Information service provider for transmitting multiple rate wireless information

• US 5,715,243 A
• Filed: 03/27/1995
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: May, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US08/411,003
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 379/56, 455/32.1, 455/38.1, 455/54.1, 455/57.1, 340/825.44, 340/825.26, 340/825.27, 340/825.52, 370/312, 370/313, 370/314, 370/345, 370/347, 370/349, 370/465, 370/389, 370/468, 370/477
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/187 using digital or pulse address codes

Abstract

An information service provider is disclosed which transmits wireless information having address data and message data. The information service provider, such as a computer operatively coupled to a transmitter capable of transmitting wireless information, transmits the wireless information to electronic devices such as watch receivers, stand-alone pagers, palmtop computers with receiver cards, pen based personal digital assistants, notebook computers, and the like. The information service provider sets a encoding rate to be an address rate, then transmits the address data of the electronic device(s) for which the message is intended at the address rate. The information service provider then adjusts the encoding rate to be a message rate different than the address rate, where the message rate corresponds to the address. This technique allows the information service provider to transmit, and the electronic device to process, different types of messages at different rates. This would allow, for example, long complex messages, such as news broadcasts, to be transmitted at a slower rate than shorter, less complex messages, such as personal pages and stock quotes, thereby decreasing the transmission errors of the long complex messages to a number capable of being corrected in a manner transparent to the user.

Claims

1. A method in an information service device for transmitting wireless information having first address data and first message data, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting said first address data at an address rate;

determining that a first message rate slower than said address rate corresponds to said first message data, said first message data comprising lengthy information broadcast to a wide variety of users; and

transmitting said first message data at said first message rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless information further comprises second address data and second message data, said method further comprising the steps of:

transmitting said second address data at said address rate;

determining that a second message rate different than said first message rate and said address rate corresponds to said second message data; and

transmitting said second message data at said second message rate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

formatting said information into a first plurality of frames, a first frame in said first plurality of frames containing said first address data and said first message data,

a second frame in said first plurality of frames containing continued first message data; and

transmitting said second frame at said first message rate.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

formatting said information into a first plurality of frames, a first frame in said first plurality of frames containing said first address data and said first message data, a second frame in said first plurality of frames containing second address data and second message data;

transmitting said second address data at said address rate;

determining that a second message rate different than said first message rate and said address rate corresponds to said second message data; and

transmitting said second message data at said second message rate.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

formatting said information into a plurality of batches, a first batch of said plurality of batches containing a first plurality of frames, a first frame in said first plurality of frames containing said first address data and said first message data, a second frame in said first plurality of frames containing continued first message data, a second batch of said plurality of batches containing a second plurality of frames, a first frame in said second plurality of frames containing continued first message data;

transmitting said second frame of said first plurality of frames at said first message rate; and

transmitting said first frame of said second plurality of frames at said first message rate.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

said formatting step including a synchronization codeword in each of said plurality of batches; and

transmitting said synchronization codeword at said address rate.

7. An information service provider device comprising a memory and a transmitter for transmitting wireless information having first address data and first message data, said information service provider further comprising:

a rate adjuster for setting an encoding rate to be an address rate;

said transmitter transmitting said first address data at said address rate;

an administrator connected to said rate adjuster and to said memory for determining that a first message rate slower than said address rate corresponds to said first message data, said first message data comprising lengthy information broadcast to a wide variety of users;

said rate adjuster adjusting said encoding rate to said first message rate; and

said transmitter transmitting said first message data at said first message rate.

8. The information service provider of claim 7, wherein said wireless information further comprises second address data and second message data, wherein:

said transmitter transmits said second address data at said address rate;

a match detector determines that a second message rate different than said first message rate and said address rate corresponds to said second message data;

said rate adjuster adjusts said encoding rate to said second message rate; and

said transmitter transmits said second message data at said second message.

9. A method in an information service provider for transmitting wireless information having first address data and first message data, further comprising the steps of:

formatting said information into a plurality of batches, a first batch of said plurality of batches containing a first plurality of frames, a first frame in said first plurality of frames containing said first address data and said first message data, a second frame in said first plurality of frames containing continued first message data, a third frame in said first plurality of frames containing second address data and second message data, a second batch of said plurality of batches containing a second plurality of frames, a first frame in said second plurality of frames containing continued second message data;

transmitting said first address data at an address rate;

determining that a first message rate slower than said address rate corresponds to said first address data;

transmitting said first message data at said first message rate;

transmitting said continued first message data at said first message rate;

transmitting said second address data at said address rate;

determining that a second message rate different than said first message rate and said address rate corresponds to said second address data;

transmitting said second message data at said second message rate; and

transmitting said continued second message data at said second message rate.