WIRELESS SYNCHRONOUS TIME SYSTEM

• US 20080212412A1
• Filed: 04/04/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quartex Division of Primex Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Quartex Division of Primex Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Neill, Terrence J., Pikula, Michael A., Gollnick, Robin W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,480,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/47
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/006 for operating at a number of different times cigar or cigarette receptacles or boxes with means for limiting the frequency of smoking A24F15/005
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/00 Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/02 the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A wireless synchronous time keeping system includes a primary device and a secondary device. The primary device includes a receiving unit to receive a first signal, a processor coupled to the receiving unit and operable to process the first signal to produce a processed time component, an internal clock to store and increment the component to produce a first internal time, and a transmitting unit to transmit a second signal having the first internal time and an event having an instruction and a time element. The secondary device includes a receiving unit to receive the second signal, an internal clock to store and increment the first internal time to produce a second internal time, a memory operable to store one or more messages, a display operable to display the messages, and an event switch operable to execute the instruction when the second internal time matches the time element.

Claims

1. A wireless synchronous time keeping system comprising:

a primary device including

a first receiving unit to receive a first signal, the first signal including a time component,

a first processor coupled to the first receiving unit and operable to process the first signal to produce a processed time component,

a first internal clock to store the processed time component and to increment the component thereafter to produce a first internal time, and

a transmitting unit to transmit a second signal, the second signal including the first internal time and an event, the event including an instruction and a time element; and

a secondary device including

a second receiving unit to receive the second signal,

a second internal clock to store the first internal time and to increment the first internal time thereafter to produce a second internal time,

a memory operable to store one or more messages,

a display operable to display the one or more message, and

an event switch operable to execute the instruction when the second internal time matches the time element, wherein the instruction includes displaying at least one of the one or more message on the display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary device further includes a programmer input connector operable to receive programming information including the one or more messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary device further includes a clock.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instruction further includes displaying a time on the clock.