# US 5,347,269 A · Iconic duplicate message indicator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,347,269 A - Document ID: US5347269A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/880,384 - Filed: 1992-05-08 - Granted: 1994-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 1992-05-08 - Assignees: Motorola, Inc. - Inventors: Dean P. Vanden Heuvel; Danny Walker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5347269A ## CPC - G08B 5/227: {with call or message storage means} - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract In a selective call receiver for presenting a plurality of messages to a user, a method comprises the steps of receiving (205) a message, storing (208) the received message in a memory, and determining (210) whether the received message is substantially equivalent to previously stored messages. A further step includes displaying (225) a duplicate message icon if the received message is a duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to one of the previously stored messages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A selective call receiver for presenting a plurality of messages to a user, comprising: receiver means for receiving messages; storage means coupled to the receiver means for storing the received messages; determining means coupled to the receiver means and the storage means for determining whether a received message is substantially equivalent to any of previously stored messages; and presenting means coupled to the storage means for visually displaying message icons to the user indicative of the previously stored messages, wherein the presenting means is further coupled to the determining means for displaying a duplicate message icon to the user in response to the determining means determining that the received message is a duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to one of the previously stored messages, and wherein the duplicate message icon indicates which of the previously stored messages is the one of the previously stored messages. ### Claim 2 A selective call receiver for presenting a plurality of messages to a user, comprising: a receiver for receiving messages; a memory for storing the received messages; processing means coupled to the receiver and the memory for determining whether a received message is substantially equivalent to any of previously stored messages; a display device coupled to the memory for visually displaying message icons to the user indicating the number of the previously stored messages, wherein the display device is further coupled to the processing means for displaying a duplicate message icon to the user in response to the processing mans determining that the received message is a duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to one of the previously stored messages, and wherein the duplicate message icon indicates which of the previously stored messages is the one of the previously stored messages; and alerting means coupled to the processing means for alerting the user in response to the processing means receiving a message. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The selective call receiver in accordance with claim 2, wherein the message icons are displayed on the display device in an order in which the previously stored messages corresponding thereto were received. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The selective call receiver in accordance with claim 3, wherein each of the message icons flashes until a previously stored message corresponding thereto has been displayed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The selective call receiver in accordance with claim 3, wherein the duplicate message icon is displayed beneath one of the message icons to indicate that the duplicate message is substantially equivalent to the one of the previously stored messages corresponding to the one of the message icons. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The selective call receiver in accordance with claim 5, wherein the duplicate message icon and the one of the message icons flash until the one of the previously stored messages corresponding thereto has been displayed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The selective call receiver in accordance with claim 4, wherein: reception of further duplicate messages, substantially equivalent to the one of the previously stored messages, by the selective call receiver causes the duplicate message icon and the one of the message icons to flash until the one of the previously stored messages corresponding thereto has been displayed. ### Claim 8 In a selective call receiver for presenting a plurality of messages to a user, a method for indicating to a user that a duplicate message has been received, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a message; (b) storing the received message in a memory; (c) determining whether the received message is substantially equivalent to any of previously stored messages; and (d) displaying a duplicate message icon if the received message is a duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to one of the previously stored messages, wherein the duplicate message icon indicates which of the previously stored messages is the one of the previously stored messages. ### Claim 9 In a selective call receiver for presenting a plurality of messages to a user, a method for indicating to a user that a duplicate message has been received comprising the steps of: (a) receiving messages; (b) storing the received messages in a memory; (c) determining whether each of the received messages is a duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to any of previously stored messages; (d) displaying a message icon corresponding to each previously stored message; and (e) displaying a duplicate message icon corresponding to each received message that is a duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to one of the previously stored messages, wherein the duplicate message icon indicates to the user which of the previously stored messages is the one of the previously stored messages. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein step (e) comprises the step of: (f) displaying a duplicate message icon indicating to the user which of the message icons corresponds to the one of the previously stored messages that is substantially equivalent to the duplicate message. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises the step of (g) displaying a first message icon corresponding to the one of the previously stored messages; and step (e) comprises the step of (h) displaying a duplicate message icon, corresponding to a first duplicate message that is substantially equivalent to the one of the previously stored messages, beneath the first message icon. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the step of: (i) flashing the first message icon until the one of the previously stored messages has been displayed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the step of: (j) after reception of the duplicate message, flashing the duplicate message icon and the first message icon until the one of the previously stored messages has been displayed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the step of: (k) after reception of further duplicate messages, flashing the duplicate message icon and the first message icon until the one of the previously stored messages has been displayed.