Method and apparatus for acknowledge back signaling using a radio telephone system

• US 5,845,202 A
• Filed: 09/30/1996
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Walter Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolinar, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US08/723,398
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/413, 455/426, 455/556, 455/38.1, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/025 with acknowledge back capability

Abstract

A combination radio/telephone transceiver (40) receives a selective call signal over a selective call channel and searches for its assigned address (415). When the assigned address (415) is found, a message (405) associated therewith is decoded and stored, and the signal is further examined to determine whether the message (405) has been flagged for acknowledgment, such as by appending a predetermined ackback flag (425) or a predetermined ack address to the address (415) assigned to the combination radio/telephone transceiver (40). When no acknowledgment is requested, i.e., when the message (405) has not been flagged for acknowledgment, the combination radio/telephone transceiver (40) does not acknowledge reception of the message (405). When the message (405) is flagged for acknowledgment, the combination radio/telephone transceiver (40) acknowledges reception of the message (405) via a telephone network rather than over the selective call channel.

Claims

1. A combination radio/telephone for receiving a selective call signal from a terminal, the combination radio/telephone comprising:

a decoder for decoding the selective call signal to recover a message intended for reception by the combination radio/telephone, wherein messages corresponding to addresses that are not associated with the combination radio/telephone are not decoded;

determining means for determining whether an acknowledge back signal is requested for the message;

radio telephone means coupled to the determining means and the decoder for coupling to a radio telephone system; and

control means coupled to the radio telephone means for coupling the radio telephone means to the radio telephone system to communicate the acknowledge back signal via the radio telephone system to the terminal in response to the determining means determining that the message requests the acknowledge back signal, and for storing and processing the message without acknowledgment in response to the determining means determining that the message does not request the acknowledge back signal.

2. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, wherein the determining means comprises:

processing means for detecting and counting a number of errors in the message; and

retransmission requesting means for determining that an acknowledgment signal requesting retransmission of the message is required in response to the number of errors being greater than a predetermined number, wherein the acknowledgment signal is transmitted by the combination radio/telephone.

3. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, wherein the control means couples the radio telephone means to the radio telephone system to communicate the acknowledge back signal and an identification signal to the terminal in response to the determining means determining that the message requests the acknowledge back signal, wherein the identification signal uniquely identifies the combination radio/telephone.

4. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, wherein the control means couples the radio telephone means to the radio telephone system to communicate the acknowledge back signal, an identification signal, and a security identification code to the terminal in response to the determining means determining that the message requests the acknowledge back signal.

5. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, further comprising audio input means coupled to the radio telephone means for receiving user audio input thereto, wherein the control means couples the radio telephone means to the radio telephone system to communicate the user audio input to the terminal in response to the determining means determining that the message requests the acknowledge back signal.

6. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, further comprising user input means coupled to the control means for providing user input signals thereto, wherein the control means couples the radio telephone means to the radio telephone system to communicate the user input signals to the terminal in response to the determining means determining that the message requests the acknowledge back signal.

7. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, wherein the radio telephone means comprises cordless telephone means for coupling to a cordless telephone system call point transceiver for communicating thereby, and wherein the control means couples the cordless telephone means to the cordless telephone system call point transceiver to communicate the acknowledge back signal to the terminal in response to the determining means determining that the message requests the acknowledge back signal.

8. The combination radio/telephone of claim 1, wherein the selective call signal comprises the message and an address associated with the combination radio/telephone, the address indicating that the message is intended for reception by the combination radio/telephone, and wherein the selective call signal further comprises, when the acknowledge back signal is requested by a message originator, an acknowledgment request flag that is distinct from the address.

9. A selective call receiver within a combination radio/telephone, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) receiver for receiving selective call signals transmitted from a terminal;

a decoder coupled to the RF receiver for decoding the selective call signals to recover a message intended for reception by the selective call receiver;

a message processor for determining whether the message is a flagged message requesting an acknowledge back; and

a controller for coupling a telephone section of the combination radio/telephone to the terminal via a radio telephone system and for transmitting an acknowledge back signal to the terminal in response to the message processor determining that the message is a flagged message, wherein the controller stores and processes the message without acknowledgment in response to the message processor determining that the message is not a flagged message.

10. The selective call receiver of claim 9, wherein the selective call signals comprise the message, an address that is associated with the selective call receiver and that indicates that the message is intended for reception by the selective call receiver, and, when a message originator has requested the acknowledge back, an acknowledge request flag distinct from the address.

11. The selective call receiver of claim 9, wherein the controller comprises:

a signal generator for generating an acknowledgment signal in response to the message processor determining that the message is a flagged message requesting an acknowledge back; and

a telephone transceiver for coupling to the radio telephone system and transmitting the acknowledgment signal to the terminal via the radio telephone system in response to the message processor determining that the message is a flagged message requesting an acknowledge back.

12. The selective call receiver of claim 9, further comprising:

a memory for storing the message when it is intended for reception by the selective call receiver, regardless of whether the message is a flagged message; and

an alert device for alerting a user that the message has been received,

wherein the controller comprises;

means for storing the message in the memory; and

means for activating the alert device in response to the memory storing the message.

13. The selective call receiver of claim 10, wherein the controller comprises:

detecting means for detecting a number of errors in the message; and

retransmission means for coupling to the radio telephone system and requesting retransmission in response to the detecting means detecting a number of errors greater than a predetermined number.

14. The selective call receiver of claim 11, wherein the radio telephone transceiver provides an identification code and the acknowledgment signal to the terminal, wherein the identification code identifies the selective call receiver.

15. The selective call receiver of claim 11, wherein the telephone transceiver provides a security identification code and the acknowledgment signal to the terminal, wherein the security identification code authenticates the acknowledgment signal.

16. The selective call receiver of claim 11, wherein the telephone transceiver comprises a cordless telephone transceiver for coupling to a cordless telephone system call point transceiver and transmitting the acknowledgment signal to the terminal via the cordless telephone system call point transceiver in response to the message processor determining that the message is a flagged message requesting an acknowledgment.

17. A messaging system for transmitting a selective call signal, comprising:

a selective call terminal for receiving a message and determining, from data entered by a message originator, whether message reception is to be acknowledged, the selective call terminal comprising;

a flagger for generating an acknowledgment request flag in response to determining that message reception is to be acknowledged; and

a transmitter coupled to the flagger for transmitting the message, an address associated with a combination radio/telephone, and, when message reception is to be acknowledged, the acknowledgment request flag, which is distinct from the address of the combination radio/telephone.

18. The messaging system of claim 17, further comprising:

the combination radio/telephone, including;

a radio frequency (RF) receiver for receiving the selective call signal transmitted from the selective call terminal;

a decoder coupled to the RF receiver for decoding the selective call signal to recover the message associated with the address of the combination radio/telephone;

a message processor for determining whether the message is a flagged message requesting an acknowledge back, as indicated by the acknowledgment request flag; and

a controller for coupling a telephone section of the combination radio/telephone to the selective call terminal via a radio telephone system and for transmitting an acknowledge back signal to the selective call terminal in response to the message processor determining that the message is a flagged message, wherein the controller stores and processes the message without acknowledgment in response to the message processor determining that the message is not a flagged message.

19. A method for selectively generating acknowledgment signals in a combination radio/telephone including a receiver for receiving a selective call signal and a controller for transmitting signals, the method comprising the steps of:

decoding the selective call signal to recover a message intended for reception by the combination radio/telephone;

determining whether the selective call signal further includes an acknowledgment request flag that is associated with the message and that requests acknowledgment of message reception by the combination radio/telephone;

storing and processing the message without transmitting an acknowledgment signal in response to determining that no acknowledgment request flag is associated with the message; and

transmitting the acknowledgment signal to indicate that the combination radio/telephone has received the message in response to determining that the acknowledgment request flag associated with the message is included in the selective call signal.