Time maintenance and display in a time keeping system including a time zone boundary

• US 5,455,807 A
• Filed: 08/18/1993
• Issued: 10/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Corporation (Seiko Group), Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Gaskill, Garold B., Nepple, Bruce C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roskoski, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US08/108,983
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 368/47-55, 368/21-28
• US Class Current: 368/47
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• 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

In a time keeping system providing time of day by radio signal to remote time keeping devices, the transmitted time of day is provided in association with a given time zone identification. The time keeping devices receiving the time of day reference and the time zone identification include a time zone preference identification. By comparing the time zone preference and the time zone identification transmitted, the time keeping device can, when necessary, offset the received time of day value according to user preference for display relative to a preferred time zone.

Claims

1. A method of time keeping comprising:

transmitting a time of day reference by radio signal in association with a given time zone identification;

receiving said time of day reference and time zone identification at a time keeping device, said time keeping device maintaining a time zone preference indicator;

comparing at said time keeping device said time zone preference and said time zone identification; and

offsetting for subsequent time keeping said time of day reference according to said comparing step.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting step is conducted in a reception area including a boundary between an east time zone and a west time zone and said given time zone identification identifies one of said east time zone and said west time zone, and wherein said time zone preference indicator identifies one of said east time zone and said west time zone.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein said given time zone identification is a binary value.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein said time zone preference indicator is a binary value.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting step further includes transmitting in association with said time of day reference an indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary and said time keeping device interrogates said indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary and executes said comparing step in response to a positive indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary.

6. A time keeping system comprising:

a radio signal transmission system broadcasting a plurality of time of day references within a reception zone including a time zone boundary, each time of day reference including identification of a given time zone; and

at least one radio signal receiving device receiving a selected one of said time of day references, having a preference for display according to a preferred time zone, means for comparing said given time zone as received in association with one of said time of day references, and means for offsetting said time of day reference when said given time zone and said preferred time zone do not match.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said identification of a given time zone identifies one of two adjoining time zones defined by said time zone boundary.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein said identification of a given time zone is a binary value identifying an east or a west one of said two adjoining time zones.

9. A system according to claim 6 wherein each time of day reference further includes indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary and said radio signal receiving device interrogates said indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary and executes said comparing and offsetting steps conditionally as a function of said indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said indication of transmission in proximity to a time zone boundary further includes indication of time offset between adjacent time zones defined by said boundary.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said time offset is a binary value indicating one of a full hour offset and half-hour offset.

12. In a method of time keeping having a time keeping system broadcasting by radio signal time of day information to a plurality of radio signal receiving devices employing said broadcast time of day information to maintain and display time of day, an improvement comprising the steps of:

transmitting in conjunction with said broadcast time of day information an indication of a time zone associated with said broadcast time of day information;

maintaining at each of said plurality of radio signal receiving devices a time zone preference indicator; and

comparing at each of said plurality of radio signal receiving devices upon receipt of said broadcast time of day information said indication of a time zone with said time zone preference indicator and if a match condition results then accepting for time keeping said broadcast time of day information, and if a match condition does not result then offsetting for use in time keeping said broadcast time of day information as a function of said time zone preference indicator.

13. An improvement according to claim 12 wherein said indication of time zone includes an indication Of broadcast in proximity to a time zone boundary and said radio signal receiving devices first interrogate said indication of broadcast in proximity to a time zone boundary and accept for time keeping said broadcast time of day information for display when said broadcast time of day information is not broadcast in proximity of a time zone boundary, said radio signal receiving devices executing said comparing step only when said broadcast time of day information is indicated as being in proximity to a time zone boundary.

14. An improvement according to claim 12 wherein said indication of broadcast in proximity to a time zone boundary further indicates indication of time offset between adjacent time zones defined by said boundary.

15. An improvement according to claim 14 wherein said time offset is a binary value indicating one of a full hour offset and half-hour offset.