Patent ID: 6157813
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: G08B

Abstract:
A portable one-way radio pager, comprising:receiver means for receiving radio messages;memory means for storing the messages received; an electronic CPU for processing the messages;interface means communicating with the CPU to enable the pager to be used; anda control memory containing at least one number, referred to as ""validity data"", representative of a certain sum of money;the CPU being designed:to decrement the validity data progressively each time said CPU performs certain predetermined ""chargeable operations"", each chargeable operation corresponding to a certain numerical value referred to as the ""price"" of the chargeable operation and which is determined as a function of a certain tariff, the validity data being decremented on each occasion the CPU performs a chargeable operation by subtracting the price of the chargeable operation from the validity data; andto prevent normal operation of the pager when said validity data is less than a predetermined minimum value;wherein the radio messages received by the pager belong to a plurality of different categories, and wherein the CPU is adapted to recognize the category of each message, during each operation of decrementing the validity data, and to apply different tariffs depending on message category; andin which the CPU is designed to recognize certain predetermined portions of messages belonging to at least certain received radio messages which correspond to chargeable operations, said predetermined message portions containing the prices of the corresponding chargeable operations.