Electronic device and method providing improved management of multiple times from multiple time zones

• US 8,111,586 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Scott, Sherryl Lee Lorraine, Yach, David Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kayes, Sean
• Application Number:
  US12/463,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20100091615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 368 21- 22, 368 46- 47
• US Class Current: 368/22
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0076 in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/18 Decoding time data; Circuits therefor

Abstract

An improved electronic device and method provide an improved clock feature that includes a time zone management function which enables multiple times from multiple time zones to be managed by the user. Responsive to a detection that the electronic device has been moved from one time zone to another, a dialog is initiated wherein the user is queried whether a current time on the electronic device should be changed and whether multiple times should be output on the display.

Claims

1. A method on an electronic device that comprises an I/O apparatus, the method comprising:

outputting a current time on a display of the I/O apparatus;

responsive to a determination that the electronic device has been moved between a first time zone and a second time zone, outputting a query whether the current time should be changed from being a home current time prevalent in the first time zone to being a local current time prevalent in the second time zone; and

responsive to an input from the I/O apparatus indicating that the current time should be changed to be the local current time, outputting another query whether the home current time should be output on the display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the current time is output on the display with use of a first visual object, and further comprising, responsive to an input from the I/O apparatus indicating that the home current time should be output on the display, outputting the home current time on the display with use of a second visual object additional to the first visual object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first visual object is greater in size than the second visual object.

4. An electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory;

an I/O apparatus structured to provide input to the processor apparatus and to receive output signals from the processor apparatus;

the memory having stored therein a number of instructions which, when executed on the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising;

outputting a current time on a display of the I/O apparatus;

responsive to a determination that the electronic device has been moved between a first time zone and a second time zone, outputting a query whether the current time should be changed from being a home current time prevalent in the first time zone to being a local current time prevalent in the second time zone; and

responsive to an input from the I/O apparatus indicating that the current time should be changed to be the local current time, outputting another query whether the home current time should be changed to be the local current time, outputting another query whether the home current time should be output on the display.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 wherein the current time is output on the display with use of a first visual object, and wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to an input from the I/O apparatus indicating that the home current time should be output on the display, outputting the home current time on the display with use of a second visual object additional to the first visual object.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the first visual object is greater in size than the second visual object.