Electronic device with clock function, time correction method and recording medium

• US 6,219,303 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Morohoshi, Hiroshi, Nagatomo, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MISKA, VIT W
• Application Number:
  US09/543,722
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/47, 368/187, 455/32.1, 455/51, 455/68, 455/70, 455/132
• US Class Current: 368/47
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/00 Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal

Abstract

A wristwatch receives time-of-day information transmitted in the form of an infrared signal and then calculates the difference between the received time-of-day information and its time data. A decision is made as to whether the difference is not less than or less than a predetermined value. If the difference is less than the predetermined value, the accuracy of the received data and the accuracy set in the wristwatch are determined by referring to the types of time-measuring references. When the received data is higher accurate, the current time data stored by the first storage area is corrected by the received time data.

Claims

1. An electronic device with a clock function comprising:

clocking means for providing time-of-day information;

first storage means for storing the time-of-day information provided by said clocking means and a type of a time-measuring reference to which said clocking means is referenced;

display means for displaying the time-of-day information stored in said first storage means;

second storage means for storing types of time-measuring references and their respective accuracy;

receiving means for receiving data transmitted from outside;

detecting means for detecting time-of-day information and a corresponding type of time-measuring reference from the data received by said receiving means;

determining means for determining the accuracy of the time-measuring reference detected by said detecting means and the accuracy of the time-measuring reference stored in said first storage means based on contents of said second storage means; and

control means for controlling contents of said first storage means based on a results of the determination by said determining means.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said control means comprises correcting means for, when said determining means determines that the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference detected by said detecting means is higher than the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference stored in said first storage means, correcting the time-of-day information stored in said first storage means by the time-of-day information detected by said detecting means.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising:

third storage means for storing a difference between the time-of-day information before correcting and the time-of-day information after correcting;

instruction means for giving an instruction to switch display of the time-of-day information; and

switch means responsive to the instruction given by said instruction means for switching the display of the time-of-day information to display the difference stored in said third storage means.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

prompt display means for, when said determining means determines that the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference detected by said detecting means is lower than the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference stored in said first storage means, prompting a user to instruct whether or not to correct the time-of-day information stored in said first storage means by the time-of-day information detected by said detecting means; and

instruction detecting means for detecting a correct instruction; and

wherein said control means comprises correcting means for, when the correct instruction is detected by said instruction detecting means, correcting the time-of-day information stored in said first storage means by the time-of-day information detected by said detecting means.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising:

third storage means for storing a difference between the time-of-day information before correcting and the time-of-day information after correcting;

instruction means for giving an instruction to switch the display of the time-of-day information; and

switch means responsive to the instruction given by said instruction means to display the difference stored in said third storage means.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising fourth storage means for storing the time-of-day information that has corrected the time-of-day information stored in said first storage means and the type of time-measuring reference to which the time-of-day information is referenced.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said receiving means receives data transmitted in a form of an infrared signal.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

fifth storage means for storing time-difference information; and

correcting means for correcting the time-of-day information stored in said first storage means in accordance with the time-difference information stored in said fifth storage means.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

receive control means for causing said receiving means to receive data twice; and

adjust means for adjusting a day section included in said time-of-day information provided by said clocking means based on two items of the data received by said receive control means.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

sixth storage means for storing the types of time-measuring references and corresponding display contents; and

display control means for determining the type of time-measuring reference stored to correspond with time-of-day information and displaying the display contents corresponding to that type of time-measuring reference of said sixth storage means on said display means.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said device has a shape adapted to be worn on an arm.

12. A time correction method comprising:

clocking step of providing time-of-day information;

first storage step of storing the time-of-day information provided by the clocking step and the type of a time-measuring reference to which said clocking step is referenced;

display step of displaying the time-of-day information stored by said first storage step;

receiving step of receiving data transmitted from outside;

detecting step of detecting time-of-day information and the corresponding type of time-measuring reference from the received data by said receiving step;

determining step of determining the accuracy of the time-measuring reference detected by said detecting step and the accuracy of the time-measuring reference stored by said first storage step based on types of time-measuring references and their respective accuracy which have been set in advance; and

first correction step of correcting contents stored by said first storage step based on the accuracy determined by said determining step.

13. The time correction method according to claim 12, wherein said first correction step comprises step of, when said determining step determines that the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference detected by said detecting step is higher than the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference stored by said first storage step, correcting the time-of-day information stored by said first storage step by the time-of-day information detected by said detecting step.

14. The time correction method according to claim 12, further comprising:

third storage step of storing a difference between the time-of-day information before correcting and the time-of-day information after correcting;

instruction step of giving an instruction to switch the display of the time-of-day information; and

switch step of, in response to the instruction given by said instruction step, switching the display of the time-of-day information to display the difference stored by said third storage step.

15. The time correction method according to claim 12, further comprising:

prompt step of, when said determining step determines that the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference detected is lower than the accuracy of the type of time-measuring reference stored by said first storage step, prompting a user to instruct whether or not to correct the time-of-day information stored by said first storage step by the time-of-day information detected; and

instruction detecting step of detecting a correct instruction; and

wherein

said correction step comprises step of, when the correct instruction is detected by the instruction detecting step, correcting the time-of-day information stored by said first storage step by the time-of-day information detected.

16. The time correction method according to claim 12, further comprising:

fourth storage step of storing time-difference information; and

correction step of correcting the time-of-day information stored by said first storage step in accordance with the time-difference information stored by said fourth storage step.

17. The time correction method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receive control step of causing said receiving step to receive data twice; and

adjust step of adjusting a day section included in said time-of-day information based on two items of the data received by said receive control step.

18. The time correction method according to claim 12, further comprising:

sixth storage step of storing the types of time-measuring references and corresponding display contents; and

display control step of determining the type of time-measuring reference stored to correspond with time-of-day information and displaying the display contents corresponding to that type of time-measuring reference of said sixth storage step.

19. A storage medium storing program codes readable by a computer that control an electronic device equipped with a function of providing time-of-day information, a function of storing the time-of-day information, and a function of displaying the time-of-day information, said program codes for implementing:

a function of storing types of time-measuring references and their respective accuracy;

a function of receiving data transmitted from outside;

a function of detecting time-of-day information and the corresponding type of time-measuring reference from the received data;

a function of determining the accuracy of the time-measuring reference detected and the accuracy of the time-measuring reference stored based on types of time-measuring references and their respective accuracy which have been stored in advance; and

a function of correcting the stored time-of-day information based on the accuracy determined.