Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-26
2001-03-20
Maung, Nay (Department: 2744)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
C455S426100, C455S566000, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06205322
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a selective call receiver, and in particular to a selective call receiver having a message displaying function.
2. Description of Related Art
Selective call receivers have been widely used for various purposes and, especially, a small-sized and lightweight selective call receiver called a pager is suitable for being taken on the road. One of basic functions of the selective call receiver is to inform by beep sound, vibration, or light a user of the incoming call. Further, some selective call receiver has not only such an alert function but also a function of displaying a numeric message on an liquid-crystal display (LCD). However, since only numerals are used to display information on LCD, the transmitted information cannot be interpreted with precision.
To improve power of expression, a selective call receiver having a conversion table from a numerical code to a display character code has been proposed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 7-226969. More specifically, when detecting a two-digit message code from received message data, a display character code corresponding to the message code is retrieved from the conversion table. In this manner, all message codes are converted to the corresponding display characters which are used to display the received information on LCD.
However, the prior art cannot provide a sufficiently wide variety of display characters but only the limited power of display expression. In the conventional receiver, since each of the two digits of the message code is selected from 10 numeral characters: 0-9, the maximum number of display characters stored in the conversion table is limited to 100. Therefore, it is very difficult to extend the variety of display characters without reducing transmission performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a selective call receiver which can increase the number of kinds of display characters.
According to the present invention, a selective call receiver is provided with a memory which stores a plurality of conversion tables each having a different character set, wherein each conversion table is used to convert a numeral code to a display character code for displaying visual information on screen. A table selector selects a conversion table from the plurality of conversion tables according to a table selection code which is included in the message data. A converter converts each numeral code included in message data following the table selection code into a display character code by using a selected conversion table.
Since the plurality of conversion tables having different character sets are selectively used according to a table selection code included in a received message, the number of kinds of characters and symbols to be displayed is increased, resulting in enhanced power of expression.
The table selection code may be a first predetermined code indicating a beginning of conversion. The table selection code may further include a second predetermined code at a position behind the first predetermined code, wherein the second predetermined code indicates table change from one to another in a predetermined order. Alternatively, the table selection code may further include a second predetermined code at a position behind the first predetermined code, wherein the second predetermined code comprises a table change code followed by a selection code which is used to select a conversion table.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4870402 (1989-09-01), DeLuca et al.
patent: 5784001 (1998-07-01), Deluca et al.
patent: 6020828 (2000-02-01), Gotou
patent: 0589417A2 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 2280769 (1995-02-01), None
patent: 2 283 597 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 1-277887 (1989-11-01), None
patent: 2-93592 (1990-04-01), None
patent: 7-226969 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 8-130760 (1996-05-01), None
patent: 8-340562 (1996-12-01), None
patent: WO 91/15835 (1991-10-01), None
Maung Nay
McGuireWoods LLP
NEC Corporation
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