Portable electronic device for intermittently executing a program stored on transposable memory

• US 5,813,026 A
• Filed: 01/31/1997
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michelle Rosita Ramsay-Borg
• Original Assignee: Charles Borg
• Inventors: Borg, Charles, Marett, Douglas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US08/792,029
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1 MS, 364/DIG. 2 MS, 364/564, 368/281, 368/63, 368/10, 600/300, 600/437, 395/376, 395/381, 395/561, 711/1, 711/2, 711/3, 711/5, 711/100, 711/101, 711/102, 711/103, 711/115
• US Class Current: 711/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation

Abstract

A portable electronic device is disclosed. The device has a first program stored in memory contained within the device and a second program stored on transposable memory which is releasably connectable to the device. The transposable memory comprises a plug-in module having a EEPROM. The second program stored on the transposable memory comprises a series of groups of instructions which are downloaded, as required, by the device and executed in order. The specific groups to be downloaded are determined by a jump table which accesses different groups of instructions in response to input signals. The instructions to be downloaded are identified by variable addresses in the jump table, and, the variable addresses are updated by means of the first program and the second program. In one embodiment, the device is a combination wrist watch and user interactive device such that the first program operates the wrist watch device and the second program comprises a behavioral modification program to assist the user to stop performing acquired behavioral responses such as using tobacco products, alcohol, or over-eating, in response to external stimuli.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device for executing a first program comprising instructions and intermittently executing instructions of a second program, said device comprising:

processing means for executing the first program and the second program;

memory means for storing and retrieving data and instructions, said memory means comprising memory locations identified by addresses;

transposable non-volatile memory means for storing and retrieving data and instructions and having stored thereon the second program, said transposable memory means comprising memory locations identified by addresses;

user-activatable input means for generating and sending input signals to the processing means upon activation by a user;

a body case for containing the processing means, input means and memory means, said body case comprising connecting means for releasably connecting the transposable memory means to the body case and releasably electrically coupling the transposable memory means to the processing means;

wherein upon activation of the device, the first program is stored in the memory means and the processing means commences execution of the first program;

wherein when the transposable memory means is coupled to the processing means, receipt of an input signal by the processing means causes the processing means to transfer a first group of instructions of the second program from the transposable memory means to the memory means and execute the first group of instructions.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second program comprises a plurality of groups of instructions, including the first group of instructions, and each group of instructions comprises next instructions which instruct the processing means which instructions to execute next.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

jump table means comprising a plurality of conditions and a plurality of variable addresses, each condition being associated with only one variable address;

wherein each variable address identifies a memory location in the memory means or the transposable memory means containing the next instruction; and

wherein the variable addresses can be changed by the next instructions of the second program.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the plurality of conditions are dependent on the input signals generated by the user-activatable input means.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 wherein when the variable address for the next instruction identifies a memory location located in the transposable memory means, the processing means transfers the group of instructions sequentially stored in the transposable memory means commencing with the memory location identified by the variable address to the memory means.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein one of the plurality of conditions is a time condition which is satisfied if no input signals are generated in a predetermined time period.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the memory means comprises non-volatile memory means for storing the first program and volatile memory means for storing instructions of the second program from the transposable memory means;

and

wherein the processing means stores data in the volatile memory means and transfers data from the volatile memory means to the transposable memory means in response to instructions from the first program or the second program.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 further comprising display means for displaying symbols in response to display signals sent by the processing means.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the device is a combination wrist watch and user-interactive monitoring device further comprising:

fastening means for fastening the device to a user'"'"'s wrist;

wherein said processing means comprises clock means operable to measure time and for measuring the pre-determined time period; and

wherein the body case is a watch case and the first program comprises instructions for the processing means to operate the device as a wrist watch and send display signals which display time.

10. The device as defined in claim 9 wherein the transposable memory means comprises:

a single non-volatile memory chip for storing and retrieving data and instructions;

plug-in circuit means for electrically coupling the memory chip to the connecting means; and

plug-in module means for containing the memory chip and the plug-in circuit means and formed to releasably connect the transposable memory means to the connecting means of the body case.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the input means comprises first activating means and second activating means located on the body casing such that input signals are generated when the first activating means or the second activating means are activated by a user.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the second program comprises a behavioral modification program for promoting alternative responses to the acquired behavioral responses:

wherein the first group of instructions comprise instructions to display a symbol representing an alternative response to the acquired behavioral response and the first group of instructions are sequentially stored in the transposable memory means commencing at a first memory location having a first address;

wherein, upon initialization, the first program sets the jump table means to an original setting such that the variable address is the first address for each condition; and

wherein activation of any one of the activation means in response to an occurrence of an urge of the user to perform an acquired behavioral response causes the processing means to transfer the first group of instructions from the transposable memory means and display the first alternate response symbol.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the next instructions of the first group of instructions instruct the processing means to transfer subsequent groups of instructions from the transposable memory means, said subsequent groups of instructions comprising instructions to display symbols representing alternative responses to the acquired behavioral response and prompting signals;

and

wherein one of the first or subsequent groups of instructions sets the jump table means such that a first variable address, corresponding to activation of the first activation means, identifies a group of instructions sequentially stored in the transposable memory means which instruct the processing means to display a positive symbol and a second variable address, corresponding to activation of the second activation means, identifies a group of instructions sequentially stored in the transposable memory means which instruct the processing means to display a negative symbol.

14. The device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the group of instructions to display a positive symbol also instruct the processing means to store in the volatile memory means and the transposable memory means that the user selected one of the alternative responses;

and

wherein the group of instructions to display a negative symbol also instruct the processing means to store in the volatile memory means and the transposable memory means that the user selected the acquired behavioral response; and

wherein the next instruction of both groups of instructions return the jump table means to the original setting and resume execution of the first program.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14 wherein each group of instructions are stored in about an equal number of memory locations;

and

wherein the volatile memory means has sufficient memory locations to store at least one of the groups of instructions of the second program.

16. The device as defined in claim 14 wherein the acquired behavioral response is over-eating and the alternative response symbols represent alterative responses to over-eating.

17. The device as defined in claim 14 wherein the acquired behavioral response is smoking and the alternative response symbols represent alternative responses to smoking.

18. The device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the transposable memory means can be electrically coupled to an other portable electronic device substantially identical to the portable electronic device such that the other portable electronic device can execute the second program stored on the transposable memory means and retrieve data stored in the transposable memory means.

19. The device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the transposable memory means can be electrically coupled to a host computer having connecting means and a second processing means corresponding to the connecting means and the processing means of the portable electronic device;

and

wherein the second processing means transfers data and instructions to and from the host computer and the transposable memory means.

20. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the next instructions can instruct the processing means to execute instructions from the first program or transfer other groups of instructions of the second program from the transposable memory means to the memory means and execute those instructions.