DISPLAYING NOTIFICATIONS ON A WATCHFACE

• US 20150346694A1
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hoobler, Ricky J., Jacobs, Daniel T., Knight, Megan
• Granted Patent: US 9,377,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/00 Visual time or date indication means
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0064 in which functions not related to time can be displayed digital output to display devices of digital computers G06F3/14
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/04 by controlling light sources, e.g. electroluminescent diodes G04G9/0058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/06 using light valves, e.g. liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for displaying notifications on a watchface. In one or more implementations, a watchface is displayed on a display of a smartwatch. The watchface occupies an entire display area of the display and indicates a current time in a first region of the watchface. In some cases, the watchface uses one or more rotating pointers or rotating dials to indicate the current time. Responsive to receiving a notification, the notification is displayed at a second region of the watchface such that the current time is visible in the first region of the watchface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a smartwatch, a watchface that occupies an entire display area of the display and indicates a current time in a first region of the watchface;

receiving a notification; and

displaying the notification at a second region of the watchface such that the current time is visible in the first region of the watchface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the watchface uses one or more rotating pointers or rotating dials to indicate the current time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification is opaque and blocks the display of the second region of the watchface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification occupies approximately half of the display area of the display.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification displays at least two pieces of notification information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first region of the watchface comprises a top region of the watchface, and wherein the second region of the watchface comprises a bottom region of the watchface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the watchface comprises displaying an analog watchface.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein displaying the analog watchface comprises displaying, in the first region of the analog watchface:

a stationary dial;

an hour pointer configured to rotate to point to hours arranged on the stationary dial to indicate an hour of the current time; and

a minute pointer configured to rotate to point to minutes arranged on the stationary dial to indicate a minute of the current time.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein displaying the analog watchface further comprises displaying, in the second region of the analog watchface:

an additional stationary dial; and

a second pointer configured to rotate to point to seconds arranged on the additional stationary dial to indicate seconds of the current time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the watchface comprises displaying a rotating watchface that comprises:

a rotating hour dial configured to rotate around a perimeter of the rotating watchface;

a rotating minute dial configured to rotate around the perimeter of the rotating watchface; and

a viewfinder, in the first region of the rotating watchface, configured to indicate an hour on the hour dial corresponding to the current time and to indicate a minute on the minute dial corresponding to the current time.

11. The method claim 1 wherein the notification comprises one of a text message notification, a social-media notification, a weather notification, a flight notification, and a calendar notification.

12. A smartwatch comprising:

a display; and

at least a memory and a processor to implement;

a watch module that causes display of a watchface that occupies an entire display area of the display and indicates a current time in a first region of the watchface; and

a notification module that receives a notification and causes display of the notification on the display at a second region of the watchface such that the current time is visible in the first region of the watchface.

13. The smartwatch of claim 12 wherein the watchface uses one or more rotating pointers or rotating dials to indicate the current time.

14. The smartwatch of claim 12 wherein each of the first region and the second region occupy approximately half of the display area of the display.

15. The smartwatch of claim 12 wherein the notification displays at least two pieces of notification information.

16. The smartwatch of claim 12 wherein the watchface comprises an analog watchface.

17. The smartwatch of claim 16 wherein the first region of the analog watchface comprises:

a stationary dial;

an hour pointer configured to rotate to point to hours arranged on the stationary dial to indicate an hour of the current time; and

a minute pointer configured to rotate to point to minutes arranged on the stationary dial to indicate a minute of the current time.

18. The smartwatch of claim 17 wherein the second region of the analog watchface comprises:

an additional stationary dial; and

a second pointer configured to rotate to point to seconds arranged on the additional stationary dial to indicate seconds of the current time.

19. The smartwatch of claim 12 wherein the watchface comprises a rotating watchface.

20. The smartwatch of claim 19 wherein the rotating watchface comprises:

a rotating hour dial configured to rotate around a perimeter of the rotating watchface;

a rotating minute dial configured to rotate around the perimeter of the rotating watchface; and

a viewfinder, in the first region of the rotating watchface, configured to indicate an hour on the hour dial corresponding to the current time and to indicate a minute on the minute dial corresponding to the current time.