GROUP MESSAGE DELIVERY IN A TIME-DIVISION MULTIPLEXED PAGING SYSTEM

Group message delivery in a time multiplexed paging system is accomplished by providing in normal message packets a group ring indicator. A paging device collecting a message interrogates the group ring indicator to determine availability of a pending group message. If a group message is available, the paging device can target a dedicated time slot associated with group message transmission. In this manner, a single transmission of a group message is made available to all paging devices of the paging system. In one embodiment, the group ring indicator is a single bit indicating merely availability of a pending group message, the paging device then targeting and collecting the available group message to determine whether the paging device subscribes to that particular group message service. In a second embodiment, the group ring indicator indicates not only availability of a group message, but also the type of group message available. The paging device thereby determines based on the value of the group indicator whether the indicated available group message need be pursued.