Including Illumination Means Patents (Class 368/24)
  • Patent number: 9792273
    Abstract: A spreadsheet application or other application supporting formulaic cells that automatically provides support for a number of diverse formulaic functions. The automatically provided diverse formulaic functions include a function returning the value of the formula logic if the logic can be evaluated without an error. Another function finds a value in a formulaic cell that is in the same row as a particular value from the first column and the same column as a particular value in the first row. Other functions allow a selection of a set of multiple lookup rows and columns for matching the values used as variables in the function. The spreadsheet application is further configured to automatically supply other functions in addition to those described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Roy Simkhay, Charles D. Ellis, Alexander Babanov, David F. Gainer, Daniel P. Cory, Matthew J. Androski, Andrew J. Becker, Jeremy R. Pankratz, Monica McAmis, Simon Loftus Peyton Jones
  • Patent number: 8638643
    Abstract: The globe-shaped clock for a city square includes a base for placement on a select public location in a town or city. The base includes a plurality of pointer rods radiating in both major and minor geographic directions. A spherical cage is mounted to the base, and the cage surrounds a rotating globe therein. The cage is topped by a clock spire having a frustoconical base and a plurality of major and minor pointer rods radiating towards both major and minor geographic directions. A plurality of illuminated, curved, longitude lines defines the spherical cage. The longitude lines illuminate sequentially in varying intensity depending on the time of day. An electronic control unit is provided to define the pattern of illumination. A plurality of display units surrounds the base in line with each longitude line and displays different time zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Inventor: Ahmad A. A. Kh. Al Hashash
  • Patent number: 6633510
    Abstract: A dual time piece having at least two clock faces thereon with each clock face having indicia thereon that enable the user to determine whether the time displayed by each time piece represents time before noon or time after noon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Inventor: Alfred E. Hall
  • Patent number: 5742563
    Abstract: An electronic device with a calendar function having an input device, so that a desired date can be entered in the electronic device. The day of the week that January 1st falls on in the year corresponding to the desired date is determined. The ordinal number of a week in which the entered desired date falls is determined dependent on the day January 1st falls on. For example, if January 1st is between a first day of the week and a fourth day of the week, the week corresponding to January 1st is deemed as the first week in the year, if January 1st is between a fifth day and a seventh day of the week, the week following the week to which January 1st belongs is deemed as the first week of the year. A display is provided displaying the ordinal number of the week of the year in which the entered desired date falls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiro Kataoka, Shigenobu Yanagiuchi, Yasuharu Tanaka, Yoshihiro Shintaku, Kiyoshi Matsuo, Yasuo Wada
  • Patent number: 5379271
    Abstract: A rotating sphere (98) within a rotating sphere (20) device. The outer sphere (20) is a translucent earth globe. The slightly smaller inner sphere (98), consisting of one reflective white surfaced hemisphere (100) and one nonreflective black surfaced hemisphere (102), is the day-night, "terminator" line device. With normal levels of incident light, this inner sphere (98) reflects (or non-reflects) light back through the translucent earth globe (20) giving a day-night appearance to the outer earth globe (20). The inner sphere (98) is controlled by a set of outer control magnets (126A,B) that are "locked" to a set of inner magnets (114A,B) attached to the inner sphere (98). These outer magnets (126A,B), external to the earth globe (20), are rotated to achieve inner sphere (98) "terminator" line (104) rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Inventor: Philip C. Moedt
  • Patent number: 5280458
    Abstract: A sunlit world globe provides a realistic and constantly accurate day/night pattern on the surface of the globe. The globe employs an internal, rotating baffle for a light source. The baffle rotates with respect to a semi-transparent shell constituting a planetary model. The shell has an aperture at the bottom so that a motor, fixed to a frame can rotate the baffle through an axle. The shell pivots about a horizontal axis .+-.23.5 degrees to simulate the earth's orbit around the sun. An adjustment mechanism positions the polar axis of the earth with respect to an imaginary, ecliptic plane appropriately for the current time of year. In an alternate embodiment, the globe rotates with respect to the frame. The frame carries an arch having a day/night demarcation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Inventor: Craig S. Scott
  • Patent number: 4936779
    Abstract: An earth planet model as illustrated in the drawings having a base supporting a globe cradle 28. The globe cradle supports a glove 40 at a north pole bearing 48 and at a south pole bearing 50 with the polar axis of the globe being inclined. The model 10 has a polar shaft 66 with a north pole shaft end 68 extending upward through the north pole bearing 48 and a south pole bearing end 70 extending downward through the south pole bearing 50. A light illuminating means is tiltably mounted on the polar shaft 66 for tilting movement and for rotation with the shaft for illuminating the interior of the globe. The model 10 has a manual adjusting means associated with the north pole bearing 48 for manually adjusting the inclination of the illuminating means in response to the setting of a manual knob. A timer drive is detachably coupled to the south pole shaft end 70 for rotating the polar shaft with respect to the globe. The timer is removably mounted on the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Inventor: Ronald B. Carlson
  • Patent number: 4714351
    Abstract: Globe map (10) in which a light source (76) and a screen (46) cooperate to create on the wall of a shell (12) two hemispherical zones respectively lit and dark. Clockworks designed to rotate these zones around the center of the globe (10), according to the rhythm of the days and years, include a body (32), a polar day shaft (14) rigidly connected to the shell (12) and a year shaft (38) rigidly connected to the screen (46). The axes of the shafts (14 and 38) intersect at the center of the shell (12) along an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the plane of the equator on the ecliptic.Under nominal working conditions, the screen (46) rotates around the shaft (14) at the rate of one revolution per sidereal day and around the year shaft (38) at the rate of one revolution per tropical year.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Inventor: Jean-Paul Domen
  • Patent number: 4666310
    Abstract: Globe clocks for indicating time at various points in the world by illumination of such points as a function of time by light systems which simulate the sun. In a first preferred embodiment, the globe clock is characterized by a transparent or translucent globe rotatably mounted on a pedestal with a clock mechanism mounted on a shaft extending through the globe and effecting rotation of the globe at a predetermined rate of speed. A gear and linking mechanism is provided in association with the clock mechanism to facilitate sweeping movement of a light in a vertical arc inside the globe to simulate changing of the seasons as the globe rotates. In a second preferred, embodiment the globe clock is characterized by a transparent or translucent globe which is rotatably mounted on a base or console containing a clock mechanism which effects rotation of the globe at a predetermined rate of speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1987
    Inventor: Charlie J. Snapka
  • Patent number: 4477193
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a terrestrial globe comprising a world map carrying spherical body rotatably supported around the Antarctic and Arctic points on a stand, and luminous bodies such as light emitting diodes mounted on selected points corresponding to major cities or like in the world map so that a group of the luminous bodies mounted on the points of same standard time are lit when these luminous bodies come into a plane defined by the front side of the stand, and particularly to a terrestrial globe in which the standard time of the zone defined by a group of the luminous bodies is displayed by a digital clock mounted on the stand. The present invention further relates to a terrestrial globe in which the luminous bodies mounted on the spherical body are electrically connected via a circular arc-shaped support arm for said spherical body to a source circuit arranged within the stand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: Unionelecs Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shouji Yasufuku
  • Patent number: 4464058
    Abstract: A novel twenty-four hour clock providing a continuous display representative of the rotation of the Earth relative to the heavens, and the changing position of illustrated geographic areas of the Earth relative to the fixed position of the Sun, thereby providing the viewer with a visual display of the local time of day and also the time of day in each of said geographic areas. The present clock also includes a fixed midnight mark representative of a location in the heavens, 180.degree. around the Earth from the fixed location of the Sun, coinciding with the occurrence of midnight at each geographic area of the Earth as said geographic area passes thereby, the geographic area in which the Fiji Islands and New Zealand are located being designated the International Date Line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1984
    Inventor: Barton L. Weller
  • Patent number: 4209973
    Abstract: A digital display for an electronic timepiece having first visual indication display segments peripherally disposed around numerical display digits for selectively indicating predetermined integral time zones corresponding to the time displayed by the numerical display digits and further visual indication display segments for discriminating time zones that are not integrally related to the time zones indicated by the first indication display segments is provided. The display is characterized by a bezel surrounding the plurality of visual indication display segments, the bezel having a plurality of first distinct indicia disposed therearound. Each of the first indicia are disposed proximate to the position of the first visual indication display segments to identify the predetermined global time zone selectively indicated thereby. At least one second indicia is disposed on the bezel intermediate a pair of first indicia.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1980
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha
    Inventor: Shuzi Maezawa