Portable radio, and method for conveying information

• US 20060217166A1
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christian R. Swanson
• Original Assignee: Christian R. Swanson
• Inventors: Swanson, Christian R.
• Application Number:
  US11/086,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20060217166A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/701
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers

Abstract

A portable radio is disclosed including transmit circuitry coupled to an antenna, and channel selection circuitry coupled to the transmit circuitry. The transmit circuitry receives transmit channel information, and is configured to selectively transmit on one of multiple radio frequency channels dependent upon the transmit channel information. The channel selection circuitry receives a sequence of audible tones conveying the transmit channel information, decodes the sequence of audible tones to produce the transmit channel information, and provides the transmit channel information to the transmitter circuitry. A described method of conveying information includes decoding at least a portion of a license plate number to identify a radio frequency channel, and transmitting a radio frequency signal conveying the information on the radio frequency channel.

Claims

1. A portable radio, comprising:

transmit circuitry coupled to an antenna and to receive transmit channel information, wherein the transmit circuitry is configured to selectively transmit on one of a plurality of radio frequency channels dependent upon the transmit channel information; and

channel selection circuitry coupled to the transmit circuitry and to receive a sequence of audible tones conveying the transmit channel information, wherein the channel selection circuitry is configured to decode the sequence of audible tones to produce the transmit channel information, and to provide the transmit channel information to the transmitter circuitry.

2. The portable radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the sequence of audible tones comprises a sequence of dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tone pairs.

3. The portable radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the sequence of audible tones identifies a particular one of the plurality of radio frequency channels.

4. The portable radio as recited in claim 1, further comprising tone generation circuitry coupled to the channel selection circuitry and configured to produce the sequence of audible tones in response to user input.

5. A portable radio, comprising:

transmit circuitry coupled to an antenna and to receive transmit channel information, wherein the transmit circuitry is configured to selectively transmit on one of a plurality of radio frequency channels dependent upon the transmit channel information;

receive circuitry coupled to the antenna and to receive receive channel information, wherein the receive circuitry is configured to receive on one of the plurality of radio frequency channels dependent upon the receive channel information;

tone generation circuitry configured to produce;

a first sequence of audible tones in response to user input during initialization of the portable radio, wherein the first sequence of audible tones conveys the receive channel information;

a second sequence of audible tones in response to user input during operation of the portable radio, wherein the second sequence of audible tones conveys transmit channel information indicative of a first transmit channel;

channel selection circuitry coupled to receive the first and second sequences of audible tones from the tone detection circuitry, and wherein the channel selection circuitry is configured to;

decode the first sequence of audible tones to produce the receive channel information, and to provide the receive channel information to the receive circuitry; and

decode the second sequence of audible tones to produce transmit channel information indicative of a first transmit channel, and to provide the transmit channel information indicative of the first transmit channel to the transmit circuitry as the transmit channel information.

6. The portable radio as recited in claim 5, wherein the receive circuitry is configured to receive a modulated radio frequency signal on one of the plurality of radio frequency channels dependent upon the receive channel information, and to demodulate the modulated radio frequency signal to produce an audio signal, wherein the audio signal comprises a third sequence of audible tones conveying transmit channel information indicative of a second transmit channel.

7. The portable radio as recited in claim 6, wherein the channel selection circuitry is coupled to receive the third sequence of audible tones, and configured to decode the third sequence of audible tones to produce transmit channel information indicative of a second transmit channel, and to provide the transmit channel information indicative of the second transmit channel to the transmitter circuitry as the transmit channel information.

8. The portable radio as recited in claim 6, wherein the receive circuitry is coupled to receive a squelch code signal indicative of a squelch code, and wherein the receive circuitry is configured to demodulate the modulated radio frequency signal to produce the audio signal only if the modulated radio frequency signal conveys the squelch code.

9. A method of conveying information, comprising:

decoding at least a portion of a license plate number to identify a first radio frequency channel; and

transmitting a radio frequency signal conveying the information on the first radio frequency channel.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the license plate number comprises a series of alphanumeric characters printed on a license plate.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the license plate is attached to a motor vehicle.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the motor vehicle comprises at least one occupant, and wherein the information conveyed by the radio frequency signal identifies a second radio frequency channel, and wherein the at least one occupant has a radio receiver configurable to transmit on the second radio frequency channel in response to the received information.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the radio frequency signal comprises an audio signal, and wherein the audio signal comprises a sequence of audible tones identifying the second radio frequency channel.