Obtaining and displaying time-related data on an electronic watch

• US 10,379,497 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Block, Eliza C., Schimon, David A., Wilson, Eric Lance, Shaffer, Joshua H., Salzman, Paul W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Salomon, Phenuel S
• Application Number:
  US14/872,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/24 Clocks or watches with date or week-day indicators , i.e. calendar clocks or watches; Clockwork calendars
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/02 Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/00 Visual time or date indication means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices can allow a user of a watch device to conveniently view historical and/or future information. A user can use an input device to select times other than the current time, e.g., by activating a time travel mode. Information in a particular window of the watch device can change in accordance with selections of other times. The current information can be replaced by the historical and/or future information. The information can be displayed as a complication in a style window of a watch face of the watch device. Data records can be stored for time other than a current time (e.g., as historical and/or future information). After a mode of operation (e.g., time travel mode) is entered, a data record corresponding to a selected time can be retrieved and displayed in a window of the watch.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information on an electronic watch for times other than a current time, the method comprising, at the electronic watch:

displaying a first watch face on a display of the electronic watch, the first watch face including one or more data windows for providing information other than time;

displaying, in a first data window of the first watch face, current information corresponding to a first application associated with the electronic watch, the current information corresponding to the current time, the first application configured to provide time-dependent information;

displaying, in a second data window of the first watch face, current information from a second application executing on the electronic watch, the current information corresponding to the current time, the second application configured to provide time-dependent information;

receiving N data records from the first application, the N data records including respective information for a first set of various times, where N is an integer greater than one;

receiving additional data records from the second application, each of the additional data records including respective information for a second set of various times;

storing the N data records and additional data records in a memory of the electronic watch;

entering a first mode of operation in response to user input, the first mode of operation allowing a user to view the respective information from the first application or from the second application for different times;

receiving, via an input device, a change in a time setting to be different than the current time;

identifying one of the N data records as corresponding to the change in the time setting;

identifying that none of the additional data records correspond to the change in the time setting;

determining a substitute additional data record to correspond to the change in the time setting;

retrieving, from the memory, the one data record of the N data records and the substitute additional data record;

displaying, in the first data window, the respective information of the one data record; and

displaying, in the second window, the respective information of the substitute additional data record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the N data records are received at different times.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the electronic watch:

displaying the current time in a first time window of the display; and

displaying a selected time corresponding to the change in the time setting in a second time window of the display.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected time is displayed as an offset time relative to the current time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one of the N data records as corresponding to the change in the time setting includes:

determining a selected time based on the change in the time setting; and

identifying a data record having a closest time to the selected time.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, at the electronic watch:

determining that the selected time is within a specified time duration of a final data record of the N data records; and

requesting additional data records from a companion device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the N data records have a time before the current time, and wherein at least a portion of the N data records have a time after the current time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the electronic watch:

sending, by the first application to a corresponding application on a companion device, a request for the N data records, the companion device in communication with the electronic watch; and

receiving, by the first application, the N data records from the corresponding application on the companion device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the N data records are received by a display manager that determines how the respective information of the N data records is to be displayed, and wherein the display manager:

stores the respective information in the memory of the electronic watch,

retrieves the respective information from the memory when the first mode of operation is entered, and

stores the respective information in a cache of a processor of the electronic watch for using in response to identifying the one of the N data records.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the N data records are received with the current information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the electronic watch:

sending refresh data preference to a companion device, the refresh data preference specifying a rate for the companion device to provide data for displaying in the first data window.

12. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, that when executed on one or more processors of a computing device, cause displaying information on the computing device for times other than a current time, the instructions comprising:

displaying a first watch face on a display of the computing device, the first watch face including one or more data windows for providing other information than time;

displaying, in a first data window of the first watch face, current information corresponding to a first application associated with the computing device, the current information corresponding to the current time, the first application configured to provide time-dependent information;

displaying, in a second data window of the first watch face, current information from a second application executing on the electronic watch, the current information corresponding to the current time, the second application configured to provide time-dependent information;

receiving N data records from the first application, each of the N data records including respective information for a different time, where N is an integer greater than one;

receiving additional data records from the second application, each of the additional data records including respective information for a different time;

storing the N data records and additional data records in a memory of the computing device;

entering a first mode of operation in response to user input, the first mode of operation allowing a user to view the respective information from the first application or from the second application for different times;

receiving, via an input device, a change in a time setting to be different than the current time;

identifying one of the N data records as corresponding to the change in the time setting;

identifying that none of the additional data records correspond to the change in the time setting;

determining a substitute additional data record to correspond to the change in the time setting;

retrieving, from the memory, the one data record of the N data records and the substitute additional data record;

displaying, in the first data window, the respective information of the one data record; and

displaying, in the second data window, the respective information of the substitute additional data record.

13. The computer product of claim 12, wherein identifying one of the N data records as corresponding to the change in the time setting includes:

determining a selected time based on the change in the time setting; and

identifying a data record having a closest time to the selected time,

wherein the instructions further comprise;

determining that the selected time is within a specified time duration of a final data record of the N data records; and

requesting additional data records from a companion device.

14. The computer product of claim 12, wherein the N data records are received by a display manager that determines how the respective information of the N data records is to be displayed, and wherein the display manager:

stores the respective information in the memory of the computing device,

retrieves the respective information from the memory when the first mode of operation is entered, and

stores the respective information in a cache of the one or more processors of the computing device for using in response to identifying the one of the N data records.

15. A computing device for displaying information for times other than a current time, the computing device comprising:

a display;

a memory;

one or more processors communicably that are coupled with the display and the memory and that are configured to;

display a first watch face on a display of the computing device, the first watch face including one or more data windows for providing other information than time;

display, in a first data window of the first watch face, current information corresponding to a first application associated with the computing device, the current information corresponding to the current time, the first application configured to provide time-dependent information;

display, in a second data window of the first watch face, current information from a second application executing on the electronic watch, the current information corresponding to the current time, the second application configured to provide time-dependent information;

receive N data records from the first application, each of the N data records including respective information for a different time, where N is an integer greater than one;

receive additional data records from the second application, each of the additional data records including respective information for a second set of various times;

store the N data records in the memory of the computing device;

enter a first mode of operation in response to user input, the first mode of operation allowing a user to view the respective information from the first application or from the second application for different times;

receive, via an input device, a change in a time setting to be different than the current time;

identify one of the N data records as corresponding to the change in the time setting;

identify that none of the additional data records correspond to the change in the time setting;

determine a substitute additional data record to correspond to the change in the time setting;

retrieve, from the memory, the one data record of the N data records and the substitute additional data record;

display, in the first data window, the respective information of the one data record; and

display, in the second data window, the respective information of the substitute additional data record.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein identifying one of the N data records as corresponding to the change in the time setting includes:

determining a selected time based on the change in the time setting; and

identifying a data record having a closest time to the selected time,

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to;

determine that the selected time is within a specified time duration of a final data record of the N data records; and

request additional data records from a companion device.

17. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

a cache of the one or more processors, wherein the N data records are received by a display manager that is executing on the one or more processors and that determines how the respective information of the N data records is to be displayed, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to have the display manager;

store the respective information in the memory of the computing device,

retrieve the respective information from the memory when the first mode of operation is entered, and

store the respective information in the cache for using in response to identifying the one of the N data records.