Selective pager receiver

Even when a user is unaware of a reception informing operation, reception informing functions are automatically stopped to prevent unnecessary current consumption. A receiver includes a mode switch for performing switching between a function for manually stopping the operations of various reception informing functions such as an audible tone, display, vibration, and light emission and a function for automatically stopping them, an auto reset setting switch for performing selection for automatically stopping any of the reception informing functions when the manual stop function is selected, and a timer for automatically stopping the reception informing function selected by the auto reset setting switch when a predetermined duration has elapsed. Even in a manual reset state, the set reception informing function is automatically stopped when a predetermined duration measured by the timer has elapsed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a selective pager receiver and, more 
particularly, to a selective pager receiver for informing reception by 
using, e.g., an audible tone, light emission, vibration, and display. 
Upon receiving a call, a conventional radio selective pager receiver of 
this type performs a reception informing function by using, e.g., an 
audible tone, light emission, vibration, and display. In order to reset 
these reception informing functions, the receiver has an auto reset 
function for automatically performing resetting and a manual reset 
function by which a user performs resetting by depressing a reset button. 
Although a user can arbitrarily select either of the two reset functions, 
a selected reset function is unconditionally set up all of the various 
reception informing functions described above. 
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional selective pager receiver. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a radio signal received by an antenna 1 is amplified 
and demodulated by a radio unit 2. This demodulated signal is shaped by a 
waveform shaper 3 into a waveform which can be read by a decoder 4. The 
decoder 4 produces reference clocks by means of a quartz oscillator 5 and 
compares a receiver call number stored in a memory unit 6 with the signal 
from the waveform shaper 3 in synchronism with the received signal. If the 
two numbers coincide with each other as a result of this comparison, the 
decoder 4 determines that the pager receiver is called and sends a signal 
to a call informing function control unit 7 and an auto reset timer 8. The 
auto reset timer 8 is activated by the signal from the decoder 4 and 
supplies a signal to the control unit 7 if a predetermined duration has 
elapsed. The timer 8 is activated by a signal from the control unit 7 as 
well as that from the decoder 4. The call informing function control unit 
7 is connected to an auto reset timer 8, a mode switch 9 for performing 
switching between an auto reset mode and a manual reset mode of call 
informing functions, a reset switch 10 for manual reset which operates 
upon depression of a reset button, and a call informing function unit 19. 
The call informing function unit 19 is constituted by an audible tone 
amplifier 12, a loudspeaker 13, an LCD driver 14, a display device 15, a 
vibrator driver 16, a vibrator 17, and an LED 18. 
The call informing function control unit 7 receives the signal from the 
decoder 4 and sends an audible tone signal to the audible tone amplifier 
12 to drive the loudspeaker 13. At the same time, the call informing 
function control unit 7 drives the LCD 15 via the LCD driver 14 to display 
information indicating that this receiver is called, drives the vibrator 
17 via the vibrator driver 16, and causes the LED 18 to emit light, 
thereby informing a user of the call for his or her receiver. The call 
informing function control unit 7 may drive some of the informing function 
set by a switch as not shown as well as all of them. 
As shown in a flow chart of FIG. 2, the call informing function control 
unit 7 checks the state of the mode switch 9 (step S301). When the auto 
reset mode is set, the call informing function control unit 7 drives the 
informing function and simultaneously activates the auto reset timer 8. 
When a predetermined duration has elapsed, the call informing function 
control unit 7 stops the informing functions in response to a signal from 
the auto reset timer 8 (step S302). When the reset switch 10 is depressed 
during execution of the call informing functions, the call informing 
functions are stopped regardless of whether the manual reset mode or the 
auto reset mode is set (steps S303 and S304). 
The conventional selective pager receiver described above has the following 
problems. That is, setting of the manual reset and the auto reset of the 
reception informing function cannot be independently performed for 
individual reception informing functions. Therefore, when a reception 
informing function which consumes a large amount of current, such as a 
vibration reception informing operation using the vibrator or a display 
reception informing operation using the LCD is performed in case that the 
manual reset function is set, this informing operation continues until a 
user depresses the reset switch to stop the informing operation. For this 
reason, if a user is unaware of the operation of the reception informing 
function or if he or she is not present near the pager receiver, a current 
is wastefully consumed to shorten the service life of a battery. In 
addition, the reset function cannot be selected in accordance with the 
degree of emergency of a call. Therefore, even in the event of an 
emergency call, the call is reset when a predetermined duration has 
elapsed if the auto reset function is set. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a selective pager 
receiver which presents unnecessary current consumption upon a reception 
informing operation even if a user is unaware of the reception informing 
operation. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a selective pager 
receiver which prolongs the service life of a battery. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a selective 
pager receiver which can reliably call a user in the even of an emergency 
call. 
In order to achieve the above objects of the present invention, there is 
provided a selective pager receiver comprising a plurality of call 
informing means for informing a user of a call, detecting means for 
comparing information included in a received radio signal with a 
preassigned selective call number of the receiver to detect a call for the 
receiver, mode switching means for performing switching between a manual 
reset mode for manually stopping an operation of each of the call 
informing means and an auto reset mode for automatically stopping the 
operation, setting means for performing selection for automatically 
stopping the operation of each call informing means in the manual reset 
mode, and timer means for automatically stopping any of the call informing 
means selected by the setting means when a predetermined duration has 
elapsed from start of calling in the manual mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a selective pager receiver of the present 
invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a radio signal received by an antenna 1 is 
amplified and demodulated by a radio unit 2. This demodulated signal is 
shaped by a waveform shaper 3 into a waveform which can be read by a 
decoder 4. The decoder 4 produces reference clocks by means of a quartz 
oscillator 5 and compares a receiver call number stored in a memory unit 6 
with the signal from the waveform shaper 3. If the two numbers coincide 
with each other, the decoder 4 determines that the pager receiver is 
called and sends a signal to a call informing function control unit 7 and 
an auto reset timer 8. The auto reset timer 8 is activated by the signal 
from the decoder 4 and supplies a signal to the control unit 7 if a 
predetermined duration has elapsed. The timer 8 is activated by a signal 
from the control unit 7 as well as the signal from the decoder 4. The call 
informing function control unit 7 is connected to an auto reset timer 8, a 
mode switch 9 for performing switching between an auto reset mode and a 
manual reset mode of call informing functions, a reset switch 10 for 
manual reset, an auto reset setting switch 11 for selecting auto reset or 
manual reset for each informing function when a manual reset mode is set, 
and a call informing function unit 19 similar to that shown in FIG. 1. The 
auto reset setting switch 11 is constituted by set switches SW1 to SW4 for 
an audible tone, display, vibration, and light emission. 
The call informing function control unit 7 receives the signal from the 
decoder 4 and sends an audible tone to an audible amplifier 12 to drive a 
loudspeaker 13. At the same time, the call informing function control unit 
7 drives an LCD 15 via an LCD driver 14 to display information indicating 
that this receiver is called, drives a vibrator 17 via a vibrator driver 
16, and causes an LED 18 to emit light, thereby informing a user of the 
call for his or her receiver. The call informing function control unit 7 
may drive some of the informing function set by a switch as not shown as 
well as all of them. 
As shown in a flow chart of FIG. 4, the call informing function control 
unit 7 checks the state of the mode switch 9 (step S101). If the auto 
reset mode is set, the call informing function control unit 7 stops all of 
the informing functions or selected informing functions in response to a 
signal from the auto reset timer 8 when a predetermined duration has 
elapsed (step S102). If the manual reset mode is set and the reset switch 
10 is turned on during a predetermined period over which no signal comes 
from the reset timer 8, the call informing function control unit 7 
unconditionally stops all of the informing functions (step S105). If a 
predetermined duration has elapsed with no input from the reset switch 10 
(step S104), the call informing function control unit 7 checks the state 
of the auto reset setting switch 11 for selecting auto reset or manual 
reset for each informing function (step S106). The call informing function 
control unit 7 stops the operation of an informing function to be 
automatically reset and continues the operation of an informing function 
to be manually reset (steps S106 and S107). PG,10 When the reset switch 10 
is depressed during execution of the call informing functions, all of the 
call informing functions are stopped regardless of whether the manual 
reset mode or the auto reset mode is set (steps S103 and S107). 
FIG. 5 shows another flow chart of operation of the control unit 7 in FIG. 
3. 
Referring to FIG. 5, if an auto reset mode is set (step S101), the call 
informing function control unit 7 stops informing functions by using a 
signal from the auto reset timer 8 when a predetermined duration has 
elapsed (step S102). If a manual reset mode is set (step S101), the call 
informing function control unit 7 checks the state of the auto reset 
setting switch 11 for selecting auto reset or manual reset for each 
informing function (step S108). If the auto reset state is set (step 
S108), it decides the predetermined duration elapses or not (Step S102). 
If the manual reset state is set (step S108), it goes to step S107. When 
the reset switch 10 is depressed during execution of the call informing 
functions, all of the call informing functions are stopped regardless of 
whether the manual reset mode or the auto reset mode is set (steps S103 
and S107). 
As a result, even if a user is unaware of the operations of the reception 
informing functions and does not depress the reset button when the 
reception informing functions are set in the manual reset mode, the 
operations of reception informing functions which consume a large amount 
of current, such as the vibrator and the LCD, can be stopped in a 
predetermined duration by setting the auto reset mode for these functions. 
Therefore, it is possible to suppress wasteful consumption of a battery 
due to these reception informing functions and consequently prolong the 
service life of the battery. 
The auto reset setting switch 11 may be constituted by a ROM, and informing 
means to be automatically reset in the manual reset mode may be 
predetermined. 
In this embodiment, 20 seconds and 8 seconds can be set as the 
predetermined durations in the auto reset mode. 
Note that the reset timer 8 is used in both the auto reset mode and the 
manual reset mode in the above embodiment, but independent timers may be 
provided for the respective modes to define different predetermined 
durations. 
FIGS. 6 to 8 are a block diagram and flow charts showing another embodiment 
of the present invention in which an emergency call is set in a manual 
reset mode and an ordinary call is set in an auto reset mode. 
Referring to FIG. 6, a memory unit 6 stores two call numbers respectively 
for an emergency call and an ordinary call. A decoder 4 compares the call 
numbers of this receiver with a signal from a waveform shaper 3. If either 
of the two numbers coincides with the signal, the decoder 4 determines 
that the receiver is called by an emergency call or an ordinary call and 
sends a signal to a call informing function control unit 7 and an auto 
reset timer 8. The call informing function control unit 7 is connected to 
an auto reset timer 8, a reset switch 10 for manual reset, an emergency 
call auto reset setting switch 21 for selecting the auto or manual reset 
mode for each informing function for an emergency call, and a call 
informing function unit 19. 
Referring to FIG. 7, if a call for the receiver is an ordinary call (step 
S201), the call informing function control unit 7 stops informing 
functions by using a signal from the auto reset timer 8 when a 
predetermined duration has elapsed (step S202). If the call is an 
emergency call, when a predetermined duration has elapsed (step S204), the 
call informing function control unit 7 checks the state of the emergency 
auto reset setting switch 21 for selecting the auto or manual reset state 
for each informing function (step S206). The call informing function 
control unit 7 stops the operation of an informing function to be 
automatically reset and continues the operation of an informing function 
to be manually reset (step S207). When the reset switch 10 is depressed 
during execution of the call informing functions, all of the call 
informing functions or selected call informing functions are stopped 
regardless of whether manual reset mode for an emergency call or auto 
reset mode for an ordinary call is set or whether a predetermined duration 
has elapsed (steps S203, S205, and S207). 
Referring to another flow char FIG. 8, if a call for the receiver is an 
ordinary call (step S201), the call informing function control unit 7 
stops informing functions by using a signal from the auto reset timer 8 
when a predetermined duration has elapsed (step S202). If the call is an 
emergency call (step S201), the call informing function control unit 7 
checks the state of the emergency auto reset setting switch 21 for 
selecting the auto or manual reset state for each informing function (step 
S208). If the auto reset state is set (step S208), it goes to step S202. 
If the manual reset state is set (step S208), it goes to step S207. When 
the reset switch 10 is depressed during execution of the call informing 
functions, all of the call informing functions are stopped regardless of 
whether manual reset mode for an emergency call or auto reset mode for an 
ordinary call is set or whether a predetermined duration has elapsed 
(steps S203 and S207). 
According to the present invention, as has been described above, even when 
various reception informing functions are switched to a manual reset 
state, reception informing functions set by the auto reset setting switch 
can be automatically reset when a predetermined duration measured by a 
timer has elapsed. Therefore, even if a user forgets to depress the reset 
button, the operation of a reception informing function, such as display 
or vibration, which consumes a large amount of current can be stopped when 
a predetermined duration has elapsed. As a result, since unnecessary 
current consumption can be prevented, the service life of a battery can be 
prolonged. In addition, since manual reset mode is automatically selected 
in the event of an emergency call, a user can be surely called.