Patent ID: 6229988
Filing Date: 2001-05-08
Classification: H04B,H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
A method of energy source utilization and conservation at a radio receiver intended to receive only occasional radio transmissions addressed to that receiver and occurring during predetermined overall transmission time schedules, that comprises, allocating successive short time periods of possible equal-energy utilization by the receiver totaling an energy budget capacity of the intended lifetime of the receiver energy source; momentarily activating the receiver by applying energy thereto during such a short time period only, adequate for the receiver to determine the possible presence of a radio transmission containing an address for that receiver; thereupon de-activating the receiver by terminating energy applied thereto in the absence of receipt of such addressed transmission; and skipping subsequent time periods of possible activation corresponding at least to the time period(s) utilized in such determination when no such transmission was found to be present in order to insure overall conformance to said energy budget, but adjusting such skipping to insure the activation of the receiver at some time within the predetermined transmission schedules, thereby enabling the receiver judiciously to look for transmissions addressed to it only at correct times and only for short time periods, while spending the rest of the time in an energy conservation deactivated mode.