Radio paging receiver with message display function

• US 6,515,578 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1998
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kajimura, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANGACHON, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US09/085,958
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.81, 340/825.44, 340/825.27, 340/5.1, 340/2, 340/825.47, 340/825.37, 340/825.48, 340/7.47, 340/7.52, 340/7.55, 340/7.56, 340/7.51, 455/31.1, 455/38.4, 455/31.3, 345/471, 707/534, 707/535
• US Class Current: 340/7.56
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/225 Display details

Abstract

A radio paging receiver with a message display function according to the present invention can display and memorize two or more messages. The radio paging receiver with a message display function comprises a message control unit. The message control unit includes first and second character tables and a message memory. The first and second character tables are for displaying the messages with first and second character types, respectively. The messages stored in the message memory are displayed on the display window in either one of a multiple message display mode or a single message display mode. The message control unit displays the reception messages with the characters of either the first or second character type when the multiple message display mode is selected. When the single message display mode is selected, then only one of the messages is displayed on the window with the characters of the other of the first or second character type.

Claims

1. A radio paging receiver with a message display function to display and memorize two or more reception messages, comprising:

message control means including first and second character tables and a message memory for memorizing the messages, the first and second character tables being for displaying the messages with first and second character set, respectively, the messages stored in the message memory being displayed on a display window in either one of a multiple message display mode or a single message display mode; and

a read only memory having a character translating unit operative in response to a selection command from said message control means to translate the set of the characters between the first and second character set without a change in meaning;

wherein said message control means having a message selection control unit adapted to select either one of the multiple display mode and the single display mode to display the message on the display window with the characters of the set corresponding to the selected display mode, said message control means displaying the messages with characters of either one of the first or the second character set on the display window when the multiple message display mode is selected, and displaying only one of the messages with the characters of the other of the first or the second character set on the display window when the single message display mode is selected.

2. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message selection control unit selects, when the radio paging receiver is operated in the multiple message display mode and a user wants to display only particular one of the displayed messages, the particular one of the messages and displays the selected message on the display window with the characters of the set corresponding to the single message display mode.

3. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message selection control unit displays one message in each line, and wherein a predetermined length for portion from the head of each message is displayed in each line on the display window.

4. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and the second character set have first and second character sizes, respectively, and the messages in the first and the second character tables are displayed on the display window with the characters of the first and the second sizes, respectively.

5. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first character size is larger than the second character size.

6. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first character set is composed of a set of hiragana face characters in combination with kanji face characters of the first character size, and the second character set is composed of a set of katakana face characters of the second character size.

7. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first character set is composed of a set of hiragana face characters in combination with katakana and kanji face characters of the first character size, and the second character set is composed of a set of katakana face characters of the second character size.

8. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first character set is composed of a set of hiragana face characters in combination with katakana, kanji, and alphanumeric face characters of the first character size, and the second character set is composed of a set of katakana face characters of the second character size.

9. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first character set is composed of a set of alphanumeric characters of the first character size, and the second character set is composed of a set of alphanumeric characters of the second character size.

10. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first character set is composed of a set of hiragana face characters or katakana face characters in combination with at least one of kanji and katakana face characters and alphanumeric characters of the first character size, and the second character set is composed of a set of hiragana face characters or katakana face characters in combination with at least one of kanji katakana face characters and alphanumeric characters of the second character size.

11. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first character set is composed of a set of characters of a predetermined language in combination with numerical characters of the first character size, and the second character set is composed of a set of characters of a predetermined language in combination with numerical characters of the second character size.

12. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first character size is larger than the second character size.

13. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 2, wherein the selection of the particular one of the messages is made by means of high-lighting the message in question among the plurality of messages.

14. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message selection control unit replaces, when the message of the second character set is translated into the message of the first character set and when there is no first character set corresponding to the second character set, the second character set with a particular character set and displays the message with the replaced character set on the display window.

15. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a switch unit for use in reading the messages out and for selecting/determining the message display modes.

16. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 15, wherein said switch unit is a set of push switches, the set of push switches having four cursor movement switches for moving a cursor up and down as well as right and left and having a message selection and determination switch for selecting and determining a message.

17. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 15, wherein said switch unit is a rotary switch having a rotary section and a push switch section, the rotary section being for moving a cursor to select the message and each push switch being depressed to determine the selected message.

18. A radio paging receiver as claimed in claim 15, wherein said message control means stores, in response to reception of a call with a message, the reception message in the message memory, said message control means indicating the message selection control unit to display only the reception message with the characters of the first character set, the message selection control unit displaying the reception message with the characters of the first character set in a single line, and wherein said message control means reads the messages out of the message memory, when the message is indicated during no reception of a call, the message control means indicating the message selection control unit to display the messages with the characters of the second character set, wherein the character translating unit successively changes the size of the characters from the second to the first character size in response to the indication, the switch unit scrolling the messages, and wherein the message selection control unit translates, in response to selection and determination of a desired message, the selected message into the message with the character of the first character set, the message selection control unit driving a display control unit to display the selected message with the characters of the first character set in a single line on the display window.