Touch screen watch

• US 8,824,245 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sunshine Time Inc. (Time Watch Investments Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Advance Watch Company Limited (Time Watch Investments Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lau, Wai Cheong, Tse, Chun Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Amy Cohen
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLLINS, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/911,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20120099406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 368/69
• US Class Current: 368/69
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

A wristwatch includes a case and a corresponding crystal, and an integrated circuit sized to be received with the case. The wristwatch has a first, second, third, and fourth capacitive touch sensor adapted to be located beneath the crystal and within the case when the wristwatch is assembled. The capacitive touch sensors are in electrical communication with the integrated circuit to control operation of the wristwatch. The capacitive touch sensors are located adjacent to the periphery of the crystal and are spaced apart.

Claims

1. A wristwatch comprising:

a case and a crystal;

an integrated circuit received within the case; and

first, second, third, and fourth capacitive touch sensors located beneath the crystal and in electrical communication with the integrated circuit to control operation of the wristwatch;

wherein the capacitive touch sensors provide four inputs to the integrated circuit to control operation of the watch, the first input through a user activating the first sensor, the second input through the user activating the second sensor, the third input through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the first sensor prior to the second sensor within a predetermined time limit, and the fourth input through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the second sensor prior to the first sensor within the predetermined time limit;

wherein the capacitive touch sensors provide a fifth input to the integrated circuit to control operation of the watch, the fifth input through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor in sequence within another predetermined time limit;

wherein the fifth input unlocks a touch function for the wristwatch with the first sensor continuously activated for at least a predetermined time period before the second and third sensors are activated by sweeping; and

wherein each capacitive touch sensor is spaced apart from an adjacent capacitive touch sensor.

2. The wristwatch of claim 1 wherein the four capacitive touch sensors are generally equally spaced apart along the periphery of the watch.

3. The wristwatch of claim 1 further comprising a tactile button positioned on the side of the case.

4. The wristwatch of claim 1 wherein the crystal is generally circular.

5. The wristwatch of claim 1 wherein the crystal is generally rectangular.

6. The wristwatch of claim 1 further comprising

a battery connected to the integrated circuit to provide power for operation of the wristwatch;

four detector circuits, each detector circuit connected to the integrated circuit and to a respective one of the capacitive sensors.

7. The wristwatch of claim 6 further comprising an elastomeric connector for electrically connecting the capacitive sensor to the detector circuit.

8. The wristwatch of claim 7 wherein the detector circuit determines if the sensor is being actuated by a user by comparing a reference capacitive measurement to a capacitive measurement when a capacitive field adjacent to the sensor is disturbed by the user.

9. The wristwatch of claim 8 wherein a sliding input is determined by the integrated circuit when receiving a touch input from one of the capacitive sensors and a second touch input from an adjacent one of the capacitive sensors within a predetermined time limit.

10. The wristwatch of claim 1 wherein the crystal defines a first, second, third, and fourth quadrant associated with the first, second, third, and fourth capacitive touch sensor respectively.

11. The wristwatch of claim 10 wherein the wristwatch has no more than four capacitive sensors.

12. The wristwatch of claim 11 further comprising a liquid crystal display positioned in a central region of the crystal and supported by the case.

13. The wristwatch of claim 1 wherein the capacitive touch sensors are located adjacent to the periphery of the crystal and are spaced apart from each other to minimize a user accidentally engaging an incorrect adjacent sensor.

14. A wristwatch comprising:

a case and a corresponding crystal; and

an integrated circuit sized to be received with the case, the integrated circuit having a switch, the switch providing for both use with either a four sensor watch or a five sensor watch;

wherein for the four sensor watch, the watch has four capacitive touch sensors located beneath the crystal and adjacent to the periphery of the crystal, the watch without tactile button sensors on the case, the touch sensors in electrical communication with the integrated circuit;

wherein for the five sensor watch, the watch has four capacitive touch sensors located beneath the crystal and adjacent to the periphery of the crystal, the touch sensors in electrical communication with the integrated circuit, and a tactile button sensor located adjacent to the case and in communication with the integrated circuit;

wherein the switch is in a first position when the integrated circuit is used with the four sensor watch; and

wherein the switch is in a second position when the integrated circuit is used with the five sensor watch.

15. A wristwatch comprising:

a case and a crystal;

an integrated circuit received within the case;

a piezo system; and

first, second, third, and fourth capacitive touch sensors located beneath the crystal and in electrical communication with the integrated circuit to control operation of the wristwatch, each capacitive touch sensor is spaced apart from an adjacent capacitive touch sensor;

wherein the capacitive touch sensors provide five inputs to the integrated circuit to control operation of the watch, the first input through a user activating the first sensor, the second input through the user activating the second sensor, the third input through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the first sensor prior to the second sensor within a predetermined time limit, the fourth input through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the second sensor prior to the first sensor within the predetermined time limit, and the fifth input through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor in sequence within another predetermined time limit;

wherein one of the third input, fourth input, and fifth input unlock a touch function for the wristwatch; and

wherein an audible signal from the piezo system and a visible touch indicator are provided by the wristwatch when the touch function is unlocked.