Radio communication system for communicating scheduled messages and method therefor

• US 6,246,336 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hymel, James Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/104,245
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.22
• US Class Current: 340/7.41
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/229 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability

Abstract

A communication system includes a radio communication system (102) for communicating scheduled messages to SCRs (Selective Call Radios) (122). The radio communication system is programmed to transmit to a SCR a first radio signal including an advertisement schedule detailing multiple times of arrival for a plurality of advertisement messages (402). Subsequently, a second radio signal including an advertisement message is transmitted to the SCR at a first arrival time (404). The SCR is programmed to receive the first radio signal, and store the advertisement schedule (406, 408). At or near the first arrival time, the SCR determines a likelihood that it can decode the advertisement message properly (410, 412). When the likelihood of decoding the advertisement message properly is below a predetermined expectation, the SCR disregards the second radio signal, and schedules itself to receive the advertisement message at a second arrival time defined by the advertisement schedule (416, 418).

Claims

1. In a SCR (Selective Call Radio), a method comprising:

receiving a first radio signal comprising an advertisement schedule detailing multiple times of arrival for a plurality of advertisement messages, wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a plurality of arrival times for each of the plurality of advertisement messages within a predetermined period of time, and further wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a first arrival time and a second arrival time for an advertisement message;

storing the advertisement schedule;

at or near the first arrival time when an advertisement message is to be received as a second radio signal according to the advertisement schedule, determining a likelihood that the SCR can decode the advertisement message properly according to a predetermined quality expectation which is preprogrammed into the SCR;

when the likelihood of decoding the advertisement message properly is below the predetermined quality expectation, disregarding the second radio signal; and

scheduling the SCR to receive the same advertisement message at the second arrival time defined by the stored advertisement schedule, wherein the second arrival time is subsequent to the first arrival time.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of powering down the SCR after the scheduling step.

9. The SCR of claim 1, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a predetermined number of bit errors.

10. The SCR of claim 1, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a bit error rate.

11. The SCR of claim 1, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a predetermined battery condition.

12. The SCR of claim 1, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is created by the SCR being indisposed. .

3. A SCR (Selective Call Radio), comprising:

a receiver;

a processor coupled to the receiver, wherein the processor is adapted to;

cause the receiver to receive a first radio signal comprising an advertisement schedule detailing multiple times of arrival for a plurality of advertisement messages, wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a plurality of arrival times for each of the plurality of advertisement messages within a predetermined period of time, and further wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a first arrival time and a second arrival time for an advertisement message;

at or near the first arrival time when an advertisement message is to be received as a second radio signal according to the advertisement schedule, determine a likelihood that the SCR can decode the advertisement message properly according to a predetermined quality expectation which is pre-programmed into the SCR;

when the likelihood of decoding the advertisement message properly is below the predetermined quality expectation, cause the receiver to disregard the second radio signal; and

schedule the SCR to receive the same advertisement message at the second arrival time defined by the advertisement schedule, wherein the second arrival time is subsequent to the first arrival time.

4. The SCR as recited in claim 3, wherein the processor is further adapted to power down the SCR after the scheduling step.

13. The SCR of claim 3, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a predetermined number of bit errors.

14. The SCR of claim 3, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a bit error rate.

15. The SCR of claim 3, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a predetermined battery condition.

16. The SCR of claim 3, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is created by the SCR being indisposed.

5. In a communication system comprising a radio communication system and a SCR (Selective Call Radio), a method comprising:

at the radio communication system,

transmitting to the SCR a first radio signal comprising an advertisement schedule detailing multiple times of arrival for a plurality of advertisement messages, wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a plurality of arrival times for each of the plurality of advertisement messages within a predetermined period of time, and further wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a first arrival time and a second arrival time for an advertisement message;

transmitting to the SCR a second radio signal comprising the advertisement message at the first arrival time according to the advertisement schedule;

at the SCR,

receiving the first radio signal including the advertisement schedule;

storing the advertisement schedule;

at or near the first arrival time, determining a likelihood that the SCR can decode the advertisement message properly according to a predetermined quality expectation which is pre-programmed into the SCR;

when the likelihood of decoding the advertisement message properly is below the predetermined quality expectation, disregarding the second radio signal; and

scheduling the SCR to receive the same advertisement message at the second arrival time defined by the stored advertisement schedule, wherein the second arrival time is subsequent to the first arrival time.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising the step of powering down the SCR after the scheduling step.

17. The SCR of claim 5, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a predetermined number of bit errors.

18. The SCR of claim 5, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a bit error rate.

19. The SCR of claim 5, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is based on a predetermined battery condition.

20. The SCR of claim 5, wherein the predetermined quality expectation is created by the SCR being indisposed.

7. A communication system, comprising:

a radio communication system, including;

a transmitter;

a processing system coupled to the transmitter, wherein the processing system is adapted to;

cause the transmitter to transmit to a SCR (Selective Call Radio) a first radio signal comprising an advertisement schedule detailing multiple times of arrival for a plurality of advertisement messages wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a plurality of arrival times for each of the plurality of advertisement messages within a predetermined period of time, and further wherein the advertisement schedule identifies a first arrival time and a second arrival time for an advertisement message;

cause the transmitter to transmit to the SCR a second radio signal comprising the advertisement message at the first arrival time according to the advertisement schedule;

the SCR, including;

a receiver;

a processor coupled to the receiver, wherein the processor is adapted to;

cause the receiver to receive the first radio signal including the advertisement schedule;

store the advertisement schedule;

at or near the first arrival time, determine a likelihood that the SCR can decode the advertisement message properly according to a predetermined quality expectation which is pre-programmed into the SCR;

when the likelihood of decoding the advertisement message properly is below the predetermined quality expectation, disregard the second radio signal; and

schedule the SCR to receive the same advertisement message at the second arrival time defined by the stored advertisement schedule, wherein the second arrival time is subsequent to the first arrival time.

8. The communication system as recited in claim 7, wherein the processor is further adapted to power down the SCR after the scheduling step.