Wireless facsimile computer slate

• US 5,337,314 A
• Filed: 11/23/1992
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Corporation (Seiko Group), Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ragan, Lawrence H., Hoff, Don G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Application Number:
  US07/979,743
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 370/95.1, 370/95.3, 370/85.9, 370/110.1, 370/79, 370/94.1, 370/94.2, 370/60, 370/60.1, 358/147, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 455/32.1
• US Class Current: 370/314
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/225 Display details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00103 specially adapted for radio transmission, e.g. via satellites H04N1/00098 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0031 with a selective call apparatus, e.g. a paging device selective call receivers H04W88/022; selective call encoders H04W88/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0043 Point to multipoint H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/187 using digital or pulse address codes

Abstract

A radio paging network transmits non-paging data, such as facsimile images, to lap top computer receivers by formatting the data into a series of packets and interleaving these packets, on a space available basis, into the paging signal.

Claims

1. A message transmission system that includes in combination,

radio transmission means for transmitting messages utilizing a time slot protocol, each message having as a part thereof first indicia designating the intended receiver of said message, and second indicia indicating a message type, said types including a first type message and a second type of message,

a plurality of intermittently operated radio paging receivers, each of which has an associated first indicia, and means for receiving messages transmitted by said transmission means which include the first indicia associated with said receiver, and an indicia indicating a first type of message,

a plurality of lap top computers, each particular one of said lap top computers having an associated first indicia, and means for receiving messages transmitted by said transmission means which include the first indicia associated with said particular lap top computer and an indicia indicating a second type of message.

2. The system recited in claim 1 wherein the transmissions by said transmission means includes a time slot number in each time slot, and wherein each particular one of said paging receivers has an assigned time slot and each paging receiver is periodically active during a particular time slot, whereby if a receiver is activated during a time slot other than the time slot assigned to said particular receiver, the receiver can calculate the time to the time slot assigned to said particular receiver.

3. A message transmission system that includes in combination,

radio transmitter means for transmitting messages, each message having indicia designating an intended receiver and data,

a plurality of radio paging receivers, each particular one of said radio paging receivers having an associated receiver indicia, and means for receiving transmitted messages which include the indicia associated with the particular receiver,

a plurality of lap top computers each of which includes a radio paging receiver, each particular one of said lap top computers having an associated receiver indicia, and means for receiving transmitted messages which include the indicia associated with the particular lap top computer.

4. The system recited in claim 3 wherein the transmissions by said transmission means include a time slot number in each time slot, and wherein each of particular one of said paging receivers has an assigned time slot and each paging receiver is periodically active during a particular time slot, whereby if a receiver is activated during a slot other than the time slot assigned to said particular receiver, the receiver can calculate the time to the time slot assigned to said particular receiver.

5. A radio paging method that utilizes radio paging receivers, each of which has a recipient identifier code, said method including the steps of:

providing a plurality of paging messages each message having a recipient identifier code and a message type code therein, said message type code differentiating a first type of message from a second type of message;

transmitting said paging messages in a time slot message format;

periodically energizing paging receivers to receive said first type of messages having recipient identifier codes corresponding thereto;

providing a data stream;

splitting said data stream into a plurality of portions and transmitting said portions as a series of messages each of which has a code indicating said second type of message, each message being sent in a different time slot;

providing a continuously energized receiver;

receiving said series of data portions using said continuously energized receiver; and

reassembling said portions into a data stream.