Display of wireless data

• US 7,593,755 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lang, Eric Glenn, Colando, Christian J., Tessiore, Lorenzo, Howard, Dane M., Tan, Albert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heiber; Shantell
• Application Number:
  US10/941,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20060073851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,833 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 4554142-4144, 455/145, 455/154.2, 455/158.4, 455/158.5, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266

Abstract

A mobile electronic device for receiving and displaying information from a wireless signal transmission is provided. The device utilizes one or more mechanical and/or digital indicators for displaying the information. One embodiment of the invention provides a smart personal object, such as a watch device, for receiving and displaying wireless transmission information, wherein the object has a traditional style and look. The device is operable to convey received information using hands, sliders, dials, rings, disks, etc. and can be constructed in traditional high fidelity/quality.

Claims

1. A wristwatch apparatus comprising:

a mechanical selector having a first mechanical display indicator, wherein the first mechanical display indicator includes a plurality of icons that mechanically indicate available public frequency modulated (FM) channels, wherein each of the available public FM channels includes a different message content, wherein mechanical selection of an icon that indicates an available public FM channel causes retrieval of message content received from the available public FM channels, wherein the retrieval of the message content includes message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector, wherein the retrieval of the message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector causes the generation of control signals, wherein the control signals are generated by accessing a managed hardware driver library within the wristwatch apparatus and generating the control signal according to an API of one of the hardware drivers in the managed hardware driver library, wherein the control signals cause the mechanical movement of a second mechanical display indicator to mechanically indicate information according to the message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector;

an FM receiver integrated in the wristband of the wristwatch apparatus for receiving FM signals from each of the available public FM channels, wherein each of the available public FM channels includes information associated with the different message content;

an electronic system for receiving the mechanical selection of the available public FM channel according to the first mechanical display indictor, processing the selection according to an API for a first mechanical display indicator hardware driver in the hardware driver library to cause retrieval of information in the FM signal related to the selection by the first mechanical display indictor, extracting the information from the received FM signal, accessing the hardware driver library within the wristwatch apparatus, and generating the control signal based on an API of a second mechanical display indicator hardware driver in the hardware driver library to cause the mechanical movement of the second mechanical display indicator according to the information extracted from the received FM signal; and

a display for mechanically displaying the information extracted by the electronic system, wherein the display includes the first mechanical display indicator and the second mechanical display indicator, wherein the first mechanical display indicator includes the icon that indicates the selected available public FM channel, wherein the second mechanical display indicator includes the information in the context of the icon that mechanically indicates the selected available public FM channel.

2. The wristwatch apparatus of claim 1 wherein the FM receiver further comprises operational functionality in a FM frequency range.

3. The wristwatch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second mechanical display indicator further comprises at least one mechanical indicator consisting essentially of a tactile, audible, or visual mechanism.

4. The wristwatch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the FM signals comprise message packets having at least one frame, wherein each frame includes a header, a table of contents and a message payload associated with at least one member of a group comprising:

a time service, a message service, a contact service, a calendar service, a weather service a stock service, a news service, a sports service, and a game service.

5. The wristwatch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display further comprises a third display indicator, and a fourth display indicator, wherein the third display indicator provides a context and the fourth display indicator provides a value related to the context.

6. A wireless client device comprising:

a mechanical selector having a first mechanical display indicator, wherein the first mechanical display indicator includes a plurality of icons that mechanically indicate available public frequency modulated (FM) channels, wherein each of the available public FM channels includes a different message content, wherein mechanical selection of an icon that indicates an available public FM channel causes retrieval of message content received from the available public FM channels, wherein the retrieval of the message content includes message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector, wherein the retrieval of the message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector causes the generation of control signals, wherein the control signals are generated by accessing a managed hardware driver library within the wristwatch apparatus and generating the control signal according to an API of one of the hardware drivers in the managed hardware driver library, wherein the control signals cause the mechanical movement of a second mechanical display indicator to mechanically indicate information according to the message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector;

an FM receiver for receiving FM signals from each of the available public FM channels, wherein each of the available public FM channels includes information associated with the different message content;

a processor for receiving the mechanical selection of the available public FM channel according to the first mechanical display indictor, processing the selection according to an API for a first mechanical display indicator hardware driver in the hardware driver library to cause retrieval of information in the FM signal related to the selection by the first mechanical display indictor, extracting the information from the received FM signal, accessing the hardware driver library within the wristwatch apparatus, and generating the control signal based on an API of a second mechanical display indicator hardware driver in the hardware driver library to cause the mechanical movement of the second mechanical display indicator according to the information extracted from the received FM signal;

a display for mechanically displaying the information extracted by the processor, wherein the display includes the first mechanical display indicator and the second mechanical display indicator, wherein the first mechanical display indicator includes the icon that indicates the selected available public FM channel, wherein the second mechanical display indicator includes the information in the context of the icon that mechanically indicates the selected available public FM channel; and

a power supply for providing power to the wireless client device.

7. The wireless client device of claim 6 further comprising a smart watch device.

8. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein the FM receiver is operable to receive FM signals from an FM source.

9. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second mechanical display indicators comprise at least one disk having at least one iconic symbol for conveying the information extracted from the received FM signal.

10. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second mechanical display indicators comprise at least one disk having at least one textual display for conveying the information extracted from the received FM signal.

11. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second mechanical display indicators comprise a first disk having at least one iconic symbol and a second disk having at least one textual display, the first and second disks operating in conjunction to convey the information extracted from the received FM signal.

12. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second mechanical display indicators comprise a first disk having at least one numeric symbol and a second disk having at least one textual display, the first and second disks operating in conjunction to convey the information extracted from the received FM signal.

13. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second mechanical indicators comprise a gradated area and a pointing means for pointing to a portion of the gradated area and operating to convey the information extracted from the received FM signal.

14. The wireless client device of claim 6, wherein the display further comprises a digital display.

15. A system for conveying information comprising:

a frequency modulated (FM) signal transmitter for transmitting FM signals, wherein the FM signals include a message payload for an FM channel; and

a device for receiving the FM signals including;

a mechanical selector having a first mechanical display indicator, wherein the first mechanical display indicator includes a plurality of icons that mechanically indicate available public frequency modulated (FM) channels, wherein each of the available public FM channels includes a different message content, wherein mechanical selection of an icon that indicates an available public FM channel causes retrieval of message content received from the available public FM channels, wherein the retrieval of the message content includes message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector, wherein the retrieval of the message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector causes the generation of control signals, wherein the control signals are generated by accessing a managed hardware driver library within the wristwatch apparatus and generating the control signal according to an API of one of the hardware drivers in the managed hardware driver library, wherein the control signals cause the mechanical movement of a second mechanical display indicator to mechanically indicate information according to the message content from the selected available public FM channel indicated by the icon of the first mechanical indicator of the mechanical selector;

an FM receiver for receiving FM signals from each of the available public FM channels, wherein each of the available public FM channels includes information associated with the different message content;

a processor for receiving the mechanical selection of the available public FM channel according to the first mechanical display indictor, processing the selection according to an API for a first mechanical display indicator hardware driver in the hardware driver library to cause retrieval of information in the FM signal related to the selection by the first mechanical display indictor, extracting the information from the received FM signal, accessing the hardware driver library within the wristwatch apparatus, and generating the control signal based on an API of a second mechanical display indicator hardware driver in the hardware driver library to cause the mechanical movement of the second mechanical display indicator according to the information extracted from the received FM signal;

a display for mechanically displaying the information extracted by the processor, wherein the display includes the first mechanical display indicator and the second mechanical display indicator, wherein the first mechanical display indicator includes the icon that indicates the selected available public FM channel, wherein the second mechanical display indicator includes the information in the context of the icon that mechanically indicates the selected available public FM channel; and

a power supply for providing power to the system.