DE29703840U1 - Time zone clock - Google Patents

Description

Michael Kubier \/ i * ^: .. ^: \. ^:# "* i 04.03.1997

Eschenriedstr. 49
71067 Sindelfingen

The time zone clock

The invention described below includes a time zone clock for travelers who travel from the normal time zone, such as Central European Time (CET), to such an extent that they must adjust their clock to the new local time of their destination.

State of the art:

The following statements refer primarily to the state of the art of wristwatches.

There are clocks that can be set to a different time in the usual way using the winding or setting crown. In this case, the normal mechanical or quartz-controlled clockwork is stopped and must be corrected to the exact time after the change.

There are also clocks that can run two times, i.e. two time zones, in parallel, whereby the two times can be displayed alternately or simultaneously. These involve two clockworks (mechanical or quartz-controlled) that must be manually set to the same minute and second display. Automatic minute and second synchronization when one of the movements is adjusted has not yet been reported. Adjusting one or both movements to a new time zone is done using the winding or setting crown, whereby the movement in question is stopped and then has to be set back to the exact time of day or manually synchronized with the other movement.

wzzdgbmOi.sclw 04.03.97 Page

There are also so-called radio clocks that can receive different time zones (e.g. the German DCF 77 transmitter) and then automatically set themselves to the appropriate time zone such as Central Europe, North America, Japan, etc. The appropriate time transmitter must be set manually.

There are also watches that display "world times" using a rotating ring, a so-called bezel. The time of day in other world capitals can only be set to the current time here by turning the bezel. There is no real change.

The clocks described are available partly with analogue displays with a dial and hands, partly with digital displays with LCD displays and partly in a combination of both, with one time being displayed analogue and the other digitally.

None of these watches solve the problem of simply changing the time: the time has to be set forwards or backwards using the usually small and difficult to grip setting crown, and due to the large gear ratio, this can only be done imprecisely. Because the clockwork is stopped, the time and, if necessary, the date must then be set again precisely and, if necessary, synchronized with the second time.

Description:

The invention is based on the fact that the minute and second indications are the same worldwide and the time zones only differ by plus or minus 60 minutes = 1 full hour. It concerns a clock, preferably a wristwatch, which is characterized in that:

• the display can be switched to another time zone using so-called pushers,

• the clock is set forward when travelling east or west using separate buttons that are marked accordingly,

• the pusher for the time change to the east, which advances the time display, is located to the right of the 12 o'clock mark to symbolize the advance in accordance with the normal direction of the clock when the analog display is used,

• accordingly, the pusher for the time change is in the west direction, with which the

wzzdgbmOLsdw 04.03.97 Page

I* ·

time display is reset, placed to the left of the .1^-Uhr-M*af<k*ertmg, to symbolize here too the adjustment against the normal running direction,

&bull; the time is adjusted by exactly 60 minutes = 1 hour without stopping the movement, so the minute and second indications remain unchanged and continue to run during the adjustment process,

&bull; each press of the relevant button sets the clock forward or back by one hour, so to set the time by 8 hours the relevant button must be pressed 8 times,

&bull; when the 24:00 or 0:00 mark is exceeded or undershot, the date and the day of the week are automatically adjusted to the changed time,

&bull; in a separate 2nd display optionally

either the date with seconds display and the day of the week, or the home time and the time zone offset east or west with the number of time zone differences between home time and destination time are displayed, whereby these details can be alternately switched with another button,

&bull; the home time is unchangeable and can only be corrected and reset if the clockwork stops.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the invention:

The case (1) shows a dial (2) with an analogue time display with hands (3) in the familiar form. The hour indicator is advanced by one hour at a time using the pusher (4), and set back by one hour at a time using the pusher (5). If the display (7) is switched to the home time - E/W shift - time zone difference display using the pusher (11), the home time display (8) remains unchanged, while an "O" for east shift or a "W" for west shift is displayed in the E/W field (9) using the pusher (4) or the number of time zone differences between the analogue display (3) and the home display (8) is displayed in ZZ (10). If the display (7) is switched using the pusher (11), the date of the day is now displayed in field (8), the seconds display in field (9) and the usual initials of the days of the week are displayed in field (10).

After the watch has stopped, the home time, date, seconds and day of the week can be reset using the winding and setting crown (6). The indicated strap {12} is made of metal links or leather in the usual style.

wzzdgbmOi.sdw 04.03.97 Page 3

Example:

If a traveler flies from Stuttgart to New York at 5 p.m. local time, there is a difference of -6 time zones, i.e. 6 hours later, and in New York it is 11 a.m. After departure, the traveler presses the button (5) 6 times, thereby setting the analog display (3) back to 11 a.m. At the same time, the display "W" for westbound travel appears in the E/W field (9) and the number "-6" for a 6-hour time difference appears in the ZZ field (10). According to the already adjusted analog display (3), he arrives there at 8 p.m. - the correct local time in New York - after a 9-hour flight. If he sets the display for his home time using the button (11), he sees "2 a.m."

With this invention, frequent and long-distance travelers avoid the cumbersome procedure of changing the clock, the laborious synchronization of the minutes and seconds and, if necessary, the date, and the correction to the exact time of day. Since the home time display is retained, effective communication with home during normal business hours is made easier without complicated time calculations.

The time zone clock is particularly useful for people who travel a lot or long distances and who have to take medication at different times of day, especially for diabetics. The display of the time zone difference makes it easier to adjust the necessary insulin dose according to the doctor's instructions.

Furthermore, the embodiments of the invention have all the features of modern watch technology, such as water resistance, scratch-resistant watch glass, possibly long-lasting batteries, possibly solar energy supply drive, dials with luminous dots and luminous hands, illuminated LCD display, and above all accuracy in combination with mechanical and electrical robustness.

The invention can be implemented with all known clockwork drives. Mechanical movements with manual and automatic winding can be used, as can battery- or solar-powered quartz movements or those with so-called kinetic power supply and also step-by-step mechanisms. A combination with the known radio clock technology (e.g. in the Federal Republic of Germany the DGF 77 transmitter) is also possible.

wzzdgbmOi.sdw 04,03.97 Page 4

Claims (12)

Protection claims 1. Time zone clock, consisting of a case with movement (1), a standard watch dial (2) and minute and hour hands (3), characterized in that on the outside of the housing the pushers (4) and (5) are mounted for hourly forward and backward adjustment of the analog time display (3) combined with the display of the changes made in the viewing fields {9,10), and characterized in that the dial (2) has a display (7) for further time and date information (8, 9, 10), which can be switched to other values using the pusher (11) located on the outside of the case {1). 2. Time zone clock according to claim 1, characterized in that the analogue display of one time zone is replaced by a digital display with an LCD display, 3. Time zone clock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the pushers (4) and (5) set the time forward or back by one hour each, 4. Time zone clock according to claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the pusher (4) is marked with a »0« for east direction and the pusher (5) is marked with a »W« for west direction, 5. Time zone clock according to claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the corresponding foreign language initials for East and West are used for »O« and »W«, 6. Time zone clock according to claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the pusher (4) is located to the right of the 12 o'clock mark, the pusher (5) is located to the left of the 12 o'clock mark, wzzdgbmOLsdw 04.03.97 Page ti» 7. Time zone clock according to claims 1 -6,*.·* &idigr; ·..**·· ·· · characterized in that with the pusher (11) the display (7) can be switched from date of day, second - day of the week to home time - E/W indicator - time zone difference, 8. Time zone clock according to claims 1 - 7, characterized in that other data can optionally be displayed in the display (7), 9. Time zone clock according to claims 1 - 8, characterized in that, depending on the movement technology used, the winding and setting crown (6) can unfold. 10.Time zone clock according to claims 1 - 9, characterized in that the pushers (4), (5) and (11) are flush with the edge of the case, .Time zone clock according to claims 1-10, characterized in that the display (7) is an LCD display. 12.Time zone clock according to claims 1-11, characterized in that the display (7) shows time and date information in the form of other countries. wzzdgbmOi.sdw 04.03.97 Page