Abstract: A wide area communication system (100,200) employs a method and apparatus for providing a localized information (410) to a communication device (500) located in the wide area communication system (100,200). The wide area communication system (100,200) includes a plurality of local coverage areas (110-112, 219-225) that are each served by one or more broadcast transmission sites (103-108, 203-212). A broadcast transmission site (300) providing communication service to a local coverage area that includes the communication device (500) transmit, during a first pre-allocated time interval and/or together with a first pre-allocated broadcast address, information relating to their local coverage area.

Abstract: A two-way messaging system (20) for message redundancy reduction includes a two-way messaging terminal (24) and at least one two-way messaging device (22). The two-way messaging terminal (24) sends a reduced messaging signal to the receiving two-way messaging device (23) in response to receiving from the sending two-way messaging device (21) a redundancy reduced signal (92) including codes representative of one or more message components to be displayed by the receiving two-way messaging device (23) as part of a message. The receiving two-way messaging device (23) responds to the reduced messaging signal by displaying the message with the message components represented by the codes received in the reduced messaging signal.

Abstract: A wide area communication system (100,200) employs a method and apparatus for providing a localized information (410) to a communication device (500) located in the wide area communication system (100,200). The wide area communication system (100,200) includes a plurality of local coverage areas (110-112, 219-225) that are each served by one or more broadcast transmission sites (103-108, 203-212). A broadcast transmission site (300) providing communication service to a local coverage area that includes the communication device (500) transmit, during a first pre-allocated time interval and/or together with a first pre-allocated broadcast address, information relating to their local coverage area.

Abstract: A method, in a SCR (Selective Call Receiver) (10), for providing to a user of the SCR (10) a voice memo in explanation of a received message. The SCR stores distinctive data (63) and a user-generated voice memo (67) that relates to the distinctive data. The voice memo (67) and the distinctive data (63) are stored in the SCR in association with each other. When a subsequent transmitted message (73) containing matching distinctive data is received, the SCR can annunciate the stored voice memo (67) in explanation of the subsequent message. Another feature allows voice memos to be stored and annunciated to explain the reason for alarms that are generated at times selected by the user.

Abstract: A portable information display device such as a pager (20) has a plurality of operating modes and a corresponding plurality of menu items (40, 140). A symbol (40, 142) corresponding each menu item is displayed on a display (22) in a sequence determined by a priority (46) of the menu item. The priority (46) of each menu item (40, 140) is determined in response to either a frequency of selection of the corresponding operating mode (44), or a default value assigned to the menu item (42, 142) or both.