Selective call receiver with independent control of displayed service area data and selected radio channel

• US 5,801,638 A
• Filed: 04/17/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ozaki, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON JR, WILLIAM HALL
• Application Number:
  US08/633,436
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 455/38.4, 455/456, 455/432, 455/426, 455/433, 455/435, 455/526, 455/517, 455/575, 340/311.1, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.52, 340/825.73, 340/825.69, 370/312, 370/313, 370/314
• US Class Current: 340/7.39
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/227 with call or message storage means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/022 Selective call receivers

Abstract

A selective call receiver includes a relational data memory and a call number display processor in addition to a service area selector. The relational data memory stores plural data groups each corresponding to a different service area. The call number display processor selects a data group from the relational data memory according to the user'"'"'s instruction. A call number and a service area name of the selected data group is displayed on screen. The receiving channel is determined by the service area selector selecting a data group from the memory according to a user'"'"'s instruction independently of the call number display processor.

Claims

1. A selective call receiver comprising:

a display;

a receiving section receiving a call signal on a radio channel selected from a plurality of predetermined radio channels corresponding to a plurality of service areas, respectively;

a memory storing a plurality of data groups associated with service areas, respectively, and each of the data groups including area channel data and area attribute data;

a first selector selecting one of the predetermined radio channels;

a second selector selecting one of the data groups to display area attribute data of a selected data group; and

a controller controlling so that the area attribute data of the selected data group is displayed on the display independently of changing a selected radio channel.

2. The selective call receiver according to claim 1, wherein the second selector initially selects a data group including area channel data corresponding to the selected radio channel.

3. The selective call receiver according to claim 1, wherein the attribute data associated with each of the service areas comprises a service area name and a call number, the call number being previously assigned to the selective call receiver.

4. The selective call receiver according to claim 3, wherein at least the call number of the attribute data included in the selected data group is displayed on the display.

5. The selective call receiver according to claim 1, wherein the first selector comprises:

an area switch controller reading a desired data group from the memory according to an input instruction; and

a channel selector selecting a radio channel depending on area channel data included in the desired data group.

6. The selective call receiver according to claim 5, wherein the area switch controller sequentially reads the data groups one by one from the memory until the desired data group is found.

7. The selective call receiver according to claim 1, wherein the second selector comprises:

a display controller reading a desired data group from the memory according to an input instruction to display the area attribute data of the desired data group on the display.

8. The selective call receiver according to claim 7, wherein the display controller initially reads a data group including area channel data corresponding to the selected radio channel.

9. The selective call receiver according to claim 7, wherein the attribute data associated with each of the service areas comprises a service area name and a call number, the call number being previously assigned to the selective call receiver.

10. The selective call receiver according to claim 9, wherein at least the call number of the attribute data included in the selected data group is displayed on the display.

11. A method for displaying specifying information on a display in a selective call receiver, the selective call receiver having a receiver for receiving a call signal on a radio channel selected from predetermined radio channels which have previously been assigned to a plurality of service areas, respectively, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of data groups associated with service areas, respectively, and each of the data groups including area channel data and attribute data;

selecting one of the predetermined radio channels;

selecting one of the data groups to display area attribute data of a selected data group;

displaying the area attribute data of the selected data group on the display without changing the selected radio channel.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein a data group including area channel data corresponding to the selected radio channel is initially selected when a first display selection instruction is input.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the attribute data associated with each of the service areas comprises a service area name and a call number, the call number being previously assigned to the selective call receiver.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least the call number is extracted from the attribute data included in a second data group and is displayed on the display.