Methods and apparatus of disseminating broadcast information to a handheld device

Abstract

Broadcast information is classified in categories to facilitate user selection and filtration of the broadcast information which is processed for presentation to the user. The broadcast information is transmitted in the form of a meta frame and one or more category frames which are repeated in a continuous cycle. Meta frames and category frames are distinguished and identified by major and minor codes following a frame starting delimiter. The meta frame contains a description of each of the available categories, together with an identification of respective category major and minor codes, the frequency on which the respective category frame is transmitted if multiple frequencies are employed, and the relative position of the respective category frame within transmission cycle. If multiple frequencies are employed, the meta frame may be repeatedly broadcast on a base frequency while subsets of the category frames are transmitted on different frequencies, or the meta and category frames may be repeated in sequence on all frequencies but with varying offsets. Upon user selection of a category, the category information within the meta frame is employed to construct or key a filter for the broadcast information. The selected category frame data is received and added to a local database, formatted, and presented to the user.