Electronic information display bracelet

• US 6,216,490 B1
• Filed: 07/11/1997
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Philip J. Radley-Smith
• Original Assignee: Philip J. Radley-Smith
• Inventors: Radley-Smith, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Melius, Terry Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOP, ANDREA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US08/875,721
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 63/11.1, 63/11.3, 63/3, 368/41, 368/223, 368/281, 368/282, 345/56, 345/124
• US Class Current: 63/3
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 5/0015 providing information, e.g. bracelets with calendars identification bracelets G09F3/005
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/083 Watches distributed over several housings
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/08 by building-up characters using a combination of indicating elements, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques G04G9/0082 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/10 by controlling light sources, e.g. electroluminescent diodes G04G9/0058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/02 by a carrier person or animal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/903 Modular display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/949 Animation processing method

Abstract

A bracelet comprises at least one electronic display unit. The or each display unit has a display (9) having a plurality of display elements arranged in a sequence lying along the length of the bracelet and/or arranged in a sequence lying substantially around the perimeter of the display. The bracelet has control circuit (15) to control the display elements so that the characters displayed by the display elements appear to move along the sequence of display elements with time.

Claims

1. A message display bracelet, said bracelet being a wrist bracelet having a length adapted for the bracelet to be worn around the wrist of a user, said bracelet having:

at least one electronic display unit arranged to display messages in sequence in a display region extending along substantially the full extent of said length of the bracelet;

a control device provided to control said at least one display unit so that the message displayed appears to move along the length of the bracelet with time, said at least one display unit having a plurality of segments such as to be selectively energizable by said control device to display a message including alphabetical characters;

a memory for storing a plurality of such messages for display by said at least one display unit;

the control device being operative to display a message of a length greater than said display region, the message being displayed by virtue of the movement of the message along the length of the bracelet around the wrist of the user.

2. A bracelet according to claim 1 wherein the bracelet includes a receiver for receiving messages transmitted in the form of electromagnetic radiation to be displayed on said at least one display unit.

3. A bracelet according to claim 2 in which the bracelet is a pager.

4. A bracelet according to claim 1 including a programming device allowing the control device to be programmed by the user by downloading messages from a computer apparatus into the memory of the bracelet.

5. A bracelet according to claim 1 wherein the control device comprises an integrated circuit.

6. A bracelet according to claim 1 wherein the display unit has a dot-matrix display having cells arranged in a rectangular matrix.

7. A bracelet according to claim 1 wherein the display unit has a plurality of display elements formed from independently controllable liquid crystal segments.

8. A method of displaying messages on a bracelet, the method comprising:

wearing a bracelet having a length adapted for the bracelet to be worn around the wrist of a user, said bracelet having at least one electronic display unit, a control device, and memory;

displaying information on said at least one electronic display unit in sequence in a display region extending along substantially the full extent of said length of said bracelet, said displaying step comprising selectively energizing a plurality of segments of said at least one display unit to display a message including alphabetical characters;

controlling said at least one display unit so that the messages displayed appears to move along the length of the bracelet with time;

storing in memory in the bracelet a plurality of such messages for display by said at least one display unit; and

displaying a message of a length greater than said display region by moving the messages along the length of the bracelet around the wrist of the user.

9. A method according to claim 8 including receiving messages transmitted in the form of electromagnetic radiation to be displayed on said at least one display unit.

10. A method according to claim 8 in which the bracelet is a pager.

11. A method according to claim 8 including programming the control device by the user by downloading messages from a computer apparatus into the memory of the bracelet.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein the control device comprises an integrated circuit.

13. A method according to claim 8 including displaying messages by a dot-matrix display having cells arranged in a rectangular matrix.

14. A method according to claim 8 including displaying messages by a plurality of display elements formed from independently controllable liquid crystal segments.

15. A message display bracelet, said bracelet being a wrist bracelet having a length adapted for the bracelet to be worn around the wrist of a user, said bracelet having:

at least one electronic display unit arranged to display messages in sequence in a display region extending along substantially the full extent of said length of the bracelet;

a control device provided to control said at least one display unit so that the message displayed appears to move along the length of the bracelet with time, said at least one display unit having a plurality of segments such as to be selectively energizable by said control device to display a message including alphabetical characters;

memory for storing a plurality of such messages for display by said at least one display unit;

the control device being operative to display both messages of a length greater than the display region and messages of length shorter than said display region;

messages longer than the display region being displayed by scrolling by virtue of the movement of the message along the length of the bracelet around the wrist of the user; and

messages shorter than the length of the display region being displayed in more than one location along the length of the bracelet simultaneously, and being moved along the length of the bracelet around the wrist of the user.

16. A bracelet according to claim 15 wherein the bracelet includes a receiver for receiving messages transmitted in the form of electromagnetic radiation to be displayed on said at least one display unit.

17. A bracelet according to claim 16 in which the bracelet is a pager.

18. A bracelet according to claim 15 including a programming device allowing the control device to be programmed by the user by downloading messages from a computer apparatus into the memory of the bracelet.

19. A bracelet according to claim 15 wherein the control device comprises an integrated circuit.

20. A bracelet according to claim 15 wherein the display unit has a dot-matrix display having cells arranged in a rectangular matrix.

21. A bracelet according to claim 15 wherein the display unit has a plurality of display elements formed from independently controllable liquid crystal segments.

22. A method of displaying messages on a bracelet, the method comprising:

wearing a bracelet having a length adapted for the bracelet to be worn around the wrist of a user, said bracelet having at least one electronic display unit, a control device, and memory;

displaying messages on said at least one electronic display unit in sequence in a display region extending along substantially the full extent of said length of said bracelet, said displaying step comprising selectively energizing a plurality of segments of said at least one display unit to display a message including alphabetical characters;

controlling said at least one display unit so that the message displayed appears to move along the length of the bracelet with time;

storing in memory in the bracelet a plurality of such messages for display by said at least one display unit; and

displaying both messages of a length greater than the display region and messages of length shorter than said display region;

messages longer than the display region being displayed by scrolling by virtue of the movement of the message along the length of the bracelet around the wrist of the user; and

messages shorter than the length of the display region being displayed in more than one location along the length of the bracelet simultaneously, and being moved along the length of the bracelet around the wrist of the user.

23. A method according to claim 22 including receiving messages transmitted in the form of electromagnetic radiation to be displayed on said at least one display unit.

24. A method according to claim 22 in which the bracelet is a pager.

25. A method according to claim 22 including programming the control device by the user by downloading messages from a computer apparatus into the memory of the bracelet.

26. A method according to claim 22 wherein the control device comprises an integrated circuit.

27. A method according to claim 22 including displaying messages by a dot-matrix display having cells arranged in a rectangular matrix.

28. A method according to claim 22 including displaying messages by a plurality of display elements formed from independently controllable liquid crystal segments.