency utilizing well-known time division duplex (TDD) techniques for sharing the frequency. It will be further appreciated that, alternatively, the outbound and inbound channels can operate on two different carrier frequencies using frequency division multiplexing (FDM) without requiring the use of TDD techniques. U.S. Patent No. 4,875,038 to Siwiak et al., which describes a prior art acknowledge-back radio communication system, is hereby incorporated herein by reference. For further information on the operation and structure of an acknowledge-back radio communication system, please refer to the Siwiak et al. patent.

Referring to FIG. 2, an electrical block diagram of elements 200 of the fixed portion 102 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises portions of the controller 112 and the base stations 116. The controller 112 comprises a processor 210 for directing operation of the controller 112. The processor 210 preferably is coupled through a transmitter interface 208 to a transmitter 202, both utilizing conventional techniques well known in the art. The transmitter 202 preferably transmits four-level FSK data messages to one of the selective call transceivers 122. The processor 210 is also coupled to at least one acknowledgment receiver 204 through a receiver interface 206, both utilizing conventional techniques well known in the art. The at least one acknowledgment receiver 204 preferably demodulates four level FSK and can be collocated with the base stations 116, as implied in FIG. 2, but preferably is positioned remote from the base stations 116 to avoid interference from the transmitter 202. The at least one acknowledgment receiver 204 is for receiving one or more acknowledgments from one of the selective call transceivers 122.

The processor 210 is coupled to a telephone interface 212 for communicating with the PSTN 110 for receiving selective call originations and for relaying voice response messages to telephone numbers. The processor 210 is also coupled to a random access memory (RAM) 214 comprising message locations 216, default messages 218, default message codes 220, custom messages 222 and a custom message codes 224. The message locations 216 are used for storing messages to be transmitted to the selective call transceivers 122 and for storing messages received from the selective call transceivers 122. The default messages 218 include a list of default voice message responses programmed by the system provider which can be accessed by all subscriber users. The default messages 218 also include an alphanumeric description of each message which is sent to the selective call transceiver 122, as will be described below. The subscriber user can invoke a request for default message forwarding to a telephone number using the selective call transceiver 122, as will be described below. The default message codes 220 identify which default message 218 the user of the selective call transceiver 122 has chosen to forward to a telephone number. Similarly, the custom messages 222 include a list of custom voice message responses provided by the subscriber user of a selective call transceiver 122. . The custom messages 222 also includes an alphanumeric description of each message which is sent to the selective call transceiver 122, as will be described below. The custom messages 222 are preferably accessed only by the subscriber user who requested the programming of the messages. It will be appreciated that the provider of the radio communication system can provide a feature where group sharing of custom messages is available. The custom message codes 224 identify which custom message 222 the user of the selective call transceiver 122 has chosen to forward to a telephone number. Preferably, the default messages 218 and the custom messages 222 are created, stored, and re-played by the controller 112 utilizing voice storage techniques well known in the art.

The processor 210 also is coupled to a read-only memory (ROM) 228 comprising firmware elements for use by the processor 210. It will be appreciated that other types of memory, e.g., electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or magnetic disk memory, can be utilized as well for the ROM 228 and RAM 214. It will be further appreciated that the RAM 214 and the ROM 228, singly or in combination, can be integrated as a contiguous portion of the processor 210. Preferably, the processor 210 is similar to the DSP56100 digital signal processor (DSP) manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, IL. It will be appreciated that other similar processors can be utilized as well for the processor 210, and that additional processors of the same or alternate type can be added as required to handle the processing requirements of the controller 112.

The firmware elements comprise a call processing element 230 for handling the processing of an incoming call for a called party and for controlling the transmitter 202 to send a message to the selective call transceiver 122 corresponding to the called party, utilizing techniques well known in the art. The firmware elements further comprise a receive control element 232 for receiving form the selective call transceiver 122 a telephone number and message code which the processor 210 uses to relay a default message 218 or custom message 222 to the telephone number. The receive control element 232 further comprises a code receive element 234 for receiving a pre-programmed code identifying the selective call transceiver 122 sending the telephone number and the message code. The pre-programmed code is preferably the address of the selective call transceiver 122. It will be appreciated that other coding schemes can be used. The firmware elements further comprise a delivery element 236 for delivering to the telephone number the message corresponding to the message code. The delivery element 236 further comprises a verification element 238 for verifying that the selective call transceiver 122 identified by the pre-programmed code is authorized to utilize the radio communication system for delivering the message to the telephone number, before the delivery element 236 delivers the message to the telephone number. The firmware elements further comprise an entry element 240 for cooperating with a conventional keyboard and display device 244 for entering the message codes of the default messages 218 and or custom messages 222 and message descriptions corresponding to the aforementioned messages. The entry element 240 also automatically generates default message codes 220 and custom message codes 224 associated with the default messages 218 and custom messages 222 which are programmed into RAM 214. The firmware elements further comprise a transmit control element 242 for transmitting the message code and the corresponding message description to the selective call transceiver 122 for saving therein.

Referring to FIG. 3, an electrical block diagram of the selective call transceiver 122 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a transmitter antenna 305 for transmitting radio signals to the base station 116 and a receiver antenna 303 for intercepting radio signals from the base stations 116. The transmitter antenna 305 is coupled to a transmitter 304, while the receiver antenna 303 is coupled to a receiver 302, all circuits using conventional techniques well known in the art. The radio signals received from the base stations 116 use conventional two and four-level FSK. Similarly, radio signals transmitted by the selective call transceiver 122 to the base stations 116 also use two and four-level FSK.

Radio signals received by the receiver 302 produces demodulated information at the output. The demodulated information is coupled to the input of a microprocessor 308, which processes the information in a manner well known in the art. Similarly, inbound response messages are processed by the microprocessor 308 and delivered to the transmitter 304 which is coupled to the microprocessor 308. The response messages transmitted by the transmitter 304 are preferably modulated using binary FSK. A conventional power switch 306, coupled to the microprocessor

308, is used to control the supply of power to the transmitter 304 and the receiver 302, thereby providing a battery saving function. The microprocessor 308 is coupled to a random access memory (RAM) 338 for storing messages in a message storage location 340. The RAM 338 further comprises custom message descriptions 342, custom message codes 344, default message descriptions 346, default message codes 348 and a telephone numbers list 350. The custom message descriptions 342 provide a list of response messages the subscriber user can choose from to request the controller 112 to forward a custom voice message to a telephone number. The custom message codes 344 associated with the custom message descriptions 342 give the controller 112 an identification number to select a voice message from the custom messages 222 stored in the RAM 214 of the controller 112. Similarly, the default message descriptions 346 provide a list of response message descriptions the subscriber user can choose from to request the controller 112 to forward a default voice message to a telephone number. The default message codes 348 associated with the default message descriptions 346 give the controller 112 an identification number to select a voice message from the default messages 218 stored in the RAM 214 of the controller 112. The telephone numbers list 350 provides the subscriber user a list of telephone numbers to choose from to request forwarding of a voice response message from the controller 112. It will be appreciated that outbound messages may include a caller's telephone number. With this feature, the subscriber user who desires to respond to the caller who originated the message may select a response message from the message description lists, described above, without having to choose a destination telephone number since it was already included in the received message. It will be appreciated that re-programmable non-volatile memory devices can be used to prevent loss of the data stored in RAM 338 during a power outage such as, for example, EEPROM, FLASH, etc.

The microprocessor 308 also is coupled to a read-only memory (ROM) 310 comprising firmware elements for use by the microprocessor 308. It will be appreciated that other types of memory, e.g., electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), can be utilized as well for the ROM 310. The firmware elements comprise a call processing element 312 further comprising a selective call address 314 for handling of incoming messages on the outbound channel using techniques well known in the art. When an address is received by the microprocessor 308, the call processing element 312 compares one or more selective call addresses 314 stored in ROM 310, and when a match is detected, a call alerting signal is generated to alert a user that a message has been received. The call alerting signal is directed to a conventional audible or tactile alerting device 334 for generating an audible or tactile call alerting signal. In addition, the call processing element 312 processes the message which is received in a digitized conventional manner and then stores the message in the message storage location 340 in RAM 338. The message can be accessed by the user through user controls 332, which provide functions such as lock, unlock, delete, read, etc. More specifically, by the use of appropriate functions provided by the user controls 332, the message is recovered from the RAM 338, and then displayed on a display 336, e.g., a conventional liquid crystal display (LCD). The firmware elements further comprise a program element 316 for programming a telephone number into the selective call transceiver 122. The program element 316 comprises a number receive element 318 for receiving a telephone number in a selective call transmission originating from the fixed portion 102 of the radio communication system. The program element 316 further comprises a number store element 320 for storing the telephone number received from the outbound message in the telephone numbers list 350 stored in RAM 338. The program element 316 further includes a number entry element 322 for cooperating with the user controls 332 to provide entry of a telephone number by a control sequence executed by the subscriber user. The program element 316 also comprises an entry store element 324 for storing a telephone number entered by the subscriber user in the telephone numbers list 350 stored in RAM 338. The program element 316 further comprises a pre-programmer element 326 for pre-programming, by a service provider, a list of telephone numbers into the telephone numbers list 350 stored in RAM 338. The firmware elements further comprise a selector element 328 for selecting, by the user of the selective call transceiver 122 through the user controls 332, the message description corresponding to the message code of the message to be delivered to the telephone number. The firmware elements further comprise a code transmission element 330 for sending to the fixed portion a pre- programmed code identifying the selective call transceiver 122.

Referring to FIG. 4, a timing diagram depicts elements of an outbound protocol and an inbound protocol of the fixed portion 102 and portable portion 104 of the radio communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The signaling format operating on the outbound and inbound channels preferably operates on a single carrier frequency utilizing well-known time division duplex (TDD) techniques for sharing the frequency. Using TDD transmission the outbound RF channel transmission is depicted during an outbound transmission time interval 402, while the inbound RF channel transmission is depicted during an inbound transmission time interval 404. The outbound transmission time interval 402 and the inbound transmission time interval 404 are subdivided by a time boundary 403. The time boundary 403 depicts a point in time when the outbound transmissions cease and the inbound transmissions commence. The elements of the outbound protocol comprise an outbound sync

406, a selective call address 408, a message vector 410 and a message 412, while the inbound protocol comprises an inbound sync 414 and an acknowledge-back message 416. The outbound sync 406 provides the selective call transceiver 122 a means for synchronization utilizing techniques well known in the art. The selective call address 408 identifies the selective call transceiver 122 which the message 412 is intended. The message vector 410 points in time within the TDD signal format to the position of the message 412 to be received by the selective call transceiver 122. Similarly, the inbound sync 414 provides the base stations 116 a means for synchronization utilizing techniques well known in the art. The acknowledge-back message further comprises an address 418, a message code number 420 and a telephone number 422. The address 418 identifies which selective call transceiver 122 is requesting forwarding of a response message. The message code number 420 and the telephone number 422 identifies which voice message response is to be used by the controller 112 to forward to the aforementioned telephone number. Referring to FIG. 5, a flow chart 500 summarizing the operation of the fixed portion 102 of the selective call communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention begins with step 502 where the system provider enters the default and custom messages and associated message codes in the controller 112. In step 504 the controller 112 programs the default and custom voice messages and alphanumeric descriptions and their associated message codes in the default messages 218, the default message codes 220, the custom messages 222 and the custom message codes 224 in the RAM 214 of the controller 112. In step 506 the controller 112 sends the default alphanumeric message descriptions and their associated default message codes 220, and the custom messages descriptions and their associated custom message codes 224 to the transmitter 202 of the base station 116. In step 508 the transmitter 202 of the base station 116 transmits the default and custom message descriptions and their associated codes to the selective call transceivers 122 using conventional over the air (OTA) programming techniques. The default message descriptions and codes are transmitted to all subscriber users whereas the custom message descriptions and codes are preferably transmitted only to the subscriber users who requested the programming of the messages. In step 510 the controller 112 checks for a selective call message received from the PSTN 110. If a selective call message has been received then in step 514 the controller 112 sends the selective call message to the base stations 116 to transmit to the selective call transceiver 122. In step 516 the controller 112 checks for an acknowledgment received from the selective call transceiver 122 acknowledging that the message has been received. If an acknowledgment has been received then the controller 112 has completed the transmission task. If, however, no message acknowledgment is received, then in step 518 the controller checks if the resend count of the selective call message has been exceeded. If resend count is exceeded, then the controller 112 ceases transmission of the selective call message. If the resend count is not exceeded then the controller resends the message in step 514. In step 510 if no messages have been received from the PSTN, then in step 512 the controller 112 checks for an unscheduled response message request received from a selective call transceiver 122. If no response message request has been received from a selective call transceiver 122, then the controller reverts to step 510 where it checks for messages from the PSTN 110. If a response message request has been received from a selective call transceiver 122, then step 602 (FIG. 6) is invoked, as will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 6, a continuation flow chart 600 of FIG. 5 summarizing the operation of the fixed portion 102 of the selective call communication system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention begins with step 602 where the controller 112 reads the address of the selective call transceiver 122, the telephone number and message code received in the unscheduled response message request. In step 604 the controller 112 dials the telephone number into the PSTN 110 and waits for an answer supervision signal from the PSTN 110. Once the answer supervision signal is received, then in step 606 the controller 112 plays out the voice message over the PSTN 110 to the destined telephone number. Referring to FIG. 7, a flow chart 700 summarizing the operation of the selective call transceiver 122 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention begins with step 702 where the selective call transceiver 122 checks for user invoked unscheduled response message requests. If an unscheduled response message requests is required, then the selective call transceiver 122 invokes step 802 (of FIG. 8), as will be described below. If no response message request has been invoked by the user, then in step 704 the selective call transceiver 122 checks for outbound messages received. If no outbound message has been received then the selective call transceiver 122 reverts to step 702. If an outbound message is received then in step 706 the selective call transceiver 122 decodes the message utilizing techniques well known in the art. In step 708 the selective call transceiver 122 sends a scheduled acknowledgment to the base stations 116 indicating it has received the message. In step 710 the selective call transceiver 122 checks the type of message that has been received. If it is an over-the-air (OTA) response message programming request from the system provider, then in step 712 the selective call transceiver 122 stores the default and custom message descriptions and their associated message codes in RAM 338. If the message type is a regular subscriber message, then in step 714 the telephone number associated with the received message and the message are stored in the RAM 338 of the selective call transceiver 122. In step 716 the user reads the message using the user controls 332, as described above. In step 718 the user decides if an unscheduled response message request is warranted. If no unscheduled response message requested is necessary, then the transaction ceases. If an unscheduled response message requested is invoked by the user, then step 802 (of FIG. 8) is invoked, as will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 8, a continuation flow chart 800 of FIG. 7 summarizing the operation of the selective call transceiver 122 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention begins with step 802 where the selective call transceiver 122 checks for the type of entry system for the destination telephone number of the message response. If the selection type is manual then step 806 is invoked. If the selection type is from pre-stored telephone numbers in RAM 338, then step 804 is invoked. In step 804 the user selects telephone numbers from the telephone numbers list 350 using the user controls 332. It will be appreciated, as was described above, that the telephone number received with the message can be a default selection which the user need not search for in the telephone numbers list 350. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, when the telephone number selection is manual, then in step 806 the user enters a telephone number using the user controls 332. In step 808 the user selects from the default and custom message description lists using the user controls 332 to select a response message code to be sent with the telephone number. In step 810 the user invokes a send request on the selective call transceiver 122 using the user controls 332. In step 812 the transmitter of the selective call transceiver 122 sends an unscheduled response message request to the base stations 116 which includes the address of the selective call transceiver 122, the message code and the telephone number where the response message is destined.

Thus, it should be apparent by now that the present invention provides a method and apparatus for delivering a message to a telephone number in a cost effective and efficient manner in a radio communication system.

What is claimed is:

Claims

1. A method in a radio communication system for delivering a message to a telephone number, the method controlled by a user of a selective call transceiver and comprising the steps of: in a fixed portion of the radio communication system: storing the message and a corresponding message code; thereafter receiving from the selective call transceiver the telephone number and the message code; and in response, delivering to the telephone number the message corresponding to the message code; and in the selective call transceiver: saving in a memory the message code and a message description corresponding thereto; programming the telephone number into the selective call transceiver; thereafter selecting, by the user of the selective call transceiver, the message description corresponding to the message code of the message to be delivered to the telephone number; and transmitting in response the telephone number and the message code to the fixed portion of the radio communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming step comprises the steps of: receiving the telephone number in a selective call transmission originating from the fixed portion of the radio communication system; and storing the telephone number received in the memory of the selective call transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming step comprises the steps of: entering the telephone number by a control sequence executed by the user; and storing the telephone number entered in the memory of the selective call transceiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming step comprises the step of: pre-programming, by a service provider, the memory of the selective call transceiver with the telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step comprises the step of sending a pre-programmed code identifying the selective call transceiver, and wherein the receiving step comprises the step of receiving the pre-programmed code, and wherein the delivering step comprises the step of verifying that the selective call transceiver identified by the pre-programmed code is authorized to utilize the radio communication system for delivering the message to the telephone number, before delivering the message thereto.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing step comprises the steps of: entering the message code and the message description corresponding to the message; and thereafter transmitting the message code and the corresponding message description to the selective call transceiver for saving therein.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing step comprises the step of storing both a default message and corresponding default message code utilized by multiple users of the radio communication system, and a user-custom message and corresponding user-custom message code utilized uniquely the user of the selective call transceiver.

8. A controller in a radio communication system for delivering a message to a telephone number, delivery of the message controlled by a user of a selective call transceiver, the controller comprising: a processor for directing operations of the controller; a telephone interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a telephone system; a transmitter interface coupled to the processor for controlling a transmitter to send outbound information to the selective call transceiver; a receiver interface coupled to the processor for receiving inbound information from the selective call transceiver; and apparatus for delivering the message to the telephone number, the apparatus comprising: a memory element coupled to the processor for storing the message and a corresponding message code; a receive control element coupled to the processor for receiving from the selective call transceiver the telephone number and the message code; and a delivery element coupled to the processor for delivering to the telephone number the message corresponding to the message code.

9. The controller of claim 8, wherein the receive control element comprises a code receiver element for receiving a pre-programmed code identifying the selective call transceiver sending the telephone number and the message code, and wherein the delivery element comprises a verification element for verifying that the selective call transceiver identified by the pre-programmed code is authorized to utilize the radio communication system for delivering the message to the telephone number, before the delivery element delivers the message to the telephone number.

10. The controller of claim 8, further comprising: an entry element coupled to the processor for entering the message code and a message description corresponding to the message; and a transmit control element coupled to the processor for transmitting the message code and the corresponding message description to the selective call transceiver for saving therein.

11. The controller of claim 8, wherein the memory element comprises a first section for storing a default message and corresponding default message code utilized by multiple users of the radio communication system, and a second section for storing a user-custom message and corresponding user-custom message code utilized uniquely the user of the selective call transceiver.

12. A selective call transceiver in a radio communication system for delivering a message to a telephone number, delivery controlled by a user of the selective call transceiver, the selective call transceiver comprising: a receiver for receiving a signal from the radio communication system; a microprocessor coupled to the receiver for decoding the signal and for controlling operations of the selective call transceiver; user controls coupled to the microprocessor for providing control of the selective call transceiver by the user; an alert element coupled to the microprocessor for generating an alert in response to the signal having information intended for the selective call transceiver; and apparatus for delivering the message to the telephone number, the apparatus comprising: a memory element coupled to the microprocessor for saving a message code and a message description corresponding thereto; a program element coupled to the microprocessor for programming the telephone number into the selective call transceiver; a selector element coupled to the microprocessor for selecting, by the user of the selective call transceiver through the user controls, the message description corresponding to the message code of the message to be delivered to the telephone number; and a transmitter coupled to the microprocessor for transmitting in response the telephone number and the message code to a fixed portion of the radio communication system.

13. The selective call transceiver of claim 12, further comprising a code transmission element coupled to the microprocessor for sending to the fixed portion a pre-programmed code identifying the selective call transceiver.

14. The selective call transceiver of claim 12, wherein the program element comprises: a number receive element coupled to the microprocessor for receiving the telephone number in a selective call transmission originating from the fixed portion of the radio communication system; and a number store element coupled to the microprocessor for storing the telephone number received in the memory element.

15. The selective call transceiver of claim 12, wherein the program element comprises: a number entry element coupled to the microprocessor for cooperating with the user controls to provide entry of the telephone number by a control sequence executed by the user; and an entry store element coupled to the microprocessor for storing the telephone number entered by the user in the memory element.

16. The selective call transceiver of claim 12, wherein the program element comprises: a pre-programmer element coupled to the microprocessor for pre-programming, by a service provider, the memory element with the telephone number.