Marine switching system for providing time information and method thereof

Abstract

A marine switching system providing time information and a method thereof are provided. The marine switching system includes a marine clock, a key-phone system, and at least one key-phone terminal. The marine clock detects a current local time according to the longitude at which a ship is located, and outputs current time data that includes the detected current local time. The key-phone system receives the current time data outputted from the marine clock, and extracts the information of the current time. The key-phone terminal receives the current time information from the key-phone system, and updates the current time. Thus, ship passengers can more conveniently check a local time of the current location of a ship.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

More complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a general marine clock, a key-phone system, and key-phone terminals;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure of a marine key-phone system constructed as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a format of time data constructed as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying time in a marine key-phone system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure of a key-phone system and a key-phone terminal constructed as another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a selective time display method in a marine key-phone system according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A marine switching network, comprising: a marine clock for detecting a current local time of the longitude at which the marine clock is located, the marine clock outputting time data including the detected current local time;a key-phone system coupled to the marine clock, the key-phone system receiving the time data from the marine clock, extracting information of the current local time from the time data, and outputting a data packet including the information of the current local time; anda key-phone terminal coupled to the key-phone system, the key-phone terminal receiving the data packet from the key-phone system and updating current time of the key-phone terminal to the current local time.

2. The marine switching network of claim 1, comprised of the key-phone system including: a time extracting unit receiving the time data from the marine clock, and extracting the information of the current local time from the time data; anda time updating unit outputting the data packet including the extracted information of the current local time to the key-phone terminal.

3. The marine switching network of claim 2, comprised of the time data including a header field, a universal time coordinated field, a date field, a local zone hour field, and a local zone minute field.

4. The marine switching network of claim 3, comprised of the local zone hour field including information on time difference in hour between the universal time coordinated and the current local time.

5. The marine switching network of claim 4, comprised of the time extracting unit obtaining hour information of the current local time by extracting hour information from the universal time coordinated field and the local zone hour field, and by adding the extracted hour information of the universal time coordinated field and the local zone hour field, the time extracting unit obtaining information on minute and second by extracting information of the local zone minute field.

6. The marine switching network of claim 2, comprised of the key-phone system including an interface unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from the marine clock through a serial input/output port or a local area network port.

7. The marine switching network of claim 1, comprised of the key-phone terminal including: a time packet decoder for extracting the information of the current local time from the data packet received from the key-phone system;a first clock unit for storing the current local time obtained from the extracted information of the current time; anda display unit for receiving the current local time from the first clock unit and for displaying the current local time.

8. The marine switching network of claim 7, wherein the key-phone terminal further comprises: a second clock unit for storing a user time set by a user; anda mode setting unit for controlling the display unit to display the time either stored in the first clock unit or stored in the second clock unit.

9. The marine switching network of claim 7, wherein the key-phone terminal further comprises: a second clock unit for storing a user time set by a user; anda mode setting unit for controlling the display unit to display both of the time stored in the first clock unit and the time stored in the second clock unit.

10. A marine key-phone system, comprising: a time extracting unit for receiving time data from a marine clock, and for extracting information of a current local time from the received time data; anda time updating unit for delivering the extracted information of the current local time to a key-phone terminal.

11. The key-phone system of claim 10, wherein the time data including a header field, a universal time coordinated field, a date field, a local zone hour field, and a local zone minute field.

12. The key-phone system of claim 11, comprised of the local zone hour field including information on time difference in hour between the universal time coordinated and the current local time.

13. The key-phone system of claim 12, comprised of the time extracting unit obtaining hour information of the current local time by extracting hour information from the universal time coordinated field and the local zone hour field, and by adding the extracted hour information of the universal time coordinated field and the local zone hour field, the time extracting unit obtaining information on minute and second by extracting information of the local zone minute field.

14. The key-phone system of claim 10, wherein the key-phone system transmits and receives data to and from the marine clock through a serial input/output port or a local area network port.

15. The key-phone system of claim 10, wherein the current local time is detected by the marine clock, and the current local time is a local time of the longitude at which the marine clock is located.

16. A method of providing time information using a marine key-phone system, comprising the steps of: receiving time data from a marine clock, the time data including a current local time of a longitude of a location of the marine clock, the time data being detected by the marine clock;extracting information of the current local time from the time data; anddelivering the information of the current local time to a key-phone terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, comprised of the time data including a header field, a universal time coordinated field, a date field, a local zone hour field, and a local zone minute field.

18. The method of claim 17, comprised of the local zone hour field including information on time difference in hour between the universal time coordinated and the current local time.

19. The method of claim 18, comprised of the step of extracting information of the current local time including the steps of: obtaining hour information of the current local time by extracting hour information from the universal time coordinated field and the local zone hour field, and by adding the extracted hour information of the universal time coordinated field and the local zone hour field; andobtaining information on minute and second by extracting information of the local zone minute field.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving time data from a marine clock is performed through a serial input/output port or a local area network port.