Congestion control system and method for efficient multi-frequency messaging

Claim 2

A congestion control method for a messaging system having a plurality of scanning selective call receivers with roaming capability, comprising the steps of: storing a priority value assigned to at least one of the identifiers for at least one of the plurality of scanning selective call receivers in a subscriber database at a home input terminal; matching the at least one identifier with at least one of the identifiers on the available communication resources found at the output controller terminal providing an identifier with a highest priority value; transmitting the associated message on the available communication resource having the identifier with the highest priority value if no congestion is detected on the communication resource; and listing the communication resource on a communication resource congestion control list if the communication resource is deemed congested.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of reinitiating at the home input terminal on a new communication resource the message associated with the communication resource on the communication resource congestion control list.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises the step of transmitting the associated message on the available communication resource having the identifier with the highest priority value if no congestion is detected on the new communication resource.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of forwarding the priority value and an associated message to the output terminal.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of forwarding the communication resource congestion control list to the home input terminal from the output controller terminal, wherein the output controller terminal makes recommendations for a new communication resource for retrying transmission of the message.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1, wherein the communication resource comprises a frequency.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1, wherein the communication resource comprises a phase in a FLEX™ protocol structure.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1, wherein the communication resource comprises a base frame in a FLEX™ protocol structure.

Claim 10

A congestion control method for a messaging system having a plurality of scanning selective call receivers with roaming capability using network roaming identifiers (NIDs) associated with network wide frequencies and simulcast system identifiers (SSIDs) associated with local system frequencies, comprising the steps of: storing a priority value assigned to at least one NID or at least one SSID for at least one of the plurality of scanning selective call receivers in a subscriber database at a home input terminal; matching the at least one NID or the at least one SSID on at least one of the available communication resource found at the output controller terminal, providing an identifier with a highest priority value; and transmitting the associated message on at least one of the available communication resource matching the highest priority value to the identifier having the highest priority value if no congestion is detected on the at least one available frequency; and listing the at least one available communication resource on a congestion control list if the at least one available communication resource is deemed congested.

Claim 11

A congestion control method for a messaging system having a plurality of scanning selective call receivers with roaming capability using network roaming identifiers (NIDs) associated with network wide frequencies and simulcast system identifiers (SSIDs) associated with local system frequencies, comprising the steps of: storing a priority value assigned to at least one NID or at least one SSID for at least one of the plurality of scanning selective call receivers in a subscriber database at a home input terminal; matching the at least one NID or the at least one SSID on at least one of the available communication resource found at the output controller terminal, providing an identifier with a highest priority value; and transmitting the associated message on at least one of the available communication resource matching the highest priority value to the identifier having the highest priority value if no congestion is detected on the at least one available frequency; and listing the at least one available communication resource on a congestion control list if the at least one available communication resource is deemed congested.

Claim 12

The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the step of reinitiating at the home input terminal on a new communication resource the message associated with the communication resource on the congestion control list.

Claim 13

The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of transmitting the associated message on the available communication resource having the identifier with the highest priority value if no congestion is detected on the new communication resource.

Claim 14

The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of forwarding the priority value and an associated message to the output terminal.

Claim 15

The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of forwarding the congestion control list to the home input terminal from the output controller terminal, wherein the output controller terminal makes recommendations for a new communication resource for retrying transmission of the message.

Claim 16

The method of claim 10, wherein the communication resource comprises a frequency.

Claim 17

The method of claim 10, wherein the communication resource comprises a particular frequency and phase in a FLEX™ protocol structure.

Claim 18

The method of claim 10, wherein the communication resource comprises a base frame in a particular frequency in a FLEX™ protocol structure.

Claim 19

The method of claim 10, wherein the communication resource comprises a particular frequency having a given traffic management group.

Claim 20

An efficient multi-frequency roaming and selective call messaging system using network roaming identifiers (NIDs) associated with network wide frequencies and simulcast system identifiers (SSIDs) associated with local system frequencies for transmission of messages to a plurality of selective call receivers, comprising: a home input terminal for storing a priority value assigned to at least one NID or at least one SSID for at least one of the plurality of selective call receivers in a subscriber database; an output controller terminal networked to the home input terminal for receiving the priority value and an associated message from the home input terminal, wherein the output controller terminal matches the at least one NID or the at least one SSID on at least one of the available communication resources at the output terminal and wherein the output controller allows the transmission of the associated message on the at least one of the available communication resources if no congestion is detected on the at least one of the available communication resource; and a congestion control list at the output control terminal containing the at least one available communication resource that is deemed congested.

Claim 21

An efficient multi-frequency roaming and selective call messaging system using network roaming identifiers (NIDs) associated with network wide frequencies and simulcast system identifiers (SSIDs) associated with local system frequencies for transmission of messages to a plurality of selective call receivers, comprising: a home input terminal for storing a priority value assigned to at least one NID or at least one SSID for at least one of the plurality of selective call receivers in a subscriber database; an output controller terminal networked to the home input terminal for receiving the priority value and an associated message from the home input terminal, wherein the output controller terminal matches the at least one NID or the at least one SSID on at least one of the available communication resources at the output terminal and wherein the output controller allows the transmission of the associated message on the at least one of the available communication resources if no congestion is detected on the at least one of the available communication resource; and a congestion control list at the output control terminal containing the at least one available communication resource that is deemed congested.

Claim 22

The system of claim 18, wherein the system further comprises a transmitter for transmitting the associated message on at least one of the available communication resources matching the highest priority value to the at least one NID or the at least one SSID having the highest priority value.

Claim 23

The system of claim 19, wherein the communication resource is selected from the group of FLEX™ protocol communication resources comprising frequencies, phases, base frame family, and traffic management group.