Monitoring availability of selective call radios in a half-duplex radio communication system

1. In a half-duplex radio communication system coupled to a plurality of selective call radios (SCRs), a method comprising the steps of:

receiving at the half-duplex radio communication system a monitor request message from a source SCR of the plurality of SCRs to determine a call availability status for each of a first list of at least one target SCR of a group member list of the source SCR;

submitting from the half-duplex radio communication system a call availability status request to each of the first list of at least one target SCR;

submitting from the half-duplex radio communication system to the source SCR a response state corresponding to the call availability status request of each of the first list of at least one target SCR; and

updating the group member list according to the response state for each of the first list of at least one target SCR, wherein the method further comprises the alternative set of steps among a first set of establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative and submitting a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative or a second set of selecting a second list of at least one target SCR from the updated group member list and establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the second list of at least one target SCR.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of presenting the updated group member list to a user of the source SCR.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second list of at least one target SCR from the updated group member list; and

establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the second list of at least one target SCR.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

establishing affiliations between the plurality of SCRs; and

generating the group member list for each of the plurality of SCRs according to the preceding affiliations.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the affiliations are established by one among a group comprising each of the plurality of SCRs and the half-duplex radio communication system.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

blocking incoming calls other than from the source SCR at the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative to the call availability status request;

establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative; and

submitting a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

establishing at the source SCR communication a half-duplex radio communication link with the group member list prior to submitting the monitor request message to the half- duplex radio communication system;

submitting a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR; and

presenting the updated group member list to a user of the source SCR, the updated group member list indicating which of the first list of at least one target SCR received the half-duplex message.

8. A half-duplex radio communication system coupled to a plurality of SCRs, comprising

a plurality of radio base stations coupled to the plurality of SCRs;

wherein elements of the half-duplex radio communication system and a source SCR of the plurality of SCRs are programmed to:

receive a monitor request message from a source SCR of the plurality of SCRs to determine a call availability status for each of a first list of at least one target SCR of a group member list of the source SCR;

submit from the select one radio base station a call availability status request to each of the first list of at least one target SCR;

submit from the half-duplex radio communication system to the source SCR a response state corresponding to the call availability status request of each of the first list of at least one target SCR;

update the group member list according to the response state for each of the first list of at least one target SCR; and

alternatively establish a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative and submit a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative or select a second list of at least one target SCR from the updated group member list and establish a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the second list of at least one target SCR.

9. The half-duplex radio communication system of claim 8 , further comprising the step of presenting the updated group member list to a user of the source SCR.

10. The half-duplex radio communication system of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second list of at least one target SCR from the updated group member list; and

establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the second list of at least one target SCR.

11. The half-duplex radio communication system of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:

establishing affiliations between the plurality of SCRs; and

generating the group member list for each of the plurality of SCRs according to the preceding affiliations.

12. The half-duplex radio communication system of claim 11 , wherein the affiliations are established by one among a group comprising each of the plurality of SCRs and the half-duplex radio communication system.

13. The half-duplex radio communication system of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:

blocking incoming calls other than from the source SCR at the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative to the call availability status request;

establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative; and

submitting a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative.

14. A source SCR coupled to a half-duplex radio communication system, comprising

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver;

wherein the source SCR and the half-duplex radio communication system are programmed to:

receive at the half-duplex radio communication system a monitor request message from a source SCR of the plurality of SCRs to determine a call availability status for each of a first list of at least one target SCR of a group member list of the source SCR;

submit from the select one radio base station a call availability status request to each of the first list of at least one target SCR;

submit from the half-duplex radio communication system to the source SCR a response state corresponding to the call availability status request of each of the first list of at least one target SCR;

update the group member list according to the response state for each of the first list of at least one target SCR; and

alternatively establish a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative and submit a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative or select a second list of at least one target SCR from the updated group member list and establish a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the second list of at least one target SCR.

15. The source SCR of claim 14 , further comprising the step of presenting the updated group member list to a user of the source SCR.

16. The source SCR of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second list of at least one target SCR from the updated group member list; and

establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the second list of at least one target SCR.

17. The source SCR of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:

establishing affiliations between the plurality of SCRs; and

generating the group member list for each of the plurality of SCRs according to the preceding affiliations.

18. The source SCR of claim 17 , wherein the affiliations are established by one among a group comprising each of the plurality of SCRs and the half-duplex radio communication system.

19. The source SCR of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:

blocking incoming calls other than from the source SCR at the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative to the call availability status request;

establishing a half-duplex radio communication link between the source SCR and the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative; and

submitting a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR responding in the affirmative.

20. The source SCR of claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:

establishing at the source SCR communication a half-duplex radio communication link with the group member list prior to submitting the monitor request message to the half- duplex radio communication system;

submitting a half-duplex message from the source SCR to the first list of at least one target SCR; and

presenting the updated group member list to a user of the source SCR, the updated group member list indicating which of the first list of at least one target SCR received the half-duplex message.