# US 7,610,030 B2 · Wireless transmit-only apparatus and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,030 B2 - Document ID: US7610030B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/555,024 - Filed: 2006-10-31 - Published: 2007-03-08 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2003-08-21 - Assignees: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. - Inventors: James J. Fitzgibbon; Robert Roy Keller, Jr.; Bernard J. Wojciak - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610030B2 ## CPC - G08C 17/00: Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link - G08C 2201/62: Rolling code - H03L 7/06: using a reference signal applied to a frequency- or phase-locked loop - G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G) - H03L: AUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES (generation of oscillations H03B) ## Abstract A wireless transmit-only apparatus (20) has a controller (21) that responds to a user interface 25 by correlating specific user input with a corresponding characterizing transmission parameter(s) as is stored in a memory (35) and by selecting a corresponding resonant device (31 and 32). The latter devices serve to drive the PLL control input of a phase locked loop (23) to thereby influence the transmission carrier frequency of a wireless transmitter (22). In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the resonant devices comprises a mechanically resonant device such as a surface acoustic wave device, a crystal resonator, or a ceramic resonator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wireless transmit-only apparatus comprising: a controller having a transmission frequency selection output; and a wireless transmitter having a phase locked loop, which phase locked loop is responsive to the transmission frequency selection output; wherein: the wireless transmit-only apparatus can selectively transmit at a plurality of different frequencies as selected by the controller and effected, at least in part, by the phase locked loop; and the phase locked loop has a PLL control input that operably couples to a plurality of selectively switchable mechanically resonant devices. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wireless transmit-only apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch for each of the selectively switchable mechanically resonant devices, wherein each such switch is responsive to the transmission frequency selection output of the controller such that the controller can select a particular mechanically resonant device to use with the phase locked loop by controlling each of the switches. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The wireless transmit-only apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of selectively switchable mechanically resonant devices comprises at least one of: a crystal resonator; a ceramic resonator; and a surface acoustic wave device. ### Claim 4 A wireless transmit-only apparatus comprising: a controller having a transmission frequency selection output; and a wireless transmitter having a phase locked loop, which phase locked loop is responsive to the transmission frequency selection output; wherein: the wireless transmit-only apparatus can selectively transmit at a plurality of different frequencies as selected by the controller and effected, at least in part, by the phase locked loop; the wireless transmit-only apparatus further comprises a user interface comprising at least one independently assertable input and wherein the controller is operably responsive to the at least one independently assertable input; the user interface comprises a plurality of independently assertable inputs and wherein the controller is operably responsive to the plurality of independently assertable inputs; and the phase locked loop has a PLL control input that operably couples to a plurality of selectively switchable mechanically resonant devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The wireless transmit-only apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a memory operably coupled to the controller and containing a plurality of characterizing transmission parameters wherein at least some of the plurality of characterizing transmission parameters correspond to particular ones of the plurality of selectively switchable mechanically resonant devices. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The wireless transmit-only apparatus of claim 5, further comprising correlation data that correlates at least one of the plurality of independently assertable inputs with a corresponding one of the plurality of characterizing transmission parameters that corresponds to a particular one of the plurality of selectively switchable mechanically resonant devices, such that assertion of a given one of the independently assertable inputs will result in selection of a particular corresponding one of the plurality of mechanically resonant devices for use when transmitting. ### Claim 7 A wireless transmit-only apparatus comprising: a controller having a transmission frequency selection output; and a wireless transmitter having a phase locked loop, which phase locked loop is responsive to the transmission frequency selection output; wherein: the wireless transmit-only apparatus can selectively transmit at a plurality of different frequencies as selected by the controller and effected, at least in part, by the phase locked loop; the controller comprises control means for selecting a particular output frequency, from a plurality of available output frequencies, that the phase locked loop will provide; the control means is further for selecting a particular resonant circuit from amongst a plurality of candidate resonant circuits to couple to a set divide input of the phase locked loop; and the plurality of candidate resonant circuits comprise a plurality of mechanically resonant devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The wireless transmit-only apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of mechanically resonant devices include at least one of: a crystal resonator; a ceramic resonator; and a surface acoustic wave device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The wireless transmit-only apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of candidate resonant circuits comprise a least one mechanically resonant device and at least one electrically resonant circuit. ### Claim 10 A method of selecting a transmission frequency for a transmit-only wireless apparatus, comprising: providing a transmitter having a phase locked loop that has a plurality of selectable output frequencies; selecting one of the plurality of selectable output frequencies to provide a selected frequency; and using the selected frequency as the transmission frequency for the transmit-only wireless apparatus; wherein: the method further comprises providing a transmitter having a phase locked loop that has a plurality of selectable output frequencies comprises providing a transmitter having a phase locked loop having a PLL control input; selecting one of the plurality of selectable output frequencies to provide a selected frequency comprises selecting one of a plurality of resonant elements to operably couple to the PLL control input; and selecting one of a plurality of resonant elements comprises selecting one of a plurality of resonant elements that include at least one mechanically resonant element. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein selecting one of a plurality of resonant elements that include at least one mechanically resonant element comprises selecting one of a plurality of mechanically resonant elements. ### Claim 12 A method of selecting a transmission frequency for a transmit-only wireless apparatus, comprising: providing a transmitter having a phase locked loop that has a plurality of selectable output frequencies; selecting one of the plurality of selectable output frequencies to provide a selected frequency; and using the selected frequency as the transmission frequency for the transmit-only wireless apparatus; wherein: providing a transmitter having a phase locked loop that has a plurality of selectable output frequencies comprises providing a transmitter having a phase locked loop having a PLL control input; selecting one of the plurality of selectable output frequencies to provide a selected frequency comprises selecting one of a plurality of oscillators; and selecting one of a plurality of oscillators comprises selecting one of a plurality of oscillators wherein each of the plurality of oscillators has a different mechanically resonant element.