Wireless facsimile computer slate

• US 5,463,626 A
• Filed: 07/20/1994
• Issued: 10/31/1995
• 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: Hoff, Don G., Ragan, Lawrence H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Application Number:
  US08/277,732
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/92, 370/94.1, 370/94.2, 370/95.1, 370/95.2, 370/110.1, 370/85.9, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 455/32.1, 455/31.1, 455/38.1, 455/38.2, 455/38.3, 455/38.5
• US Class Current: 370/349
• 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. In a system that includes a first radio receiver and a second radio receiver, said first radio receiver having an associated first receiver address and said second radio receiver having an associated second receiver address, the combination of:

radio transmission means for transmitting messages, each message having as a part thereof a receiver address, said messages including a first type message and a second type message, each of said second type of message being divided into a plurality of parts prior to transmission, each of said parts being transmitted together with the transmission of said second receiver address,

said first receiver including means for intermittently activating said first receiver and for receiving first type messages transmitted by said transmission means which includes the first receiver address,

said second receiver including means for continuously activating said second receiver means and for receiving portions of second type messages transmitted by said transmission means which include said second receiver address.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said first receiver is a radio paging receiver and said second receiver is a lap top computer.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said first type message is a short message and said second type of message is a long message.

4. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said messages are transmitted according to a time slot protocol and said first type of messages are adapted to be transmitted in one time slots and than said second type of messages utilize a plurality of time slots.

5. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said first type of messages are paging messages and said second type of messages are computer files.

6. A system that includes in combination,

a radio transmitter for transmitting first type messages and second type messages, each message including a data message and a receiver address, each second type message being divided into a plurality of message portions each of which includes a receiver address,

a plurality of intermittently active radio paging receivers, each of said radio paging receivers having an associated receiver address, and means for receiving transmitted messages which include the associated receiver address,

a plurality of continuously active personal computers each of which includes a radio paging receiver, each of said personal computers having a receiver address, means for receiving transmitted message portions which include the associated receiver address, and means for assembling transmitted message portions into said second type of message.

7. The system recited in claim 6 wherein the transmissions by said transmission means are divided into time slots, each time slot includes a time slot number, each of said paging receivers has an assigned time slot, and each paging receiver is periodically active during its assigned time slot.

8. A method of transmitting both a data stream and paging messages in a single system which transmits information according to a time slot protocol, said system including a plurality of paging receivers and a computer receiver, each of said paging receivers having an associated address, said computer receiver having an associated computer address, each paging message including an associated address, said data stream having associated therewith a computer address, said method including the steps of;

transmitting said paging messages in a time slot message format,

periodically energizing said paging receivers to receive messages having recipient identifier addresses corresponding thereto,

splitting said data stream into a plurality of portions and transmitting said portions in a series of time slots, said computer address being transmitted with each of said portions,

providing a continuously energized receiver,

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

reassembling said portions into said data stream.