Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Displays or display device details – Dial or hand
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-05
2003-07-15
Martin, David (Department: 2841)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Displays or display device details
Dial or hand
C368S010000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06594202
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to a timepiece, and more particularly to a timepiece with time-display and skin stimulation control circuit means, which outputs long and short pulse signals to the user's skin to report the time under a muted mode and also massage a sore part of the body to provide relief from sore or pain.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regular electronic wrist watches commonly use a voice circuit to report the time or to give an alarm signal. Another prior art timepiece use a single vibration signal to report time. However, conventional electronic wrist watch with voice or single vibration circuit means to report time is not useful to a person who cannot see and hear.
Nowadays driving car is an essential transportation means of our daily life but after driving a car for sometime, the back and the neck of the driver will get fatigue. Further, due to the rapid advancement in computer and information technologies, the use internet to retrieve and transmit information by using computers. The information technology network provides great service and convenience to the users and it has become an essential resource for individuals at home and as well as for companies. Consequently information network service providers operators and well as the users work sitting in front of their computer for a long time everyday. Therefore the back and the neck muscles of the operators get fatigue, and the operators feel tired and have to exercise or massage to relax the muscles and the joints of the body to get relief from the pain and uncomfortable feeling. It is proven that a massage at the sore area or the loci of the pain causing area will give great relief. Accordingly a timepiece having a capability of reporting the time in the dark through skin stimulation means and also for massaging the sore area or loci of the pain causing area for providing muscle fatigue relief would be highly desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in the view of the foregoing, the present inventor makes a detailed study of related art to evaluate and consider, and uses years of accumulated experience in this field, and through several experiments, to create a new timepiece of the present invention. The present invention provides an innovated timepiece having a capability of reporting the time in the dark as well as skin stimulation means for massaging the sore area or loci of the pain causing area providing relief from muscle fatigue.
In order achieve the above objects and other objects of the present invention, a timepiece with time-display and skin-stimulation control circuit means is provided. The timepiece in accordance with the present invention for fastening to the user's wrist comprises a casing, a glass face disposed on the casing, a set of buttons provided on one end of the casing, two first contact elements bilaterally disposed at a top of the casing and detachably mounted on top of the casing, a circuit board of a 7-segment display and a comprises LCD disposed inside the casing. The circuit board is electrical connected to the metal contact element. The positions of the LCD and 7-segment display are disposed right under glass face. Two protruded bottom spring rods are extended from a bottom surface of the circuit board and the protruded bottom spring rods are disposed between first contact elements and second contact elements electrically connecting the first contact elements with the second contact elements. A battery is disposed under the circuit board. A back cover comprising two openings covers a bottom side of the casing, wherein each second contact elements are partially inserted from the top into each of the opening. An insulation plate comprising two bilateral protruded contact elements is disposed at a bottom of the back cover, wherein each of the projected contact elements comprises a projected fitting element and wherein each projected fitting element comprises a fixing aperture. The insulation plate is mounted onto a bottom of the back cover by engaging the fitting elements of the insulation plate into the openings of the back cover and electrically connected with the second metal contact elements. When a user wears the wristwatch, the two protruded bilateral contact elements will come in contact with a skin of the user's wrist. Thus this arrangement would allow transmission of electrical pulses to stimulate the skin of the user.
According to one aspect of the present invention the back bottom surface of the insulation plate can be made of soft insulation material and the two protruded bilateral contact elements can be made of soft conductive rubber material for the comfort of the user.
According to another aspect of the present invention the bottom provided on one side of the casing is for time setting and adjustment controls.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the circuit board further comprises a control circuit assembly for time displaying and skin-stimulation. The control circuit assembly comprises an input circuit, an IC chip, a display control circuit, a skin-stimulation control circuit, an output circuit and a low electric potential detection circuit. The IC chip is connected to input circuit, the display control circuit, the skin-stimulation control circuit, the output circuit and the low electric potential detection circuit through contact elements. The input circuit receives the battery power supply from the battery. The display control circuit and the skin-stimulation control circuit are respectively connected to the IC chip. The IC chip is for timing and displaying the time on the LCD and the 7-segement display. The display control circuit to transmit the pulse signal to report the time to the user. The IC chip is designed for receiving a contact signal, a preset time signal or a signal from triggering the button.
According to another aspect of the present invention, when the IC chip receives a contact signal, a preset time signal or a signal from triggering the button, the IC chip will drive the skin-stimulation control circuit to generate an ON/OFF pulse signal in response to the contact signal, the preset time reaching signal or the signal from triggering the button, to the output circuit, causing the output circuit in conjunction with the first metal contact elements, the protruded bilateral contact elements and the body of the user, to form an intermittently electrical conductive loop on the user's skin.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the pulse signal from the IC chip includes a long pulse signal, for example hour pulse, and a short pulse signal, for example a minute pulse signal.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the first metal contact elements and the protruded contact elements are in close contact with the skin of the user's body, and the IC chip drives the skin-stimulation control circuit to provide a pulse signal through the skin of the user's body via the first metal contact elements and the protruded bilateral contact elements in response to the contact signal, the preset time reaching signal or the signal from triggering the button.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the wristwatch of the present invention can also be used for massaging sore parts of body by contacting the first metal contact elements or the protruded bilateral contact elements against the sore part of user's body and trigger the button to generate the pulse signals for stimulating the skin on the sore part of the user's body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the low electric potential detection circuit is for detecting the power level of battery, for example, when the power of the battery is insufficient, the low electric potential detection circuit will output a signal to the IC chip and the IC chip will output a power insufficient signal to the LCD through the display control circuit for reporting the user.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the timepiece of t
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Lindinger Michael L.
Martin David
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