Incoming call notification method and device for a multimode radio device

• US 6,574,489 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Uriya, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/339,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426, 455/552, 455/553, 455/567, 340/7.58, 340/7.59, 340/7.6, 340/7.61, 340/7.62
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A multimode radio has: an antenna that transmits and receives calls via radio signals of a plurality of communication modes; receivers that convert the received radio signals to signals for particular communication modes; an incoming call notifying unit having a speaker, display, or vibrator that respectively output a different sound, display content, or vibration according to the current communication mode; and a control unit that controls operations, detects the receiver that has received a call signal, and controls the incoming call notifying unit according to the communication mode set in a currently active receiver. Different notification methods are preassigned for the different communication modes, and when an incoming call to the address of the multimode radio is detected, the communication mode of the detected call is identified and a user is notified of the call by the notification method that corresponds to the identified communication mode.

Claims

1. An incoming call notification method of a multimode radio device, comprising:

assigning a different incoming call notification method in advance to each of a plurality of communication modes;

detecting an incoming call sent by way of radio signals to the address of the multimode radio device;

identifying a communication mode of the plurality of communication modes for the detected incoming call;

switching incoming call notification methods according to the identified communication mode;

establishing synchronization for each mode of the plurality of communication modes when the multimode radio device is activated, and then performing the detecting in a prescribed order according to timing of each communication mode;

if an incoming call is detected, effecting notification and reception of the incoming call by the assigned incoming call notification method of the identified communication mode;

if an incoming call is not detected, monitoring call incoming according to a timing of a next communication mode of the prescribed order; and

repeating the detecting and incoming call notification for each communication mode.

2. An incoming call notifying multimode radio device comprising:

an antenna for receiving radio signals of a prescribed plurality of communication modes;

a plurality of receivers that correspond to said plurality of communication modes, each receiver for detecting and then converting radio signals corresponding to the receiver'"'"'s mode and received by said antenna to output signals;

an incoming call notifying unit including a plurality of expressing configurations that have a one-to-one correspondence to said plurality of communication modes, each of said plurality of expressing configurations being operative to uniquely identify a respective one of the plurality of communication modes that is being used when a call signal, of the radio signals, sent to said multimode radio device has been detected by said plurality of receivers; and

a control unit for detecting a receiver of said plurality of receivers that has received the call signal, and controlling the unique identifying operation of said expressing configurations of said incoming call notifying unit in accordance with a corresponding communication mode set in the detected receiver.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said control unit identifies communication modes based on received radio signals.

4. A device according to claim 2, wherein said control unit identifies communication modes based on mode setting information of received radio signals.

5. A device according to claim 2, wherein said incoming call notifying unit includes a speaker that generates an incoming call sound that differs for each communication mode of said plurality of communication modes.

6. A device according to claim 2, wherein said incoming call notifying unit includes a speaker that generates an incoming call sound in which at least one of musical interval, stop-and-start pattern, and sound volume differs for each communication mode.

7. A device according to claim 2, wherein said incoming call notifying unit includes a display that optically displays different visual displays that uniquely identify each communication mode of said plurality of communication modes.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the display optically displays a different character string or image that distinguishes each communication mode.

9. A device according to claim 2, wherein said incoming call notifying unit includes a vibrator that generates a vibration that is varied for each communication mode of said plurality of communication modes.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the vibrator generates a vibration in which at least one of a start-and-stop pattern, amplitude, and rpm is varied for each communication mode.

11. A device according to claim 2, wherein only communication modes prescribed in advance are set for the unique identifying, and wherein, when an incoming call in a communication mode that is different from the prescribed communication modes is detected, said incoming call notification unit does not operate and incoming call information is automatically recorded.

12. An incoming call notifying multimode radio device according to claim 2, wherein operating times of said plurality of receivers are switched at a prescribed timing.

13. An incoming call notifying multimode radio device according to claim 2, wherein an expressing configuration of said incoming call notifying unit is switched after the passage of a predetermined time interval after operation of a corresponding one of said plurality of receivers is switched.

14. An incoming call notifying multimode radio device, comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals of a prescribed plurality of communication modes;

a plurality of receivers for converting radio signals received by said antenna to signals for each of communication modes that have been set independent of each other and outputting the signals for each of the communication modes;

an incoming call notifying unit including a plurality of expressing configurations that correspond to said plurality of communication modes, each of the plurality of expressing configurations being operative to distinguish and uniquely identify each corresponding one of said communication modes, for reporting when a call signal to the address of said multimode radio device has been detected; and

a control unit for controlling operations of said plurality of receivers and incoming call notifying unit, detecting a receiver of said plurality of receivers that has received the call signal, and controlling a corresponding expressing configuration of said incoming call notifying unit in accordance with a communication mode corresponding to the detected receiver;

wherein operating times of said plurality of receivers are switched at a prescribed timing, and wherein said plurality of expressing configurations of said incoming call notifying unit are switched in synchronization with the timing of switching of said receivers.

15. An incoming call notifying multimode radio device, comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals of a prescribed plurality of communication modes;

a plurality of receivers that correspond to said plurality of communication modes, said receivers for converting radio signals received by said antenna to signals for each of communication modes that have been set independent of each other and outputting the signals for each of the communication modes;

an incoming call notifying unit including a plurality of expressing configurations that correspond to said plurality of communication modes, each of the plurality of expressing configurations being operative to distinguish and uniquely identify each corresponding one of said communication modes, for reporting when a call signal to the address of said multimode radio device has been detected; and

a control unit for controlling operations of said plurality of receivers and incoming call notifying unit, detecting a receiver of said plurality of receivers that has received the call signal, and controlling a corresponding expressing configuration of said incoming call notifying unit in accordance with a communication mode corresponding to the detected receiver;

wherein operating times of said plurality of receivers are switched at a prescribed timing, and wherein an expressing configuration of said incoming call notifying unit is switched after the passage of a predetermined time interval after operation of a corresponding one of said plurality of receivers is switched.

16. An incoming call notification method of a multimode radio device, comprising:

assigning a different incoming call notification method in advance to each communication mode of a plurality of communication modes;

detecting an incoming call sent by way of radio signals to the address of the multimode radio device, the detecting of an incoming call being performed during predetermined time periods corresponding to the plurality of communication modes;

identifying a communication mode of the plurality of communication modes for the detected incoming call at a time of the detecting; and

switching incoming call notification methods according to the identified communication mode;

further comprising

establishing synchronization for each mode of the plurality of communication modes when the multimode radio device is activated; and

after the establishing of synchronization, performing the detecting in a prescribed order according to timing of each communication mode.

17. An incoming call notification method according to claim 16, wherein if an incoming call is not detected in a current detecting of the prescribed order, monitoring call incoming according to a timing of a next communication mode of the prescribed order.

18. An incoming call notification method of a multimode radio device, comprising:

assigning a different incoming call notification method in advance to each communication mode of a plurality of communication modes;

detecting an incoming call sent by way of radio signals to the address of the multimode radio device, the detecting of an incoming call being performed during predetermined time periods corresponding to the plurality of communication modes;

identifying a communication mode of the plurality of communication modes for the detected incoming call at a time of the detecting; and

switching incoming call notification methods according to the identified communication mode;

further comprising

establishing synchronization for each mode of the plurality of communication modes when the multimode radio device is activated; and

cyclically repeating the prescribed order.

19. An incoming call notification method according to claim 18, further comprising notifying a user according to an incoming call notification method assigned to the identified communication mode.

20. In an incoming call notifying multimode radio device comprising an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals of a prescribed plurality of communication modes and a plurality of receivers that correspond to said plurality of communication modes, a method comprising controlling an incoming call notifying device according to a current mode of said plurality of communications modes, said current mode being a communication mode of an incoming call being received during a predetermined time period for a predetermined one of said plurality of receivers;

and

wherein said plurality of expressing configurations of said incoming call notifying unit are switched in synchronization with the timing of switching of said receivers.