Telephone on which the number called is composed by a crown of the horological type

• US 5,508,978 A
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 04/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eta SA Fabriques dEbauches (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Eta SA Fabriques dEbauches (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Meister, Pierre-Andre, Kalbermatter, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US08/511,868
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 368/4, 368/10, 368/13, 368/276, 379/90, 379/428, 379/430, 379/433
• US Class Current: 368/13
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/26 Devices for calling a subscriber H04M1/66 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable wireless telephone including a main unit of small volume to which an antenna, an earpiece and a microphone are connected. The means for composing a number to be called include a display system (4, 5, 13) in which the digits making up the number to be called can be displayed, one after another, by the manipulation of a crown (10). Such crown can be rotated (60) then pressed (61) in order respectively to choose a digit then confirm it and continuing thus until said number is entirely composed. The telephone can be advantageously combined with a timepiece.

Claims

1. A portable wireless telephone including a principal unit of small volume, a microphone and an earpiece coupled to said principal unit, such latter comprising means for composing a number to be called, including at least one display system in which at least the digits from 0 to 9 making up the number to be called can be displayed one after another by the manipulation of a crown of the horological type, such display system including a dial on which at least the digits 0 to 9 appear, such dial being surmounted by two hands each driven by a stepping motor having a dual sense of rotation, the telephone including a timekeeper also using said dial and said hands in order to display the time of day, at least one of said motors being controlled by the rotation of the crown in order to bring one of said hands onto the chosen digit, said crown being capable of being rotated then pressed in order respectively to choose a digit making up said number, then to confirm said digit and continuing thus until said number is entirely composed.

2. A telephone as set forth in claim 1, including means which are put into operation so that upon a first pressure on the crown the hands are superposed, and upon rotation of the crown the united hands are adapted to point to the chosen digit and that by a second pressure on the crown the chosen digit is confirmed, such operations being repeated until the telephone number is entirely composed, the return to the display of time being effected by exerting a second, long pressure on the crown.

3. A telephone as set forth in claim 1, the dial further including a liquid crystal cell in which the digits making up the telephone number appear successively upon their confirmation.

4. A telephone according to claim 1, the display system including a liquid crystal cell having a plurality of compartments each capable of displaying the digits 0 to 9, a first pressure on the crown causing the first digit to blink, such digit being then capable of being incremented or decremented by rotation of the crown in one sense or in the other sense and then confirmed by a second pressure on said crown, such pressure stopping the blinking of said first digit chosen and starting blinking of the second digit and continuing thus until the telephone number is entirely composed.