Bracelet with alphanumeric information display

IS 2 210 347 T3

DESCRIPTION

Bracelet with visual presentation of alphanumeric information.

The present invention relates to a bracelet.

The term "bracelet", as used in this Specification, is not limited to designate a bracelet that is worn on the wrist, but is intended to include bracelets such as earrings or strap bracelets that can be worn elsewhere. of the body, such as the ankles, fingers, or even around the waist. Furthermore, such bracelets do not have to be exclusively for human use, but could be worn by animals, for example as necklaces, or, if desired, be attached to inanimate objects.

A known information display bracelet is a digital watch, which has a watch face or dial with a liquid crystal display. Typically, the watch face has at least four conventional seven-segment numeric display elements, so that the time can be displayed digitally using normal 24-hour clock notation.

The watch will usually have additional functions, such as an alarm, a stopwatch, etc., and therefore includes a solid-state chip / integrated circuit to fulfill those functions, along with a quartz crystal to keep track of the time. hour and a battery to supply electrical energy to the clock.

Document DE-A-3 813 400 (Osterhage) describes a wristwatch with a multiple digital presentation, consisting of a continuous chain of individual bracelet links, each link of the bracelet being constructed as a digital presentation, controlled by a piezoelectric control circuit, which provides a multi-digit display that is pulsed from link to link on the bracelet so that the digital display is pulsed in time around the bracelet. Therefore, in the prior art a bracelet is described having electronic display units having a display region comprising a plurality of display elements, each display element being capable of displaying a character, such that the display elements presentation together can present characters in the presentation region; the display elements are arranged in a sequence arranged along the length of the bracelet; control means being provided for controlling the display elements so that the characters displayed by the display elements in the display region appear to move along the sequence of display elements in time.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bracelet having an electronic display unit including a display region comprising a plurality of display elements, arranged in a sequence arranged along substantially the entire length of the bracelet and / or around substantially the entire perimeter of the display region; each display element being capable of displaying alphanumeric characters such that the display elements together can display a message consisting of alphanumeric characters, in the display region; control means for controlling the display elements so that the message presented by the display elements in the display region appears to move through the sequence of display elements in time; and memory means for storing a plurality of alphanumeric messages for display by the display elements.

In one embodiment, the bracelet has a single display unit that extends along the length of the bracelet.

Preferably, the single unit has a plurality of display elements each comprising a network of liquid crystal segments or LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). The liquid crystal or LED segments can be selectively driven to display one of a plurality of different characters. The liquid crystal or LED segments are arranged, and can be selectively driven, to display numeric and / or alphabetic characters.

However, it will be appreciated that abstract characters and shapes could be formed by the display elements to provide the appearance of a moving pattern.

The control means may be a solid state chip / integrated circuit which can control the display elements to present information in the form of characters. The solid state chip can control the display elements so that the displayed characters appear to move along the sequence of display elements in the display region, element by element, in time.

The display region may be divided into a plurality of sub-regions, each comprising a plurality of display elements that form a part of the sequence of display elements. It is then possible for the display elements to present information simultaneously within each sub-region, and the control means may control the display elements in such a way that the information displayed in each sub-region appears to move, preferably element by element, from a first end of said respective part of said sequence of display elements to a second end of said respective part of display elements, in time.

In another embodiment, the bracelet comprises a plurality of electronic display units having a predetermined number of display elements. The display elements of the display units together form a display region, each display element being capable of displaying one character of one or more characters, so that the display elements together may present information in the form of said characters in the presentation region. The display units are arranged so that collectively their display elements form a sequence arranged along the length of the bracelet. The display units are preferably arranged in groups of at least three adjacent units, each group forming a sub-region of said display region, so that the display elements can present information simultaneously within each sub-region. Said control means are provided to control the display elements to present characters such that the characters are displayed in each

ES 2 210 347 T3 group of presentation units, first in the first unit of the group of presentation units, secondly in the second unit of the group of presentation units, and thirdly in a third unit of the group of display units, so that the characters appear to move, within the sub-region of said display region, in time.

Other preferred and advantageous features of the present invention will become apparent in view of the description that follows and the accompanying claims.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a bracelet forming a first construction that can be adapted to form an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bracelet of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a bracelet that forms a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4a is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the liquid crystal display of the bracelet of Figure 3, and Figure 4b is a plan view of a corresponding portion of an alternative liquid crystal display for bracelet of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side view of a bracelet that forms a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the bracelet of Figure 5;

Figures 7 to 10 represent plan views of various liquid crystal display elements that can be used in a bracelet in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a bracelet that forms a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 12a, b and c are side views of the bracelet of Figure 11, lying flat, in an intermediate position, before being clamped, and in a final position, clamped for so, respectively;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of a bracelet forming a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a bracelet that forms a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 15 is a perspective view of a bracelet that forms a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 16 is a perspective view of a bracelet that forms an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 17a, b and c are plan views of alternative display element arrangements for use with the bracelet of Figure 16;

Figures 18a, b and c represent plan views of a "dot matrix" liquid crystal display element, having different shapes and figures, and

Figures 19a, b and c are perspective views of a bracelet forming a ninth construction that can be adapted to form an embodiment of the present invention, each view showing the presentation of successive moments in time.

Figures 1 and 2 show a bracelet 1 forming a first construction that can be adapted to form an embodiment of the present invention. The bracelet 1 comprises a strap 3 carrying a plurality of digital electronic display units 5. It will be understood, however, that the display units could be made integral with the strap.

The display units 5 may conveniently be of any usual type used for watches, calculators, or the like. In this way, the bracelet can be manufactured cheaply, using "stock" parts. In the illustrated embodiment, conventional clock units have been used. Such units 5 are individually housed in boxes 7, and each has a compartment for a battery to provide electrical power to the unit, a quartz crystal to keep the time, and a control chip / integrated circuit to control the display unit. . (It will be appreciated that all units 5 could be powered by a single battery, and that a single quartz crystal and / or control chip could be employed for all units. Each unit 5 has a liquid crystal display (LCD) 9, comprising a sequence of four display elements 11 (the sequence being arranged to lie, in a line, along the length of the bracelet), which they are controlled by the control chip.

In this construction, the liquid crystal display 9 of each unit 5 has only four display elements 11, but it will be appreciated that the LCD could include more than four display elements.

The display elements 11 of the display units 5 together form a display region of the bracelet.

Each display element 11 has a usual arrangement of seven liquid crystal segments that can be selectively driven to display any single numerical character, 0 through 9. Accordingly, the units can be used to display numerical information up to four digits, such as such as the time in 24-hour clock notation.

Units 5 are arranged in groups (designated A, B, C, D, E) of three units, each group forming a sub-region of the display region. The 5 units can be individually adjusted, if required, each to carry the correct time. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the bracelet 1 is provided with an integrated circuit 15 that controls all the units, so that each unit can be programmed with the same time simultaneously. It will be appreciated that each group of units 5 could be programmed independently of the other groups, so that different times could be displayed by each group, for example to display the time in different time zones.

Each sub-region of the presentation region presents characters simultaneously with the other sub-regions. Consequently, the characters are displayed at regular intervals throughout the bracelet, and it is therefore possible to view them from a number of different angles.

Each group (A, B, C, D, E) of units comprises three display units a, b, and c. Each of the three display units 5 has a chip / integrated circuit or other control circuit that intermittently connects and disconnects the display 9

LCD ES 2 210 347 T3, and in particular the LCD display 9 is switched on for a period of one second every three seconds of time.

The integrated circuit 15 synchronizes the three units 6 in the groups, so that only one unit 5 of a group (A, B, C, D, E) is presenting at any given time. The units 5 are synchronized, so that the unit a to the left of the three presents information, the time in numerical characters, for example, during a first second, the middle unit, b, presents the time for the next second, and unit c on the right displays the time the next second (that is, the third second). This cycle of displaying the time successively in each unit is then repeated, so that in a quarter second unit a on the left shows the time again, and so on.

It will be appreciated that if the individual display units 5 were independently programmed in time, they could also be independently programmed to turn the LCD displays on and off, to synchronize the time display as set forth above, so that the synchronization integrated circuit 15 would not be necessary.

The result is that, in use, the connection and disconnection of the display units present the appearance of a continuous movement of the information (that is, of the time) within the sub-region, along the time. bracelet length.

It will be appreciated that the direction of the information movement could be reversed, so that it moves from right to left.

It will be appreciated that more than three units can be used in each group, so that the displayed information is more widely spaced from one another. It will also be appreciated that the speed and duration of the LCD switching of each unit can be varied, to modify the appearance and shape of the information movement along the bracelet.

However, the use of three units in each group has the advantage that the time is frequently displayed on the face of whatever unit is being viewed, thus eliminating the need for the user to turn the wrist to see the time. presented.

A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 3. The characteristics corresponding to those described in the first embodiment have been assigned the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, the bracelet 1 has a single display unit 5 incorporating an LCD 9 that extends along substantially the entire length of the bracelet. The display unit 5 is, in this embodiment, integral with the strap 3.

The LCD 9 provides a display region and comprises a large number of adjacent display elements 11, for displaying information in a sequence along the length of the bracelet. As illustrated in Figure 4a, each element is an alphanumeric display element comprising thirteen liquid crystal segments arranged in a lattice so that the segments can be selectively driven to display any number from 0 to 9 and any letter from the A to Z. Alternatively, each element could comprise a sixteen segment alphanumeric display element, as illustrated in Figure 4b, which can also have any number from 0 to 9 and any letter from A to Z. Therefore, you can use bracelet 1 to present information other than just the time. The information could be stored in the form of messages, and such messages could be pre-programmed into memory and read out and displayed by a control chip / integrated circuit 15.

It is contemplated that the bracelet could also, or alternatively, be programmed by the user by downloading information from a personal computer or electronic personal organizer into the memory of the bracelet. Methods for doing so are known in the art, and will not be described here.

The bracelet could also include a receiver to receive data, transmitted in the form of electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, which could be programmed into memory and then displayed by the bracelet. Thus, the bracelet could be used as a receiver in a particular warning system, or to present the latest travel information, or sports results.

The control chip / integrated circuit 15 of the bracelet 1, according to this second embodiment, can be used to drive the display elements 11 of the LCD 9 to present a message, for example, "THE TIME IS 17.52" . The chip / integrated circuit 15 can also control the LCD to move the message, thereby changing the drive of the individual display elements in time. As in the first embodiment, the control of the switching of the display elements 11 can produce the appearance of a moving message. However, in the second embodiment it is preferred to move the message from item to item, so that the movement is more fluid. Furthermore, the message can be moved along virtually the entire length of the LCD, thereby effectively extending the entire length of the bracelet 1, rather than moving within a sub-region of the LCD. .

It will be appreciated that a message that is longer than the length of LCD 9 may be displayed, by virtue of the movement of information through the display, although there will always be a part of the message (at the beginning or end) that is not visible on the LCD.

It will further be appreciated that the bracelet of the second embodiment of the invention will have a quartz crystal for keeping time, and may include the usual alarm functions of a watch. In addition, an alarm function can be used to trigger a message for the user, such as an appointment reminder, etc.

This embodiment can be used for many purposes. For example, a bracelet could be used in hospitals to store the details of the identity of a patient, their medication for the case, etc. The bracelet could also be used by children, to give personal information. Alternatively, the bracelet could simply be used as a jewelery item.

A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In this embodiment, which is similar to the second embodiment, the strap 3 of the bracelet is continuous, by virtue of the fact that a usual arrangement of hook 17 and articulation 19 is used. This allows the liquid crystal display 9 to extend around the full length of the bracelet, so that a moving message appears that will continuously cycle (or cycle) around the

ES 2 210 347 T3 the bracelet.

The other features, and the operation of the third embodiment are the same as those of the second embodiment and therefore the reader is referred to the description of the second embodiment.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 11 and 12. In this embodiment, the bracelet 1 has a flexible fabric "wrap around" strap 5, which carries a display unit 5 incorporating an LCD 9 extending along its length. The LCD 9 forms a display region and has a sequence of adjacent alphanumeric display elements 11 for displaying characters, and is controlled by a control chip (not shown).

Strap 3 has Velcro attachment pads^® of hooks 31 and loops 33 on opposite sides of the respective ends, to enable the strap to be fastened adjustably around the wrist of a user.

Characters can be displayed and moved along the length of the bracelet under the control of a control chip, in the same way as described with respect to the previous embodiments.

Since the strap of the bracelet in this embodiment is a "wrap around" strap, a portion 27 at one end of the strap will overlap a portion 29 at the other end of the strap. As a consequence of the overlap, some of the display elements 11 at the right end of the bracelet may not be visible, their number depending on the size of the wearer's wrist. In Figure 12b there are hidden four display elements (WXYZ).

In order to avoid that part of the message is obscured by the overlapping of the strap, and in order to maintain a continuous movement of the message around the bracelet, the presentation elements that are hidden are not used. Thus, if the control chip moves a displayed message from left to right, when the rightmost letter or number of the message reaches the last display element (V) before the hidden elements, the hidden elements will be skipped. (WXYZ) and will start the message again at the first display element (A). In this way the continuity of movement of the message is maintained.

In order to achieve this, the user must program into the control chip the identity (position) of those presentation elements that are overlapping when the bracelet is worn on the wrist. Alternatively, the wristband could be provided with one or more sensors to detect which display elements are overlapping and automatically program the control chip accordingly.

A fifth embodiment of the present invention which is a variant of the second embodiment is illustrated in Figure 13. In this arrangement, the bracelet 1 is the bracelet of a watch and has a conventional analog watch face 36 and the LCD 9 runs along the length of the bracelet through the face 35 of the watch.

A sixth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 14. This embodiment is similar to that illustrated in Figure 13, except that the LCD 9 does not run through the analog display sphere 35. Consequently, in this embodiment a circulating message will be controlled to appear as if the message "jumps" from one side of the analog watch face to the other.

A seventh embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 15. In this embodiment, the bracelet 1 is a watch having a conventional strap 3. The watch face 36 has an analog display 37 at its center, which is surrounded by an LCD 9 that extends in a closed loop around the perimeter of the watch. sphere 35.

The LCD 9 comprises a sequence of alphanumeric display elements 11 which are arranged in a sequence stretched around the perimeter of the clock face, so that characters can be displayed around the central analog display 37.

Additionally, the characters displayed on the LCD can be controlled by a control chip (not shown) to give the appearance of movement around the perimeter of the watch face, in the same way that a message appears to move along the length. of the bracelet in the previously described embodiments. In this way, you can display a message that has more characters than the number of display items on the watch face.

An eighth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 16 and 17. In this embodiment, a more complex arrangement of the LCD is used, combining the features of the fifth embodiment with the features of the sixth embodiment. Thus, the bracelet 1 has a circular sphere 35 and an LCD 9 comprising (as illustrated in Figure 17a) a first sequence 9a of alphanumeric display elements 11, extending along the length of the bracelet, and a second sequence 9b of alphanumeric display elements that extends in a closed loop around the perimeter of the sphere. At a first interface 51 between the first sequence 9a and the second sequence 9b, there is an overlap of four display elements (4, 5, 28, 29), as illustrated in Figure 17a. Similarly, in a second interface there is an overlap of four other display elements (16, 17, 40, 41).

Consequently, a control chip can "move" the characters, which typically form a message, in a path along the length of the bracelet, then smoothly over the dial 35 using the appropriate display elements (4 and 5). at the interface, around the perimeter of the dial, and then smoothly out of the dial and again along the length of the bracelet, as represented by the directional arrows illustrated in Figures 16 and 17. The direction of movement can be left to right or right to left along the bracelet, and can go clockwise or counterclockwise, around the perimeter of the bracelet. bracelet dial.

It will be appreciated that a portion of the sequence of presentation elements could be used around the perimeter of the watch face to present the message. Thus, for example, the message could be moved along the bracelet from left to right around the upper or lower semicircle of the watch face.

In an alternative arrangement of display elements, the second sequence of display elements has the additional sequence of ele5

2 210 347 T3 display elements 9c illustrated in Figure 17c, which underlines the display elements numbered 5 through 16 in Figure 17b. These elements are used when the message has completed a circle around the perimeter of the sphere. This allows a larger message to be presented, since two parts of a message do not “share” the same presentation elements, as could happen otherwise, which would result in a conflict as to what is presented in those items.

It will be appreciated that the face of the watch need not be circular, but could be rectangular or oval. In addition, the LCD does not need to extend around the full perimeter of the sphere, but could form an open loop, so that the beginning and end of a message are clearly visible.

It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. For example, the bracelet could employ suitable displays other than the described segmented LCD display elements, for example, segmental LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) display elements could be used. Furthermore, the LCD display unit (s) may have display elements other than seven-segment numeric arrangements, or thirteen- or sixteen-segment alphanumeric arrangements. An example is a display element type "dot matrix" having twenty-five liquid crystal cells arranged in a rectangular matrix (see Figure 18a, in which all cells are illustrated). Cells can be selectively excited to present many different shapes and forms, as illustrated in Figures 18b and c, as well as letters from the Greek or rude alphabets, Chinese characters, etc. In the Claims the term "segment" is intended to encompass the "cells" of such a dot matrix display element.

The display elements could also have shapes or figures such as animals, or characters that could move. Examples of these have been illustrated in Figures 7 to 10.

In particular, in Figure 7 display elements with liquid crystal segments arranged to form the shape of a dinosaur are shown. It will be understood that the excitation of the successive elements alternately in the first and second positions will give the impression of movement of the dinosaur. In Figure 7c the crystal segments common to the two positions of the dinosaur in Figure 7a and Figure 7b are illustrated. In Figure 7d the additional segments required to enable the display element to present the dinosaur in both the first and second positions have been shown in dashed lines, and in Figure 7e the crystal segments required for set the dinosaur shape in both positions.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 illustrate how moving figures (in the case of an ant-like creature) can be formed using the usual thirteen-segment alphanumeric crystal arrangement, in conjunction with a network arrangement. LCD display of glass segments.

The additional grid may underline or highlight the thirteen-segment alphanumeric LCD grid. The number and arrangement of the segments in the additional network (represented in Figure 8c) can be varied, and their relative position in the alphanumeric display (represented in Figure 8b) can also be varied, to alter the shape of the creature ( for example „to make her have short legs instead of long legs).

Using the usual alphanumeric grid, a message can be moved across the bracelet and, if the creature is presented by a presentation element immediately after it has been presented by that presentation element, the leftmost number or letter of the message, the creature may appear to be chasing the message by moving across the wristband LCD. Similarly, if the creature were presented immediately before the rightmost letter or number in the message, the message would appear as chasing the creature.

A ninth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 19 having a plurality of display units 5 similar to those in the first embodiment. Each display unit 5 has two overlapping networks of liquid crystal segments. One network comprises four seven segment numerical display elements, as in the first embodiment, and the other network comprises a dinosaur network of two possible configurations, as illustrated in Figure 7e. The display units 5 present the time, the dinosaur in a first configuration and the dinosaur in the other configuration, alternately to give the impression of movement. Thus, in Figures 18a, b and c, the characters displayed on the bracelet at successive moments in time have been illustrated.

It would be possible to incorporate different color lighting units with each display unit 5, so that one color is associated with each type of character displayed. For example, it could be lit light blue when the time is displayed, light red when the dinosaur is displayed in the first setting, and an orange light for the dinosaur in the other setting. This could produce patterns of light that move along the bracelet in time.

Various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments, and all such variants and modifications are intended to be included as long as they fall within the scope of the accompanying Claims.