Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Plural time zones
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-16
2001-03-06
Roskoski, Bernard (Department: 2787)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Plural time zones
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198696
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to portable devices having time-of-day clocks and more particularly to techniques for updating time-of-day clocks of portable devices based upon travel of the devices.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
There are a variety of types of portable processing devices that maintain a time-of-day clock to assist a user or to manage certain functions of the device. For example, a laptop computer, palmtop computer, or a personal digital assistant (PDA) is typically enabled to display the time of day. As users become more reliant on a portable processing device, such as a laptop computer, and upon calendaring and messaging capabilities of the device, the precise time becomes more important. This is particularly true of local area network (LAN)-based telephony clients. For example, telephony over LAN (ToL) systems may be configured to forward or inhibit forwarding of telephone calls based upon the time of day. Whether the portable processing device is connected to a hotel LAN port, a phone port or a wireless system, accurate behavior of the functions of the device is increasingly dependent upon tracking the time of day for accurate behavior.
One concern is that portable devices are often used by individuals traveling among cities that are in different time zones. As a person enters a different time zone, the person can use one of the user interfaces of the device (e.g., a keyboard or computer mouse) to adjust the time-of-day clock. In order to facilitate the process, some personal information manager (PIM) programs with electronic calendars and some operating systems identify certain time zones and automatically compute the clock adjustment when a user selects one of the time zones. That is, the user selects a particular time zone in which the user and the device have been relocated, so that the device can automatically and immediately alter the time zone setting and the time/date of the electronic calendar. Even with the automated time zone adjustment, manual intervention by the user is required and is performed only at the time of traveling. If the user enters a scheduled teleconference that takes place in different time zones, the user must calculate the time difference and the appropriate day and time for entry into the electronic calendar. Since this process is sometimes difficult and prone to operator error, many travelers who carry laptops, PDAs, palmtop computers and similar devices often do not enter the time zone changes.
An improved system and method for scheduling and tracking events across multiple time zones is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,257 to Fu et al. A device includes an electronic PIM having a calendar/scheduling system. In operation, the system tracks different types of times, such as local time, home time and remote time. “Home” time is determined by the time zone in which the user typically spends most of his or her time, such as the location of the home office of the user. “Local” time is the time for the locality in which the user is physically present at any particular instance. “Remote” time represents the time zones of particular other individuals. The system may show events and appointments in the user's own local time, regardless of the location in which the user is presently located. Identifying the three different times, the system provides an improved means for managing activities, such as phone conferences across multiple time zones.
Using the Fu et al. system and method, upon arriving in a new time zone, the “local” time of the system is either automatically or manually adjusted. The automatic adjustment may be performed by using broadcasted reference signals, such as the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) time signal, or using Global Positioning System (GPS) signals or the like. The manual approach may be performed by the user specifying the new time zone or by the system detecting that the user has set the system clock to a new time. The calendar/scheduling system then updates scheduled events by looping through each event record or entry and normalizing the time entry to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The normalized time entries are then converted to the new “local” time.
While the Fu et al. system reduces the complexities of time zone adjustments, user intervention is still required, if the device is not enabled to determine the present time zone by using PBS or GPS signals that are wirelessly received. What is needed is a device and method for providing automated time zone tracking of the present location of the device, without requiring reception of location-specific signals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A portable processing device includes a time-of-day clock that is adjusted dynamically in accordance with a travel schedule that is stored in memory. The travel schedule is a stored itinerary that includes departure and arrival information. When it is determined that the itinerary identifies travel that includes at least two time zones, the time-of-day clock is updated to have a correlation with the departure and arrival information. Thus, after identifying occasions on which anticipated travel includes travel among time zones, the clock is automatically changed in response to detecting coincidences with the timing of such occasions.
The dynamic time-of-day adjustments include the step of receiving the itinerary. In one embodiment, the user enters the departure and arrival information by means of a user interface mechanism. For example, if the portable processing device is a laptop computer, the user interface mechanism may be a keyboard. In another embodiment, the itinerary is downloaded from another processing device, such as a desktop computer. Thus, the portable processing device can be “hotsynced” with a stationary processing device having a compatible calendar program. As a third alternative, the travel schedule may be received in an electronic itinerary messaging format, so that if a customer has made airline or hotel reservations electronically, the information can be downloaded directly to a calendar program of the portable processing device, without requiring the user to manually enter the information.
The invention also includes a step of determining the relevant time zones. In one application, there is a database stored within the portable processing device. The database may include geography-based and time zone-based information. For example, a database application that includes a list of cities and the time differentials relative to Greenwich Mean Time may be employed. A more extensive database may be used, if the database is available via a network. When such a database is not locally or remotely accessible, the portable processing device may include a software module which prompts the user to enter the time zone information as travel information is entered.
As another step, the dynamic adjustments of the time-of-day clock are correlated with the departure and arrival information of the itinerary. Preferably, the clock adjustments occur en route of the travel anticipated by the itinerary. For example, the adjustments may be triggered by recognizing that a departure time or an arrival time has been reached. The adjustments may be in one hour increments, but other increments are contemplated. For example, if departure and arrival information indicate that there is an eight hour time difference that will be encountered over a ten hour time period, time zone increment tokens of 1.25 hours (10/8) may be stored in a calendar program. Each token indicates that at that moment, there is a crossing from one time zone to a next time zone. Although this method is not precise, it is sufficiently close for purposes of the dynamic clock adjustment. Similar tokens may be automatically stored for the return trip, although the tokens will be time zone decrements rather than increments.
Another feature of the invention is the display capability. In the preferred embodiment, there are at least two displayed times. A first time is referred to as the reference time. The reference time is the time at a particu
Beyda William Joseph
Korpi Markku
Shaffer Shmuel
Roskoski Bernard
Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc.
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