Abstract: A communication device (100) including an antenna (110) for receiving a signal. A receiver circuit (12) is coupled to the antenna (110) and demodulates the signal which is received by the antenna (110). A signal strength measuring circuit (126) is coupled to the antenna (110) and generates a signal strength indicator signal representing a strength of the signal received by the antenna (110). A controller (130) is coupled to the receiver circuit (120) for receiving the signal strength indicator signal and generating a tuning signal in response thereto. An antenna tuning circuit (140) is coupled to the controller (130) and is responsive to the tuning signal for tuning the antenna (110) to a reduced gain level when the strength of the signal received by the antenna (110) is indicative of strong signal conditions.

Abstract: A congestion control method (1040) for a messaging system having a plurality of scanning selective call receivers with roaming capability comprises the steps of storing (1041) a priority value assigned to at least one of the identifiers for at least one of the plurality of scanning selective call receivers in a subscriber database at a home input terminal and matching (1043) the at least one identifier with at least one of the identifiers on the available communication resources found at the output controller terminal providing an identifier with a highest priority value (1044). Then, the associated message is transmitted (1046) on the available communication resource having the identifier with the highest priority value if no congestion (1045) is detected on the communication resource and otherwise listing (1047) the communication resource on a communication resource congestion control list if the communication resource is deemed congested.

Abstract: In order to allocate frequency channels to transmitter units, the transmitter units are grouped in zones, each zone having one or more transmitter units (10, 20, 30) therein. A system controller (40) calculates a zone priority value which is a function of the zone's message traffic level and message latency. The zone priority value determines the order in which a zone is assigned a frequency channel. A channel priority value is calculated for each channel or sub-channel that can be accessed by the transmitter units (10, 20, 10) in the zone based on a probability of success and a mean quality margin value wherein the priority value of a channel determines the order in which an available channel is considered for assignment to a zone. A proposed channel is assigned to a given zone only if the proposed channel passes a channel quality check. The channel quality check may be based on co-channel and adjacent channel interference values.

Abstract: A portable electronic device (50)that ergonomically attaches to an external article (64)includes a housing (52) for containing the portable electronic device and an ergonomic attachment device (51) for attaching the portable electronic device to the external article. The ergonomic attachment device includes a first portion (54) coupled to a contact portion (52) on the portable electronic device, wherein the first portion has a first end (58) and a second end (60) and a second portion (56) having a first end hinged to the first end of the first portion and a second end (62) that clasps with the second end of the first portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion form a button holder that can ergonomically mount upon a button on the external article.

Abstract: A paging controller (10) schedules the transmission of pages of different protocol types, dynamically, taking into account both the airtime efficiency of transmitting a page of a particular protocol type and the fairness of transmitting pages of that protocol type. The paging controller (10) determines the efficiency of transmitting stored pages for each protocol type based upon the number of code words stored for the pages of the protocol type in a paging queue (27-30) and based upon the delay, if any, that is expected to be encountered in changing to the protocol type. The paging controller (10) determines the fairness of transmitting pages of a particular protocol type based upon the age of the pages of the protocol type that are stored in the paging queue (27-30).

Abstract: An electronic device (100) coupled to a power source (130) having a positive terminal and a negative terminal includes a positive connector (150) for coupling to the positive terminal of the power source (130) and a negative connector (160) for coupling to the negative terminal of the power source (130). An alert circuit (135) coupled to the positive and negative connectors (150, 160) indicates when the power source (130) has been coupled to the electronic device (100) improperly.

Abstract: A messaging system (10) is provided that comprises an RF transmission system (12). The RF transmission system (12) comprises an RF control system (14) which receives message traffic from a messaging gateway system (20). The messaging gateway system (20) receives messages in a variety of protocols from remote messaging system (30). The messaging gateway system (20) translates the messages received from remote messaging system (30) and constructs messages to be delivered to subscriber devices (28) through the RF transmission system (12). A subscriber device (28) can issue commands that are transmitted to the remote messaging system (30) or to remote system controller (32) controlling a remote-controlled system (34).

Abstract: A system and method are shown for selecting an outbound subsystem and an inbound subsystem to be used to communicate between a subscriber unit (10) and an integrated communication system having a number of subsystems (30, 50) that are capable of operating independently. The subscriber unit (10) stores in a memory (77) for each of the different types of messages that the subscriber unit (10) can handle, a list of the subsystems that can be used to communicate the message type wherein each list is ordered according to the subscriber unit's preference for using a subsystem for outbound messages of the particular type. When the subscriber unit receives control information from the integrated system identifying a particular type of message that the system expects to communicate to the subscriber unit, the subscriber unit identifies at least one outbound subsystem in the list stored for the received message type covering the area in which the subscriber unit is located.

Abstract: A microstrip antenna (10) comprises a planar antenna radiating element (12) having at least a first major surface and a ground plane having a first major surface (16), a second major surface (18), and a third major surface (20) substantially parallel to each other. A dielectric material (14) is positioned between the planar antenna radiating element and the ground plane. The microstrip antenna further includes a first gap (36) between the first major surface (18) of the ground plane and the second major surface (16) of the ground plane and a second gap (72) between the second major surface (16) of the ground plane and the third major surface (20) of the ground plane, wherein the first and second gaps create an increased impedance bandwidth and a lower operating frequency antenna.

Abstract: A system (10) and method of communicating data utilizes an electroluminescent panel (12). The frequency of the drive signal for the electroluminescent panel (12) is modulated in accordance with data to be transmitted. The electroluminescent panel (12) is responsive to the drive signal to emit light at frequencies representing the data. A second electroluminescent panel (12') may be positioned adjacent to the first electroluminescent panel (12) to receive the data encoded light emitted therefrom. The second electroluminescent panel (12') generates a signal representing the received light, the signal being demodulated to recover the data encoded therein.

Abstract: A system and method are shown for providing a fully synchronized two-way communication network having a number of transmission stations (10) and selective call receiving devices (27). Each transmission station (10) stores station identifying information and an updatable synchronization priority indicator. Periodically, each station (10) transmits a timing message that includes the station's identifying information, priority indicator, and information relating to the timing of the station's frame clock (45). When a given station receives a timing message transmitted from another station, it determines whether the other station is a direct upstream station thereof. The given station is responsive to a timing message from its direct upstream station for adjusting its frame clock (45) based upon the timing information contained in the message received from the direct upstream station. The given station thereby synchronizes itself with its direct upstream station.

Abstract: A communication system using voice compression includes a transmitter base station (113) and a selective call receiver (112). The transmitter base station (113) includes an input device (204) to receive an audio voice message which is stored in a memory (209). A processing device (208) digitizes the audio voice message to provide an input signal which is divided into a sequence of equivalent time frames, and differences in a short-term frequency spectrum between adjacent time frames is determined to derive distance measurements. A speed factor is computed as an average of the distance measurements, and the input signal is time-scales in accordance with the speed factor and then transmitted by a transmitter (102).

Abstract: A transmitter (1) with improved average power comprises a mixer (34) for receiving an input signal (21) and providing a mixed signal (23) to an average power controller (14) comprising a fast automatic gain controller (26) for receiving the mixed signal and providing a conditioned signal to a hard limiter (28) for foldback clipping the conditioned signal to provide an output signal (15). The average power controller further comprises an error control signal generator (24, 30, 36) for generating an error control signal (27) calculated by subtracting (36) an average power estimation (30) of the output signal from a given nominal average power value (24). Finally, the average power controller also comprises a feedback loop (29) for feeding back the error control signal to the mixer for controlling the gain of the input signal.

Abstract: A communication system (105) provides roaming instructions within a signal having frames of data. The communication system (105) includes a message transmission device (110) for batching information into a frame of data and transmitting, within a predetermined geographic area, the information on a radio communication channel. The frame includes at least frame offset information for reception by a data communication receiver (115) located within the predetermined geographic area for receiving the information. The data communication receiver (115) stores a base frame number associated with a base frame during which the data communication receiver (115) is assigned to wake for message reception. The frame offset information is indicative of a substitute frame that is relative to the base frame. The data communication receiver (115) is to wake for message reception thereafter in the substitute frame rather than the base frame.

Abstract: Interference removal in spread spectrum signals, comprises the steps at a spread spectrum transmitter (10) of spreading information across a predetermined spectrum by phase modulating a repeating noise sequence (18), providing a spread spectrum signal and transmitting the spread spectrum signal. The method further comprises the steps at a receiver of receiving the spread spectrum signal along with interference (41) multiplying (42) the spread spectrum signal along with interference by a window function (44) providing a multiplied spread spectrum signal. The information is recovered by despreading the multiplied (48) spread spectrum signal using a reciprocal (50) of the spectrum of the repeating noise sequence to obtain a data spectrum with interference and subsequently normalize (52) to obtain a clean data spectrum. Alternatively the information can be recovered by substituting a corrupted magnitude spectrum with a prestored PN sequence magnitude spectrum (70) as shown by receiver (60).