Control method for executing functions in a diary watch

• US 6,967,903 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd
• Original Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Guanter, Jean-Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuneo, Kamand
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOODWIN, JEANNE M
• Application Number:
  US10/329,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20030123328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 368/69, 368/224, 368/76, 368/80, 368/223, 368/228, 368/230, 368/232, 368/238, 368/242
• US Class Current: 368/224
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times

Abstract

The control method allows execution of various functions in an electronic diary watch, which includes, in a case closed by a crystal, a time-keeping circuit and/or a watch movement powered by an energy source, and a dial on which the time is displayed in a digital and/or analogue manner. A determined number of sensors (C1 to C7) are provided with touch sensitive pads arranged on an inner or outer face of the crystal. These sensors are provided for carrying out the various controls of the method when they are individually activated by a user'"'"'s finger. In order to consult data or parameters, the method includes a first series of steps consisting in displaying different menus (102 to 106) of the diary function on at least one liquid crystal display by activating at least one sensor (C4, C5) of a group of sensors (C4 to C7), and in selecting the menu or record to be consulted (107 to 111) by activating a validation sensor (C1). In order to enter data, the method includes a second series of steps consisting in activating the validation sensor (C1) for a determined period of time or with a determined application of pressure, entering diary data by activating certain sensors (C2 to C7) each controlling execution of a specific determined function, and validating data entered by action on the validation sensor.

Claims

1. A control method for executing functions in an electronic diary watch, including, in a case closed by a crystal, a time-keeping circuit and/or a watch movement powered by an energy source, a dial on which the time is displayed in a digital and/or analogue manner, at least one liquid crystal display for displaying diary data, a determined number of sensors, one touch sensitive pad of each sensor being arranged on an internal or external face of the crystal, each sensor being able to be activated by a user'"'"'s finger placed on the crystal in a determined zone of the sensitive pad of the sensor to be activated, and a microprocessor unit programmed to manage the diary function operations so as to consult different menus or stored data, or to enter, modify or delete data and/or parameters by means of the sensors connected to the microprocessor unit, wherein the method includes, in a first diary function consulting mode in which at least one group of sensors is configured by the microprocessor unit so that each activated sensor of said group of sensors is able to carry out a same function, a first series of steps of:

displaying different menus or parameters or data or data records of the diary function menu on the liquid crystal display in ascending or descending order by activating at least one sensor of said group of sensors, and

selecting a menu or data record, of a type from among several types, of the menu to be consulted by activating a validation sensor, and

wherein the method includes, in a second data and/or parameters entry, modification or deletion mode in which each sensor is configured by the microprocessor unit so that each activated sensor is able to control execution of a different specific determined function, a second series of steps of;

activating the validation sensor for a determined period of time or with a determined application of pressure in order to enter the second mode in a desired position of a selected menu, and

entering, modifying or deleting data and/or parameters by activating certain sensors, and

validating the parameters and/or the data entered, modified or deleted by action on the validation sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in order to carry out the first and second series of steps of the method for the diary function, a determined number of sensors, selected between three and ten, and preferably equal to seven, is used.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the first series of steps of the method, two groups of sensors are used each formed of a pair of sensors, to display, in ascending order, the different menus or data or data records by activating at least one sensor of the first group, or to display, in descending order, the different menus or data or data records by activating at least a sensor of the second group.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the menu or data record selection step in the first series of steps of the method, stored record data fields of the menu selected are consulted in ascending or descending order by activating at least one sensor of a first group of sensors.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein by selecting a menu from among the notes, addresses, diary, transmission or settings menus, second and third sensors are used, that are different from the sensors of the first and second groups for consulting different record fields of the selected menus in ascending or descending order.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in order to select a menu or validate data or parameters in the first and second series of steps of the method, a validation sensor is used whose sensitive pad is arranged at the centre of the crystal, whereas the sensitive pads of the other sensors, used for consulting menus or data or data records, or for entering, modifying or deleting data and/or parameters of the first and second series of steps of the method are distributed at the periphery of the crystal around the sensitive pad of the validation sensor while being sufficiently separated from each other so that a single sensor can be activated by a user'"'"'s finger without influencing the neighbouring sensors, and so that the menus or data displayed on one or two liquid crystal displays is made visible when the sensors are activated.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the second series of steps of the method, a data field of a selected menu record, selected from among notes, addresses or diary menus, is edited by the steps of:

selecting a set of characters among several sets in an ascending or descending order by activating one of the sensors located above the 3 o'"'"'clock and 9 o'"'"'clock indications of an analogue watch;

running through the alphanumerical characters, numbers, symbols or accents depending on the set of characters selected, to complete a space of a field to be edited, in ascending or descending order by activating one of the sensors located at the periphery of the crystal in the 6 o'"'"'clock and 12 o'"'"'clock indicating positions of an analogue watch;

moving a cursor, defining the space of a character to be sought, modified or deleted, in the edited field in one direction or the other by activating one of the sensors located below the 3 o'"'"'clock and 9 o'"'"'clock indications of an analogue watch, and

repeating the above steps and validating the edited field to be stored by activating the validation sensor.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at a character searching step in a selected set of characters in a data field editing mode, the speed at which the characters scroll in ascending or descending order is dependent on the duration of activation of one of the sensors located in the 6 o'"'"'clock and 12 o'"'"'clock indicating positions of an analogue watch, below a determined activation duration the characters scrolling at a first slow speed and above a determined activation duration the characters scrolling at a second high speed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein before beginning the first series of steps, the watch diary function is switched on when switch-on means are activated, the sensors and the liquid crystal display being placed previously and/or after a period of inactivity of the diary function, in a standby mode.

10. The method according to claim 9 for a diary watch with two hands driven by the watch movement to display the time in an analogue manner, wherein at the moment when the diary function is switched on by the switch-on means, the time indicating hands are moved into determined positions to avoid concealing the data displayed on one or two liquid crystal displays and/or to avoid disturbing the operation of the sensors.

11. The method according to claim 1 for a diary watch with short distance radio-frequency signal receiving and/or transmitting means for communicating with a computer station and/or another electronic watch, wherein once the transmission menu has been selected in the first series of steps by the validation sensor, all the edited and/or stored fields are transmitted by the receiving and/or transmitting means once a connection is established between the computer station and/or the other watch.

12. The method according to claim 1 for a diary watch with two liquid crystal displays, wherein in the first and second series of steps, at least one pointer on at least one of the liquid crystal displays appears to designate at least one icon of a group of icons arranged on the dial in determined positions around each liquid crystal display so as to indicate a function or an operation in progress.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein markings are used placed on the inner face of the watch crystal in order to indicate the location of each sensor sensitive pad and/or a function of each sensor so as to facilitate the activation of the sensors for consulting the menus or data or data records, and the entry, modification or deletion of the data and/or parameters.

14. A control method for executing functions in an electronic diary watch, which includes in a case closed by a crystal, a time-keeping circuit and/or a watch movement powered by an energy source, a dial on which the time is displayed in a digital and/or analogue manner, at least one liquid crystal display for displaying diary data on one or more lines, a determined number of sensors, one touch sensitive pad of each sensor being arranged on an internal or external face of the crystal, each sensor being able to be activated by a user'"'"'s finger placed on the crystal in a determined zone of the sensitive pad of the sensor to be activated, and a microprocessor unit programmed to manage the diary function operations so as to consult different menus or stored data, or to enter, modify or delete data and/or parameters by means of the sensors connected to the unit, said microprocessor unit being able to configure in a first diary function consulting mode at least one group of sensors, so that each activated sensor of said group of sensors is able to carry out a same function, or to configure separately each sensor in a second data and/or parameters entry, modification or deletion mode so that each activated sensor is able to control execution of a different specific determined function, wherein the method includes a first series of steps, in a data and/or parameter entry, modifying or deletion mode, of:

activating a validation sensor for a determined period of time or with a determined application of pressure in order to enter the data and/or parameter entry, modifying or deletion mode in a desired position of a selected menu;

entering, modifying or deleting data and/or parameters by activating certain sensors, each activated sensor controlling execution of a different specific determined function in this mode, and

validating the parameters and/or the data entered, modified or deleted by action on the validation sensor.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein it includes a series of preliminary steps of:

switching on the diary function when switch-on means are activated, the sensors and one or two liquid crystal displays being placed beforehand and/or after a period of inactivity of the diary function in a standby mode;

displaying in a consultation mode different menus or data or data records of the diary function on at least one liquid crystal display in ascending or descending order by activating at least one sensor of a group of sensors each able to carry out a same function in this consultation mode, and

selecting a menu or data record, of a type from among several types, of the menu to be consulted by activating the validation sensor, and

consulting stored data fields of selected menu records in ascending or descending order by activating at least one sensor of the group of sensors.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein markings are used placed on the inner face of the watch crystal in order to indicate the location of each sensor sensitive pad and/or a function of each sensor so as to facilitate the activation of the sensors for consulting the menus or data or data records, and the entry, modification or deletion of the data and/or parameters.