System and method for customized time display

• US 6,714,486 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kevin Biggs
• Original Assignee: Kevin Biggs
• Inventors: Biggs, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lindinger, Michael L.
• Application Number:
  US09/893,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20030002391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/12, 368/41, 368/47, 368/72-73, 368/82, 700/16
• US Class Current: 368/82
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/00 Visual time or date indication means
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0064 in which functions not related to time can be displayed digital output to display devices of digital computers G06F3/14

Abstract

A system and method for producing and displaying chronological data according to user specified parameters. The system incorporates language, multi media, and animation into a time display device. The system can include typical features of a conventional time display device, such as an alarm function and a display face. The system also includes a translation engine for combining the parameters and a plurality of supplemental display data, including language, multi media, and animation data, to provide a translation template. The template helps to control the presentation of chronological data in a synchronized fashion by reformatting the chronological data into a translated display format, thereby providing to the user a personalized time display. The display includes selected images and/or language to represent the passage of numerical chronological data. The parameters and the supplemental display data are alterable by the user to customize the presentation of the translated format on the display, so as to present a unique and personalized time display sequence on the display device.

Claims

1. A system for representing chronological data according to user specified graphic image parameters, the system comprising:

a) an interface for monitoring the input of the image parameters to a translation engine;

b) the translation engine for integrating the image parameters and a plurality of supplemental display data to provide a translation template, said image parameters representing intervals of a predetermined number of minutes, and said supplemental display data representing individual minutes within the intervals;

c) the template for reformatting the chronological data in a synchronized fashion by combining the image parameters and the chronological data to provide translated display data representing modified chronological data; and

d) a digital display for sequential presentation of the translated display data to the user, the sequential presentation providing a first display indicating one of the intervals and a second display indicating of one of the individual minutes within the interval;

wherein the image parameters and supplemental display data are alterable to customize the presentation of the modified chronological data on the display as the translated display data to represent a passage of time.

2. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a menu provided by the user interface for relating the image parameters to the supplemental display data for subsequent modification of the chronological data.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the image parameters contain picture data.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the image parameters contain alpha character data.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein the image parameters contain alphanumeric character data.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein the image parameters are used to reformat alpha character data for subsequent modification of the chronological data by the template.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is implemented on a portable timepiece.

10. The system according to claim 5, wherein the system is implemented on a portable timepiece.

11. The system according to claim 5, wherein the template represents a plurality of defined translation criteria for application to the chronological data to produce the modified chronological data.

3. A method for representing chronological data according to user specified graphic image parameters, the method comprising the steps of:

a) selecting the image parameters and a plurality of supplemental display data by the user;

said image parameter representing intervals of a predetermined number of minutes, and said supplemental display data representing individual minutes within the intervals;

b) integrating the image parameters and the plurality of supplemental display data to provide a translation template;

c) reformatting the chronological data with the template in a synchronized fashion by combining the image parameters and the chronological data to provide translated display data representing modified chronological data; and

d) presenting the translated display data sequentially on a display, the sequential presentation providing a first display indicating one of the intervals and a second display indicating of one of the individual minutes within the interval;

wherein the image parameters and the supplemental display data are alterable to customize the presentation of the modified chronological data on the display as the translated display data to represent a passage of time.

4. A computer program product for representing chronological data according to user specified graphic image parameters, the product comprising:

a) a computer readable medium;

b) an interface module stored on the computer readable medium for monitoring the input of the image parameters;

c) the translation module for integrating the image parameters and a plurality of supplemental display data to provide a template module, said image parameters representing intervals of a predetermined number of minutes, and said supplemental display data representing individual minutes within the intervals;

d) the template module for reformatting the chronological data in a synchronized fashion by combining the image parameters and the chronological data to provide translated display data representing modified chronological data; and

e) a display module for sequential presentation of the translated display data to the user, the sequential presentation providing a first display indicating one of the intervals and a second display indicating of one of the individual minutes within the interval;

wherein the image parameters and supplemental display data are alterable to customize the presentation of the modified chronological data on the display as the translated display data to represent a passage of time.