Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-28
2001-04-10
Trost, William G. (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
C455S039000, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215979
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radio paging receivers and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for generating an alert in a radio paging receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
A radio paging receiver receives and analyzes a radio paging signal in a specific form. Upon the detection of self information from the received paging signal, the radio paging receiver displays the paging information (or message) and generates an alert. The self information is information which identifies the received paging signal as being associated with the radio paging receiver. Typically, the paging information is displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the alert is provided to the user through a speaker to notify the user that he or she has been paged.
Conventionally, in order to generate the alert for informing the user that paging information has been received, a decoder or an additional alert signal generator has been used. An example of such a decoder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,099, entitled “Multi-Alert Radio Paging System”. Referring to
FIG. 1
herein, a block diagram of a conventional decoder is shown. The conventional decoder includes an alert mode controller
404
and an alert pattern generator
405
to generate the alert.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, a conventional paging receiver which includes an alert signal generator
192
is shown. If a determination has been made by a decoder
120
indicating that self information has been received, a microcontroller
150
generates the alert by controlling alert signal generator
192
. The alert is output to the exterior through an alert unit
190
.
On the other hand, in order to generate the alert using decoder
120
, the elements for generating the alert must be included in the decoder. The frequency required to generate the alert is typically 2.7 or 3.2 KHz. If an incorrect frequency is used, the alert may not be generated normally. In the worst case, the decoder may need to be replaced with a new one.
Thus, in order for the conventional radio receiver to generate the alert using alert signal generator
192
, the conventional radio receiver must employ alert generator
192
operatively connected between microcontroller
150
and alert unit
190
. However, the use of alert signal generator
192
increases the complexity, cost, and size of the radio paging receiver in which it is employed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for generating an alert in a radio paging receiver which reduces the cost and the size of the radio paging receiver.
To achieve the above and other objects, an alert generating method for a radio paging receiver is provided. The method includes the steps of: generating an alert signal having a predetermined frequency using a timer circuit disposed in a microcontroller of the radio paging receiver, when self information of the radio paging receiver is detected from a received radio paging signal; and generating an alert in response to the alert signal.
According to another aspect of the invention, an alert generating apparatus in a radio paging receiver is provided. The apparatus includes: an antenna for receiving a radio paging signal; a radio circuit for frequency-converting, demodulating, and waveform-shaping the received radio paging signal to generate digital data; a decoder for decoding the digital data; a microcontroller having a timer circuit, said microcontroller analyzing the decoded data to determine if the decoded data includes self information of the radio paging receiver, and generating an alert signal of a predetermined frequency using the timer circuit, when the decoded data includes the self information; and an alert unit connected to an output terminal of said timer circuit, for generating an alert corresponding to said alert signal.
REFERENCES:
patent: H1173 (1993-04-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5287099 (1994-02-01), Tsunoda
patent: 5303284 (1994-04-01), Shinozaki
patent: 5570421 (1996-10-01), Morishima
patent: 6014572 (2000-01-01), Takahashi
P205 of the H8/3834 series hardware manual published by Hitachi in 1994.
Dilworth & Barrese LLP
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Trost William G.
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