Radio calling receiver with means to control reception based on service area, time zone, and/or electric field strength

• US 6,216,385 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Abe, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gesesse, Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US09/151,818
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343, 455/38.1, 455/38.3, 455/32.1, 455/458, 455/228, 455/229, 455/421, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 340/7.34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A receiving frame controlling unit 4a for controlling receiving operations of a plurality of frames individually, and a receiving state detecting unit 1b for detecting whether or not a receiving state is in or out of a service area of the base station are provided in a CPU 4, wherein the power saving or conservation can be achieved in the out of the service area status by halting frame receiving operations when the receiving state is out of the service area. Also, according to an error rate of received radio information, or according to a time zone which is set arbitrarily to particular information broadcasting addresses by a user, the power saving or conservation may be achieved by reducing the number of receiving frames. Further, if the receiving state is out of the service area and also the electric field strength is low, the power saving or conservation may be achieved by executing a short-time standby operation to monitor only the electric field state.

Claims

1. A radio calling receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving radio signals transmitted to a plurality of own addresses from a base station of a radio calling system as a plurality of different own frames, respectively;

decoding means for fetching one or a plurality of own addresses from the radio signals received and then fetching message data corresponding to the own addresses;

receiving frame controlling means for controlling receiving operations of a plurality of frames individually; and

receiving state detecting means for detecting whether a receiving state is in or out of a service area of the base station;

wherein receiving operations in all own frames corresponding to the plurality of own addresses are executed if the receiving state is in the service area, and receiving operations only in own frames corresponding to individual calling addresses are executed if the receiving state is out of the service area, and wherein reception of own frames such as information broadcasting frames, which need a low real-time response is halted.

5. A radio calling receiver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving time setting means for setting an operation halting time zone of the receiving frames corresponding to addresses designated by a user; and

receiving time deciding means for deciding whether a current time enters into the operation halting time zone being set;

wherein reception of the own frames corresponding to designated addresses is halted regardless of the in or out of the service area status if the current time belongs to the operation halting time zone set by the receiving time setting means.

2. A radio calling receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving radio signals transmitted to a plurality of own addresses from a base station of a radio calling system as a plurality of different own frames, respectively;

decoding means for fetching one or a plurality of own addresses from the radio signals received and then fetching message data corresponding to the own addresses;

receiving frame controlling means for controlling receiving operations of a plurality of frames individually; and

error rate deciding means for deciding an error rate of the radio signals;

wherein receiving operations in all own frames corresponding to the plurality of own addresses are executed if the error rate is within a certain range, and wherein receiving operations only in own frames corresponding to individual calling addresses are executed if the error rate exceeds said certain range, and wherein reception of own frames, such as information broadcasting frames, which need a low real-time response is halted.

6. A radio calling receiver as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

receiving time setting means for setting an operation halting time zone of the receiving frames corresponding to addresses designated by a user; and

receiving time deciding means for deciding whether a current time enters into the operation halting time zone being set;

wherein reception of the own frames corresponding to designated addresses is halted regardless of the error rate if the current time belongs to the operation halting time zone set by the receiving time setting means.

3. A radio calling receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving radio signals transmitted to a plurality of own addresses from a base station of a radio calling system as a plurality of different own frames, respectively;

decoding means for fetching one or a plurality of own addresses from the radio signals received and then fetching message data corresponding to the own addresses;

receiving frame controlling means for controlling receiving operations of a plurality of frames individually;

receiving time setting means for setting an operation halting time zone of receiving frames corresponding to addresses designated by a user; and

receiving time deciding means for deciding whether current time enters into the operation halting time zone;

wherein receiving operations in all own frames corresponding to the plurality of own addresses are executed in a usually available mode, and reception of own frames corresponding to designated addresses is halted if the current time belongs to the operation halting time zone being set.

4. A radio calling receiver comprising:

receiving means for receiving radio signals transmitted to a plurality of own addresses from a base station of a radio calling system as a plurality of different own frames, respectively;

decoding means for fetching one or a plurality of own addresses from the radio signals received and then fetching message data corresponding to the own addresses;

receiving frame controlling means for controlling receiving operations of a plurality of frames individually;

receiving state detecting means for detecting whether a receiving state is in or out of a service area of the base station;

electric field strength detecting means for detecting an electric field value of a predetermined frequency to be received; and

electric field state deciding means for deciding an electric field state of the predetermined frequency to be received;

wherein an electric field is detected by the electric field strength detecting means if it has been decided by the receiving state detecting means that the receiving state is out of the service area of the base station, and wherein a standby operation, which is shorter in time than a normal standby operation, is performed if it has been decided by the electric field state deciding means that the electric field strength is less than a certain value.

7. A radio calling receiver as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

receiving time setting means for setting an operation halting time zone of the receiving frames corresponding to addresses designated by a user;

receiving time deciding means for deciding whether a current time enters into the operation halting time zone being set;

wherein reception of the own frames corresponding to designated addresses is halted regardless of the in or out of the service area status if the current time belongs to the operation halting time zone set by the receiving time setting means.