Gateway for low cost alphanumeric paging entry system

• US 5,809,425 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Engelke, Robert M., Colwell, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RICHARDSON, SCO
• Application Number:
  US08/481,856
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 379/57, 379/58, 379/63, 340/825.44, 340/311.1, 455/38.1, 455/38.2, 455/466, 455/412, 455/31.2, 455/460
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/228 combined with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A low cost alphanumeric paging entry system is based on a low cost paging (LCP) device to enter paging messages remotely from any telephone. The device is designed to minimize the needs for user training and is intended for intuitive operation by the user. The device uses simplex communications, using a system of Baudot tones, to send the paging message to the paging system for transmission to the intended recipient. A gateway is a device intended to interface between such an LCP device and an otherwise conventional paging system. The gateway provides a series of audible prompts to the user to facilitate easy and intuitive entry of the paging message to the gateway. The gateway then re-formats the paging message into a standard digital paging message format and re-transmits the message to a pagan system for transmission to the recipient.

Claims

1. A system for entering alphanumeric messages intended for a recipient subscriber to a paging system, the system comprising

a gateway for receipt and retransmission of the message to a terminal of the paging system, the gateway capable of providing verbal prompts to the user over a telephone line;

a hand-held paging entry device including an alphanumeric keyboard containing individual keys for the full alphabet, a speaker, and a memory capacity to contain a (i) an alphanumeric message for the recipient previously entered into the memory capacity, (ii) the telephone number of the gateway, (iii) the telephone number of the paging system, and (iv) the PIN of the recipient, the device also including a send button causing the device to generate a simplex audible tone sequence, composed of tones of 1400 and 1800 hertz, carrying the telephone number of the paging system, the PIN of the recipient and the previously entered alphanumeric message intended for the recipient;

the gateway being capable of receiving and decoding the alphanumeric message from the audible tone sequence device over a telephone line and reformatting and transmitting the alphanumeric message over a telephone line in a conventional duplex paging message format to the paging system of the recipient.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the audible tone sequence carrying the telephone number of the paging system, the PIN number of the recipient, and the message is made up of Baudot tones encoding an ASCII character set.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the audible tone sequence also includes an identification number of one of the user and the device.

4. A low cost paging gateway for transmitting alphanumeric paging messages to a paging system to which a recipient subscribes, the gateway comprising

an alphanumeric keyboard to receive input from a person;

a display to display characters to a person;

a microprocessor operating in accordance with a stored program code and connected to accept input from the keyboard and to display such input on the display;

an analog interface circuit connected to the microprocessor and to a telephone line, the analog circuit including circuitry to detect and decode 1400 and 1800 hertz simplex tone signals on the telephone line; and

a memory connected to the microprocessor containing the program code for operation of the microprocessor to control operation of the device to perform the following operation;

(i) provide on the telephone line a human-audible prompt to a remote human user to indicate that the device is prepared to receive a simplex alphanumeric paging message from a remote user over the telephone line;

(ii) detect and decode simplex 1400 and 1800 hertz tone signals received on the telephone line as digital data representing an identification code associated with the remote user, a PIN number identifying an alphanumeric paging recipient and paging message intended for the paging recipient;

(iii) store the digital data in the memory;

(iv) consult a table of authorized users to determine if the user is authorized to use the gateway; and

(v) if the user is authorized, send the alphanumeric paging message to the recipient by reformatting the paging message into a conventional alphanumeric paging message format and transmitting the reformatted message to the paging system used by the recipient.

5. A gateway as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tone signals also include a checksum and wherein the program code further causes the gateway to generate a checksum as the tone signals are received, the gateway then providing a second human audible prompt to the user if the paging message is successfully received.

6. A gateway as claimed in claim 4 wherein the gateway also includes a computer modem and the gateway is programmed to, after receiving a paging message from a user, to send the message to the recipient by dialing a terminal of a paging system and sending the paging message to the terminal in a conventional duplex paging message format.

7. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the human audible prompt are a tone signal.

8. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the human audible prompt is digitally created human voice.