Selecting apparatus for a multimode electronic wrist instrument

• US 5,088,070 A
• Filed: 05/06/1991
• Issued: 02/11/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Timex Corporation (Tanager Group BV)
• Original Assignee: Timex Corporation (Tanager Group BV)
• Inventors: Shiff, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US07/696,402
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/69-70, 368/82-84, 368/185-187, 368/239, 368/240, 368/319-321, 340/706, 340/709, 340/711, 340/712, 364/705, 364/709, 364/710
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/001 Electromechanical switches for setting or display in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces

Abstract

A selecting apparatus for a multimode electronic wrist instrument. A microcomputer in the wrist instrument is programmed to sequentially actuate selecting indicia similar to a cursor horizontally and/or vertically on the display to indicate a selectable function for the timepiece. At least four directional switches are operated by movement of an operator'"'"'s finger with respect to a central reference position. The microcomputer is further programmed to select the selectable operating function displayed when a selecting switch is operated. In one embodiment of the invention, the manual actuating means comprises four separate directional actuators arranged about a central actuator which operates the selecting switch. In another embodiment, the manual actuating means is a single member adapted to movement in at least four directions corresponding to movement of the selecting indicia on the display and also adapted to be depressed in the center to operate the selecting switch. The functions selected may comprise operating modes of the wrist instrument or may comprise alphanumeric characters and/or mathematical operators.

Claims

1. Improved selecting apparatus for a multimode electronic wrist instrument of the type having a wrist-mounted case, a microcomputer in a said case programmed to provide a plurality of functions including timekeeping and other functions, and an electro optical display having actuatable display indicia, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of selecting indicia arranged on said display in a first line and at least one transversely spaced second line parallel to said first line, each of said selecting indicia adapted to indicate a selectable function of said wrist instrument,

a plurality of directional switches in said case connected to said microcomputer, said microcomputer being programmed to sequentially actuate said indicia along said lines to indicate a said selectable function in response to operation of one of said directional switches,

a selecting switch connected to said microcomputer,

manual actuating means disposed on said case adapted to operate said selecting switch at said central reference position and to operate at least four of said directional switches by movement of an operator'"'"'s finger from said central reference position toward a selected one of four locations on said case, said four locations being spaced from and surrounding said central reference position, a first pair of said locations being directionally oriented on the case to correspond to the directional orientation of said lines and a second pair of said locations being directionally oriented on the case substantially perpendicular to said lines,

said microcomputer having a first memory location for storing a first function corresponding to said selectable function indicated by an actuated indicia on said display,

said microcomputer having a second memory location for storing a second function and adapted to operate said wrist instrument in accordance with said second function, and

said microcomputer being programmed (1) selectively to cause sequential actuation of said selecting indicia along a said line on the display in the same sense and direction as that corresponding to movement of the operator'"'"'s finger with respect to said central reference position, and (2) selectively to cause transfer of the actuation of said indicia between said first and second lines on the display in the same sense and direction as that corresponding to movement of the operator'"'"'s finger with respect to said central reference position, said microcomputer being further programmed (3) to select the selectable function displayed when said selecting switch is operated at said central reference position.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said selecting indicia are arranged on said display in first and second transversely spaced columns.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said selecting indicia are arranged on said display in transversely spaced first and second rows.

4. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said selectable functions of said wrist instrument comprise a plurality of actuatable elements on said display arranged along said first and second lines in correspondence with said selecting indicia.

5. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said selectable functions of the wrist instrument are symbols inscribed on the case along first and second lines in correspondence with said first and second lines of indicia.

6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said directional switches and said selecting switch are operated by separate actuators which collectively comprise said manual actuating means.

7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said manual actuating means comprises a single actuator adapted to operate said directional switches by movement away from said central reference position and to operate said selecting switch by depression of an operator'"'"'s finger at said central reference position.

8. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said microcomputer is programmed to actuate said selecting indicia at a display location corresponding to said first function stored in said first memory location.

9. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said microcomputer program is arranged to actuate a selected function indicated by an actuated indicia at a display location corresponding to the second function stored in said second memory location.

10. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said microcomputer is programmed to actuate a first display indicia corresponding to said first function stored in said first memory location and to actuate a second display indicia according to said second function stored in said second memory location, said first and second display indicia being actuated in a manner to be visually distinguishable from one another to said operator.

11. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said microcomputer is programmed to cause sequential actuation of said indicia along a said line on the display in response to repetitive operation of a selected directional switch.

12. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said transfer of actuation of selecting indicia between said lines is in response to repetitive operation of a selected directional switch.

13. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said microcomputer is programmed to transfer the contents of said second memory location to said first memory location upon operation of said selecting switch.

14. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said selectable function said first function and said second function comprise operational modes of said wrist instrument.

15. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said selectable function, said first function and said second function comprise alphanumeric characters and/or mathematical operators to be stored in said microcomputer.