Abstract: A personal infrared beacon unit capable of being worn as an adornment of clothing, incorporated into a part of a person's attire, or embodied within a personal pager, a cellular phone or a 2-way data device. The beacon unit may be in communication with an established network and may be activated externally by a locator signal, or internally by activation of an emergency button. Upon activation, the beacon unit emits coded timed infrared bursts in coherent beams, and when the beams are detected, they may be decoded visually or with a decoding device to provide the identity and location of the user.

Abstract: A system that includes a multihop broadcast network of nodes that have a minimum of hardware resources, such as memory and processing power. The network is configured by gathering information concerning which nodes can communicate with each other using flooding with hop counts and parent routing protocols. A partitioned spanning tree is created and node addresses are assigned so that the address of a child node includes as its most significant bits the address of its parent. This allows the address of the node to be used to determine if the node is to process or resend the packet so that the node can make complete packet routing decisions using only its own address.

Abstract: A system for summoning a service industry worker using pulsed width modulation for remote signalling having a number of signalling switches, each connected to a transmitter. When a switch is activated, the corresponding transmitter transmits an RF carrier modulated by a lower frequency tone, turning the tone on and off in a pattern determined by a unique code assigned to the switch. A central receiver filters the signal from the transmitter and converts the tone pattern to a binary output to a computer. The computer instructs a display unit to turn on a light corresponding to the switch by sending its number in a serial bit stream of all lights that should be on. The bit stream is interpreted by circuits in the display unit using a clock signal. Upon the clock signal, the bit is sent to the appropriate register, which is used to turn on the correct light.

Abstract: In a repeat call paging system, a paging signal is transmitted in a sequence of frames each comprising a series of fields respectively assigned to different pagers. Each of the fields contains a copy of a message for a pager and the message copy is repeatedly transmitted in successive frames. The front end of the pager is activated to produce a baseband signal to determine whether a field assigned to the pager is contained therein and to synchronize the pager to a frame. If the assigned field is not contained in the baseband signal, the front end is deactivated until the assigned field appears in a subsequent frame. If the assigned field is contained in the baseband signal, a copy of the message for the pager is searched. If the message copy is not detected, the front end is deactivated until the assigned field appears in the next frame and a search is repeated for a message copy.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and controlling an area comprising a controller for controlling system operational functions; at least one remote-control transmitter for transmitting system commands to the controller in a code word having a fixed word and a hopping word therein; the fixed word comprising at least one fixed data bit and the hopping word comprising at least one changing data bit, wherein the hopping word changes its binary value from transmission to transmission of the system commands; and, means for scrambling bits of the fixed word and bits of the hopping word within the code word.

Abstract: A signal link selection method between exchange systems having a plurality of signal links of a destination exchange comprises the steps of obtaining a total number of signal links and a total link list, obtaining a number of unavailable signal links, obtaining a total number of available links by subtracting the number of unavailable links from the total link number, obtaining a first link number comprising a remainder obtained by dividing a signal link selection (SLS) value of a signal message (i.e., the decimal (numerical) equivalent of the binary code for the signal message) by the total link number, checking whether the first link is available, selecting the first link if it is available, and outputting a message. If the first link is not available, the method further comprises the steps of obtaining a second link number comprising a remainder obtained by dividing the first link number by the total number of available links, selecting the second link, and outputting a message.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying, locating, and monitoring equipment or other objects is described wherein a radio frequency identification transponder (RFID) is housed on, around, or within a connector, such as an electrical plug used for powering electrical or electronic equipment. The transponder can then be automatically read by a RFID reader housed at a connector receptacle, such as within an electrical outlet, whenever the connector is attached same. The present invention allows an equipment tracking system to automatically identify, locate, and/or monitor equipment or other objects.

Abstract: In a personal area network, a method for programming an appliance by a controller. The method includes steps of a) determining (358), by the controller (300), that the appliance (324) is included in the personal area network; b) determining (328), by the controller (300), that the appliance (324) is in data communication with the controller (300); and c) when the appliance (324) is in data communication with the controller (300), performing substeps of: i) requesting downloading (330) of a command set for controlling the appliance (324); ii) receiving (332) the command set for controlling the appliance (324); and iii) programming (401) the command set into a memory of the controller.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling an electrical device by remote control including a control device coupled to the electrical device by a wire connection for providing power to the electrical device, the control device having an actuator for adjusting the status of the electrical device and a radio frequency transmitter/receiver and antenna for adjusting the status of the electrical device in response to control information in a radio frequency signal. The transmitter/receiver receives the radio frequency signal via the antenna and transmits a status radio frequency signal with information regarding the status of the electrical device. A master control unit has at least one actuator and status indicator and a transmitter/receiver for transmitting a radio frequency signal having the control information therein to control the status of the electrical device and for receiving the status information from the control device.

Abstract: A remote controller has an ID signal generating means for generating a unique identifying signal that is exclusive to a particular set of the remote controller and an electronic appliance. The electronic appliance has storage means for storing the ID signal. In response to an instruction through entry means, the remote controller transmits the unique ID signal from the ID signal generating means, and the electronic appliance receives the unique ID signal and stores it in its storage means.

Abstract: Signal area efficiency in integrated circuit designs is improved by increasing the information efficiency of signal wiring on an integrated circuit. Candidate signals are selected for combination by prioritizing signals according to length of travel, travel path, and information content. Signals with low information content and with greater distance between endpoints make poor utilization of fixed wiring and provide the best candidates for improvement. Candidate signals which travel similar (substantially parallel) paths from point to point across the integrated circuit are combined to improve chip area utilization efficiency. A variety of techniques are described for combining low-information-content signals onto a small number of wires, transmitting them over the small number of wires, and re-expanding them at their destination. Assuming that the combining/expanding circuitry occupies less space than the point-to-point wiring which would otherwise be required, there is a net reduction in chip area.

Abstract: A paging receiver having two warning modes, i.e., an audible mode and a vibrating mode, is provided. A vibrating motor of the paging receiver receives a voltage for controlling the level or intensity of vibrations provided by the motor. Various vibration voltage levels are provided to a multiplexer, and the multiplexer is controlled to sequentially output the various vibration voltages applied thereto, wherein each succeeding vibration voltage output by the multiplexer has a voltage level higher than a preceding vibration voltage.

Abstract: A broadcast message indicating the utilization level associated with Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channels (SDCCH) within a mobile telecommunications network serving a particular geographic area is transmitted over a broadcast channel. A plurality of mobile stations located within that particular geographic area monitoring the broadcast channel then receives the transmitted message. Thereafter, a mobile service request with a lower priority level than the indicated status level is queued by the associated mobile station and delayed until the channel utilization level rescinds to a network acceptable level.

Abstract: A communication device (100) incorporates a programmable function button (105) that operates in conjunction with a display (102). The button (105) operates in an execution mode when engaged for a time period less than a particular threshold (310, 320, 330, 340), and operates in a programming mode when continuously engaged for a time period greater than the threshold (310, 320, 330, 350). In the execution mode, the button causes execution of a preprogrammed function (340). When in the programming mode, continuous engagement of the button causes a successive presentation of a selectable programmable function on the display (410, 420, 430), and disengagement of the button automatically results in the button being programmed with the selectable programmable function (440, 450). Preferably, release of the button, when in programming mode, also causes automatic execution of the selectable programmable function (460).

Abstract: An LCD is integrated with the cover glass of a wrist watch radio paging receiver which indicates the time data with a dial plate and hands, and a message is displayed on the cover glass by controlling this LCD. In this message display, the parts of the characters indicating the message are made transparent and the remaining parts intercept light. In this manner, message display is made possible by the difference in light transmissivity.

Abstract: A method of processing data from a plurality of probes which monitor traffic over a network, which includes a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, the method including the steps of polling the probes for monitoring data; receiving polled data from the plurality of probes; storing the polled data in a plurality of records, each of the records identifying at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record; for a selected source-destination node pair, determining which of the plurality of probes produced a most complete report of traffic associated with that selected source-destination node pair; identifying those records among the plurality of records that designate both the probe which produced the most complete report of traffic and the selected source-destination node pair; and distinguishing within the plurality of records the identified records from the other records.

Abstract: A radio pager of the present invention includes a non-volatile memory storing frequency information for each of a plurality of frequency bands for the confirmation of a frequency band. The frequency information are sequentially read out of the memory while frequency signals respectively corresponding to the information are sequentially fed to a frequency synthesizer, until frequency lock is detected. The frequency band to which the locked frequency belongs is determined to be the frequency band assigned to the radio pager and is reported to the operator. Therefore, even before frequency information for allowing the synthesizer to output a desired oscillation frequency corresponding to a receipt frequency is written to the pager and when a frequency band particular to the pager is not labeled on the pager body, the operator can see the frequency band easily. This prevents the operator from writing frequency information in the ROM of an inadequate radio pager to which a desired frequency band is not assigned.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and controlling an area comprising a controller for controlling system operational functions; at least one remote-control transmitter for transmitting system commands to the controller in a code word having a fixed word and a hopping word therein; the fixed word comprising at least one fixed data bit and the hopping word comprising at least one changing data bit, wherein the hopping word changes its binary value from transmission to transmission of the system commands; and, means for scrambling bits of the fixed word and bits of the hopping word within the code word.

Abstract: A messaging system, having a transmitter (202) for transmitting information service messages to selective call units (SCU's) (122), receives displayable information from a service provider, and creates a message having an address field (504) and data field (508). The address field (504) includes an address assigned to at least one SCU (122), and the data field (508) includes the displayable information. A portion of the displayable information is defined as at least one subaddress field (510, 514). The at least one subaddress field (510, 514) is used by the at least one SCU (122), when receiving the message from the messaging system, for determining whether a portion of the displayable information is to be processed.

Abstract: A radio paging selective receiver determines that a received message is unread based on the time difference between the message reception time and the current time being larger that some predetermined value of time, and the paging selective receiver provides an indication of the unread message by displaying the reception time of the unread message in a second fashion which is visibly different from a first fashion normally used to display the current time.