Communications: electrical – Systems – Timer control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-14
2001-12-04
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Systems
Timer control
C340S309400, C340S309500, C340S573300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06326881
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to alarm clocks and more specifically it relates to an alarm clock system for facilitating a moment of mindfulness, awareness, stress reduction and quiet at random times during the day.
Technology has greatly expanded the overall efficiency of today's employees. Arguably one of the greatest technologies invented to assist employee productivity is the modern computer. However, employees that utilize a computer throughout the day typically fail to take the necessary breaks to ensure they are rested and to relax. Extended exposure to a computer monitor can also contribute to various types of vision problems in the work place thereby actually reducing the employee's overall productivity. There is a need for a device that will assist employees and others in randomly becoming aware of a moment in time and to take a needed break.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Alarm clocks have been in use for years. Typically, a conventional alarm clock allows the user to program the clock to sound an alarm at a specific time. Conventional alarm clocks are not designed to randomly sound an alarm for creating a moment of mindfulness, awareness, stress reduction and quite at random times of the day.
Examples of patented clock devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,231 to Barkouki; U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,982 to Gwynn; U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,429 to Wood et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,005 to Nishimura; U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,752 to Weitzler; U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,783 to Nishimuro et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,258 to Poe et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,046 to Vanderpal; U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,673 to Mathurin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,584 to DeWolf et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,667 to Doulton et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,541 to Inoue et al. which are all illustrative of such prior art.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for facilitating a moment of mindfulness, awareness, stress reduction and quiet at random times during the day. Conventional clock devices simply do not randomly notify an individual when it is time to become conscious of a moment in time.
In these respects, the alarm clock system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of facilitating a moment of mindfulness, awareness, stress reduction and quiet at random times during the day.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of clocks now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new alarm clock system construction wherein the same can be utilized for facilitating a moment of mindfulness, awareness, stress reduction and quiet at random times during the day.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new alarm clock system that has many of the advantages of the alarm clocks mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new alarm clock system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art alarm clocks, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises an encasement, a display positioned within the encasement, a speaker positioned within the encasement, a plurality of control buttons positioned within the encasement, and a control unit positioned within the encasement and electrically connected to the control buttons, display and the speaker. The user may program the control unit using the control buttons as to the frequency of the random alarms, quite times, sound level of alarm, alarm tones and various other settings.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways such as using software utilized upon a computer, cellular phone, pager and watches. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an alarm clock system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide an alarm clock system for facilitating a moment of mindfulness, awareness, stress reduction and quiet at random times during the day.
Another object is to provide an alarm clock system that assists in the overall reduction of stress within an individual.
An additional object is to provide an alarm clock system that can be utilized by any individual.
A further object is to provide an alarm clock system that randomly sounds an alarm.
Another object is to provide an alarm clock system that can be programmed as to the total number of times during an interval that the alarm is activated.
A further object is to provide an alarm clock system that can be programmed to have “quiet times” where the alarm is not sounded such as during lunch hours or non-business hours.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4280209 (1981-07-01), Mooney
patent: 4385841 (1983-05-01), Kramer
patent: 4487512 (1984-12-01), Price
patent: 5051967 (1991-09-01), Dismond, III
patent: 5258656 (1993-11-01), Pawlick
patent: 5724021 (1998-03-01), Perrone
Hofsass Jeffery
Newstel Michael S.
Nguyen Hung
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