Background of the Invention The advent of cellular telephone heralds a new phase of two-way portable communication. However, while cellular telephone provides portable two-way communication, it brings a high economic cost for the convenience of being accessible in most geographic locations because the user of the cellular telephone has to pay the air time cost for all calls to and from the cellular telephone.

One attempt to solve this problem was to combine a cellular telephone with a selective call receiver. With the combined cellular telephone-selective call receiver, the user may widely distribute the number of selective call receiver while restricting the number to the cellular telephone. When a paged or a selective call message is received, the user can then determine, from the telephone number or any accompanying message, whether to call back on the cellular telephone.

With the combination, the cellular telephone and the selective call receiver have separate receiving circuits so both devices may operate, i.e., receive messages or communicate, independent of each other or even simultaneously.

However, during a conversation on the cellular telephone, the selective call receiver is able to receive a selective call signal because it has a separate receiving circuit from the cellular telephone. Upon receipt of the selective call message, the selective call receiver notifies the user by generating an alert. Unfortunately, the alert can be quite disturbing and annoying to the user while he/she is carrying on a conversation on the cellular telephone.

Therefore, what is needed is a method and an apparatus to prevent the selective call receiver from disturbing or annoying the user while the user is carrying on a conversation on the cellular telephone.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable communication device including a cellular telephone and a selective call receiver in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of the cellular telephone and the selective call receiver coupled to the battery in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an electrical block diagram of the cellular telephone and the selective call receiver coupled to the battery in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for disabling an alert of the selective call receiver while the cellular telephone is active in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment Referring to FIG. 1, a portable communication device comprising a cellular telephone integrated or coupled with a selective call receiver in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The portable communication device 100 comprises a combination cellular telephone and selective call receiver. The portable communication device 100 has a housing 102 and a retractable antenna 104 for receiving and transmitting communication to and from the cellular telephone. A battery 106 is mechanically and electrically coupled to the housing 102 for providing power to the cellular telephone. An outer surface (or housing) 108 of the battery 106 preferably forms (or comprises) the housing for the selective call receiver preferably enclosed within the battery 106. A power supply (or power source) enclosed within the housing 108 of the battery 106 provides power to the cellular telephone including the selective call receiver enclosed within the battery 106. A display 110 is preferably positioned on and integrally coupled to the housing 108 of the battery 106

displays messages received by the selective call receiver. Control buttons 112, coupled to the housing 108 of the battery 106, enable the user to control the selective call receiver and to manipulate the messages received by the selective call receiver by storing, retrieving and discarding the messages. The control buttons 112 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention allows the user to selectively disable and enable the alerting devices of the selective call receiver in response to the receipt of a message to be discussed in details below. The battery 106 further comprises connections 114 for coupling the battery 106 to an external charger (not shown). A release button 116 is provided on the battery 106 for unlocking the battery 106 from the housing 102 of the cellular telephone to permit the battery 106 to be decoupled and disconnected from the cellular telephone.

Referring to FIG. 2, an electrical block diagram of the selective call receiver coupled to the cellular telephone is shown in accordance with the present invention. The cellular telephone 202 comprises a two-way communication circuitry and a mechanical interface for coupling to the battery 204 of the cellular telephone (or portable device). The cellular telephone 202 comprises a receiver 250, a transmitter 254 and a microprocessor 252 coupled to the receiver 250 and the transmitter 254 for providing portable communication, e.g., voice communication in a manner well known by one of ordinary skill in the arts. The battery (power supply) 204 preferable comprises a size capable of fitting in the battery shown in FIG. 1. The battery housing, as discussed above, has a similar mechanical interface which enables the battery to be mechanically and electrically coupled to the cellular telephone 202. As is well known, the battery 204 for the cellular telephone 202 is capable of providing six (6) volts to power the cellular telephone 202 and a typical battery for a selective call receiver 210 is capable of providing one-and-one-half (1.5) volts. Therefore, a regulator 206 coupled between the cellular telephone 202 and the selective call receiver 210 regulates (a voltage) the six volts supply from the battery 204 down to one-and-one-half volts supply for providing power to the selective call receiver 210. Alternatively, because the battery 204 comprises a plurality of cells, the desired one-and-one-half volts can be obtained by coupled to the required number of cells of the plurality of cells to obtain the required voltage. The selective call receiver

210, the battery 204 and the regulator 206 are coupled together 208 in the battery housing.

The two-way portable communication circuitry of the cellular telephone 202, when coupled to the battery 204, can initiate and receive telephone call via the antenna 104. The selective call receiver 210 is connected to outputs from the regulator 206 which provides the required one-and-one-half voltage supply to the selective call receiver 210. The selective call receiver 210 comprises an antenna 212 coupled to a receiver 214 for receiving messages addressed to the selective call receiver 210. A decoder/controller (or decoder) 216 decodes the received messages and processes the decoded message which is stored in a memory 220. Upon the receipt of the message, an audible alert 218 alerts the user of the received message which can be stored in the memory 220 or displayed on the display 222. The User can select between the audible alert 218 and a tactile (or vibrating) alert 228. The tactile alert 228 produces a silent vibrating alert as is well known to one of ordinary skilled in the art.

Optionally, the selective call receiver is coupled to a secondary battery 226, for example a "AAA" battery, by techniques well known to one skilled in the art, to produce one-and-one-half volts for powering the selective call receiver 210. An optional switch 224 that automatically or manually disconnects and connects the selective call receiver to the secondary battery 226.

As shown, the cellular telephone 202 and the selective call receiver 210 can be used simultaneously and independently of each other because both devices operate independently of each other because the cellular telephone 202 and the selective call receiver 210 share only the battery 204. A sensor 244 preferably a tuned resonant tank (or circuit) 244 receives a signal, e.g., an induced RF radiation signal, from the cellular telephone preferably the transmitter 254 which is amplified by an amplifier 242. The amplified RF signal is passed to a radio frequency (RF) to direct current (DC) converter (RF-to-DC converter) 240 that produces a DC signal which is provided to the decoder/controller 216. The decoder/controller 216 monitors this DC signal corresponding to an active signal indicating that the cellular telephone is active. The active signal for preferably comprises a voltage signal at a particular logic level.

When the active signal is present or detected, the decoder/controller 216

prevents or suspends the alert, e.g., audible alert, when a selective call message is received while the cellular telephone is active, e.g., communicating or transmitting. The decoder/controller 216 thereafter periodically or continuously monitors the active signal to determine when the cellular telephone is not active anymore, e.g., when it has stopped communicating. When the decoder/controller 216 determines that the cellular telephone is not active or in use, the decoder/controller 216 enables or activates the alerting in response to a message.

Referring to FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown which is similar to FIG. 2 except that instead of tuned resonant circuit, a transmitter detector 302, e.g., a transmitter sensing circuit 302, is used which, e.g., monitors the positive signal line to determine when the cellular telephone is transmitting. When the cellular telephone is transmitting, an increase current is drawn from the battery and when the transmitter detector 302 detects the increase in current, the alert of the selective call receiver is disabled or temporarily suspended until the cellular telephone has stopped communicating or transmitting. The user can be given the option via switches 112 (FIG. 1) to either select to have all alerts disabled while the cellular telephone is transmitting or to disable alerts only when the user has selected a disable alert function.

The alert function can be in the form of a menu, for example. Similarly, the user can select to disable alerts only when the audible alerts are selected and to not disable alert when the tactile alert is selected.

In this way, the user of the portable communication device can selectively disable alerts while the cellular telephone is active. The selective call receiver can also automatically disable alerts or disable alerts only when the audible alerts are selected instead of the vibrating alerts.

Therefore, the user that is speaking or communicating on the cellular telephone will not be disturbed by an alert, e.g., an audible alert, while the cellular telephone is active. The selective call receiver monitors the cellular telephone and when the user has terminated the cellular telephone conversation, the selective call receiver enables the alerts in response to any and all previously received messages by the selective call receiver.

Referring to FIG. 4, a flow diagram is shown for preventing an alert by the selective call receiver while the cellular telephone is active in

accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Upon power-up, the selective call receiver initializes itself, step 402.

After the initialization block, the decoder/controller of the selective call receiver determines if the cellular telephone is active, step 404. As discussed above, the selective call receiver comprises a transmitter sensing circuit for monitoring the transmitter of the cellular telephone, e.g., monitoring an induced RF radiation signal from the transmitter or current or voltage fluctuations when the cellular telephone is active. If the cellular telephone is not active, step 404, all received messages by the selective call receiver are stored, step 406, and an alert is generated in response to the receipt of the message, step 408.

However, when the cellular telephone is active, step 404, the selective call receiver checks if the alert is selected, or optionally if the audible alert is selected, step 410. If the alert is not selected or optionally the vibrating alert is selected, the selective call receiver receives and stores all messages, step 406. The selective call receiver can optionally alert via the vibrating alert in response the received message, step 408.

Alternatively, when alert is selected, step 410, the selective call receiver disable the alert, step 412. The selective call receiver will receive and store all messages without generating an alert while the cellular telephone is active, step 414. The selective call receiver continually or periodically monitors the cellular telephone to determine when it is no longer active, step 416. When the cellular telephone stops transmitting (or communicating), the selective call receiver enables all alerts that were disabled or prevented while the cellular telephone was active.

The user of the selective call receiver can user control buttons or switches to selective disable alerts while the cellular telephone is active during a call. Alternatively, the selective call receiver can be programmed to automatically disable or prevent alerts when the cellular telephone is active. As is well known, the selective call receiver provides the user with the option to select either audible alert or tactile (vibrating alert). The selective call receiver thereafter disables alerts when the audible alerts are selected instead of the vibrating alerts because the vibrating alerts may not disturb the user as much as the audible alerts.

In summary, a portable communication device comprises a cellular telephone coupled to a selective call receiver. The selective call receiver comprises a receiver for receiving paging messages, an alert, coupled to the receiver, for generating an alert in response to a received paging message, a decoder, coupled to the receiver, for decoding the paging messages, a switch coupled to the decoder for selectably disabling the alert and a transmitter sensing circuit for sensing when the cellular telephone is active. The decoder determines that the cellular telephone is active in response to the transmitter sensing circuit and disables the alert when the paging message is received while the cellular telephone is active.

What is claimed is: