Abstract: This specification discloses a method for using a smart card on an HPC, which, through the combination of the HPC and a smart card reader and a driver, controls the smart card reader. This also provides application programs a public interface for the user to manipulate the smart card reader for data transmission with the HPC.

Abstract: The present invention encompasses a method of providing communication service to members of a talkgroup in a radio communication system (100). A typical system (100) includes a plurality of communication units (116-122), a plurality of communication sites (106-112), and a central controller (114) that communication resources among the communication units (116-122). Upon receipt of a request for a talkgroup call from a communication unit, the central controller (114) grants the talkgroup call request for the first talkgroup. When the central controller (114) receives, during the first call, a talkgroup call request for the same talkgroup, the controller (114) agglomerates the two concurrent talkgroup calls, thereby providing communication service to all members of the talkgroup using a single communication resource.

Abstract: A radio communication system (200) employs a method (400) and system (200) for establishing a communication between communication units (212-217) using geographically distributed packet duplicators (203-205). The communication system (200) includes a system controller (201), a plurality of packet duplicators (203-205), a plurality of base sites (207-210), and a plurality of communication units (212-217). The packet duplicators (203-205), which provide interconnectivity between the base sites (207-210), are distributed throughout geographic regions (233-234) of the system (200). When the system controller (201) receives a request to communicate from one communication unit (e.g., 212) in a group of communication units (e.g., 212-215), the system controller (201) selects a packet duplicator (e.g., 203) serving a geographic region (e.g., 233) containing at least one communication unit in the group and uses the selected packet duplicator (203) to establish the group communication.

Abstract: A multi-site communication system (100) includes a plurality of communication units ( 112-117), a central controller (101) for coupling a plurality of communication sites (106-108), and a site controller (103) corresponding to one of the communication sites (106). Communication access between two or more communication units (112-117) can be enhanced by a method (200, 300) including the steps of receiving (201) a request for a first communication, and directing (211) the appropriate site controller to re-submit the request. By so doing, the site controller (103) can request (314) the central controller (101) to establish a realizable communication between two communication units in the system (113, 114).