METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH DENSITY MESSAGE CODING

A remote reporting unit, such as freight trailer monitoring device, generates a number of different status messages representing conditions such as door open, latitude, longitude, battery condition, and the like. The remote unit combines the status messages into an optimized output. Optimization is implemented by applying a predetermined mapping scheme to convert the status message's values into a consolidated output. Having optimized the message, the remote unit transmits the consolidated output in the form of a “feature code” such as a code prefixed by star (*) or another conventional prefix. Telephony equipment that receives the feature code via the cellular telephone network interprets the feature codes by reversing the re-mapping process.