Pager with user selectable priority

• US 5,604,491 A
• Filed: 04/24/1995
• Issued: 02/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chow, Harry H., Pisutha-Arnond, Suthirug N., Coonley, Gregory A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/427,121
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.5, 340/311.1, 340/825.45, 379/56, 379/57, 455/38.2, 455/38.4
• US Class Current: 340/7.59
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/229 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for

Abstract

A selective call receiving device (14) and method allows a user of the device to mark or identify a message as a priority message. A message identified as a priority is stored in a priority message list (52) for comparison to a message that is subsequently received by the device (14) to determine whether the received message is a priority message or not. If a controller (28) of the device (14) determines that a received message is a priority, then the controller (28) generates a priority response such as an audible and/or tactile alert.

Claims

1. A selective call receiving device, comprising:

a receiver for receiving messages;

a display, coupled to the receiver, for displaying received messages;

a key operable by a user for enabling the user to designate the received messages individually as a priority message;

a memory, coupled to the receiver for storing the priority message in a priority memory space reserved for priority messages;

a controller having a comparator for comparing subsequently received message individually with the priority message to determine if the subsequently received message is a priority message.

2. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 1 including at least one key operable by a user for entering a priority message to be stored in the priority memory space reserved for priority messages.

3. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 1 including means operable by a user for adding a priority message to the priority memory space.

4. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 1 wherein the selective call receiver is responsive to only a single paging address.

5. A selective call receiving device comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal including an address and a message;

a memory for storing the address;

a comparator for comparing the address in the received signal to said stored address to determine whether the received signal was intended for said selective call receiving device;

a switch coupled to the memory for enabling a user to mark the message individually as a priority message;

means for storing a list of priority messages;

means responsive to a determination that the received signal was intended for said selective call receiving device for comparing a subsequently received message in the received signal to the list of priority messages individually to determine whether the subsequently received message is a priority message.

6. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 5 including means operable by a user for adding a message to the list of priority messages.

7. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 5 wherein the list of priority messages includes a plurality of priority messages.

8. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 5 including:

means for storing received messages in a received message list;

means operable by a user for identifying a received message in the received message list as a priority message; and

means for adding a received message identified as a priority message to the list of priority messages.

9. A selective call receiving device comprising:

a receiver for receiving messages;

a user operated switch for individually identifying a received message as a priority message

a memory for storing the priority message in a priority message list;

means operable by a user for adding a message to the priority message list; and

a comparator for comparing a received message individually to priority messages in the priority message list to determine whether the received message is a priority message.

10. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 9 wherein the adding means includes at least one key operable by a user for entering a priority message into the device.

11. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 9 including means for generating a priority response in response to a determination that the received message is a priority message.

12. A selective call receiving device as recited in claim 11 wherein the priority response is a priority alert.

13. A method of controlling a selective call receiving device response to a received message, comprising:

receiving a message;

designating a received message by a user individually as a priority message;

storing a priority message in a priority message list;

comparing a received message to the priority message list to determine individually whether the received message is a priority message; and

generating a response indicative of the determination that the received message is a priority message.

14. A method of controlling a selective call receiving device as recited in claim 13 including the steps of:

storing a received message in a received message list;

identifying a received message in the received message list as a priority message; and

adding a message identified as a priority message to the priority message list.

15. A method of controlling a selective call receiving device as recited in claim 13 including the step of displaying a received message.

16. A method of controlling a selective call receiving device as recited in claim 13 including the step of adding a message to the priority message list.