Electronic timepiece and display method of electronic timepiece

• US 6,385,135 B1
• Filed: 06/04/1999
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yuzuki, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): MISKA, VIT W
• Application Number:
  US09/326,152
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 368/21-23, 368/82, 368/223, 368/239
• US Class Current: 368/21
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0076 in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will

Abstract

An electronic timepiece includes a memory for storing geographic data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information pertaining to each of the locations. An input switch is used to select specific geometric data in a hierarchical manner for display. Previously-selected geographic data is separately stored so that simplified searching of the geographic data can be achieved. In one embodiment, geographic data is searched in a hierarchical manner from larger locations to smaller locations in response to sequential activation of the input switch. The geographic data comprises continents, countries, cities, and costal areas, and searching for data is performed in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of the input switch so that respective continents are selected, followed by countries and then coastal areas in order to search for a specific coastal area.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:

area information storing means for storing in a first location area data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information data including time data for each of the plurality of locations;

area selecting means for selecting data for a specific location from the area data;

selected area information storing means for allowing a user to select one or more geographic locations of primary interest by operation of an input switch and storing in a second location different from the first location area data and information data for the at least one geographic location of primary interest; and

selected area information displaying means for displaying the area data and the corresponding information data for a selected location, data for the geographic locations of primary interest being displayed before data for other geographic locations.

2. An electronic timepiece according to claim 1;

wherein the geographic locations include coastal areas.

3. An electronic timepiece according to claim 2;

wherein the time data includes tide information for the coastal areas.

4. An electronic timepiece according to claim 1;

wherein the area data is stored in a hierarchical structure from larger geographic locations to smaller geographic locations.

5. An electronic timepiece according to claim 4;

wherein the area data comprises continents, countries, cities, and costal areas; and

further comprising selecting means for selecting and displaying area data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of an input switch so that respective continents are sequentially displayed first in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, respective countries within the selected continent are displayed in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, coastal areas within the selected country are displayed in order to search for a specific coastal area.

6. An electronic timepiece according to claim 1;

wherein the area data comprises continents, countries, and locations in specific countries; and

further comprising selecting mean for selecting and displaying area data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of an input switch so that respective continents are selected and sequentially displayed first in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, respective countries within the selected continent are displayed in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, locations in the selected country are displayed in order to search for a specific location in a specific country.

12. An electronic timepiece according to claim 2;

wherein the area data comprises continents, countries, and locations in specific countries; and

the selecting means includes means for selecting and displaying area data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of an input switch so that respective continents are sequentially displayed first in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, respective countries within the selected continent are displayed in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, locations within the selected country are displayed in order to search for a specific location in a specific country.

7. In an electronic timepiece having area information storing means for storing area data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information data including time data for each of the plurality of locations, selecting means for selecting data for specific geographic locations from the area data, and displaying means for displaying selected data:

wherein the selecting means includes means for enabling a user to select area data stored by the area information storing means in a hierarchical manner by sequentially displaying larger geographic locations in response to sequential activation of an input switch and, in response to user selection of one of the larger geographic locations, sequentially displaying smaller geographic locations within the selected larger geographic location in response to sequential activation of an input switch.

8. An electronic timepiece according to claim 7;

wherein the geographic locations include coastal areas.

9. An electronic timepiece according to claim 8;

wherein the time data includes tide information for the coastal areas.

10. An electronic timepiece according to claim 9;

wherein the area data is stored in a hierarchical structure from larger geographic locations to smaller geographic locations.

11. An electronic timepiece according to claim 9;

wherein the area data comprises continents, countries, cities, and costal areas; and

the selecting means includes means for selecting and displaying area data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of an input switch so that respective continents are sequentially displayed first in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, respective countries within the selected continent are displayed in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, coastal areas within the selected country are displayed in order to search for a specific coastal area.

13. An electronic timepiece comprising:

area information storing means for storing area data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information data including time data for each of the plurality of locations;

area selecting means for enabling a user to select data for specific geographic locations from the area data in a hierarchical manner by sequentially displaying larger geographical locations in response to sequential activation of an input switch by the user and, in response to user selection of one of the larger geographic locations, sequentially displaying smaller geographic locations within the selected larger geographic location in response to sequential activation of an input switch;

selected area information storing means for allowing the user to select one or more geographic locations of primary interest by operation of an input switch and storing separately from the area information storing means area data and the corresponding information data for the at least one geographic location of primary interest; and

selected area information displaying means for displaying selected area data and the corresponding information data, data for the geographic locations of primary interest being displayed before data for other geographic locations.

14. An electronic timepiece according to claim 13;

wherein the geographic locations include coastal areas.

15. An electronic timepiece according to claim 14;

wherein the time data includes tide information for the coastal areas.

16. An electronic timepiece according to claim 15;

wherein the area data is stored in a hierarchical structure from larger geographic locations to smaller geographic locations.

17. An electronic timepiece according to claim 13;

wherein the area data comprises continents, countries, and locations in specific countries; and

the selecting means includes means for selecting and displaying area data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of an input switch so that respective continents are selected and sequentially displayed first in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, respective countries within the selected continent are displayed in response to the sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, locations within the selected country are displayed in order to search for a specific location in a specific country.

18. A display method for an electronic timepiece, comprising the steps of:

an area information storing step for storing in a first location area data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information data including time data for each of the plurality of locations;

an area selecting step for selecting data for specific geographic locations from the area data;

a selected area information registering step for selecting one or more geographic locations of primary interest by operation of an input switch and storing in a second location different from the first location area data and the corresponding information data of the geographic locations of primary interest; and

a selected area information displaying step for displaying selected area data and the corresponding information data, data for the geographic locations of primary interest being displayed before data for other geographic locations.

19. A display method for an electronic timepiece, comprising the steps of:

storing area data comprising names of countries, cities and other regions and corresponding information data including time data for each of the countries, cities and other regions;

selecting specific areas from the area data; and

displaying the selected areas along with the corresponding information data;

wherein the selecting step for selecting area data is performed in a hierarchical manner by sequentially displaying larger geographical locations in response to sequential activation of an input switch and, in response to selection of one of the larger geographic locations, providing a display of smaller geographic locations within the selected larger geographic location in response to sequential activation of an input switch.

20. A display method for an electronic timepiece comprising the steps of:

an area information storing step for storing in a first location area data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information data including time data for each of the locations in a hierarchical structure from larger locations to smaller locations;

an area selecting step for selecting a specific location from the area data in a hierarchical manner by sequentially displaying larger locations and, in response to selection of one or the larger geographic locations, providing a display of smaller geographic locations within the selected larger geographic location;

a selected area information storing step for selecting one or more geographic locations of primary interest by operation of an input switch and storing in a second location different from the first location area data and the corresponding information data for the geographic locations of primary interest; and

a selected area information displaying step for displaying selected area data and the corresponding information data, data for the geographic locations of primary interest being displayed before data for other geographic locations.

21. An electronic timepiece comprising:

a memory for storing geographic data comprising a plurality of geographic locations and information pertaining to each of the geographic locations;

selecting means including an input switch for selecting specific geographic data in a hierarchical manner by sequentially displaying larger geographic locations in response to sequential activation of an input switch and, in response to selection of one of the larger geographic locations, sequentially displaying smaller geographic locations within the selected larger geographic location in response to sequential activation of an input switch; and

display means for displaying the selected geographic locations and the corresponding information pertaining thereto.

22. An electronic timepiece according to claim 21;

further comprising a selected area information memory for storing data for one or more of the geographic locations of primary interest as indicated by operation of an input switch.

23. An electronic timepiece according to claim 21;

wherein the selecting means includes means for selecting geographic data in a hierarchical manner from larger geographic locations to smaller geographic locations in response to sequential activation of the input switch.

24. An electronic timepiece according to claim 21;

wherein the geographic locations include coastal areas.

25. An electronic timepiece according to claim 24;

wherein the information pertaining to the geographic locations includes time data for the geographic locations.

26. An electronic timepiece according to claim 25;

wherein the information pertaining to the geographic locations includes tide information for the coastal areas.

27. An electronic timepiece according to claim 24;

wherein the geographic area data is stored in a hierarchical structure from larger geographic locations to smaller geographic locations.

28. An electronic timepiece according to claim 24;

wherein the geographic data comprises continents, countries, cities, and costal areas; and

the selecting means includes means for sequentially selecting and displaying data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of the input switch so that respective continents are displayed in response to sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, countries within the selected continent are sequentially displayed in response to sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, coastal areas within the selected country are sequentially displayed in order to search for a specific coastal area.

29. An electronic timepiece according to claim 21;

wherein the geographic data comprises continents, countries, and locations in specific countries; and

the selecting means includes means for sequentially selecting and displaying geographic data in a hierarchical manner in response to sequential activation of the input switch so that respective continents are displayed in response to sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a continent, countries within the selected continent are sequentially displayed in response to sequential activation of the input switch and, in response to selection of a country, locations within the selected country are sequentially displayed in order to search for a specific location in a specific country.