Broadcast data radio system and receiver apparatus therefor
First Claim
1. Mobile data radio receiver apparatus for receiving concurrently broadcast transmissions of radio signals arranged in digital and analog forms, said signals sent by a single virtual radio station having plural antennas situated in plural separate areas within a larger geographic space, each of said antennas having sufficient signal strength to span a single respective area in said larger space;
- said signals being carried as modulation on different frequency parameters in adjacent said areas;
said signals being used to present a single radio program across said larger space;
at least part of said single radio program having the same content in all of said areas;
said apparatus comprising;
digital and analog reception modules respectively adapted to separately receive and process said concurrently broadcast radio program signal transmissions in said digital and analog forms; and
circuits connecting said modules for varying program playing operations in said analog module in response to broadcast digital transmissions received in said digital module, said varied operations including operations serving to automatically maintain the respective receiver continuously tuned to said single virtual station as said receiver is transported across a virtual boundary between neighboring said areas spanned by different ones of said antennas.
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Abstract
A presently disclosed radio broadcasting system for a virtual radio program broadcasting station uses a divided regional approach to broadcast digital and analog signals over a large geographic region divided into multiple overlapping but separate areas constituting small portions of the region. The small areas are served by separate transmission sources/towers supplied from a common source central to the station. The system supports reuse of allocated transmission parameters within non-neighboring small areas in the region. The station is "virtual" because its central source need not be in any of the small areas, and because it uses different transmission parameters in neighboring small areas in a manner that previously would be used by plural different stations. System transmissions include information signals sent in both analog and digital forms. The analog signals representing audibly reproducible programs, and the digital signals include instructions for controlling operations of receiver devices operating in the region. The digital signals also may include audibly reproducible program matter and instructions for controlling insertion of that matter into a program stream defined by analog transmissions. These transmissions are particularly useful for varying tuning parameters of mobile receiver devices disclosed herein to automatically and seamlessly maintain the devices tuned to the respective virtual station throughout the region, while the devices are transported across virtual boundaries between the small areas within the region. The system enables the virtual station to alternately present audible matter of general interest throughout the region and audible matter relevant exclusively to a small area within the region (e.g. advertisements specifying locations and services offered by commercial establishments within a respective area, and announcements specifying locations of public facilities such as libraries, hospitals, etc.). Transmitted digital information is retained in mass storage units associated with receiver devices and is used for adjusting tuning parameters as a device is transported across the small areas of the region, as well as for providing a portion of the program content that is played at the device during such movement.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. Mobile data radio receiver apparatus for receiving concurrently broadcast transmissions of radio signals arranged in digital and analog forms, said signals sent by a single virtual radio station having plural antennas situated in plural separate areas within a larger geographic space, each of said antennas having sufficient signal strength to span a single respective area in said larger space;
- said signals being carried as modulation on different frequency parameters in adjacent said areas;
said signals being used to present a single radio program across said larger space;
at least part of said single radio program having the same content in all of said areas;
said apparatus comprising;digital and analog reception modules respectively adapted to separately receive and process said concurrently broadcast radio program signal transmissions in said digital and analog forms; and circuits connecting said modules for varying program playing operations in said analog module in response to broadcast digital transmissions received in said digital module, said varied operations including operations serving to automatically maintain the respective receiver continuously tuned to said single virtual station as said receiver is transported across a virtual boundary between neighboring said areas spanned by different ones of said antennas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- said signals being carried as modulation on different frequency parameters in adjacent said areas;
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10. A data radio broadcasting system for a virtual radio program broadcast station spanning a plurality of discretely separate areas within a larger geographic space encompassing all of said areas;
- said system using different signal carriers within adjacent said areas but providing common radio program content within all of said areas;
said system comprising;plural sources of broadcast signal transmissions operating in respective ones of said plural areas and having respective transmission ranges spanning only respective ones of said areas;
said sources concurrently broadcasting signals in digital and analog forms in their respective areas;
said signals in analog form including signals representing audible programs to be played by receiver apparatus operating in respective said areas, and said signals in digital form including both signals for controlling operations of said receiver apparatus within respective said areas and signals representing audibly reproducible program matter;
said signals controlling said operations including signals for automatically keeping receiver apparatus continuously tuned to said virtual station as said receiver apparatus is transported across virtual boundaries between neighboring said areas. - View Dependent Claims (11)
- said system using different signal carriers within adjacent said areas but providing common radio program content within all of said areas;
Specification