Patents Examined by Michael L. Lindinger
  • Patent number: 6796708
    Abstract: A wrist mountable electronic apparatus has a strap member having a pair of strap portions. Each of the strap portions has an end disposed in spaced-apart relation to the other so that inner peripheral surfaces of the ends of the strap portions form a hole having a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end. Each of the inner peripheral surfaces of the strap portions has a stepped portion. A portable electronic apparatus is disposed in the hole of the strap member. A glass member is supported on the stepped portion of each of the strap portions for closing the first open end of the hole. A connecting structure free of adhesive connects the glass member to each of the strap portions. A waterproof member is disposed directly between only the glass member and the strap member for providing a watertight seal therebetween. A rear cover covers the second open end of the hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawamata, Takenori Matsunaga, Hiroshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 6798720
    Abstract: The invention relates to a novel design for a projection alarm clock for displaying various values by means of projection, using a projector with one optical unit and one optoelectrical unit for producing the images of the data to be projected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Inventors: Rolf Wilhelm Haupt, Fritz Schäffel
  • Patent number: 6791904
    Abstract: A method and apparatus to receive selected audio content. According to one embodiment of the invention, an audio playback system is described. The audio playback system includes an audio content server and a device. The audio content server includes audio content to be selected for playback. The device calls the audio content server to request and receive an audio playback of selected audio content at a scheduled time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Outburst Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Allison Herron, Gabriel Manjarrez
  • Patent number: 6785193
    Abstract: A handheld childbirth labor timing apparatus includes a timing device with a visible display, a calculating device, a memory device and a selection device. In various embodiments the apparatus is programmed to execute methods for the simple timing of the durations of and intervals between actual childbirth contractions, for practicing selected sequences of such contractions in preparing for childbirth, and also for storing a set of expected sequences that, when matched, with an actual childbirth labor sequence will present an alerting signal to the user so as to timely summon medical help.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Inventor: Frank P. Forbath
  • Patent number: 6776519
    Abstract: The bezel (2) allows the same reading direction to be kept for the indications (20) carried by a ring (4) able to rotate freely on a base (6) to which it is affixed to bring a selected indication (20) opposite a determined marking of the base (6) or of a dial (3). The indications (20) are marked on the outer surface of studs (10) each kept free in rotation about their rotational axis (10a) in a housing (30) provided through the thickness of the ring (4) and opening onto the base (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Management Services AG
    Inventors: Luciano Eleuterio, Sébastien Hostettler, Domenico Leo
  • Patent number: 6773157
    Abstract: A time adjustment assembly for a timepiece comprises a fast hour wheel that is movable between a first position where it is not rotationally engageable with the hour wheel and a second position where it is rotationally engageable with the hour wheel; a corrector wheel, mounted on the setting stem, for rotating the fast hour wheel; and a setting spring selectively engageable with the fast hour wheel to move the fast hour wheel between the fast hour wheel's first position and second position; wherein when the fast hour wheel is in rotational engagement with the hour wheel the setting stem is out of engagement with the setting wheel and an hour hand is movable independently of the minute hand via the rotation of the setting stem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Timex Group B.V.
    Inventor: Siegfried Grau
  • Patent number: 6771566
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a wristwatch equipped with a device for the elimination of static electricity, the static electricity resulting from contact with metallic wardrobes, textiles, automobiles, electronic devices, and so on. Ground protrusions are disposed on a metallic upper cover in the upper portion of the watch. An external casing through which electricity is not transmitted is disposed in the middle portion of the watch. Connection protrusions and a watch chain are disposed in the lower portion of the watch. The device along with components of a general wristwatch is disposed in the watch, includes a coil for preventing a rapid current surge, a resistor for performing discharge, and a discharge bulb connected in series with each other, and is connected from the upper cover to one of the connection protrusions. Accordingly, static electricity is eliminated by touching objects generating the static electricity to ground protrusions disposed on the upper cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Inventor: Bok-Kwon Lee
  • Patent number: 6755567
    Abstract: To provide a hand motion irregularity suppressed timepiece whose ability has been improved. As to a spring having a flat portion and a bent portion, the flat portion is disposed between a second chronograph wheel and a center wheel, and the bent portion is sandwiched and supported under a pressurized state by a train wheel bridge and a bottom plate. By this, the spring portion prevents a hand motion irregularity of the second chronograph wheel by the fact that the second chronograph wheel is pressure-contacted with the train wheel bridge. Further, by forming a gap between the second chronograph wheel and the center wheel, an accompanying rotation between the second center wheel and the center wheel is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Mamoru Watanabe, Yuichi Shino, Tamotsu Ono, Kei Hirano
  • Patent number: 6751164
    Abstract: A timepiece (1) comprises communication means (2) and hand haft control means (19), executes function processing on the basis of information acquired from an external apparatus via the communication means (2), and controls operation of respective hand shaft blocks (28, 29, 30) of the timepiece (1) via the hand shaft control means (19), so that a variety of information can be displayed under various assignments and in a display mode optionally designated by the external apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kanetaka Sekiguchi
  • Patent number: 6751163
    Abstract: A clock adjusting method and an electronic equipment using the method are disclosed in which a clock portion of an electronic equipment is correctly and simply adjusted by use of time information in broadcasting waves. In the case where a time indicated by the clock portion of the electronic equipment is “0:00” a.m. or after “0:00” and before “23:00”, the time of the clock portion is set at a reference time based on the time information. In the other case, the judgement is made of whether the time of the clock portion indicates a time of the next day as compared with the reference time or a time of the preceding day as compared with the reference time. When the time of the clock portion indicates a time of the next day as compared with the reference time, the time of the clock portion is set at the reference time while a day of the week indicated by the clock portion is put back one day.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Miyakawa
  • Patent number: 6747918
    Abstract: A drinking vessel includes a timer coupled to a sidewall of the vessel and having an actuator protruding from the vessel which controls the timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Inventors: Nathaniel L. Hight, Brian P. Trimm, Thomas S. Reynolds, II
  • Patent number: 6747917
    Abstract: The invention is related to a menstrual cycle monitor for a human female which includes indicators representing a first day of menstrual bleeding, early infertile days, fertile days, and later infertile days in the menstrual cycle. The indicators together form an ordered set. One indicator of the ordered set is provided with different indicia from indicia provided to other indicators, so as to alert the user of the monitor that she should consult her health care provider if particular circumstances arise. A movable marker also may be provided for indexing with the indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Georgetown University
    Inventors: Victoria H. Jennings, Marcos Arevalo
  • Patent number: 6744699
    Abstract: An electronic module for regulation of a watch movement with mechanical winding includes a generator (1) permitting converting the mechanical energy supplied by the mechanical watch movement into a measuring signal (G+;G−) and an electronic circuit (11) supplied by the generator. The electronic circuit includes an energy dissipation circuit (9) permitting applying at least two separate braking couples more than zero to the generator (1). The electronic circuit (11) also includes a counter to control the braking circuit. The braking couple selected by the control circuit depends on the advance of the generator and is reduced, without being suppressed, when the measuring signal (G+;G−) passes through an extreme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Richemont International SA
    Inventors: Eric Klein, Konrad Schafroth
  • Patent number: 6744696
    Abstract: This annual date mechanism comprises a correction cam (1a) in kinematic connection with a date indicating runner (1), a correction rocker (8) engaged on the one hand with said correction cam (1a) and, on the other hand, with an annual cam (18). A spring (9) presses the correction rocker (8) against the cams (1a, 18). The correction cam (1a) comprises a portion (1a′) for arming said spring (9), followed by a portion (1a*) sized to cause said date runner (1) to move by one step between “31” and “1”, under the pressure of said spring (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Rolex S.A.
    Inventors: Frank Vernay, Pierre-Alain Graemiger
  • Patent number: 6744698
    Abstract: A first control unit 110 and second control unit 120 are disposed to a portable data terminal 100 having a heavy load group 140 and light load group 150. The first control unit 110 detects the output voltage of a secondary battery 105 and controls power supply to the heavy load group 140 by switching a first switch S1. When the first control unit 110 stops power supply to the heavy load group 140, it outputs a low level control signal CC to the second control unit 120. The load of driving the second control unit 120 is designed to be smaller than the load of driving the first control unit 110. When the control signal CC is received, the second control unit 120 starts detecting the output voltage of the secondary battery 105, and stops power supply to the switch light load group 150 and first control unit 110 if the output voltage is detected to drop to a preset threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsuke Koyama, Teruhiko Fujisawa, Koji Kitazawa
  • Patent number: 6729755
    Abstract: A temperature compensated clock and method of clocking systems are provided. The clock preferably has an oscillator for generating an oscillating waveform signal at a preselected frequency and a frequency divider responsive to the oscillator for dividing the frequency of the oscillating waveform signal. A temperature monitoring circuit is positioned responsive to a voltage input signal independent of temperature and a voltage input signal proportional to temperature for monitoring temperature variations. A temperature compensating circuit, preferably including a programmable scaling circuit, is responsive to the frequency divider and the temperature monitoring circuit for scaling the divided frequency of the generated waveform and thereby advantageously produces a temperature compensated output timing signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Rong Yin
  • Patent number: 6719455
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for assembling a screwed crown on a watch case, characterized in that it includes the following steps: providing a crown with an inner threading the position of which is set with respect to the logo arranged on the front face of the crown; providing an intermediate tube including two threaded sections; mounting said intermediate tube in a smooth through hole passing through the case and wedging it on an assembling jig to arrange the thread start of the tube intended to accommodate the internal screw thread of the crown in an angular position such that when the crown is screwed as far as possible onto the tube said logo or said mark is located in a determined position; providing a nut and immobilizing the tube in said angular position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: KS 22 SA
    Inventor: Roger Ecoffet
  • Patent number: 6714486
    Abstract: A system and method for producing and displaying chronological data according to user specified parameters. The system incorporates language, multi media, and animation into a time display device. The system can include typical features of a conventional time display device, such as an alarm function and a display face. The system also includes a translation engine for combining the parameters and a plurality of supplemental display data, including language, multi media, and animation data, to provide a translation template. The template helps to control the presentation of chronological data in a synchronized fashion by reformatting the chronological data into a translated display format, thereby providing to the user a personalized time display. The display includes selected images and/or language to represent the passage of numerical chronological data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Inventor: Kevin Biggs
  • Patent number: 6714488
    Abstract: A watch is disclosed that includes a color changing feature that is created by using two polarized lenses, one of which is stationary, the other of which would rotate around a central axis. The presence of the two polarized lenses would create a display of color that would change depending on the orientation of one lens to the other. This design, with its central axis and circular shape, lends itself to be readily used on the face of a watch. This watch would then have the unique feature of a color changing face. With the top polarized lens attached to the watch mechanics, the lens would rotate slightly and with each movement the color of the entire face would slowly turn into another color as it changes through the entire color spectrum cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Inventor: Eric J. Vogel
  • Patent number: 6711101
    Abstract: A system for providing electronic jewelry and telling the time of day includes binary display beads (105, 110) or segmented display beads (600, 700) arranged on a necklace or bracelet. In one embodiment, binary display beads successively indicate passage of hours of the day. In another embodiment, segmented display beads indicate the exact time in either moving band format or bar-graph format. A power source and timekeeping circuitry (not shown) are concealed within non-display beads (120, 122) or within the display beads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Inventor: Navot Bornovski