Remote command, control and monitoring of apparatus by way of existing paging service network

Claim 1

A system for remote performance of apparatus related tasks through an available commercial paging service that is configured to transmit a pager address code by radio to a plurality of pagers wherein each pager of said plurality of pagers has a unique pager address code that is different from the pager address codes of the other pagers of the plurality of pagers, and in which the commercial paging service transmits a first pager address code belonging to one of said plurality of pagers, whereby a pager which receives the transmission of its own unique pager address code transmits an acknowledgment signal to the paging service, the system comprising: a plurality of task pagers at least one of the plurality of task pagers comprising means for interfacing with an apparatus, each of the plurality of task pagers having control means programmed for controlling its functions, and having the same pager address code as the other ones of the plurality of task pagers and being configured to receive a transmission of the same pager address code from the available commercial paging service, only one task pager of said plurality of task pagers being a master pager programmed to transmit an acknowledgment signal to the paging service in response to said same pager address code, the remaining ones of said plurality of task pagers receiving the same transmission of said same pager address code being programmed to not transmit the acknowledgment signal to the paging service.

Claim 2

A system for remote performance of apparatus related tasks through an available commercial paging service that is configured to transmit a pager address code by radio to a plurality of pagers wherein each pager of said plurality of pagers has a unique pager address code that is different from the pager address codes of the other pagers of the plurality of pagers, and in which the commercial paging service transmits a first pager address code belonging to one of said plurality of pagers, whereby a pager which receives the transmission of its own unique pager address code transmits an acknowledgment signal to the paging service, the system comprising: a plurality of task pagers at least one of the plurality of task pagers comprising means for interfacing with an apparatus, each of the plurality of task pagers having control means programmed for controlling its functions, and having the same pager address code as the other ones of the plurality of task pagers and being configured to receive a transmission of the same pager address code from the available commercial paging service, only one task pager of said plurality of task pagers being a master pager programmed to transmit an acknowledgment signal to the paging service in response to said same pager address code, the remaining ones of said plurality of task pagers receiving the same transmission of said same pager address code being programmed to not transmit the acknowledgment signal to the paging service.

Claim 6

A method for remote performance of apparatus related tasks by radio communication between a radio pager and an available commercial paging service which broadcasts a signal, the radio pager having means for interfacing with apparatus and for processing a radio signal received by the pager and controlling functions of the pager, the method comprising the pager performing the steps of: (a) receiving the broadcast signal, (b) determining whether the signal includes the pager's address ID code, (c) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager's address ID code, the pager going into standby, (d) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f), (e) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, performing step (f), (f) determining whether the signal includes an individual pager ID code that matches the pager's own individual ID code, wherein an individual pager ID code is different from the pager's pager address ID code, and performing the apparatus related task addressed by the signal for performance by a pager with the pager's own individual ID code.

Claim 7

A method for remote performance of apparatus related tasks by radio communication between a radio pager and an available commercial paging service which broadcasts a signal, the radio pager having means for interfacing with apparatus and for processing a radio signal received by the pager and controlling functions of the pager, the method comprising the pager performing the steps of: (a) receiving the broadcast signal, (b) determining whether the signal includes the pager's address ID code, (c) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager's address ID code, the pager going into standby, (d) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f), (e) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, performing step (f), (f) determining whether the signal includes an individual pager ID code that matches the pager's own individual ID code, wherein an individual pager ID code is different from the pager's pager address ID code, and performing the apparatus related task addressed by the signal for performance by a pager with the pager's own individual ID code.

Claim 9

A method for remote performance of apparatus related tasks by radio communication between a plurality of radio pagers each comprising the same pager address ID code, and an available commercial paging service which broadcasts a signal, the radio pagers comprising means for interfacing with apparatus and each pager comprising means for processing a radio signal received by the pager and controlling functions of the pager, the method comprising each of the plurality of pagers performing the steps of: (a) receiving the broadcast signal, (b) determining whether the signal includes the pager's address ID code, (c) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager's address ID code, the pager going into standby, (d) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f), (e) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, not transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f), (f) performing the apparatus related task specific for the pager according to instruction from the available commercial paging service.

Claim 10

A method for remote performance of apparatus related tasks by radio communication between a plurality of radio pagers each comprising the same pager address ID code, and an available commercial paging service which broadcasts a signal, the radio pagers comprising means for interfacing with apparatus and each pager comprising means for processing a radio signal received by the pager and controlling functions of the pager, the method comprising each of the plurality of pagers performing the steps of: (a) receiving the broadcast signal, (b) determining whether the signal includes the pager's address ID code, (c) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does not include the pager's address ID code, the pager going into standby, (d) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is a master pager, transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f), (e) if in step (b) the pager determines that the signal does include the pager's address ID code, and the pager is not a master pager, not transmitting an acknowledgment signal to the available commercial paging service and performing step (f), (f) performing the apparatus related task specific for the pager according to instruction from the available commercial paging service.