Patent EP0697773A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0697773A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Audience response system and data transfer protocol
Assignee: Fleetwood Group Inc
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Filing: 1995-06-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-06-26
Abstract
Abstract A wireless remote response system includes a base unit which retrieves user-entered responses from a plurality of remote response units, each of which is provided to a user. The base unit transmits a base data package over a wireless communication link to the plurality of remote response units, which decode the base packet and load into memory a portion of the decoded base package at each response unit. Each response unit examines the characters loaded into the memory and determines any character in the portion of the decoded base package that pertains to that particular response unit. Each remote response unit then processes any character that pertains to that particular response unit. Each bit of data exchanged between the base unit and the response unit is encoded as a particular time interval for at least one cycle of a periodic waveform by varying the time interval either between successive rising edges or between successive falling edges of the periodic waveform. Decoding is carried out by measuring the time intervals between rising edges or between falling edges of successive waveforms. It is then determined whether each measured time interval falls within one of at least two distinct non-overlapping time ranges in order to determine a value of each bit.
Inventors
- 👤 Harry G. Derks
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 08:18
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04H; H04H20/00; H04H20/38; G; G06; G06F; G06F15/00; G06F15/02; G06F15/025; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G09; G09B; G09B5/00; G09B5/08; G09B5/14; G09B7/00; G09B7/06; H04H2201/00; H04H2201/70; H04H60/00; H04H60/09; H04H60/14; H04H60/15
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A wireless method of retrieving at a base unit responses from a plurality of users, said responses being entered in a plurality of remote response units, each user being provided with a response unit, including: transmitting a base data packet over a wireless communication link to said plurality of remote response units; decoding said base packet at each response unit and loading into memory at least a portion of the decoded base packet at each response unit; determining at each response unit any character of said portion of the decoded base packet that pertains to that particular response unit; and processing by each remote response unit any character that pertains to that particular remote response unit, including transmitting in a response data packet over a wireless communication link from that particular remote response unit to the base unit any response entered by a user.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said portion of the decoded base packet includes a plurality of characters each pertaining to a different response unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said plurality of characters includes acknowledge characters, each indicative of whether a valid response was previously received from a particular response unit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said processing any character includes terminating transmission of a response entered by a user in response to an acknowledge character pertaining to that particular response unit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said plurality of characters includes correctness characters, each indicative of whether a previously received response matches a correct answer in an answer key.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
84 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said portion of the decoded base packet includes another plurality of characters pertaining to all said response units, wherein a particular response unit displays a first message contained in said another plurality of characters in response to a given value of the correctness character pertaining to that particular response unit and displays a second message contained in said another plurality of characters in response to a different value of the correctness character pertaining to that particular response unit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 5 wherein each response unit displays the value of the correctness character pertaining to that particular response unit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said plurality of characters includes microphone activation characters, each for activating an audio communication link with a particular response unit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said response units includes a microphone and an audio communication link with said base unit and wherein a particular response unit opens the audio communication link between the microphone of that particular response unit and the base unit in response to said microphone activation character pertaining to that particular response unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said remote response units are divided into groups and wherein said decoded base data packet includes a designation of a group of response units to which said plurality of characters pertain.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said remote response units are divided into groups and wherein said decoded base data packet includes a first designation of a particular group of response units to which said plurality of characters pertain and a second designation of a particular group of response units to transmit a response data packet.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said remote response units are divided into groups and wherein said decoded base data packet includes a designation of a particular group of response units to transmit a response data packet.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 12 including providing a unique identification to each of said number of response units and determining at each of said number of response units a response interval following said base data packet as a function of said designation of a particular group of response units and the identification of a particular response unit.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 13 wherein said decoded base data packet includes a designation of the number of characters making up a response data packet and wherein said determining is also a function of said number of characters.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said decoded base data packet includes a designation of the number of characters making up a response data packet.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 15 wherein each response unit transmits a response data packet having the number of characters designated in said decoded base data packet.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each of said remote response units includes a microcomputer having erasable memory and wherein said portion of the decoded base data packet includes operating code and wherein said processing includes storing said operating code in said erasable memory for operating said microcomputer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 17 wherein said transmitting a response data packet includes transmitting a null response data packet when a user has not entered a response.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting a response data packet includes transmitting a null response data packet when a user has not entered a response.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said portion of the decoded base data packet includes a plurality of characters globally pertaining to a plurality of remote response units.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method of claim 20 including transmitting a plurality of base data packets, each including a plurality of characters globally pertaining to a plurality of remote response units, determining at each remote response unit which of said base data packets is validly received, and transmitting from each said remote response unit an indication of which base data packets were validity received at that remote response unit.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 21 further including assembling a bit map at said base unit of all base data packets validly received at said remote response units and repetitively retransmitting ones of said base data packets which said bit map indicates were not validly received at at least one said remote response unit.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said response data packet includes multiple character responses.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 22 wherein said at least one cycle of said transmitted and received signals are measured either between successive rising or between successive falling edges of the respective waveform.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 22 wherein said encoding includes determining whether a majority of bits in a data package are of a value that would be encoded for a longer time period and inverting said bits in said data package prior to encoding in order to reduce the time required to transmit a data packet.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 28 including transmitting an indication that said bits in a data packet have been inverted.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
150 words
A wireless method of retrieving at a base unit responses from a plurality of users, said responses being entered in a plurality of remote response units, each user being provided with a response unit, including: transmitting a base data packet over a wireless communication link to said plurality of remote response units and transmitting a response data packet over a wireless communication link from at least one said response to said base unit, said response data packet containing any response entered by a user, and wherein at least one said transmitting said base data packet and transmitting said response data packet includes encoding the respective data packet by varying the time period for at least one cycle of a periodic waveform of a transmitted signal to encode a value of each bit, and decoding the respective data by measuring time intervals for at least one cycle of a received signal.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
115 words
A wireless method of retrieving at a base unit responses from a plurality of users, said responses being entered in a plurality of remote response units, each user being provided with a response unit, including: transmitting a base data packet over a wireless communication link to said plurality of remote response units, said base data packet including a designation of at least one characteristic of a response data packet; at least one said response unit responding to said data packet by transmitting in a response data packet over a wireless communication link any response entered by a user, wherein a characteristic of said response data packet is defined at least in part by said designation.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
82 words
A method of communicating a data packet made up of a plurality of data bits over a wireless communication link, including: encoding the respective data packet by varying the time period either between one of successive rising edges or between successive falling edges of a periodic waveform of a transmitted signal to encode a value of each bit; and decoding the respective data packet by measuring time intervals either between successive rising edges or between successive falling edges of a received signal.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
219 words
A wireless remote response system comprising: a base unit, a plurality of remote response units and a wireless communication link between said base unit and each of said response units; a first microcomputer in said base data programmed to assemble a base data packet, encode said base data packet and communicate the encoded base data packet over said communication link to said plurality of remote response units; a second microcomputer in each of said remote response units programmed to decode a base data packet received from said base unit, to load into a memory a portion of the decoded base data packet and to determine any character of said portion of the decoded base packet that pertains to that particular response unit; an input device in each of said remote response units for receiving a user response selection; each said second microcomputer further programmed to process any character that in said memory pertains to that particular response unit and to assemble a response data packet in response to a user entering a selection with said input device, encode the response data packet and transmit the encoded response data over the wireless communication link from that particular response unit to the base unit; and said first microcomputer programmed to decode response data packets received from each of said response units.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5093786A
Cited
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