Automatic channel identification

• US 5,603,090 A
• Filed: 07/05/1994
• Issued: 02/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiroshi, Hirano, Asao, Nguyen, Tuan K., Mori, Kazuyuki, Yamada, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US08/270,287
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 455/33.1, 455/33.2, 455/54.1, 455/145, 455/154.1, 455/154.2, 455/158.1, 455/158.2, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/38.1, 455/38.4, 455/34.1, 340/311.1, 340/825.49, 340/825.44, 379/60, 379/354, 379/355
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0058 provided with channel identification means arrangements for monitoring the use made of broadcast services H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/022 Selective call receivers

Abstract

A method for tracking, in a roaming receiver, RF channels in a multi-area system where each area has a unique RF channel and each unique RF channel has a unique address for each user. A plurality of telephone area codes are stored into a memory of the receiver with each of the telephone area codes corresponding to a different RF channel within the multi-area system. An address from the RF channel which is unique to the receiver for that specific RF channel is received by the receiver, each address corresponding to one of the stored telephone area codes. A telephone area code corresponding to the address is then retrieved from the receiver memory, and the telephone area code is displayed in a receiver display to allow a user to quickly recognize which area of the multi-area system the receiver is located within.

Claims

1. A method for tracking, in a roaming receiver, RF channels in a multi-area system where each area has a unique RF channel and each unique RF channel has a unique address for each user, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of telephone numbers into a memory of the receiver, each of the telephone numbers corresponding to a different RF channel within the multi-area system;

receiving an address from one of the RF channels which said address is unique to the receiver for that specific RF channel, each said address unique to the receiver corresponding to one of the stored plurality of telephone numbers;

retrieving from the receiver memory one of the telephone numbers corresponding to the address;

scanning a plurality of digits of the one of the telephone numbers;

checking for a non-numeric digit within the scanned plurality of digits; and

displaying in a display all digits of the plurality of digits previous in sequence to the non-numeric digit if the non-numeric digit is found to allow a user to quickly recognize which area of the multi-area system the receiver is located within.

2. A method for tracking, in said roaming receiver, said RF channels in said multi-area system according to claim 5 further comprising the step of displaying in the display all scanned plurality of digits if the non-numeric digit is not found.