Claims
- 1. A multi-function electric timekeeping device for carrying out normal timekeeping as well as at least one additional functional operation other than normal timekeeping and time setting, comprising:
- a pulse generator (31) for generating standard clock pulses;
- counter means (43, 28, 21, 22, 32) coupled to said pulse generator for counting said standard clock pulses to provide outputs corresponding to different timings and to form a plurality of successive cycles each of a specific counted value;
- a time indicating means (15a-15f, 16, 13, 14) having sections (13, 14, 16) for visually displaying at least hours and minutes, and a plurality of further sections (15a-15f) for cyclically and visually displaying different timings corresponding to the outputs of said counter means, the timings displayed by said further sections corresponding to times when different functional operations, comprising said at least one functional operation other than normal timekeeping, of the multi-function electric timekeeping device may be initiated;
- decoding means (45, 23, 24) coupling said counter means to said time indicating means and selectively causing said time indicating means to display the contents of said counter means;
- a manually operable member (17) to be operated by the user in accordance with the condition of the visual display at said plurality of further sections (15a-15f); and
- an operation command signal distributing circuit (47, 48, 49, 50) coupled to receive inputs from said manually operable member (17), said operation command signal distributing circuit including a decoder coupled to said counter means for selectively generating one of a plurality of different function command signals responsive to the counting condition of said counter means and to the condition of said further display sections upon actuation of said manually operable member for distributing to said counter means a command signal which is a unique function of the outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means when said manually operable member is operated, said command signals being different from the inputs received by said decoder of said disbributing circuit from said counter means, and at least one of said command signals designating a function other than a timekeeping and a time-setting function, said distributed command signal initiating a desired one of said additional functional operations of the multi-function timepiece in accordance with the timings displayed by said plurality of further sections (15a-15f) of said time indicating means so that a respective functional operation is initiated in response to each distributed signal.
- 2. A time keeping device according to claim 1 wherein said further sections (15a-15f) of said time indicating means comprises a plurality of indicating sections spaced one from another.
- 3. A time keeping device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said sections for displaying different timings comprises six indicating sections for displaying a time period of less than one minute by ten second intervals.
- 4. A time keeping device according to claim 1 wherein said operation command signal distributing circuit includes a plurality of AND circuits (47a-47f) each coupled to receive command signals from said manually operable member and signals corresponding to outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means (28); a plurality of flip-flop circuits (48a-48f) each connected to respective ones of said AND circuits; and a control circuit including an OR circuit (49) connected to each output terminal of the respective flip-flop circuits and an inverter (50) disposed between the output terminal of said OR circuit and an input terminal of each of said AND circuits, an output of any one of said flip-flop circuits providing an input to said AND circuits through said inverter (50).
- 5. A time keeping device according to claim 1 wherein said sections (13, 14, 16) for visually displaying hours, minutes and seconds are each controlled for time correction by a respective one of said distributed command signals generated by said distributing circuit upon operation of said manually operable member, thereby correcting the time displayed by said time keeping device.
- 6. A time keeping device according to claim 1 wherein said decoder of said operation command signal distributing circuit comprises a logic circuit coupled to receive command signals from said manually operable member and signals corresponding to the outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means (28) for logically combining said signals to produce different function signals responsive to respective conditions of said counter means when said manually operable member is operated.
- 7. A time keeping device according to claim 1 wherein said operation command signal distributing circuit includes a plurality of gate circuit means (47a-47f) each coupled to receive command signals from said manually operable member and signals corresponding to the outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means (28), said gate circuit means being selectively operable by said manually operable member in accordance with the timings displayed by said plurality of further sections, said gate circuit means generating a respective command signal corresponding to the gate circuit means operated by said manually operable member.
- 8. A time keeping device according to claim 7 wherein said manually operable member selectively operates at least one, but not all of said gate circuit means when it is actuated.
- 9. A multi-function electric time keeping device comprising:
- a pulse generator (31) for generating standard clock pulses;
- counter means (43, 28, 21, 22, 32, 34, 33) coupled to said pulse generator for counting said standard clock pulses and to form a plurality of successive cycles each of a specific counted value and providing outputs corresponding to different timings;
- a time indicating means (15a-15f, 16, 13, 14) having indicating sections (13, 14, 16) for visually displaying hours, minutes and seconds, at least one of said sections further selectively displaying items of day, and days of a week responsive to a selective switching operation, and having a plurality of further sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 15e, 15f) for cyclically and visually displaying different timings corresponding to the outputs of said counter means, the timings displayed by said further sections corresponding to times when the different functional operations of the multifunction electric time keeping device may be initiated;
- decoding means (45, 23, 24, 35, 37) coupling said counter means to said timing indicating means and selectively causing said time indicating means to display the contents of said counter means;
- a manually operable member (17) to be operated by the user in accordance with the condition of the visual display at said plurality of further sections (15a-15f);
- an operation command signal distributing circuit (47, 48, 49, 50) coupled to receive inputs from said manually operable member (17) for distributing to at least one of the input sides of said counter means (43, 28, 21, 22, 32) and output sides of said counter means (43, 28, 21, 22, 32, 34, 33) a command signal from said manually operable member which corresponds to the counted value of said counter means when said manually operable member is operated, the distributed signal initiating a desired functional operation of the multi-function timepiece in accordance with the timings displayed by said plurality of further sections; and
- switching means (25, 46) coupled to said distributing circuit for receiving any of the outputs therefrom and for generating a switching control signal to control the output of said decoding means when said manually operable member is operated in accordance with one of the timings displayed by said plurality of further sections for switching a display content of said indicating sections (13, 14, 16) displaying the hour, minute and second into a display content of days of a week and days.
- 10. A time keeping device according to claim 9 wherein said operation command signal distributing circuit includes a plurality of AND circuits (47a-47f) each coupled to receive command signals from said operable member and signals corresponding to outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means (28); a plurality of flip-flop circuits (48a-48f) each connected to respective ones of said AND circuits; and a control circuit including an OR circuit (41) connected to each output terminal of the respective flip-flop circuits and an inverter (50) disposed between the output terminal of said OR circuit and an input terminal of each of said AND circuits, an output of any one of said flip-flop circuits providing an input to said AND circuits through said inverter (50).
- 11. A time keeping device according to claim 9 wherein said switching means comprises a logic circuit (25, 46a-46f) coupled to receive as a switching command output any specified one of the outputs from said distributing circuit to block outputs corresponding to said second, minute and hour from said decoder, and for causing the output from said decoder for designating days of a week to be supplied to said indicating section for indicating seconds and for further causing the output from said decoder for designating the day to be supplied to said indicating section for indicating the hour.
- 12. A time keeping device according to claim 9 wherein said sections (15a-15f) of said time indicating means comprises a plurality of indicating sections spaced one from another.
- 13. A time keeping device according to claim 9 wherein said sections for displaying different timings comprises six indicating sections for displaying a time period of less than one minute by ten second intervals.
- 14. A time keeping device according to claim 9, wherein said sections (13, 14, 16) for visually displaying hours, minutes and seconds are each controlled for time correction by a respective one of said distributed command signals generated by said distributing circuit upon operation of said manually operable member, thereby correcting the time displayed by said time keeping device.
- 15. A time keeping device according to claim 9 wherein said operation command signal distributing circuit comprises a logic circuit coupled to receive command signals from said manually operable member and signals corresponding to the outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means (28) for logically combining said signals to produce different function signals responsive to respective conditions of said counter means when said manually operable member is operated.
- 16. A time keeping device according to claim 9 wherein said operation command signal distributing circuit includes a plurality of gate circuit means (47a-47f) each coupled to receive command signals from said manually operable member and signals corresponding to the outputs of the counted value for displaying timings from said counter means (28), said gate circuit means being selectively operable by said manually operable member in accordance with the timings displayed by said plurality of further sections, said gate circuit means generating a respective command signal corresponding to the gate circuit means operated by said manually operable member.
- 17. A time keeping device according to claim 16 wherein said manually operable member selectively operates at least one, but not all of said gate circuit means when it is actuated.
- 18. A timekeeping device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said decoder of said operation command signal distributing circuit produces only one command pulse for each operation of said manually operable member, each command pulse representing only one kind of function instruction signal.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
47-40085 |
Apr 1972 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 551,238, filed Feb. 20, 1975, which is now abandoned which is a Continuation of Ser. No. 352,640, filed on Apr. 19, 1973 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
551238 |
Feb 1975 |
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Parent |
352640 |
Apr 1973 |
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