Remote paging with message storage

Claim 2

A personal paging system comprising, a source of digital message signals at a first location, a source of digital address signals at said first location identifying a recipient of a message, means for characterizing said digital address and message signals as a sequence of audio tones, means for transmitting said tones upon a radio frequency carrier with the address signal tones preceding the message signal tones, a personally transportable receiving system including means for receiving said radio frequency carrier and detecting said tones at a second location remote from said first location, input register means for receiving the detected tones and for storing each digital address word and message word one-by-one as the words are received, address decoding means coupled to said input register means for providing an identity signal when the input register means then stores an address word identifying that receiving system for receiving the message carried by the digital message words immediately following, message decoding means coupled to said input register means for decoding each digital message word as it is stored in said input register means when enabled, means responsive to said identity signal for enabling said message decoding means to provide a sequence of decoded digital message word signals representative of said message, means for storing said decoded digital message signals and reproducing them in visible form identifiable as alphanumeric characters, a source of an end of message signal in digital form at said first location, means for transmitting said end of message signal after said message signals, and means coupled to said input register means responsive to said end-of-message signal for disabling said message decoding means.

Claim 3

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sources of address and message signals comprise means for providing digital word signals including means for establishing each address digital word signal longer than each digital message word signal.

Claim 4

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said receiving system includes means responsive to the length of a received digital word signal for distinguishing between address word signals and message word signals and identifying the longer word signals as address signals and the shorter word signals as message signals.

Claim 5

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said receiving system includes, said input register means at said second location having storage cells sufficient to store each bit of an address word signal for storing the most recently received one of address and message words, said address decoding means including a source of a digital select code signal at said second location for identifying a recipient associated with said second location and address comparing means for comparing the signal stored in said input register means with said digital select code signal to provide said identity signal when the two are the same, thereby indicating that message signals to follow are for storing at said second location, said means for storing said digital message signals and reproducing them in visible form including output storage and display means at said second location for storing and visually displaying message signals only when enabled, means responsive to said identity signal for enabling said output storage and display means, and means for coupling said input storage means to said output storage and display means to store in response to said identity signal received message signals as they arRive at said second location.

Claim 6

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising a source of an end-of-message digital signal, end of message comparator means for comparing said end-of-message digital signal with the signal in said input storage means for providing a stop signal when the latter two are identical, and means for coupling said stop signal to said output storage and display means to uncouple the latter upon receipt of an end-of-message signal in said input storage means.

Claim 7

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising a source of a timing tone signal, means for transmitting said timing tone signal a predetermined interval before the transmission of each digital word signal which interval is less than the time for transmitting each digital word, a source of a clock signal at said second location, means at said second location for detecting the transmitted timing tone, and means responsive to the detected timing tone for establishing the phase of said clock signal at said second location in synchronism with the occurrence of bit signals in the received digital word signals.

Claim 8

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 6 and including, a source of data and inverse data tones transmitted in mutually exclusive time intervals for characterizing the digital word signals and the complement of the digital word signals respectively, and voting logic means at said second location responsive to at least the detected data and inverse data tones for recognizing the occurrence of a valid word bit only when the occurrence of one of said data and inverse data tones is accompanied by the absence of the other.

Claim 9

A method of paging with the paging system of claim 1 which method includes the steps of transmitting from said first location first at least one digital address word signal designating an intended recipient followed by at least one digital message word signal intended for said intended recipient, receiving and storing in said input register means at said second location first said address signal and then the following digital message signals, decoding at said second location the received address signal then in said input register means to provide an identity signal when that address signal designates a recipient thereat for reception of a message signal to follow, and transferring at least one following message signal to said means for storing in response to said identity signal to store and visually display the message word represented by the message signal.

Claim 10

A method of paging in accordance with claim 8 wherein the storing and visually displaying step includes printing said at least one message signal.

Claim 11

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for storing and reproducing includes means for printing said digital message signals.

Claim 12

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said source of digital address signals at said first location includes a source of digital address signals each identifying a plurality of recipients for a common message, and said means for transmitting includes means for transmitting a common message transmission by transmitting first the tones characterizing the latter digital address signals each identifying a plurality of recipients for said common message and then transmitting only once the tones characterizing the digital message signals representative of said common message.

Claim 13

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said receiving system includes means for discriminating between address signals and message signals for storing and reproducing in visible form only said message signals.

Claim 14

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 5 and further comprising, a source of a timing tone signal, means for transmitting said timing tone signal a predetermined interval before the transmission of eacH digital word signal which interval is less than the time for transmitting each digital word, a source of a clock signal at said second location, means at said second location for detecting the transmitted timing tone, and means responsive to the detected timing tone for establishing the phase of said clock signal at said second location in synchronism with the occurrence of bit signals in the received digital word signals.

Claim 15

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said source of a clock signal and said means responsive to the detected timing tone comprises, a source of a local oscillator signal, frequency dividing logic means energized by said local oscillator signal for providing a clock pulse in response to a predetermined number of periods of said local oscillator signal, and a first monostable multivibrator energized by each detected timing tone for then providing a reset signal to said frequency dividing logic means to restore the count thereof to a predetermined initial count.

Claim 16

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said receiving system includes means for discriminating between address signals and message signals for storing and reproducing in visible form only said message signals and said frequency dividing logic means provides phase two clock pulses occurring in the interval between successive ones of said clock pulses, said means for discriminating including, a first counter energized by said clock pulses for providing an assertion signal after a first predetermined number of said clock pulses, a second normally disabled counter energized by said clock pulses for providing an assertion signal after a second predetermined number of said clock pulses which second number is less than said first number, means responsive to the occurrence of the first counter assertion signal and a phase two clock pulse for providing a strobe pulse to then provide said identity signal, said means responsive to said identity signal comprising an identity flip-flop set by said identity signal for enabling said second counter, and means responsive to the occurrence of the second counter assertion signal, a phase two clock pulse and the absence of a detected tone for providing a strobe pulse for enabling the means for coupling said input storage means to said output storage and display means to store received message signals as they arrive and for enabling said end-of-message comparator means to provide a stop signal for resetting said identity flip-flop upon the occurrence of a stop signal.

Claim 17

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 15 and including, a source of data and inverse data tones transmitted in mutually exclusive time intervals for characterizing the digital word signals and the complement of the digital word signals respectively, voting logic means at said second location responsive to at least the detected data and inverse data tones for recognizing the occurrence of a valid word bit only when the occurrence of one of said data and inverse data tones is accompanied by the absence of the other for delivering corresponding data bit signals to said input storage means and providing a no-tone signal upon the absence of said timing, data and inverse data tones, and a second monostable multivibrator set in response to the absence of said tones for resetting set first counter upon the occurrence of said first monostable Multivibrator being set.

Claim 18

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said input register means comprises a shift register having as many storage cells as address digital word bits for receiving both address word signals and message word signals in serial form with parallel lines from each of the latter storage cells to said address comparing means and a contiguous group of less than all of said parallel lines also coupled to said end-of-message means for comparing and to said output storage and display meanS.

Claim 19

A personally transportable receiving system for use with a transmitter that transmits digital message signals, digital address signals and a digital end of message signal as a sequence of audio tones upon a radio frequency carrier in the sequence of address signal tones, message signal tones and end of message signal tones comprising, means for receiving said radio frequency carrier and detecting said tones, input register means for receiving the detected tones and for storing each digital address word and message word one-by-one as the words are received, address decoding means coupled to said input register means for providing an identity signal when the input register means then stores an address word identifying that receiving system for receiving the message carried by the digital message words immediately following, message decoding means coupled to said input register means for decoding each digital message word as it is stored in said input register means when enabled, means responsive to said identity signal for enabling said message decoding means to provide a sequence of decoded digital message word signals representative of said message, means for storing said digital message signals and reproducing them in visible form identifiable as alphanumeric characters, and means coupled to said input register means responsive to said end of message signal for disabling said message decoding means and enabling said address decoding means.

Claim 20

A personally transportable receiving system for use with a transmitter that transmits digital message signals, digital address signals and a digital end of message signal as a sequence of audio tones upon a radio frequency carrier in the sequence of address signal tones, message signal tones and end of message signal tones comprising, means for receiving said radio frequency carrier and detecting said tones, input register means for receiving the detected tones and for storing each digital address word and message word one-by-one as the words are received, address decoding means coupled to said input register means for providing an identity signal when the input register means then stores an address word identifying that receiving system for receiving the message carried by the digital message words immediately following, message decoding means coupled to said input register means for decoding each digital message word as it is stored in said input register means when enabled, means responsive to said identity signal for enabling said message decoding means to provide a sequence of decoded digital message word signals representative of said message, means for storing said digital message signals and reproducing them in visible form identifiable as alphanumeric characters, and means coupled to said input register means responsive to said end of message signal for disabling said message decoding means and enabling said address decoding means.

Claim 21

A personally transportable paging receiving system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said address and message signals comprise digital word signals with each address digital word signal longer than each digital message word signal and further including means responsive to the length of a received digital word signal for distinguishing between address word signals and message word signals and identifying the longer word signals as address signals and the shorter word signals as message signals.

Claim 22

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 19 wherein said input register means has storage cells sufficient to store each bit of an address word signal for storing the most recently received one of address and message words, and further c0mprising a source of a digital select code signal, address comparing means for comparing the signal stored in said input storage means with said digital select code signal to provide an identity signal when the two are the same, thereby indicating that message signals to follow are for storing, output storage and display means for storing and visually displaying message signals only when enabled, means responsive to said identity signal for enabling said output storage and display means, and means for coupling said input register means to said output storage and display means to store in response to said identity signal received message signals as they arrive at said receiving system.

Claim 23

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 20 and further comprising a source of an end-of-message digital signal, end of message comparator means for comparing said end-of-message digital signal with the signal in said input register means for providing a stop signal when the latter two are identical, and means for coupling said stop signal to said output storage and display means to uncouple the latter upon receipt of an end-of-message signal in said input storage means.

Claim 24

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said system includes means for discriminating between address signals and message signals for storing and reproducing in visible form only said message signals.

Claim 25

A personal paging receiving system in accordance claim claim 22 and further comprising, a source of a local oscillator signal, frequency dividing logic means energized by said local oscillator signal for providing a clock pulse in response to a predetermined number of periods of said local osCillator signal, a first monostable multivibrator energized by detected timing tones which timing tones originate at said transmitter for then providing a reset signal to said frequency dividing logic means to restore the count thereof to a predetermined initial count, said frequency dividing logic means including means for providing phase two clock pulses occurring in the interval between successive ones of said clock pulses, said means for discriminating including, a first counter energized by said clock pulses for providing an assertion signal after a first predetermined number of said clock pulses, a second normally disabled counter energized by said clock pulses for providing an assertion signal after a second predetermined number of said clock pulses which second number is less than said first number, means responsive to the occurrence of the first counter assertion signal and a phase two clock pulse for providing a strobe pulse to then provide said identity signal, said means responsive to said identity signal comprising an identity flip-flop set by said identity signal for enabling said second counter, and means responsive to the occurrence of the second counter assertion signal, a phase two clock pulse and the absence of a detected tone for providing a strobe pulse for enabling the means for coupling said input register means to said output storage and display means to store received message signals as they arrive and for enabling said end-of-message comparator means to provide a stop signal for resetting said identity flip-flop upon the occurrence of a stop signal.

Claim 26

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 23 and including, a source of data and inverse data tones received in mutually exclusive time intervals for characterizing the digital word signals and the complement of the digital word signals respectively, voting logic means at said receiving means responsive to at least the detected data and inverse data tones for recognizing the occurrence of a valid word bit only when the occurrence of one of said data and inverse data tones is accompanied by the absence of the other for delivering corresponding data bit signals to said input register means and providing a no-tone signal upon the absence of said timing, data and inverse data tones, and a second monostable multivibrator set in response to the absence of said tones for resetting set first counter upon the occurrence of said first monostable multivibrator being set.

Claim 27

A personal paging system in accordance with claim 24 wherein said input register means comprises a shift register having as many storage cells as address digital word bits for receiving both address word signals and message word signals in serial form with parallel lines from each of the latter storage cells to said address comparing means and a contiguous group of less than all of said parallel lines also coupled to said end-of-message means for comparing and to said output storage and display means.