Method and apparatus for setting a clock in a computer system

• US 5,487,054 A
• Filed: 01/05/1993
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Gannholm, Martin R., Capps, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roskoski, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US08/001,111
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/185-190
• US Class Current: 368/185
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 5/00 Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A method for resetting a real-time clock of a pen-based computer system characterized by the steps of: displaying an image of an analog clock face with an hour hand and a minute hand on the screen of a pen-based computer system; determining whether a clock-setting stroke has been made with a stylus upon the image of the analog clock face; resetting the real-time clock to correspond to the clock-setting stroke; and moving at least one of the hour hand and the minute hand in response to the clock-setting stroke. An apparatus for resetting a real-time clock of a pen-based computer system is characterized by: a digital processor; a real-time clock coupled to the digital processor; a screen assembly coupled to the digital processor; a display mechanism for displaying an image of an analog clock on the screen assembly; a detection mechanism for detecting a clock-resetting stroke on the image of the analog clock by a stylus; and a resetting mechanism for resetting the real-time clock in response to the clock-resetting stroke.

Claims

1. A method for setting a clock in a computer system comprising:

displaying an analog clock face on a screen of a computer system the clock face having an origin at a center location thereof, wherein said analog clock face displays an hour hand extending radially outwardly from said origin, said hour hand corresponding to a current hour parameter of a real-time clock, and further displays a minute hand extending radially outwardly from said origin, said minute hand corresponding to the current minute parameter of said real-time clock, said hour hand and said minute hand being different in length;

making a stroke on said screen using a pointer means by contacting the pointer means with at least a portion of said clock face;

determining whether the distance from the clock origin to a selected point in said stroke is closer to the length of said hour hand or length of said minute hand; and

moving one of said hour hand and said minute hand to indicate a new hand position indicative of a new clock time, wherein the determination of which hand is to be moved is based at least in part upon whether the distance to the selected point of said stroke is closer to the length of the hour hand or the length of the minute hand; and

resetting said real-time clock to correspond to said new clock time.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the selected point in said stroke is an end point of said stroke that is farthest from the origin of said analog clock face.

2. A method for setting a clock in a computer system comprising:

displaying an analog clock face on a screen of a computer system the clock face having a clock origin at a center location thereof, wherein said analog clock face displays an hour hand corresponding to a current hour parameter of a real-time clock, and further displays a minute hand corresponding to the current minute parameter of said real-time clock, said hour hand and said minute hand being different in length;

making a stroke on said screen using a pointer means by contacting the pointer means with at least a portion of said clock face to create a new hand position;

wherein each of said hour hand, said minute hand, and said stroke has a length, and further comprising the step of moving either the hour hand or the minute hand to said new hand position, depending upon which of said hour hand or said minute hand is closer in length to the length of the stroke comprising the new hand position to define thereby a new clock time; and

resetting said real-time clock to correspond to said new clock time.

3. An apparatus for resetting a real-time clock of a pen-based computer system comprising:

digital processing means;

real-time clock means coupled to said digital processing means;

screen means coupled to said digital processing means and operative to display images in response to signals generated by said digital processing means and operative to provide signals to said digital processing means in response to the engagement of a surface of said screen means with a stylus means;

means for displaying an image of an analog clock on said screen means, said analog clock having a centrally located clock origin from which an hour hand and a minute hand extend radially outwardly;

means for detecting a clock-resetting stroke on said image of an analog clock by said stylus means;

means for determining whether the radial distance from a clock origin to a selected point in said clock resetting stroke is closer to the radial distance from said clock origin to an end of said hour hand or the radial distance from said clock origin to an end of said minute hand;

means for moving the display position of one of said hour hand and said minute hand based upon whether the radial distance to the selected point is closer to the radial distance from said clock origin to the end of the hour hand or the end of the minute hand; and

means for resetting said real-time clock in response to said clock-resetting stroke.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said means for displaying an image of an analog clock displays said image with a current time provided by said real-time clock.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 4 further comprising means for updating said image of said analog clock in response to said clock-resetting stroke.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said means for detecting a clock-resetting stroke comprises means for detecting a clock hand-like stroke made at a new clock-hand position on said image of said analog clock.