Telecommunications – Receiver or analog modulated signal frequency converter – Signal selection based on frequency
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-22
2001-08-28
Kincaid, Lester G. (Department: 2745)
Telecommunications
Receiver or analog modulated signal frequency converter
Signal selection based on frequency
C455S161200, C455S166100, C455S185100, C455S558000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282412
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to broadcast receivers. In particular, the invention concerns a receiver arranged to respond selectively to broadcast stations with a desired program content regardless of the receiver's geographic location or position.
2. Discussion of the Known Art
Contemporary broadcast stations are driven by demographic analyses, and thus focus on particular kinds of program content to capture the stations' target audiences. That is, radio listeners tend to listen for a particular kind or “type” of broadcast station that best serves their personal listening preferences. Various types of radio program content are readily identifiable upon listening to most stations. For example; jazz, rock, R & B, news, country, talk, and the like.
A typical commercial AM or FM radio broadcast signal has an effective coverage radius of from about 30 to 60 miles. Most persons routinely travel distances that exceed the range of any one broadcast station; for example, when commuting, traveling on vacation, or as part of their jobs. Thus, as persons move from one broadcast area (market) to another, they must search manually for a station that is in range and has their preferred program style. When on vacation or taking other long excursions, persons usually have no knowledge of the broadcast programming available along a given route, and, thus, cannot readily find a station suited to their needs.
A Radio Data System (RDS) service was adopted in the United States in 1993. RDS applies only to VHF-FM broadcast stations, however. The service allows an FM station to encode a signal corresponding to a program type (PTY code) on a sub-carrier of the station's broadcast signal. Specially equipped FM-RDS receivers can operate to respond only to stations transmitting a desired program type code in response to button entries by a listener. Relatively few FM-RDS receivers have been put to use since adoption of the service in the United States. As a result, FM broadcast stations that encode RDS data on their signals also remain few in number.
Software known as “ID Logic” has been offered for use with broadcast receivers. As advertised, ID Logic equipped receivers use an “in-receiver database” of over 40,000 broadcast stations, with various different program types and other information stored for the stations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, a broadcast receiver for responding to broadcast stations having a listener-preferred program style, includes a processor arranged to control operations of the receiver, and a database memory arranged to be coupled to the processor. The memory is configured to store information concerning a determined number of broadcast stations each of which serves at least a portion of a user-designated geographic area, and which stations broadcast a designated program style. The stored information corresponds to an operating frequency for each broadcast station and an associated service coverage. A geographic position determining unit is coupled to the processor, and the unit is arranged to produce information corresponding to a current position of the receiver within the user-designated area. The processor is configured to produce a tuning signal operative to set a tuner unit to respond to a broadcast station that can be received at the position of the receiver with the designated program style, according to information stored in the database memory and current position information from the position determining unit.
For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.
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Motorola, Specifications for GT Plus Oncore GPS Receiver (2 pages), Sep. 1997.
Kincaid Lester G.
Law Office of Leo Zucker
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
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