EP1385067A1 - Timepiece for planning events - Google Patents

Abstract

The electronic watch includes liquid crystal display (4) and/or an analogue display (5). A control circuit (6) with a memory (7) contains data relating to a number of planned events and their starting times. This information may be remotely loaded, and one of a series of indicators (D1 - D6) is then activated to at the time of the event. The electronic watch includes a time base (1) comprising an quartz oscillator (2) and a frequency division chain associated with a clock signal generator. This provides primary and secondary time indications (IH1, IH2), the first of which corresponds to local time and the second of which corresponds to GMT. The first information is supplied to a liquid crystal display (4) and/or an analogue display (5). The second information is supplied to a control circuit (6) including a memory (7) containing data relating to a number of planned events and their starting times. This information may be remotely loaded using radio signals or infrared signals, from a computer network site. A comparator (8) receives data from the memory (7) and the time base to determine when an event is about to start. One of a series of indicators (D1 - D6) is then activated to show this.

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece, the type wristwatch, to provide information related to a manifestation comprising a plurality of scheduled events, such as the Olympic Games, the Football World Cup, or public holidays in the world.

In the prior art, it is known from DE 199 11 008 a wristwatch, represented in FIG. 1, with a circular watch case 101, a circular bezel 102, and an ice, the latter being fixed by the telescope. A dial 104 is located under the ice of the watch, maintained by a frustoconical flange 105, on which are entered from "1" to "12". In the center of the dial 104 is an opening through which the four trees carrying needles which only the outer shaft 106 is visible in the figure. The trees are connected the watch movement, not shown, placed under the dial 104. Each of the four trees supports one of the four needles, the hour hand 107, the needle of minutes 108, the seconds hand 109, and the additional hand 110 turning in counterclockwise.

The telescope 102 is divided into 12 parts, in each of which there is a indication of one of the months. The indication of the month of January is placed between 11 and 12 hours, the indication of the month of February is placed between 10 and 11 o'clock, and that until the indication of the month of December which is placed between 12 hours and 1 hour.

The additional needle 110 is driven by the watch movement of the shows in order to perform a dial turn 104 in one year through 52 positions, which corresponds to about one step per week.

On the dial 104, the 17 dates corresponding to the 17 Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season of the year 1999 are represented, as well as the country in which take place the Grand Prix. The different indications concerning the countries are radially inscribed at the periphery of the dial 104 opposite dates, the indications relating to the dates being inscribed in boxes represented also on the periphery of the dial.

Thus, during the week during which a Grand Prix is held, the hand additional 110 indicates the country and the date, the user can thus check if the date of the day corresponds with the indicated date and therefore know if the Grand Prix has the day in question, the Formula 1 Grand Prix always taking place on Sunday, the user can also check the day of the week. For this type of information, the indication of the additional needle 110 to a week is therefore just sufficient.

No Grand Prix being held from November to February, it is planned to use this area of the dial 104 left blank to write "Formula One 1999 ".

The box 101 of the watch comprises a ring 111 disposed at 3 o'clock, especially for setting the time, and a push button 112 arranged at 2 o'clock, for setting the additional needle 110 to the correct date.

Such a watch nevertheless has several disadvantages. Indeed, it is important to note that the additional needle first provides an indication temporal, which is in correspondence with inscriptions concerning for example the place of the event. As a result, the position of the additional needle depends only of the date, and more precisely of the current week. So the needle additional information may indicate only one entry, for example a country, of certain way. It therefore does not allow to indicate several simultaneous events, to indicate several indications of the same nature concerning an event in Classes.

The idea of using several additional needles no benefit knowing that there is a direct correspondence between the position of the additional needle and the current week. So, to be able to indicate two events by means of two additional needles, it would be necessary for provide different temporal indications which would make reading almost impossible.

In addition, it should also be noted that the additional hand indicates only the arrival of an event within a week. The user is subsequently obliged to compare the date indicated by the additional needle to that of the current day to verify the actual arrival of the specified event. That being so, the user, if he wants know the start time of the event indicated to be able to follow, for example, a live television broadcast, he must know the start time of the event where it is. This requires knowing the start time of the event in the country where it takes place and the time difference between the place the event and the location of the user. It is not very easy to be able to use this watch to obtain accurate information about the arrival an event.

Finally, such a watch can only be used for a Formula 1 season. effect from one year to the next, the dates change for each Grand Prix, and the order of the calendar may undergo some modifications, as well as the addition or suppression of some Grand Prix.

The invention therefore aims in particular to provide a timepiece which is capable of indicating a plurality of simultaneous events in a precise manner.

Indeed, the electronic timepiece according to the invention is remarkable in it makes it possible to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

• une base de temps pour délivrer une première information horaire,
• des premiers moyens indicateurs de ladite première information horaire,
• des indications / symboles non horaires de même nature relatifs à une pluralité d'événements planifiés, liés entre eux,
• des deuxièmes moyens indicateurs susceptibles de désigner simultanément plusieurs indications non horaires relatives à un ou plusieurs événements en cours parmi ladite pluralité d'événements planifiés,
• un circuit de commande comportant des moyens de mémorisation dans lesquels sont stockées des données relatives à la planification de ladite pluralité d'événements et des moyens de comparaison pour comparer lesdites données stockées avec une information horaire, ledit circuit de commande activant lesdits deuxièmes moyens indicateurs en réponse à un signal de commande provenant desdits moyens de comparaison.

For this, the present invention relates to an electronic timepiece which comprises in particular:

• a time base for delivering a first time information,
• first indicator means of said first time information,
• non-hourly indications / symbols of the same nature relating to a plurality of planned events linked together,
• second indicator means capable of simultaneously designating several non-hourly indications relating to one or more current events among said plurality of planned events,
• a control circuit comprising storage means in which data relating to the planning of said plurality of events and comparison means are stored for comparing said stored data with a time information, said control circuit activating said second indicator means by responding to a control signal from said comparing means.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the electronic timepiece is characterized in that said time base delivers second information time zone independent, and in that said plurality of events is scheduled based on this second time information.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the timepiece electronic system is characterized in that it further comprises means for receiving external signals to load said data relating to the planning said plurality of events from a specific site of a network extended computing.

La figure 1, déjà décrite, représente une montre « Formule 1 » selon l'art antérieur ;

La figure 2 représente un schéma de principe d'une pièce d'horlogerie selon un mode de réalisation préféré de l'invention ;

Les figures 3A et 3B représentent une pièce d'horlogerie selon des première et deuxième variantes selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention ;

La figure 4 représente une pièce d'horlogerie selon un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention ;

La figure 5 représente une pièce d'horlogerie selon un troisième mode de réalisation de l'invention ;

La figure 6 représente une pièce d'horlogerie selon un quatrième mode de réalisation de l'invention ;

The invention will be explained below in detail for embodiments given by way of example only, these embodiments being illustrated by the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1, already described, shows a watch "Formula 1" according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 represents a block diagram of a timepiece according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a timepiece according to first and second variants according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 represents a timepiece according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 represents a timepiece according to a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 represents a timepiece according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 represents a schematic diagram of a timepiece according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The timepiece includes a time base 1 comprising in particular an oscillator with quartz 2 and a frequency division chain associated with a signal generator schedules forming a set 3 for delivering first IH1 and second IH2 time information. The first time information IH1 corresponds to the time local for the user of the timepiece. The second time information IH2 corresponds to a universal time information such as GMT time ("Greenwich Meridian Time"), or one hour of the type "Internet Time". At this subject, application EP 0 984 342 A1 filed in the name of Swatch AG entitled "Exhibit electronic timepiece having a time indication based on a system is hereby incorporated by reference in particular as regards the means of generating this system-based universal time information decimal, also called "Internet Time", represented in Figures 4 to 6 of this request.

The first time information IH1 is provided to display means which can be a liquid crystal display 4 (LCD) and / or an analog display 5 by means of hands indicating the hours, minutes and possibly seconds.

The timepiece also comprises a control circuit 6 including a memory 7 likely to contain data relating to to a plurality of scheduled events and comparison means 8 receiving input the second time information IH2 compared to the data stored in memory. Data relating to a plurality of scheduled events, stored in memory 7 include for each event, the arrival time of this event in a universal time system, GMT or Internet Time, as well as the indications relating to this event.

The stored data can be pre-programmed in the memory 7, but preferentially they are downloaded by means of a receiver 9 acoustic, or a conventional radio frequency or infra-red receiver, from a site an extensive computer network.

The detail of operation of an acoustic receiver is in particular given in the application WO 01/09689 filed in the name of this Applicant, incorporated herein by reference in particular as regards the circuit diagram of a circuit converter of an acoustic signal shown in Figure 3 of this application.

The use of such an acoustic receiver to download data from a site on an extended computer network, is detailed in the application EP No. 01201271.2 filed in the name of Swatch AG entitled "Method and system to access information and / or data available from a network extended computing ". This application is incorporated herein by reference, in particular into it concerns the system of access to this information and / or data represented in Figure 1 of this application, as well as the associated access method.

Typically, data relating to a plurality of scheduled events is grouped as a downloadable file in the memory 7, this file being available on the partner site (s) related to the plurality of events.

The comparison means 8 make it possible to compare the second hourly information IH2 with the arrival time of each event stored in memory, and in case of correspondence to activate indicating means 10 arranged in correspondence with indications / symbols 11 (D1 ... D6) placed on the dial of the timepiece. It is also possible to plan to warn a user case of correspondence to indicate the arrival of one or more events, by activation by the comparison means 8 of warning means, formed by example by a piezoelectric crystal 12.

FIGS. 3A and 3B represent first and second variants according to a first embodiment of the invention, where the plurality of scheduled events the different events played during an Olympiad grouped by disciplines. The data relating to this plurality of events are either pre-programmed, or downloaded into the memory of the timepiece.

According to a first variant represented in FIG. 3A, the timepiece 21 comprises time indicator means comprising display means 22 and / or digital display means 23, for example of the LCD type ("Liquid Crystal Display"). In addition, the dial 24 of the timepiece comprises in particular non-hourly symbols of the same nature relating to plurality events, these symbols being preferably arranged on the periphery of the 24. In this first embodiment, these symbols represent the different sports disciplines of the Olympic Games.

The dial 24 also includes indicator means 26 preferably fixed and annularly placed next to the symbols representing the disciplines. These indicator means may be, for example, diodes luminescent or LEDs, represented in the form of white or black pellets. A white dot indicates that the corresponding light-emitting diode is off or deactivated, however a black pellet indicates that the light emitting diode corresponding is on or activated.

The dial 24 is capable of further comprising display means digital 27 likely to provide information such as date and time remaining before the start or end of the plurality of scheduled events, this plurality linked to each other, as part of a larger event as for example the Olympic Games. In a particular mode, the room timepiece is provided with an RF antenna and signal processing means received by this antenna, the additional digital display means 27 being then use to display the information obtained by radiofrequency transmission, as for example the site or sites on which the event or events take place, or the evolution of the score of the current event (s).

In the first variant shown in FIG. 3A, it is visible that function of the memory content and the universal time calculated by the internal circuit, the indicator means 26 corresponding to the symbols 25 of the disciplines in progress are activated - black pellets - regardless of the local time of the position geographical location of the user. Indeed, the data relating to plurality planned events stored in the memory include, for example, information, the arrival of each event according to a universal time, by example the Internet Time, and the timepiece includes a timebase to generate a universal time information of the same type as that used to define the arrival of events. So the comparison between the two information does not depend on the local time of the geographical position of the user.

According to a second variant of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the timepiece 21 includes digital time display means 23. The dial 24 has the difference of the symbols of the first variant of the FIG. 3A, non-hourly indications of the same nature, relating to plurality events. These indications are preferably placed on the periphery of the 24. In this example, these indications represent the different disciplines Olympic Games. We find otherwise the same elements, especially indicating means 26 preferably fixed and placed along a circle opposite indications 25 representing the disciplines.

FIG. 4 represents a second embodiment according to the invention, where the plurality of planned events concerns the different countries participating in a international competition of the World Cup type. All matches of such competition being known well in advance, it is planned either to pre-program or download from a site of an extended computer network, the information concerning all the matches, namely, the universal schedule of each match, the names of the teams playing against each other and possibly other information like the place of the meeting. As for the matches after elimination of certain team, it is also planned to be able to download, or to introduce the result of previous matches to know the remaining matches to be played.

The timepiece 31 comprises time indicator means 23, by example of the type LCD ("Liquid Crystal Display"). The dial 24 of the coin including timepieces of a similar nature, relating to the plurality of events. In this second embodiment, these indications 25 represent the different countries participating in a World Cup. AT note that it is conceivable to replace the indications 25 with symbols, such as for example, flags of different countries.

The dial 24 also comprises indicator means 26, preferably fixed and placed along a circle opposite the indications representing the countries. These indicator means may be, for example, light-emitting diodes or LEDs, represented as white or black arrows on the drawing. A white arrow indicates that the corresponding LED is off or deactivated, a black arrow indicates that the corresponding light-emitting diode is On or off, the white and black arrows with dashed lines indicate the corresponding LEDs flash to indicate alternatively the names of the different teams playing at the same time, in particular when two matches are played at the same time.

The dial 24 further comprises means for masking the indications 25 non-timetables that have become unnecessary, for example countries whose teams have been eliminated from the competition. These means to hide these indications 25 preferably comprises a reflective liquid crystal cell disposed between the dial 24 and the ice, not shown, of the timepiece 21. This cell comprises segments 28 addressed appropriately. According to the national team of the countries indicated on the indications 25 is eliminated or not, the reflective segments 28 are respectively controlled so as to let the light, the country then remaining visible, or not letting the light through, the country being then masked.

The dial 24 may further comprise digital display means 27 to provide information such as the progress of the competition and the place of the meeting in progress.

In addition, the timepiece comprises control members 30 to introduce information such as match results already disputed, in particular to enable the data relating to the plurality of of events, stored in the memory of the timepiece to be updated. It is also possible to download this information directly from a site specific to an extended computer network.

FIG. 5 represents a third embodiment according to the invention, where the plurality of planned events relates to the different holidays of a year for a number of selectable countries. The data relating to this plurality events are either pre-programmed or downloaded into the memory of the timepiece.

Timepiece 21 includes hourly indicator means comprising analog display means 22 and / or display means 23, for example LCD type ("Liquid Crystal Display"). In addition, a cell reflective liquid crystal is disposed on the periphery of the dial 24 of the coin watchmaking. This cell comprises segments 28 addressed appropriately, likely to display, based on the data stored in memory, non-hourly indications 25 and / or symbols, not shown, of the same kind relating to to the plurality of events. In this third embodiment, the indications 25 the two-letter code of the Contracting States to the Convention on the European patent. The segments 28 when they let in the light, allow to display the two-letter codes, and when they do not let in the light, hide these codes.

It should be noted that, as a variant, it is also possible to use a screen reflective liquid crystal arranged above the dial and in particular above the periphery of the dial, and to define the areas to let the light through and therefore leave visible the indications to be displayed in these zones, and the zones not having to let the light through and thus hide the corresponding indications to these areas.

According to a fourth advantageous embodiment of the invention, represented in Figure 6, it is expected that the non-hourly indications and / or symbols likewise nature relating to a plurality of planned events are arranged not on the dial 24 of the timepiece 21, but on the bezel 31. Preferably, a removable bezel is used to change the indications and / or symbols 25 when reprogramming or downloading a new plurality planned events. Indeed, it is preferable and greatly economical to to be able to modify these indications or symbols by simply changing the telescope 31, instead of having to change watches, change the dial, or have of a timepiece provided with indications or programmable symbols that are can display with a liquid crystal cell. In order to correctly position the new removable bezel when changing, note that it is planned to provide, for example, the box of the timepiece of a foolproof, for example a triangular mark 32, to which corresponds a similar mark 33 on the new glasses. It will also be noted that digital display means 23 may in particular to be used to specify the events of the disciplines corresponding to the events in Classes.

Finally, it is important to note that the display of the current event (s) among the plurality of events concerned, whatever the embodiment, may be carried out either continuously or, for the sake of saving energy, only after activation of a push button type control device, crown, touch mirror, etc.

In addition, it may be planned to integrate additional features of the type countdown to an event, querying the planning of events, etc.

It is also important to note that all combinations of above-mentioned characteristics, and in particular time-indicator means and non-hourly, are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (13)

Electronic timepiece characterized in that it comprises a time base (1) for delivering a first time information (IH1), first indicator means (4, 23 or 5, 22) of said first time information, non-hourly indications / symbols (11, 25) of the same nature relating to a plurality of planned events, linked together, second indicating means (10, 26, 28) capable of simultaneously designating a plurality of non-hourly indications relating to one or more current events among said plurality of scheduled events, a control circuit (6) comprising storage means (7) in which data relating to the planning of said plurality of events and comparison means (8) are stored for comparing said stored data with a time information, said control circuit activating said second indicator means in response to a control signal from said comparing means. Electronic timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that said second indicator means are formed by a plurality of fixed indicators (26, 28) each corresponding to one of said non-hourly indications / symbols (25). Electronic timepiece according to Claim 2, characterized in that the said non-hourly indications / symbols (25) are arranged at the periphery of the dial (24) and in that the said fixed indicators are light diodes (26) arranged in a ring opposite said indications / symbols. Electronic timepiece according to claim 2, characterized in that said non-hourly indications / symbols (25) are arranged at the periphery of the dial and in that said fixed indicators are formed by a reflective liquid crystal cell comprising a plurality of segments (28) arranged in a ring above said indications / symbols. Electronic timepiece according to Claim 2, characterized in that the said non-hourly indications / symbols (25) are arranged on a removable telescope (31) and in that the said fixed indicators are light-emitting diodes (26) arranged in a ring look at said indications / symbols. Electronic timepiece according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said non-hourly indications / symbols (25) are arranged at the periphery of the dial (24) and in that the said second indicator means are formed by a reflective liquid crystal screen. disposed above the dial, capable of masking or not each of said information. Electronic timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said time base (1) delivers a second universal time information (IH2), and in that said plurality of events is scheduled according to this second time information. An electronic timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that it further comprises warning means (12) for warning a user that one or more of said plurality of scheduled events is starting. Electronic timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises means (9) for receiving external signals for loading said data relating to the planning of said plurality of events. Electronic timepiece according to claim 9, characterized in that said receiving means (9) are means for receiving modulated acoustic signals and in that the data relating to the planning of said plurality of events are loaded from a specific site of an extensive computer network. Electronic timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises control members (30) for activating said second indicator means (26, 28) corresponding to one or more current events among said plurality of scheduled events. Electronic timepiece according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a continuous operating mode during which said second indicator means (26, 28) corresponding to a plurality of current events among said plurality of scheduled events are activated and disabled automatically, respectively at the beginning at the end of each event. Electronic timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises counting means for indicating the time remaining before an event.

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