Pager with display updateable by incoming message

• US 5,173,688 A
• Filed: 08/19/1991
• Issued: 12/22/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schwendeman, John, DeLuca, Joan S., Kabcenell, Amy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Magistre, Dervis
• Application Number:
  US07/747,403
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.26, 340/825.27, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.48, 340/311.1, 379/56, 379/57, 370/94.1
• US Class Current: 340/7.55
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1091 Group calling
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/227 with call or message storage means

Abstract

A selective call receiver, such as a pager, stores an incoming message without interrupting the operation of the receiver. One set of data items displayed on a display of the receiver is updated independent of another set of data items. The updating function allows for the display of display formats such as forms and tables, wherein only the information needed to fill in the table is transmitted, the header information being retained from one update to the next.

Claims

1. A selective call receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving messages of either a first type or a second, different, type;

display means for displaying information including said messages;

user operable input means for controlling functions of the selective call receiver;

storage means for storing said messages; and

control means coupled to said receiving means, said display means, said input means and said storage means for controlling the storing of said messages and the operation of the display means and the input means, wherein said control means determines whether a received message comprises said first type or said second type of message and, in response to the determination, interrupts the operation of said input means and said display means in order to display the received message if the received message comprises the first type of message or stores the received message without substantially interrupting the operation of said input means and said display means if the received message comprises the second type of message.

2. The selective call receiver of claim 1 further comprising indicator means for providing an indication that a message has been received but has not yet been displayed on the display if the message comprises the second type of message.

3. The selective call receiver of claim 1 wherein said control means comprises:

means for determining whether information is being displayed on the display when a new message is received; and

means responsive to said determining means for selectively displaying the new message if said new message comprises the second type of information and if no information is being displayed when said new message is received;

4. The selective call receiver of claim 3, wherein said means for selectively displaying the new message displays the new message if no information comprising one of said messages is being displayed.

5. The selective call receiver of claim 1 wherein said control means further comprises:

means for comparing said received message with a displayed message; and

means responsive to said comparing means for selectively interrupting the displayed message by displaying the received message.

6. The selective call receiver of claim 5 wherein said received message comprises said second type of message and wherein said means for comparing determines whether said received message is an update of said displayed message and said means for interrupting interrupts the displayed message by displaying the received message in response to said received message being an update of said displayed message.

7. The selective call receiver of claim 2, wherein said display means comprises a first portion for displaying said messages received and a second portion for displaying other information, wherein said second portion includes said means for indicating.

8. A selective call receiver comprising:

a display arranged simultaneously to display first and second sets of data items;

means for receiving a data message including a new first set and/or second set of data items;

means for updating said display of said first and second sets of data items such that said first and second sets of data items are displayed in accordance with said new first and second sets of data items if said display is displaying said first and second sets of data items corresponding to said new first and second sets of data items when said new first and second set of data items are received; and

means for updating said display of said first and second set of data items such that said second set of data items are displayed in accordance with said new second set of data items, independent of said first set of data items displayed, if said display is displaying said second set of data items corresponding to said new second set of data items when said new second set of data items are received.

9. A method of displaying information on a selective call receiver comprising a display and a memory device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving first and second sets of data items;

storing said first and second sets of data items in said memory device;

displaying said first and second sets of data items simultaneously on said display;

receiving a new second set of data items;

updating said second set of data items stored in said memory device in accordance with said new second set of data items; and

updating said second set of data items on said display in accordance with said new second set of data items while continuing to display said first set of data items if said first and second set of data items are displayed on said display when said new second set of data items are received.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising after the step of storing said first and second sets of data items the step of protecting said first set of data items stored in said memory device from deletion therefrom.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the data items transmitted comprise commands and data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the commands transmitted are selected from a command set which includes a command to treat incoming data as a first or second set of data items and wherein said command causes a first set of data items to be treated as headings for repeated display each time anew set of second data items is received and a second set of data items to be treated as update data for display with said headings.

13. A selective call receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving selective call signals comprising update signals;

decoding means coupled to said receiving means for decoding said update signals and producing update data in response thereto;

memory means for storing a plurality of periodically updated information blocks;

display means for displaying each of said plurality of periodically updated information blocks in a display;

memory control means for updating one of said plurality of periodically updated information blocks corresponding to said update data in response to said update data; and

display control means coupled to said display means and said decoding means for altering said display in response to said update data if said update data is received and decoded while said one of said plurality of periodically updated information blocks corresponding to said update data is being displayed and for not substantially altering said display in response to said one of said plurality of periodically updated information blocks corresponding to said update data not being displayed when said update data is received and decoded.

14. In a selective call receiver comprising a display and a memory, a method for periodically updating information service data comprising the steps of:

receiving periodic update data;

decoding said periodic update data;

updating information service data corresponding to said periodic update data stored in said memory in response to receiving said periodic update data;

determining whether said stored information service data corresponding to said periodic update data is being displayed by said display; and

updating said stored information service data on said display corresponding to said periodic update data in response to receiving said periodic update data if said stored information service data corresponding to said periodic update data is being displayed.