Message delivery improvement for data communications system using single frequency reuse networks

Claim 1

In a single frequency reuse radio data communications system having multiple fixed stations all operating on a channel with each fixed station arranged to provide data communications over a data path to a corresponding coverage zone, the coverage zones collectively defining a geographic area, the system coordinated by a network controller and adapted for reliable data message delivery to portables throughout a geographic area, a method of message delivery including the steps of: attempting a data message delivery to a portable over a reuse data path; detecting an absence of a data message confirmation, said confirmation indicative of a successful delivery to said portable; selecting a non-reuse data path; registering said portable on said non-reuse data path, including identifying, at said portable, a preferred path having a corresponding quality metric that satisfies a preferred threshold, assessing a last quality metric for a last used path, use of such path having resulted in a last successful delivery to said portable, and transmitting, when said last quality metric satisfies a registration threshold, a registration packet including said preferred path to the data communications system for subsequent use as a registered path; and reattempting, in response to said absence of a data message confirmation, said data message delivery over a non-reuse data path, said non-reuse data path defined to require any other data path providing overlapping service to a coverage zone corresponding to said non-reuse data path to forego activation.