PAGING MESSAGE INTERFACE AND MISSED MESSAGE RETRIEVAL METHOD
RELATED APPLICATION DATA This application is related to commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 802,844, filed November 27, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,808, and copending division(s) thereof, Ser. No. , filed .
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to wide area one-way paging systems and low-power portable paging receivers and, more particularly, to user interface aspects of input, readout and use of such paging systems. Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,808, incorporated by reference herein, discloses a wide area paging system that enables one-way paging of a user at a very distant location. This system includes a paging receiver that accepts, decodes and stores digitally transmitted messages for user-actuated recall and display. Pagers of this type are also known as display pagers. Briefly, the system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,808 accepts and sends paging messages via a series of communications modes, including telephone input, computer message processing, data packet transmission to a local area transmitter, and local FM-sideband broadcast of the
message. A method of system operation and a digital data protocol are provided to facilitate routing of a message input from a source telephone or modem via one or more clearinghouse computers to a local area transmitter in an area where the user of the paging receiver is known by the computer to be located. This protocol further enables each paging receiver to discriminate broadcast messages intended for it from those intended for other receivers of the same type in the same area. The paging system includes a subscriber clearinghouse which has a computer programmed for receiving telephoned messages intended for local area subscribers, encoding them for digital transmission with address information associated with the intended recipient, and broadcasting them locally or sending them to another area where the recipient is located for broadcast. The messages for a particular user are broadcast in a predetermined time slot corresponding to that user's address. The receiver, preferably in the form of a wristwatch pager, includes digital logic and memory for identifying messages intended for it from the time slot data, decoding any messages thus identified, and storing the message data for display of the messages when the user is able to return them. This arrangement permits a number of messages to accumulate before they are read out by the user. Prior patents address a number of problems that arise in connection with the use of display pagers. Such
pagers use a first-in first-out memory or shift register. The oldest message is lost when a new message is input, and all messages are saved until they are replaced by new messages. The user may, on one hand, neglect to return messages before they are lost from memory and, on the other, may forget that a message, still retained in memory, has already been returned. Known pagers include means for counting the number of messages received since the last time the user read out messages and for keeping track of stored messages that have already been read. A problem remains, however, if a message is missed altogether by the paging receiver. A message can be sent several times to improve the likelihood of reception but messages may still be missed. If the user is outside the paging area, any messages will likely be missed. The user of prior pagers has no way to know that a message was missed when reading out the stored messages. Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,808 proposes a message protocol which includes a data field for message numbering. No way is disclosed, however, to make use of the information thus made available to provide the missed messages to the user. Apart from the field of paging, numbering of messages is used in the Telex system. Most prior systems effectively treat all messages with equal urgency. Nondisplay pagers announce each message by an audible beep. If having such a pager beep is inconvenient, such as at a play, the user may turn off the audible signal but then no messages will be signalled
to the user. Display pagers are known which have an audible signalling capability to indicate an urgent message without an audible signal, but are not known to provide any alternative message status information. Prior paging systems have been automated to use a voice response unit to prompt a caller to input message data following a programmed script. Without a human operator, however, the system can be difficult to use. If the caller does not understand an instruction or makes a mistake entering a response, it may be necessary to repeat the entire message sequence to recover. A more human-like automatic voice communications protocol would be preferable. Another desirable user interface feature is the ability for a subscriber to screen incoming messages and to determine how different classes of messages will be handled by the system dependant upon the originator of a message. This capability is not provided in the prior art. Accordingly, a need remains for an improved wide area paging system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of the invention is to improve wide area paging systems and, more particularly, the user interface and information that can be provided to a user by such systems.
Another object is to signal subscribers of one-way paging systems when their paging receivers have missed a transmitted message. A further object is to enable subscribers to retrieve missed messages. Yet another object is to enable a user to program the system to screen or otherwise process incoming messages in a plurality of ways selectable by the subscriber. An additional object is to transmit and display a subscriber-programmable-message status indicator. The invention provides a method and apparatus for signalling to a subscriber of a one-way paging service that a paging message had been sent to but not received by the subscriber's assigned paging message receiver, and enabling the subscriber to retrieve the missed message. The invention can also improve the paging system user interface by enabling the subscriber to program various aspects of message processing and message status indication and by enabling a message originator to interact more easily with the system when operated in an automatic voice response mode. The method comprises, at a location of message origination, inputting a series of messages to be sent to a selected subscriber; assigning a message number to each message intended for the selected subscriber; encoding each message and assigned message number as a packet of encoded paging data; and transmitting each packet of
encoded paging data from a transmitter to paging receivers in a local area. In the paging receiver of the selected subscriber, the method further includes receiving some but not necessarily all of the transmitted packets of encoded paging data; decoding the received packets of encoded paging data including the assigned message numbers thereof; storing the decoded paging data for each received message and associated message number; and displaying each message and associated message number so that the subscriber can determine from the numerical sequence of the message numbers whether all messages have been received and the assigned number of any missed messages. The method further includes storing each input message at the message origin for voice retrieval in association with the assigned message number of the message and, responsive to a telephonic request from the selected subscriber inputting the number of a missed message, recalling the corresponding stored message and transmitting same to the requesting subscriber by voice telephone. The method can further include provision for inputting a code number, comparing a caller input code number with prestored code numbers, selecting a corresponding set of program instructions, and processing the input message in accordance with the selected set of instructions. Such processing can include refusing a message, accepting but not sending or storing the message, storing but not sending the message, sending but
not storing the message, and enabling the user to input one of a predetermined, programmable set of message status flags. The method can allow an input message to have an assigned status, programmable by the subscriber and dependant upon the code number entered by each message originator. This method includes inputting the status together with the message and code number and, for messages that are permitted to be transmitted, encoding and transmitting the status in a packet of paging data. In the pager, decoding and displaying the message includes decoding and displaying a corresponding message status indicator to the subscriber. In a preferred embodiment, the encoded packet of paging data includes a transport data field for transmitting message data, the transport data field including two bit locations dedicated to indicating the status of the message. The encoded packet of paging data also includes a packet assembly field of binary data bits, the packet assembly field including a predetermined number of bits being assigned as message count bits. The apparatus is wide area paging system for sending messages from a message origin to subscribers bearing display-type pagers. The system comprises message input means for originating a paging message to be sent to a selected subscriber; transmitting means for broadcasting the paging messages to the subscribers; and a display pager assigned to each subscriber. The pager includes
means for receiving broadcast paging messages uniquely addressed to the particular pager, decoding means for decoding received messages, memory means for storing a predetermined number of the received messages and display means actuable by the subscriber for displaying the stored messages. The message input means includes means for sequentially numbering each message to be sent to each selected subscriber and means for encoding the number within the message for broadcast as a part thereof. The decoding means in each pager is operable to decode said number and place the number in the pager memory means in association with the corresponding decoded message. The display means in each pager means is arranged to display said number in association with the corresponding message. The subscriber, upon displaying each stored message in turn, can determine from a gap between the numbers of successive stored messages that an intervening-numbered message had been transmitted but not received. The system further includes means coupled to the message input means for storing each input message for voice retrieval in association with the assigned message number of the message and means responsive to a telephonic request from the selected subscriber inputting the number of a missed message for recalling the corresponding stored message and transmitting same to the requesting subscriber by voice telephone. The system preferably has a voice response unit which handles both
calls from the subscriber and from message originators automatically, without human operator intervention. The system can further include means responsive to a user inputting a code number for comparing the code number with a set of security code numbers associated with the selected subscriber and processing the message in accordance with subscriber-programmed instructions depending upon the input code. Such means can also control what status inputs a message originator can enter into the system for transmitting to the subscriber. The voice response unit can be programmed, in accordance with a further aspect of the invention, to enable a caller to cause the automatic voice script to back up to a preceding step in a message sequence, to repeat instructions or correct prior responses. The storage unit can be controlled to back up with the script for repeating or overwriting a stored response, depending on whether it is a message originator or subscriber who is using the system. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a system in which the present invention is implemented.
FIG. 2 is the digital data protocol of each individual encoded packet of paging data in which the invention is implemented. FIG. 3 is a more detailed view of the packet assembly field of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a two-part flowchart showing operation of the present invention at a message origination location and at a pager. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a series of steps in an automatic voice response unit's operating sequence showing provision for a caller to actuate backing up the voice response script. FIG. 6 is flowchart showing branching of the message input routine of FIG. 4 dependant upon the security code input by a message originator.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION The system in which the present invention is embodied is shown in summary fashion in FIG. 1. A more detailed description of the system and its operation are set forth in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,808, incorporated by reference herein, and need not be repeated. Briefly, the system comprises a paging message input device such as a touchtone telephone 24A, a clearinghouse computer 34,36 arranged to receive telephonic messages via a voice response unit (not shown) and encode same into message packets, a transmitter facility 44 for receiving the message packets and
modulating and broadcasting them on FM signals. A watch-type display pager 20 receives, demodulates, decodes, stores and, upon recall by the user, displays the received messages. Messages that are sent to the pagers are also stored, by subscriber number and message number, for later voice retrieval and playback. For this purpose, a DTMF or other suitable signal line 60 connects a digital message storage and retrieval subsystem 62 to the clearinghouse computer 34. Subsystem 62 includes a message input unit 64 connected to signal line 60. The input unit is connected to input received messages into a computerized message storage unit 66. Coupled to the storage unit is a message retrieval unit 68. A voice response unit 70, which can be remotely accessed by a subscriber via touchtone telephone 24B, is controllably connected to the retrieval unit. Responsive to input commands from the caller, the voice response unit causes the retrieval unit 68 to recall a message stored in the storage unit 66 and forward the recalled message in voice format to the caller at telephone 24B. The foregoing units are known and need not be further described. The operation thereof in accordance with the invention is controlled by suitable programming further described below with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The invention improves the utility of the paging system by enabling a recipient of paging messages to tell if a message has been missed by the pager and to call in
and retrieve the missed message. It also enables an originator of a message to convey to the recipient additional status information about the message. It additionally enables the subscriber to control who can send messages through the system to his/her pager and to program how messages from different classes of callers will be handled. This includes whether messages from a particular caller will be accepted, sent or not sent, stored or not stored, and whether the caller can send status information and what kind each can send. It also enables callers to back up the voice response script and storage unit at any point in a message sequence. The message originator can actuate repeat of instructions and change responses. A subscriber can repeat stored messages. Referring to FIG. 4, the method of paging of the present invention commences when a person calls in from a touchtone telephone 24A to a message center and inputs a message for transmittal to a selected subscriber. The caller calls in and receives an automatic voice response, which includes a series of instructions to the caller. Each instruction in the sequence is followed by an opportunity of the caller to input data via the numbered and "#" keys of the telephone. If the user enters data from these 11 keys, the sequence proceeds to the next step. As shown in FIG. 5, the user also has the opportunity at each step to cause the script to back up
to an earlier point in the sequence. The user actuates backup by depressing the "*" sign on the telephone a number time to indicate the number of times to back up. Once the system has backed up, it repeats the subsequent instructions, requiring the user to reenter data in response to the instructions through the point where the user backed up, and then proceeds to any remaining instructions. The data input by the user is saved in temporary memory until the message sequence has been completed. Then, usually, the data is stored for later voice retrieval as discussed further below. Returning to FIG.4, the input step 26 includes a request to the user to indicate a message status, by pressing a designated key on the telephone, for example, to indicate whether the message is urgent (U) or normal (N) , or other indicators programmable by the subscriber. If a status indicator is not entered, the clearinghouse computer 34 enters by default an indication (N) that the message status is normal, i.e., not urgent. The input sequence also calls for entry of a caller input code. The caller input code includes a security code field for the user to key in a security code which the computer verifies (step 28) and a subscriber-programmable function field for entering data which the computer further processes before formatting a message for transmission and storage. This step can also be performed before message input.
Referring to FIG. 6, the subscriber can program a number of different system responses dependant upon the subscriber-programmable function field of the caller input code number. For example, the subscriber can furnish certain callers with a code number to identify their message as very important. Such messages are normally processed as urgent, including placing an urgent (U) status indicator in their messages. The status indicator is displayed on the watch pager 20 in a multistate flag field 21 as shown in FIG. 1. Other callers may be given a code number with a function field code that only permits them to send "normal" (N) status flagged messages. Messages in either the urgent or normal category will ordinarily be both stored and sent, with their associated status flags. Callers who fail to input a caller input number, or input an unaccepted number are refused entry to the system without storing or sending their message. Other classes of message status which can be programmed include (1) store message but do not transmit, i.e., hold it until the subscriber calls in for it; (2) store message for a period of time before transmitting it; (3) store message until the subscriber calls in for it but if not called for in a specified time period either transmit it or mail it, as programmed by the subscriber. Callers can be given more than one caller input number, or variable data to use in the subscriber programmable function field, so that they can vary the status of message that they can input.
Once the caller input code is processed, if the message is not refused, the message is assigned a message number. This number is incremented from l to 32 for each successive message directed to a particular subscriber. Then, in step 32, message number is stored digitally and the message itself is stored in coded format in the digital message storage unit 62 under an address (i.e., telephone number and access code) known to the particular subscriber. The message, message number and status (urgent(U) , normal(N), etc.) are encoded digitally in a paging message packet, as shown in step 38. Packets of paging messages are sent to a transmitter 44, either directly or via another clearing house 36, where the messages are modulated onto an FM carrier for broadcast to pagers 20. The digital message storage unit 62 can be accessed by subscribers via telephone 24B. The subscriber enters an assigned subscriber number followed by a message number. Once the subscriber number is verified (step 42) , access to the voice mail machine is granted. The subscriber number and message number are then used to recall a particular stored message and play it back via telephone to the subscriber. As mentioned above, the voice response script can be backed up as shown in FIG. 5 to repeat messages. When a message packet is broadcast, it is received by a pager 20 to which it is directed; it is decoded in step 48. The next step 50 is to detect the message
number, the message, and the status of the message from the decoded packet. The message and its number are stored in digital memory in the pager (step 52) . The message status is checked in step 54 and, if the status is urgent, a corresponding symbol (U) is displayed visually on the face of the pager. In step 56, responsive to actuation by the user of the pager, the message, its number and status are displayed, as shown in FIG. 1. The preferred implementation of the present invention utilizes the message protocol shown and described in the aforementioned patent. This protocol includes an individual message or packet format 604 which is shown generally in FIG. 2. This format includes a transport data field 605, which carries the digital message, and a packet assembly field 612. Field 612 is shown in further detail in FIG. 3. It includes three bits (SOC, EOC and EOM) which are used in chaining messages together. The next five bits (MSG#) are used to carry the message number. The remaining 16 bits are used for a continuation number (8 bits) , also used in chaining, and for error correction coding (ECC) . When the message number bits are decoded from the received broadcast, they are stored in memory in association with the message which is stored from the transport data of the same packet. When the display is actuated to read out messages, the message number is displayed in a message number field 22 simultaneously
with the associated message, e.g., message number 27 as shown in FIG. 1. If the previous message had a message number 25, the user would know that an intervening message (number 26) was transmitted but missed. The message status is also displayed in field 21, based on the state of at least two predetermined bits in the transport data field. The subscriber can then call in to the voice mailbox at his/her home clearinghouse 34 and enter his/her subscriber number and missed message number. The clearinghouse computer verifies access and then, using the input numbers as an address, looks up the message that was previously stored for voice retrieval. The message is then played back for the subscriber via telephone 24B. Having illustrated and described the principles of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. We claim all modifications and variations coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims.