Method and apparatus for duplicate message processing in a selective call device

• US 6,067,444 A
• Filed: 06/13/1997
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cannon, Gregory Lewis, Diehl, Vernon Lyle, Congdon, Ardsley Pihl Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US08/876,055
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 455/38.1, 455/38.2, 455/38.3, 455/38.4, 455/38.5, 455/31.2, 455/412, 455/228, 455/575, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 340/7.44
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability

Abstract

A method (100) for enhanced duplicate message processing at a portable subscriber unit (122) comprises the steps of receiving a first message having a first set of message data and a message sequence number associated with the first message. Then portable subscriber unit receives (402) a subsequent message having the same message sequence number (406) and a subsequent set of message data and creates error indications corresponding to errors detected in the portions of the subsequent set of message data. Then the portable subscriber unit compares (412) the first set of message data and its corresponding error indications with the subsequent set of message data and its corresponding error indications. The subsequent message is then tagged (420) if the subsequent message has less error indications (414) than the first message and if the first message was deleted by the user (418) and if the first message contained an error (426).

Claims

1. A method for duplicate message processing at a portable subscriber unit, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first message having a first set of message data and a message sequence number associated with the first message;

creating error indications corresponding to errors detected in portions of the first set of message data;

storing the first message along with a deletion status containing an error status for the first message in a memory location at the portable subscriber unit;

retaining the deletion status and the error status of the first message when the first message is deleted;

receiving a subsequent message having the same message sequence number and a subsequent set of message data;

creating error indications corresponding to errors detected in the portions of the subsequent set of message data;

comparing the first set of message data and its corresponding error indications with the subsequent set of message data and its corresponding error indications;

tagging the subsequent message to form a tagged message if the subsequent message has less error indications than the first message; and

processing the tagged message utilizing the deletion status containing the error status for the first message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of storing the tagged message in the memory and updating the first message if the subsequent message has less error indications than first message and if the first message was deleted and had an error status indicating an insufficient quality in the first message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing further comprises the step of storing the tagged message in the memory and updating the first message if the subsequent message has less error indications than first message and if the first message was not deleted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of storing the tagged message in the memory and updating the first message if the subsequent message has less error indications than the first message without alerting the user of the portable subscriber unit if a "silent update" option is enabled and otherwise alerting the user if the silent update option is disabled.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of alerting a user of the portable subscriber unit if the subsequent message has less error indications than the first message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of deleting the first message if the subsequent message has less error indications than the first message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of discarding the subsequent message if the subsequent message has more errors than the first message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of discarding the subsequent message if the first message had no error indications.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of alerting a user of the portable subscriber unit if the subsequent message is received outside a predetermined time threshold after the receipt of the first message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing further comprises the step of comparing address and vector types.

11. A method for enhanced duplicate message processing at a portable subscriber unit, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message having message data and a message sequence number associated with the message;

creating error indications in the message data for respective portions of the message data received with errors;

comparing the message and the error indications with a prior message having the same message sequence number and respective error indications from a set of messages already stored in a memory at the portable subscriber unit, wherein the step of comparing further comprises the step of determining whether a ratio of duplicate characters to total characters found in both the message and prior message exceeds a threshold; and

tagging the message to form a tagged message if the message has a ratio exceeding the threshold and has less error indications than the prior message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step of alerting a user of the portable subscriber unit if the ratio of duplicate characters to total characters found in both the message and prior message is at or below the threshold.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step of storing the tagged message in the memory and updating the prior message if the message has less error indications than the prior message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step of alerting a user of the portable subscriber unit if the message has less error indications than the prior message.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step of deleting the prior message if the message has less error indications than the prior message.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the steps of storing the tagged message in the memory and deleting the second message having the same message sequence number from the memory.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step of discarding the message if the message has more errors than the prior message.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises the step of discarding the message if the second message had no error indications.

19. A selective call device, comprising:

a selective call receiver coupled to a decoder and a controller; and

a memory coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is programmed to;

direct the selective call receiver to receive a first message having a first set of message data and a message sequence number associated with the first message;

create error indications corresponding to errors detected in portions of the first set of message data;

store the first message along with a deletion status containing an error status for the first message in the memory;

retain the deletion status and the error status of the first message when the first message is deleted;

direct the selective call receiver to receive a subsequent message having the same message sequence number and a subsequent set of message data;

create error indications corresponding to errors detected in the portions of the subsequent set of message data;

compare the first set of message data and its corresponding error indications with the subsequent set of message data and its corresponding error indications;

tag the subsequent message to form a tagged message if the subsequent message has less error indications than the first message; and

process the tagged message utilizing the deletion status containing the error status for the first message.

20. The selective call device of claim 19, wherein the selective call device further comprises a selective call transmitter coupled to the controller and an encoder.

21. A selective call device, comprising:

a selective call receiver coupled to a decoder and a controller; and

a memory coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is programmed to;

direct the selective call receiver to receive a message having message data and a message sequence number associated with the message;

create error indications in the message data for respective portions of the message data received with errors;

compare the message and the error indications with a prior message having the same message sequence number and respective error indications from a set of messages already stored in the memory, wherein the controller further determines whether a ratio of duplicate characters to total characters found in both the message and the prior message exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

tag the message to form a tagged message if the message has a ratio exceeding the predetermined threshold and has less error indications than the prior message.

22. The selective call device of claim 21, wherein the selective call device further comprises a selective call transmitter coupled to the controller and an encoder.