Communication apparatus

• US 6,253,090 B1
• Filed: 05/13/1998
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pamela J. Nobbs
• Original Assignee: Pamela J. Nobbs
• Inventors: Nobbs, Pamela J
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US09/068,734
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/500, 455/507, 705/11, 705/15, 705/26, 705/21
• US Class Current: 455/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/068 calling personnel in a restaurant, e.g. waiter call

Abstract

A communication apparatus comprises a network of transmitters and receivers communicating with each other by means of UHF radio frequency signals. Each transmitter is linked to one or more associated receivers and can be individually activated to transmit a selected one of a number of different predetermined messages to its associate receivers along a corresponding communication channel. Each transmitter is activatable by means of a respective message selector which enables a user thereof to select the predetermined message to be transmitted by the transmitter.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter being activatable to broadcast any selected one of a plurality of different predetermined coded service request messages along a communication channel;

message selector means associated with each transmitter for selecting any one of the plurality of predetermined coded service request messages, and activating the associated transmitter to broadcast the selected service request message;

a plurality of portable slave receivers, each slave receiver being configurable to receive only from a selected subset of said plurality of transmitters said broadcast predetermined coded service request messages transmitted along the communication channel from said selected subset of transmitters; and

portable display means associated with each slave receiver, the display means being arranged to display indicia representative of codes contained in the coded service request messages received by the slave receiver.

2. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a master receiver configurable to receive the broadcast predetermined coded service request messages along a communication channel from all of the plurality of transmitters along the communication channel, the master receiver having an associated display means for displaying indicia representative of the codes contained in the coded service request messages received by the master receiver.

3. A communication system as claimed in claim 2 in which the master receiver includes a storage buffer for storing codes contained in a plurality of service request messages received from all of the transmitters of the communication system.

4. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 in which each different predetermined service request message includes an identification code representative of the transmitter from which the predetermined message was broadcast.

5. A communication system as claimed in claim 4 in which each different predetermined coded service request message also includes a type code representative of the type of predetermined service request message broadcast by the transmitter.

6. A communication system as claimed in claim 5 in which each different predetermined coded service request message also includes a site code representative of the identity of a group to which the broadcast service request message belongs.

7. A communication system as claimed in claim 5 in which the display means associated with each slave receiver is configurable to only display indicia corresponding to received service request messages which contain selected message type codes.

8. A communication system as claimed claim 1 in which the predetermined coded service request messages are pulse messages.

9. A communication system as claimed in claim 8 in which the pulse messages are modulated according to pulse position.

10. A communication system as claimed claim 8 in which the pulse messages contain 24 data bits.

11. A communication system as claimed claim 1 in which the communication channel is a radio frequency channel.

12. A communication system as claimed in claim 11 in which the radio frequency channel is an ultra high frequency (UHF) channel.

13. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 in which each transmitter and receiver includes a surface acoustic wave resonator.

14. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 in which the transmitters are battery powered.

15. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 in which the message selector means is a keypad or a membrane keyboard.

16. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 in which the display means is a digital display means.

17. A communication system as claimed in claim 1 in which each slave receiver includes a storage buffer for storing codes contained in a plurality of service request messages from the transmitters to which the slave receiver is responsive.

18. A method of communication, comprising the steps of:

selecting, by means of a message selector means, a selected one of a plurality of different predetermined coded service request messages to be transmitted from a transmitter;

establishing an association between said transmitter and at least one receiver such that messages transmitted from said transmitter are received only by said at least one receiver;

activating said transmitter to broadcast the selected service request message along a communication channel;

receiving the broadcast coded service request message at each receiver associated with said transmitter; and

displaying, on a portable display means associated with said receiver, indicia representative of codes contained in the coded service request message received by the slave receiver.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 in which an identification code is included in the broadcast coded service request message representative of the transmitter from which the selected service request message is broadcast.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 in which a type code representative of the type of coded service request broadcast by the transmitter is included in the broadcast coded service request message.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 in which a site code representative of the identity of a group to which the broadcast service message belongs is included in the broadcast coded service request message.

22. A method as claimed in claim 18 which includes the further steps of:

receiving the broadcast coded service request message at a master receiver; and

displaying, on a display means associated with the master receiver indicia representative of codes contained in the coded service request message received by the master receiver.

23. A method as claimed in claim 18 which includes the further step of buffering in the slave receiver codes contained in a plurality of broadcast coded service request messages received by the slave receiver from the transmitters to which the slave receiver is responsive.

24. A method as claimed in claim 22 which includes the further step of buffering in the master receiver codes contained in a plurality of broadcast coded service request messages received by the master receiver from all of the plurality of transmitters.