Selective call receiver for receiving at least two kinds of transmitted information signals

• US 5,714,944 A
• Filed: 06/06/1995
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Eisaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERZ, EDWARD W
• Application Number:
  US08/466,681
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.48, 340/825.22, 340/311.1, 455/38.3, 455/228, 455/343, 455/186.1
• US Class Current: 340/7.43
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1066 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for, e.g. turn-off protection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/227 with call or message storage means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/026 using digital address codes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A receiver is provided to receive at least a first call number with accompanying message information and a second call number with accompanying common information (e.g. time, weather, stock quotes). The power is supplied to the wireless section of the selective call receiver only for the time period during which information associated with each call number is received. Further, the second call number is common to all receivers and may be received each time the first call number is received. To reduce the consumption of the power supply, the receiver is provided with an execution control signal which may be selectively operated either manually or automatically to control the reception of the second call number. When the second call number is not received or when information is not transmitted in time slots allocated for that purpose, a reduction in the consumption of the power supply is attained.

Claims

1. A selective call receiver for receiving signals from a transmitter transmitting at least a first call number, a second call number and information associated with each, comprising:

receiving means for receiving said first and second call numbers and said information, said first call number being specific to at least one receiver and said second call number being associated with a plurality of receivers;

comparison means for comparing at least two internal call numbers, the first internal call number being compared with the first call number and the second internal call number being compared with the second call number and determining if a match exists between the compared call numbers;

storing means for storing the transmitted information accompanying at least one of the first call number and the second call number when an affirmative match is made by the comparison means;

state setting means for setting an execution control signal to one of at least a first state and a second state for determining whether the comparison means compares one or both of the received first and second call numbers with the internal call numbers, the first state being when only the first call number is compared to the first internal call number, the second state being when both the first call number and the second call number are compared to the respective internal call number, the state setting means switching from the second state to the first state after information associated with the first call number and the second call number is received; and

power source supply means for selectively supplying power to the receiving means depending upon the status of the state setting means and the result of the comparison means for comparing the second call number with the second internal call number, in the first state the power source supply means supplies power to the receiving means only when information associated with the first call number is received, in the second state the power source supply means supplies power to the receiving means at a first predetermined interval when information associated with the first call number and the second call number is received and when an affirmative match of the second call number is made by said comparison means, the power supply means supplies power to the receiving means for receiving the information associated with the second call number at a second predetermined interval.

2. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the state setting means is manually settable to selectively set the state setting means to the first state.

3. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the second call number is associated with time setting or correcting, and including timekeeping means in said selective call receiver for receiving said information associated with said second call number.

4. The selective call receiver of claim 1, further including a power on means for turning the selective call receiver to a receive mode.

5. The selective call receiver of claim 4, wherein the state setting means initializes the execution control signal to the first state in response to the activation of the power on means.

6. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the power on means includes a manual power switch.

7. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the state setting means sets the execution control signal to the first state once every hour during the operation of the selective call receiver.

8. The selective call receiver of claim 1, further including display means for displaying the transmitted information accompanying the first call number stored in the storing means and the transmitted information accompanying the second call number stored in the storing means.

9. The selective call receiver of claim 8, wherein said display means includes indicia means for providing a visual indication of the state of the state setting means.

10. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the storing means is a random access memory.

11. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the state setting means is a switch.

12. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the second call number represents the current time stored in the storing means.

13. The selective call receiver of claim 1, wherein the first call number is an addressable number unique to less than all of the selective call receivers.

14. A method of receiving signals by a selective call receiver having at least a first internal call number and a second internal call number from a transmitter which transmits at least a first call number, a second call number and information associated with each, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least the first call number;

comparing the first call number with the first internal call number and determining if a match exists between the compared call numbers;

storing the transmitted information accompanying the first call number when a match has been found to exist; and

selectively supplying power at a first predetermined period of time to a receiving portion of the selective call receiver after the information associated with the first call number is received;

determining if a state setting means is in a first state when only the information associated with the first call number is received and therefore reception of the transmitted signal is complete or the second state when both the information associated with the first call number and the second call number is received, and

when said state setting means is in the second state, the method comprises the additional steps of;

receiving the second call number;

comparing the second call number with the second internal call number and determining if a match exists between the compared call numbers;

storing the transmitted information accompanying the second call number when a match has been found to exist; and

selectively supplying power at the first predetermined period of time to a receiving portion of the selective call receiver before information associated with the second call number is received, and supplying no power at a second predetermined period of time to a receiving portion of the selective call receiver after the information associated with the second call number is received from the transmitter, said second predetermined period of time being longer than said first predetermined period of time.

15. The method of claim 14, further including setting the state setting means to the second state when the information associated with the second call number has been stored so that the second internal call number is no longer compared with the received signals unless said execution control signal is again changed.

16. The method of claim 14, further including manually setting the state setting means between the first state and the second state.

17. The method of claim 14, further including initializing the state setting means to the second state.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said initializing is in response to the turning on of the power to said selective call receiver.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the second call number is associated with the receiver and the second internal call number is associated with time setting or correcting, and including the step of counting time in said selective call receiver and resetting said counted time in response to the received information associated with the second call number.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the second call number is associated with a plurality of selective call receivers and the first call number is specific to at least one selective call receiver.

23. The method of claim 14, further including displaying the stored information accompanying the first call number and the second call number.

24. The method of claim 19, further including displaying the stored information accompanying the first call number and the time.

21. A method of receiving signals by a selective call receiver having at least a first internal call number and a second internal call number from a transmitter which transmits at least a first call number, a second call number and information associated with each, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least the first call number;

comparing the first call number with the first internal call number and determining if a match exists between the compared call numbers;

storing the transmitted information accompanying the first call number when a match has been found to exist; and

selectively supplying power at a first predetermined period of time to a receiving portion of the selective call receiver after the information associated with the first call number is received;

setting an execution control signal in a first state once every hour to determine if information associated with the first call number is received and therefore reception of the transmitted signal is complete or the second state when both the information associated with the first call number and the second call number is received, and

when said state setting means is in the second state, the method comprises the additional steps of;

receiving the second call number;

comparing the second call number with the second internal call number and determining if a match exists between the compared call numbers;

storing the transmitted information accompanying the second call number when a match has been found to exist; and

selectively supplying power at the first predetermined period of time to a receiving portion of the selective call receiver before the information associated with the second call number is received, and supplying no power at a second predetermined period of time to a receiving portion of the selective call receiver after the information associated with the second call number is received from the transmitter, said second predetermined period of time being longer than said first predetermined period of time.

22. The method of claim 21, further including setting the execution control signal to the second state when the second call number has been stored so that the second call number is no longer compared with the received signals unless said execution control signal is again charged.

25. The method of claim 21, further including displaying the stored information accompanying the first call number and the second call number.

26. The method of claim 25, further including providing a visual indication of the state of said execution control signal.

27. A selective call receiver for receiving signals from a transmitter transmitting at least a first call number having first information associated therewith and a second call number having second information associated therewith comprising:

comparison means for comparing a second internal number with the second call number and determining if a match exists between the compared numbers; and

receiving means powered to receive said first information only periodically at a fixed interval and receive said second information at a variable interval, wherein said variable interval is varied after a match is determined by said comparison means.

28. The selection call receiver of claim 27, wherein said first information being specific to at least one receiver and said second information being associated with a plurality of receivers.

29. A selective call receiver for receiving signals from a transmitter transmitting at least a first call number, a second call number and information, comprising:

a receiver for receiving said first and second call numbers and said information, said first call number being specific to at least one receiver and said second call number being associated with a plurality of receivers;

a comparator for comparing at least two internal call numbers, the first internal call number being compared with the first call number and the second internal call number being compared with the second call number and determining if a match exists between the compared call numbers;

a storage device for storing the transmitted information accompanying at least one of the first call number and the second call number when an affirmative match is made by the comparator;

a state setting device for setting an execution control signal to at least a first state and a second state for determining whether the comparator compares one or both of the received first and second call numbers with the internal call numbers, the first state being when only the first call number is compared to the first internal call number, the second state being when both the first call number and the second call number are compared to the respective internal call number, the state setting device periodically switching between the second state and the first state; and

a power source supplier for selectively supplying power to the receiver depending upon the status of the state setting device and the result of the comparator for comparing the second call number with the second internal call number, in the first state the power source supplier supplies power to the receiver only when information associated with the first call number is received, in the second state the power source supplier supplies power to the receiver at a first predetermined interval when information associated with the first call number is received but not when information associated with the second call number and the second call number is received and when an affirmative match of the second call number is made by said comparison means, the power supply means supplies power to the receiving means for receiving the information associated with the second call number at a second predetermined interval.