GB2259160A - A horological instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

A horological instrument for child comprises timing means for dividing each 24 hour period into a plurality of time zones which are manually settable by a control 7 and display means. The display means may comprise a plurality of differently coloured lamps (4, 5 and 6) equal in number to the time zones. Each lamp corresponds to a particular time zone and the lamp corresponding to the time zone in which the time of day falls is illuminated. In a second embodiment a pointer moves to indicate a coloured area. <IMAGE>

Description

A HOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENT This invention relates to horological instruments.

It is a common problem that young children wake up in the early morning and because they are incapable of reading a traditional or digital clock are unaware of the time, get up and wake the household.

It is an object of this invention to provide a horological instrument which provides a display which gives an indication of the time of day without using either an alpha or numeric display or requires the knowledge of the traditional indication of time given by the position of hands.

According to this invention, there is provided a horological instrument having a display in the form of a colour indicative of the time of day or in the form of a device which points to a particular colour to indicate a time of day.

An exemplary device according to the invention is capable of measuring real time and displaying time periods as specific colours.

In effect this device comprises a colour clock that does not require the user to be aware of, or recognise, numerical symbols or read a traditional clock face in order to identify current time. The device has the capability of changing the colour of either part of, or the whole display for different time periods and these can be linked, if required, to audible signals. The device can be designed to any shape, cylindrical (as a clock), linear, bowl shaped, or comprising a number of separate areas for each time period, i.e. the traffic light. The device is capable of being programmed to individual requirements regarding the duration of each colour time display.

This device (Trade Mark ColourTime) is designed for the family with young children aged between one and six. The art of clock reading, or telling the time, is mastered by children from six or seven upwards. To reach this stage requires two major learning curves first, recognition of the numerical symbols and second, identifying the symbols on a clock face in order to tell the time.

Prior to this, the information contained on a traditional or digital clock is, to a child, pure gobbledegook. This device overcomes this by displaying time periods as colours, i.e. red = sleeptime, amber = play in room time, green = get dressed for breakfast etc. The parents decide the length of the time periods and the do's and dont's in each period. This device overcomes two of the most frequent time related problems associated with young children.

1. Entering their parent's bedroom and awakening the parents prior to an agreed time which if occurring on a regular basis can be an exhausting occurrence for parents.

2. The first awake child wakening brothers or sisters.

The devices can be shaped to current and future toy fashions, such as Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Ponies, Paddington Bears, boats, planes, trains or traffic lights, and open up a junior market for existing clock and timing chip manufacturers. The devices can be wholly digital, not dissimilar from handheld electronic puzzles such as the Casio range.

Embodiments of this invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is an illustrative side view of a first clock in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of the first clock shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a front view of a second clock in accordance with the invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a clock intended to resemble a traditional road traffic light.

A base box 1 intended to rest on a flat surface supports a post 2 which carries a vertically extending rectangular box 3 carrying red, amber and green lights 4, 5 and 6, the red light 4 being above the amber light 5 and the amber light 5 being above the green light 6 as with road traffic lights. The base box 1 carries timing devices and there is connected to the base box 1 a hand control unit 7 containing push buttons 8, 9 and 10 which, when pressed illuminate the red, amber and green lights 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

In use, the internal base box timing device is set to the appropriate time of day and it is arranged that the red light 4 is arranged to be illuminated when the parent wishes to instruct the child to stay in bed, amber light 5 is illuminated when the parent wishes the child to play in his or her room and the green light 6 is illuminated when the parent does not wish to restrict the child to leave his or her room.

In order to be able to illustrate the lamps to the child to explain the instructions given to the child, pressing the button 8 illuminates the red light 4, pressing the button 9 illuminates the amber light 5 and pressing the button 10 illuminates the green light 6. The internal timing device within the base box 1 is settable by the parent to change the times of day when the various lights are illuminated.

Figure 2 illustrates the circuit which controls the red, amber and green lights 4, 5 and 6 and shows that the red and amber lights 4 and 5 are controlled by a relay 11, whereas the green light 6 is controlled by a relay 12. In turn, relays 11 and 12 are controlled by timing devices 13 and 14, in turn energised by a power supply unit 15.

In use, when the timing device energises the relay 11, the red and amber lights 4 and 5 are supplied with power from the power supply unit 15. A separate timing device (not shown) controls which of the red and amber lights 4 and 5 is energised, as both are not energised simultaneously. Similarly, under the control of the timing device 14, relay 12 controls the energisation of a green light 6 which may be connected to a music box 16 to provide music to the child.

A first prototype as shown in Figures 1 and 2 has been tested with the inventors children and has proved to be very useful.

A further six similar models are to be built and issued to a third party research organisation who will undertake further supervised tests to identify success ratios. There are a number of refinements that can be added to the device to assist a child in mastering the art of telling the time and these aspects will be evaluated during the supervised tests.

In the clock shown in Figure 3, a traditional pair of minute and hour hands 20 and 21 are provided on a clock dial 22. The clock dial 22 is divided into three segments 23, 24 and 25 respectively coloured red, amber and green. The child is instructed that when the small hand 21 points to the red colour it is sleep time, when the small hand 21 points to the amber colour it is play in room time and when the small hand 21 points to the green colour it is get dressed for breakfast, etc. time.

The red, amber and green segments 23, 24 and 25 overlap each other and are wider than they appear so that the length of the three times of day can be changed by the parent as required.

Claims (6)

1. A horological instrument comprising timing means for dividing each 24 hour period into a plurality of time zones which are manually settable, and which includes time display means, the display means either comprising means for displaying a colour indicative of the time zone in which the time of day falls or pointing means which points to a particular colour indicative of the time zone in which the time of day falls.

2. A horological instrument according to claim 1, in which the said plurality is three and the colours indicative of the three time zones are red, amber and green.

3. A horological instrument according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the display means comprises a plurality of differently coloured lamps equal in number to the time zones, each lamp corresponds to a particular time zone means and means for illuminating the lamp corresponding to the time zone in which the time of day falls.

4. A horological instrument according to claim 3, which comprises manually operable means for illuminating a desired lamp.

5. A horological instrument according to claim 1, wherein the display means comprises said pointing means and said pointing means comprises the conventional hands of a horological instrument.

6. A horological instrument substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.