Multipart analog message and a response in a communication system

• US 5,905,448 A
• Filed: 01/02/1997
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rivas, Mario A., DeBarros, Leonard G., Puma, John T., Bennett, Richard L., Briancon, Alain Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/775,900
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.48, 340/825.54, 340/825.08, 340/311.1, 379/67, 455/31.3, 455/38.2, 455/38.5, 455/458, 370/313, 370/314
• US Class Current: 340/7.43
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability

Abstract

A communication system in which a multipart analog message (480) is generated by a controller (112) by including an analog part delimiter (440) between successive independent analog parts (420, 431, 432, 433). The multipart analog message (480) is positioned within a synchronous protocol, in which a digital code is included to identify the position of the multipart analog message (480). The synchronous protocol is transmitted by a radio transmitter (202) and received by a selective call receiver (122). The selective call receiver (122) digitally decodes the position of the multipart analog message (480) and begins recovery of the multipart analog message (480) at the position. The selective call receiver (122) recovers the part delimiters (440) and uses them to identify the independent analog parts (420, 431, 432, 433). One of the independent parts, which is a audible response, is selected by the user and used to generate a response.

Claims

1. A system controller that generates and transmits messages within a synchronous protocol of a communication system, the system controller comprising:

a message memory that stores analog messages;

a processor section, coupled to the message memory, wherein the processor section comprises a computer system and a program memory, and wherein the program memory comprises program instructions which control the computer system to

sequentially assemble a plurality of independent analog parts stored in said message memory,

include an analog part delimiter between each pair of successive independent analog parts which are sequentially assembled, wherein the analog part delimiters are of predetermined duration and are in sequence, and wherein the predetermined duration provides a falsing probability below a predetermined limit thereby generating a multipart analog message,

include the multipart analog message at a position within the synchronous protocol, and

include a digital code within the synchronous protocol which identifies the position; and

a transmitter controller which couples the synchronous protocol including the multipart analog message to a radio transmitter.

2. The system controller according to claim 1, wherein the program instructions further control the computer system to generate each code in the sequence of predetermined analog codes as a dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) code.

3. The system controller according to claim 1, wherein the program instructions further control the computer system to generate a digitized form of the multipart analog message, with which the radio transmitter digitally modulates a radio signal.

4. The system controller according to claim 1, wherein the radio transmitter linearly modulates a radio signal with an analog form of the multipart analog message.

5. The system controller according to claim 1, wherein the synchronous protocol has synchronous divisions based on multiples of a synchronous clock period, and wherein the program instructions further control the computer system to include the independent analog part and analog part delimiter into the multipart analog message asynchronously with respect to the synchronous clock period.

6. A selective call radio that recovers messages received within a synchronous digital protocol of a radio signal, the selective call radio comprising:

a receiver for receiving a radio signal including a multipart analog message within a synchronous protocol;

a message memory that stores analog messages;

a sensible alert device; and

a processor section, coupled to the receiver, message memory, and sensible alert device, wherein the processor section comprises a computer and a program memory, and wherein the program memory comprises program instructions which control the computer to

digitally decode a digital code within the synchronous protocol which identifies a position of the multipart analog message within the synchronous protocol,

recover the multipart analog message beginning at the position identified by the digital code,

detect an analog part delimiter within the multipart analog message having a predetermined duration and having a part delimiter code in sequence with other part delimiter codes received in the multipart analog message,

identify an independent analog part of the multipart analog message, immediately following the analog part delimiter,

store the independent analog part in the message memory, and

generate a sensible alert indicating that the multipart analog message is recovered.

7. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the radio signal has been linearly modulated by the multipart analog message and the selective call radio further comprises a linear demodulator, coupled to said receiver and processor section, for linearly demodulating the radio signal.

8. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the radio signal has been digitally modulated by a digitized form of the multipart analog message, and wherein the processor section recovers an analog form of the multipart analog message by digitally decoding the digitized form of the multipart analog message.

9. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the program instructions further control the computer to decode the analog part delimiter as one of a set of predetermined dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) codes having a common predetermined duration.

10. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the program instructions further control the computer to identify the independent analog part by a code of the analog part delimiter preceding the independent analog part.

11. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the multipart analog message comprises a plurality of independent analog parts, and wherein one or more of the plurality of independent analog parts are response parts, and wherein the program instructions further control the computer to identify a response number of a response part by the part delimiter code of the analog part delimiter which immediately precedes the response part.

12. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the synchronous protocol has synchronous divisions based on multiples of a synchronous period, and wherein the program instructions further control the computer to detect the analog part delimiter asynchronously with respect to the synchronous period.

13. The selective call radio according to claim 6, wherein the multipart analog message comprises a plurality of independent analog parts, and wherein one or more of the plurality of independent analog parts are response parts, and wherein the selective call radio further comprises:

a transmitter coupled to said processor section; and

a set of control keys coupled to said processor section, and wherein the program instructions further control the computer to

store the response parts in the message memory,

make an audible presentation of one of the response parts,

initiate generation of a response message corresponding to one of the response parts, based on a user activation of one or more of the set of control keys during a time period which includes and extends past the audible presentation by a predetermined delay period, and

communicate the response to the transmitter for transmission.

14. The selective call radio according to claim 13, wherein the program instructions further control the computer to generate the response message comprising a response code which corresponds to the one of the response parts.

15. The selective call radio according to claim 13, wherein the program instructions further control the computer to generate the response message comprising text of the one of the response parts.

16. A selective call radio comprising:

a receiver section which receives a radio signal including an analog message, wherein the analog message is a multipart analog message comprising a plurality of responses;

a message memory capable of storing analog messages;

a speaker;

a set of control keys;

a processor section, coupled to the receiver section, the message memory, the speaker, and the set of control keys, wherein the processor section comprises a computer and a program memory, and wherein the program memory comprises program instructions which control the computer to;

store the analog message in the message memory,

generate an audible presentation of an information part of the analog message through the speaker, followed by an audible presentation of the plurality of audible responses, and

initiate generation of a response message which corresponds one of the plurality of responses, based on a user activation of a predetermined one or more of the set of control keys during a time period which includes and extends past the audible presentation of the plurality of responses by a predetermined delay period; and

a transmitter which transmits the response message.

17. The selective call radio according to claim 16, wherein said processor section further comprises program instructions to:

concurrently display a number on a numeric display while a response is being presented, and wherein the user activation of the predetermined one or more of the set of control keys is used to identify the number and thereafter send the response message corresponding to the number.

18. The selective call radio according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined one or more of the set of control keys which initiate generation of the response message serve a different function when no response is being presented.

19. The selective call radio according to claim 16, wherein the set of control keys is a limited set of less than seven control keys.