Claims
[ 1 ] What is claimed is :
1. A system for displaying local time without numeration including a set of differently coloured planar regions which individually represent hours and minutes each region configured into a 12 hour/60 minute cycle and associated with a user-defined sequential spectrum of colours which fill the planar region and change to the next sequential colour as time passes according to the user-defined sequential spectrum.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein each region is additionally associated with the sequential spectrum which includes vibration or sound alerts at user-defined positions within the 12 hour/60 minute cycle.
3. An apparatus for employing the system of claim 1 comprising: a circuit board incorporating a central processing unit that includes a computer chip loaded with software operating the system and a timer; a power source; and a housing for protecting the circuit board incorporating at least one input receptor and preferably a display screen.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 further including a speaker for delivering the vibration or sound alerts.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of differently coloured planar regions further represent seconds. |
Description
A SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING LOCAL TIME WITHOUT NUMERATION
[1] Field of the Invention
[2] The present invention relates to horologues, particularly systems and apparatus for displaying the passage of local time without numeration.
[3] Background of the Invention
[4] Systems for noting the passage of time, horologues, have been used by humans for countless generations. The majority of Earth's population use or own a clock, watch or other timepiece to discern the local time in the region that they live. The importance of being consciously aware of the local time at any given instant in the day has become more critically important in modern times with the advent of modern industrial and di- gitalised machinery and the increased time pressures with which people are faced. People in modern times are literally chained to their time pieces and are extremely reliant upon them to provide an accurate measure of time passing.
[5] The majority of horologues incorporate the almost ubiquitous circular watch or clock face which displays the passage of time using a series of numerals from 1 to 12 and at least one but typically two or more sweeping hand devices which separately indicate the passage of hours, minutes and, optionally, seconds. Other devices use digitalised numerals to display hours and minutes whether in 12 hour or 24 hour time. Further variations in the prior art may include separate dials for barometric pressure, altitude, days of the week or month, or international time. The list is seemingly endless.
[6] The clocks, watches and other time pieces of the prior art typically require complicated, specialised mechanical or electrical components in order to make them function properly. Despite the complexity of their inner workings, the time pieces themselves typically have the faculty available for a single type of display only, limiting the scope for creative input by the user or wearer. Clock and watch face displays currently in use, whilst providing a certain amount of aesthetic pleasure to the user or wearer, quickly become a mere routine and bland piece of equipment. It would be desirable to provide a system and device whereby the user or wearer of a time piece could alter the style and shapes of the display according to their own personal needs or wishes.
[7] The devices of the prior art suffer from the problem that they are relatively complicated to read. Numerals are used to represent quantities on prior art time pieces, however time is not strictly necessarily be quantifiable. It does not strictly need to display time by way of numerals. An example of this is the sun dial which displays the
passage of time using the changing shapes and angles of shadows. Sundials, in modern times, typically incorporate numerals to assist modern users to assess their position in time, however it is possible to discern a particular point in time from a sundial merely from the position of shadows falling upon the dial itself.
[8] The devices of the prior art also suffer from the problem that they do not approximate or are not in tune with the human body's natural rhythms. The use of numerals to quantify the passage of time may be counterintuitive and actually hinder the user's understanding of his or her place within the natural world. A statement directed to this point by Jeremiah Lyman Moore notes, 'By strictly adhering to the abstract and rigid time structure of our clocks and calendars we risk denying the importance of our own natural rhythms. We have evolved to function within the intricate rhythmic web-work which is life on Earth - the rise and set of the sun, the phase of the moon, the cycle of the seasons, the growth cycles of various plants and animals, and even the very long cycle of our own lives. The cost may be an increased level of stress, a greater feeling of disconnectedness, and increased physical fatigue resulting from the dissociation of the clocks' rhythm from the rhythms of the natural world - for instance, it is dark in the winter when you go to work, but it has been light for two hours already when you go to work at the same hourly time in the summer. The clock itself does nothing more than divide the celestial time element of the day into a series of equal units - hours, minutes and seconds.'
[9] It would be advantageous to have available an horologue that employed a system and apparatus for indicating the passage of time that was intuitive to the user, was interesting, aesthetically pleasing and which, when combined with the human body's natural bio-rhythms, produced a result which afforded health benefits to the user or wearer.
[10] Objects and Summary of the Invention
[11] It is an object of the invention to overcome at least some of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.
[12] It is an object of the invention to provide a method of displaying the passage of time which is different to the somewhat counterintuitive traditional modern method of using numerals upon a generally circular watch or clock face.
[13] It is another object of the invention to provide a method of displaying the passage of time which enables the user or wearer of a time piece to alter the colours and shapes of the display according to their own personal needs or wishes.
[14] It is a further object of the invention to provide to the user a means of displaying the passage of time which is aesthetically pleasing to the user.
[15] It is a further object of the invention to provide to the user with a means of displaying the passage of time which may afford health benefits to the user or wearer.
[16] Accordingly there is provided a system for displaying local time without numeration including a set of differently coloured planar regions which i ndividually represent hours and minutes, each region configured into a 12 hour/60 minute cycle and associated with a user-defined sequential spectrum of colours which fill the planar region and change to the next sequential colour as time passes according to the user-defined sequential spectrum.
[17] There is also provided an apparatus for employing the system comprising a circuit board incorporating a central processing unit that includes a computer chip loaded with software for operating the system and a timer, a power source and a housing for protecting the circuit board incorporating at least one input receptor and preferably a display screen.
[18] In preferred embodiments the sequential spectrum of colours is associated with a variety of sound or vibrational effects delivered through a speaker.
[19] Brief Description of the Drawings Figures
[20] Figure 1 is a graphical representation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention ;
[21] Figure 2 contains details of the underlying software coding required to generate the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1 ;
[22] Figure 3 is an illustration of the various functions available with the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1 ;
[23] Figure 4 is a legend for Figure 3;
[24] Figure 5 is an illustration of further functions available with the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1 ;
[25] Figure 6 is a simplified schematic diagram showing hour, minute and second regions.
[26] Best Mode and Other Embodiments of the Invention
[27] A preferred embodiment of the invention, referred to as the Spectrum Time Interface
(STI), resides in a system and apparatus for displaying localised time without numeration using a virtual interface that can be displayed on a wide variety of screens, monitors and specialized watch and clock faces. The configuration provides an alternative to displaying time's passage on a traditional watch/clock face. Rather than incorporating a fixed design upon the face of a time piece, the STI system uses a virtual interface that can be displayed on a wide variety of screens, monitors and specialized watch and clock faces. The preferred embodiment of the invention varies from traditional watch/clock faces in that, instead of using two or more sweeping hand devices which separately indicate the passage of hours, minutes and, optionally, seconds or a digitalised numerical display indicating hours, minutes and seconds, the STI system utilises a set of layered or annular planar regions (in most preferred embodiments of the invention), each region configured into respective segmented pie charts which
represent variously hours, minutes and, optionally, seconds. Each layered region is associated with a sequential spectrum of colours which is displayed each 12 hour/60 minute cycle according to user preferences. The colour sequences fill defined areas/ segments in each layered region as time passes and change colours according to the sequence. A full sequence of colours is displayed each completed 12 hour/60 minute cycle for each region.
[28] In the preferred embodiment, the traditional 12 o'clock starting position is coloured with magenta/red at 12 o'clock noon and blue/green at 12 o'clock midnight reflecting the different activities of the day. For example, 12 o'clock noon is when most people are awake and active and magenta/red are active, bold colours. On the other hand, at 12 o'clock midnight most people are asleep and so soothing, gentle colours would reflect that state. Colour therapy is accepted as a means of soothing sufferers of stress and anxiety. Different colours reflect various moods of people and the use of colour to affect people's moods has had a long history. The present invention seeks to build upon the premise that using colours to vary people's moods and/or stress levels is both possible and desirable, particularly, where the use of certain colours may have a therapeutic value or provide health benefits. The STI system employs a sequential spectrum of colours which are designed to enhance the mood of the wearer or user and to approximate the human body's natural bio-rhythms.
[29] In other preferred embodiments the sequential spectrum may include vibration and/or sound alerts at user-defined positions within the 12 hour/60 minute cycle. The sequential spectrum may incorporate a number of sound effects within a particular 12 hour/60 minute cycle according to user preferences. For example, sound effects similar to the ticking and hourly chime sounds commonly associated with traditional time pieces may be employed, however, preferred sounds include tabla drumming with a short solo on the hour, the sound of 60 heartbeats per minute with a sigh sound effect on the hour, a rhythmic cat's purr throughout an hourly cycle with a cat's meow on the hour, or a rhythmic rain effect with a thunder sound effect on the hour. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there exist limitless possibilities in terms of the sound effects that might be incorporated into the invention in order to achieve the preferences of any particular user.
[30] In other embodiments the system may be adapted so that the shape of the planar regions is circular, square or rectangular and sequential spectrum includes variations in shape at user-defined positions within the 12 hour/60 minute cycle. For example, the outer edge of each or any of the planar regions may be represented as flower petals, cogs, gears or other graphic according to the user's preference.
[31] In the preferred embodiment displayed in Figure 1, the region representing 'hours' is located centrally with the 'minutes and seconds' regions placed concentrically
outwardly therefrom. In other embodiments of the invention the display may be inverted so that hours may be displayed as the outermost annular region. Figure 6 is a diagram providing a basic impression of the invention in which the annular layers or regions have a common axis or central point and the regions 11, 12 and 13 indicate respectively the hours, minutes and seconds.
[32] Each region is segmented so that as time passes, the leading radius, typically the outer edge of each annular planar region, acts in a similar manner as a hand displaying the time as it moves through the next familiar notational position of a traditional clock face according to the known 12 hour/60 minute cycle. The colours of the outer edge of each planar region thus change according to the sequential spectrum defined by the user. In the preferred embodiment the sequential spectrum is typically limited to a specific range or sequence of colours and shapes by the manufacturer of an apparatus employing the system however in other embodiments the sequential spectrum may be altered to varying degrees by the wearer or user of the apparatus and depending upon the desired effect required.
[33] The preferred apparatus of the invention comprises a circuit board incorporating a central processing unit (CPU) that includes a computer chip loaded with software describing the method and a timer, a power source and a housing for protecting the circuit board incorporating at least one input receptor and a display screen. The central processing unit may be any such device that is currently available to electronics designers and engineers for incorporation into time pieces. The CPU has a computer chip within it loaded with software or algorithms describing the method and to enable the CPU to function according to the user's requirements. The CPU also has a timer which may be of quartz or may be external and accessed via satellite, General Packet Radio Service ('GPRS') or through third generation mobile telecommunications networks. It must have the capacity to carry out the functions described by the system. It is essential that the timer accurately record the passage of 24 hour time as is universally understood. The apparatus has a power source to enable the CPU to function which may be an internal battery such as are typically used in microelectronic devices or may be external AC or DC power. Alternatively, the apparatus may be powered by a self-winding gear and spring arranged such as is commonly used in the prior art. The apparatus also has a housing for protection of the CPU and other internal workings and includes a display screen upon which the coloured layered regions of the method are displayed and at least one input receptor. In the preferred embodiment the screen is a full colour high resolution screen. The input receptor(s) is the means by which the software loaded onto the computer chip within the CPU is accessed. In some embodiments of the invention t he input may be via an infrared access point.
[34] Through pop-up overlay preference menus that surround the interface and are ac-
cessible through function buttons or interface controls; alarm timing and alerts, scale, style, countdowns, stopwatch and timing sound effects functions can be activated and displayed. The alarm and count-back features are displayed in the separating gaps between the layers. Each layer can be individually scaled and styled to give added emphasis, as desired by the user or manufacturer.
[35] The appearance and shape of the planar regions representing variously hours, minutes and seconds may be altered through a style menu. The default style of the planar regions is best described as a coloured pie chart however the planar regions can be altered to display themselves as petals of a flower, cogs of a gear, or spokes of a wheel. Alternatively each layer can be blurred, beveled and metallically surfaced (golds and silvers) as well as being presented as various timbers and stone types, e.g. marble, opal, crystal and diamonds, to give a further variation of appearance. These style settings may be preset or may be accessible to the user through pop-up menus accessible via the input receptor(s) on the housing.
[36] In preferred embodiments, the apparatus may include a speaker within the housing and connected to the CPU. The computer chip may be loaded with a variety of sound effects which can be associated with the sequential colour spectrum described previously. In this method, the passage of time may be discerned by the use of selected sound effects at user-defined points, for example, hourly or at ten minute intervals. Sounds may include ticking and hourly chime sounds commonly used in clocks and watches or may be other sound effects with or without a therapeutic value upon the user. For example, tabla drumming with a short solo on the hour, 60 heartbeats per minute with a sigh sound effect on the hour, a rhythmic cat's purr with a cat's meow on the hour, or a rhythmic rain effect with a thunder sound effect on the hour.
[37] The Spectrum Time Interface describes time passing via layered planar regions that each change shape and move through a spectrum of colours as time progresses. The default regions are similar to segmented pie charts that fill as time passes .The shapes represent hours (12 segments), minutes and seconds (60 segments) respectively and change colour and/or shape according to the progress of time. The STI system displays time without need of numeration by indicating time passage in a purely graphical manner. It utilises the convention of traditional notation positions of the standard 12 hour/60 minute clock face. As the shapes fill with the progress of time, the moving leading or outer edge can be seen to equate with the notational position of traditional clock faces.
[38] The colours associated to various times of the day in the preferred embodiment have been selected to reflect the variety of moods of the user that change through differing times of the day. Starting with 12 o'clock noon , which is presented as Magenta, the colours progress through a full spectrum as time passes. Red the hottest colour
indicates the first major notational point of 1 o'clock or 5 minutes past the hour or 5 seconds past the minute, and was designed to attract the attention of the viewer in the most powerful manner. It was selected for several reasons. A) Being the smallest area to be presented it required the strongest (most attention grabbing) colour. B) When in count-back mode red acts as a warning or alert colour, as it is commonly used in a broad range of applications. C) It sets off the beginning of the spectrum's sequence that generally works well with the other required time colour schemes of the day. For instance during peak hour afternoon drive time 4pm-5pm-6pm the colours moving from lime to bright green to warm green were chosen to represent soothing colours for these times. Also Blues have been chosen to represent late evening times eg warm blue, indigo, purple for 9pm - 10pm - 1 lpm.
[39] Specific colours associated with time's passing are entered into the sequential spectrum as indicated by their RGB numbers (Red Green Blue) and Hex Number.
[40] A hex triplet, also called hex value or hex number or RGB value, is a six-digit, three- byte hexadecimal number used in computing applications, to represent and describe colours. The bytes represent the red, green and blue components of the colour. One byte represents a number in the range 00 to FF (in hexadecimal notation), or 0 to 255 in decimal notation. This represents the least (0) to the most (255) intensity of each of the colour components. The hex triplet is formed by concatenating three bytes in hexadecimal notation, in the following order:
[41] Byte 1: red value
[42] Byte 2: green value
[43] Byte 3: blue value
[44] The number of colours that can be represented by a hex value is approximately
16,777,210.
[45] An example of the settings used in the preferred embodiment of the invention and that may be altered in other embodiments to define the sequential spectrum is set out at Figure 2.
[46] The STI system also uses sound effects to indicate the passing of time.
[47] The sounds have been designed to reduce stress of the user by providing comforting effects that also act as timers. The sounds can be activated via the sound option drop panel located by clicking the menus toggle, (on watches and clocks this would be found via the sound option function button).
[48] An example is the heartbeat sound effect that uses a stylised heart beat sound that beats 60 times per minute and has a relaxed sighing sound effect on the hour. This is designed to entrain the listener and assist them in calming and soothing them as time passes. The average person's heartbeat at rest is approximately 72 beats per minute. The STI heart beat sound option can help slow the heartbeat of the listener to that of a
rested meditation.
[49] Similarly another sound designed into the STI system is the Cat's purr sound effect.
Pets such as cats have been shown to reduce stress of their carers. The Cat's purr sound option mimics a contented cats purring in pulses representing seconds. At the end/start of each hour a cat's meow indicates the passing of the hour, informing users of time's passage without need of direct visual observance.
[50] Another designed sound option found in the sound effect menu, is that of constant and intermittent rain. The effect pulses throughout the minute and sounds a thunder clap/rumble on the hour. Thunder claps can also optionally define the hour passing with one clap representing 1 am /pm, two claps presenting 2am /pm etc. through to 12 noon / midnight . Alternatively the pitch of the hour sound effect can be selected to alter as the hours progress from lam /pm through to noon/midnight. An example is of the sigh, cat's meow or thunder clap that would be pitched around middle C at 1 am / pm, C# (sharp) at 2 am /pm, D at 3 am /pm etc and range through the various pitches to complete an octave at 12/noon/midnight. Musical tones of varying frequencies have been shown to be therapeutic and to stimulate brain function. Incorporating such sound effects into the invention may have a beneficial or therapeutic value upon the user.
[51] The wide variety of sound effects capable of being incorporated into the present invention enables the user to associate sounds with the colour spectrum which are of therapeutic value with the sequential spectrum programmed into the computer chip. In other preferred embodiments of the invention the sequential spectrum may also include vibrational alerts to enhance the sound effects.
[52] The three separate layered regions for hours, minutes and seconds draw the user's attention, and require that the user consider three separate dimensions of time as opposed to a static single numerical value. The user is thus able to access a more intuitive type of understanding regarding the passage of time, and use of the invention may assist the user in gaining awareness of the passage of time by using a different part of the brain to that which normally is used in processing and rationalizing numerical information.
[53] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that there exist a multitude of possible applications for the system and apparatus herein described. Without limiting the scope of the claims of the invention, possible examples of applications to which the system and apparatus of the invention would apply include virtual products such as desktop computing applications, i-pod products, i-phone products, mobile (cell) phone products as well as billboard and sporting stadium products. In addition the present invention may be applied to any number of speciality products for a variety of markets including white goods that require timers and clocks, car dashboards, diving gauges, and new generation clocks and watches.
[54] While the present invention has been described with reference to particular details of construction, these should be understood as having been provided by way of example and not as limitations to the scope or spirit of the invention.