Apparatus and method for automatically displaying information

• US 6,693,627 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2000
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (Seoul National University)
• Original Assignee: Myun Woo Lee
• Inventors: Kim, Jae Young, Ha, Tae Sin, Lee, Myun Woo, Cho, Chang Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/600,160
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/205, 345/87, 368/10, 368/21, 368/23
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and method which contains a particular date preset by a user and several groups of particular information, each group relating to a pre-specified date difference between the preset date and current date, and automatically displays a group of information corresponding to current date difference. The apparatus according to the present invention comprises a nonvolatile memory for storing information corresponding to date differences, a timing unit for tracking current time and date, a control unit for calculating the date difference between the preset date and current date and reading out information depending upon the date difference from the memory, a ROM storing an execution program, a font ROM storing display fonts, a LCD control unit, a LCD panel, an audio signal generation unit, and a beeper.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically displaying information, comprising:

a means for tracking the passage of time to obtain a current date;

a means for calculating a date difference between the current date obtained from said time tracking means and a user set date;

a storing means having a plurality of pre-stored pieces of information corresponding to a plurality of date differences from said user set date, each date difference being related to at least one of the plurality of pre-stored pieces of information, at least one of the plurality of date differences being other than zero;

a means for checking whether the calculated date difference coincides with one of the plurality of date differences;

a means for reading out information corresponding to the calculated date difference from said storing means, if confirmed by said checking means; and

a means for displaying the information read out.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information is information concerned with nursing infants depending upon increment of date difference.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information is information concerned with pregnant women depending upon decrement of date difference.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said information is information concerned with unborn babies depending upon decrement of date difference.

5. A method for automatically displaying information, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a particular date;

(b) calculating a date difference between said particular date and a current date;

(c) checking whether the calculated date difference coincides with one of a plurality of pre-specified numbers, at least one of the pre-specified numbers being other than zero, said plurality of pre-specified numbers corresponding to at least one of a plurality of pre-stored pieces of information;

(d) displaying a piece of information from said plurality of pieces of information corresponding to the calculated date difference based on the checking result.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said date difference calculated in said step (b) decreases as date passes.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein said date difference calculated in said step (b) increases as date passes.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein information displayed in said step (d) is of the graphic form.

9. A method according to claim 5, wherein information displayed in said step (d) has one of several predefined formats depending upon a user'"'"'s selection.

10. A method according to claim 5, wherein said step (d) further comprises a step for generating audio sounds.