Paging receiver with distinctive alert patterns

A radiotelephone (101) is adapted to generate a plurality of distinctive vibrating alert patterns. An antenna (201) receives radio frequency (RF) signals including an incoming telephone call signal (121). A receiver (205), operably coupled to the antenna (201), receives the incoming telephone call signal (121). A vibrating alert generator (223) generates a vibrating alert pattern when enabled. A controller (215), operably coupled to the receiver (205) and the vibrating alert generator (223), enables the vibrating alert generator (223) to generate the vibrating alert pattern (301) as one of a plurality of distinctive vibrating alert patterns (301-312) when the incoming telephone call signal (121) is received. The present invention advantageously permits the user or the radiotelephone system (100) to select a preferred distinctive vibrating alert pattern (301), or to assign a particular distinctive vibrating alert pattern (301) to a particular incoming telephone call signal (121).