Musical alert radio pager

• US 6,545,590 B1
• Filed: 07/25/1996
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Katayama, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US08/687,039
• Time in Patent Office: 2,448 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.48, 340/7.62, 455/38.1
• US Class Current: 340/7.62
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1066 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for, e.g. turn-off protection

Abstract

A radio pager receives from a base station a paging signal consisting of an address code group and a message code group including musical note data. The receiver separates the received paging signal into the address code group and message code group. Further, the receiver separates the message code group into message data and musical note data by using a melody start symbol and a melody end symbol. Then, the receiver generates melody frequencies corresponding to the consecutive musical note data, modulates the melody frequencies to output a melody, and drives a speaker therewith.

Claims

1. A radio pager for receiving from a base station a paging signal including an address code group and a message code group, said message code group including message data and musical note data, and displaying, upon a coincidence of an address code of said address code group with an address code assigned to said radio pager, a message on an LCD while causing a speaker to sound an alert tone, said radio pager comprising:

a controller which separates the paging signal into the address code group and the message code group, and separates the message code group into the message data and the musical note data; and

a melody generator which generates said alert tone in response to said coincidence, said alert tone corresponding to, and reproducing at least a portion of the musical note data separated by said controller from the message code group;

a said controller further comprising a message conversion table for storing a plurality of first frequencies, each corresponding to a respective musical note data, and a plurality of first musical notes, said first musical notes respectively corresponding to said plurality of said first frequencies.

2. The radio pager as claimed in claim 1, wherein the musical note data are interposed between a melody start symbol and a melody end symbol.

3. The radio pager as claimed in claim 2, wherein said controller separates the message code group into the message data and the musical note data by sequentially searching the message code group for the melody start symbol and the melody end symbol.

4. The radio pager as claimed in claim 1, wherein said alert tone is the musical note data separated by said controller.

5. The radio pager as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller displays the message data on the LCD, designates a plurality of second frequencies and a plurality of second musical notes corresponding to the musical note data by looking up said message conversion table, and informs said melody generator of said second frequencies and said second musical notes.

6. The radio pager as claimed in claim 5, wherein said melody generator generates a plurality of third frequencies corresponding to the second frequencies and the second musical notes received from said controller, modulates said third frequencies to output a corresponding melody, and drives said speaker to output said melody.

7. A radio pager for receiving from a base station a paging signal including an address code group and a message code group, said message code group including message data and musical note data, and displaying, upon a coincidence of an address code of said address code group with an address code assigned to said radio pager, a message on an LCD while causing a speaker to sound an alert tone, said radio pager comprising:

a controller which separates the paging signal into the address code group and the message code group, and separates the message code group into the message data and the musical note data;

a first memory for storing the message code group; and

a melody generator which generates said alert tone in response to said coincidence, said alert tone corresponding to, and reproducing at least a portion of the musical note data separated by said control means from the message code group;

wherein the musical note data are interposed between a melody start symbol and a melody end symbol; and

said controller further comprises;

a signal separating section for separating the paging signal into the address code group and the message code group;

a code decision section for comparing the address code group with an address code assigned to said radio pager, and outputting coincidence information if said address code group is coincident with said address code;

a first register for storing a melody flag showing whether or not said alert tone corresponding to the musical note data should be output;

a second register for storing a data flag showing whether or not the musical note data should be stored;

a third register for storing the message data;

a fourth register for storing the musical note data;

a message conversion table storing a plurality of first frequencies each corresponding to a respective musical note data, and a plurality of first musical notes, said first musical notes respectively corresponding to said plurality of said first frequencies; and

a CPU for;

writing, on receiving said coincidence information from said code decision section, the message code group in a first memory while setting said melody flag to show that said alert tone corresponding to the musical note data should be output,

reading, after clearing said data flag to show that the musical note data should be stored, said message code group out of said first memory,

sequentially comparing leading data to trailing data of said message code group with the melody start symbol,

determining, if data of said message code group is different from said melody start symbol that said data is the message data and storing said data in said third register,

sequentially comparing, if data of said message code group is identical with said melody start symbol, leading data to trailing data of said message code group following said melody start symbol with the melody end symbol,

sequentially writing said message code group in said fourth register as said musical note data until data of said message code group coincides with said melody end symbol,

setting said data flag to show that musical note data should not be written,

reading, if said melody flag has been set, said musical note data out of said fourth register while delivering said musical note data to said melody generating section,

reading said message data out of said third register while displaying said message data on said LCD,

determining, if none of said message code group read out of said first memory is coincident with said melody start symbol, that said message code group does not include the musical note data, and displaying said message data on said LCD while driving said speaker with a single fixed alert tone pattern stored in said radio pager beforehand.

8. The radio pager as claimed in claim 7, wherein said alert tone is the musical note data separated by said controller.

9. The radio pager as claimed in claim 7, wherein said controller displays the message data on the LCD, designates a plurality of second frequencies and a plurality of second musical notes corresponding to the musical note data by looking up said message conversion table, and informs said melody generator of said second frequencies and said second musical notes.

10. The radio pager as claimed in claim 9 wherein said melody generator generates a plurality of third frequencies corresponding to the second frequencies and the second musical notes received from said controller, modulates said third frequencies to output a corresponding melody, and drives said speaker to output said melody.

11. A radio pager for receiving from a base station a paging signal including an address code group and a message code group, said message code group including message data and musical note data, and displaying, upon a coincidence of an address code of said address code group with an address code assigned to said radio pager, a message on an LCD while causing a speaker to sound an alert tone, said radio pager comprising:

a controller which separates the paging signal into the address code group and the message code group, and separates the message code group into the message data and the musical note data;

a first memory for storing the message code group; and

a melody generator which generates said alert tone in response to said coincidence, said alert tone corresponding to, and reproducing at least a portion of the musical note data separated by said control means from the message code group;

wherein the musical note data are interposed between a melody start symbol and a melody end symbol; and

said controller further comprises;

a signal separating section for separating the paging signal into the address code group and the message code group;

a code decision section for comparing the address code group with an address code assigned to said radio pager, and outputting coincidence information if said address code group is coincident with said address code;

a first register for storing a melody flag showing whether or not said alert tone corresponding to the musical note data should be output;

a second register for storing a data flag showing whether or not the musical note data should be stored;

a third register for storing the message data;

a fourth register for storing the musical note data;

a message conversion table storing a plurality of first frequencies each corresponding to a respective musical note data, and a plurality of first musical notes, said first musical notes respectively corresponding to said plurality of said first frequencies;

a switch accessible for setting, when the message is to be reconfirmed after receipt of the paging signal, whether or not said alert tone corresponding to the musical note data should be output; and

a CPU for;

setting, when said switch is operated to show that said alert tone corresponding to the musical note data should be output, a memory flag and storing said memory flag in said first register,

clearing, when said switch is operated to show that said alert tone co responding to the musical note data should not be output, said memory flag and storing said memory flag in said first register,

reading the message code group out of said first memory,

sequentially comparing leading data to trailing data of said message code group with the melody start symbol,

determining, if data of said message code group is different from said melody start symbol, that said data is the message data and storing said data in said third register,

sequentially comparing, if data of said message code group is identical with said melody start symbol, leading data to trailing data of said message code group following said melody start symbol with the melody end symbol,

sequentially writing said message code group in said fourth register as said musical note data until data of said message code group coincides with said melody end symbol,

setting said data flag to show that musical note data should not be written,

reading, if said melody flag has been set, said musical note data out of said fourth register while delivering said musical note data to said melody generating section,

reading, when said melody flag has been cleared, said message data out of said third register while displaying said message data on said LCD,

determining, if none of said message code group read out of said first memory is coincident with said melody start symbol, that said message code group does not include the musical note data, and displaying said message data on said LCD for reconfirmation while driving said speaker with a single fixed alert tone pattern stored in said radio pager beforehand.

12. The radio pager as claimed in claim 11, wherein said controller displays the message data on the LCD, designates a plurality of second frequencies and a plurality of second musical notes corresponding to the musical note data by looking up said message conversion table, and informs said melody generator of said second frequencies and said second musical notes.

13. The radio pager as claimed in claim 12 wherein said melody generator generates a plurality of third frequencies corresponding to the second frequencies and the second musical notes received from said controller, modulates said third frequencies to output a corresponding melody, and drives said speaker to output said melody.

14. The radio pager as claimed in claim 11, wherein said alert tone is the musical note data separated by said controller.