Electronic timepieces

Claim 1

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: - 1 An electronic timepiece having means for counting and displaying normal time of day and, additionally, means for counting time for a stop watch function, including means, operating when the timepiece is set to perform said stop watch function, for generating sounds at desired intervals, to convey by said sound information of time elapsed during the performance of said stop watch. 2 A timepiece as claimed in claim 1 wherein the timepiece has means for visually displaying normal time of day and time elapsing during the performance of the stop watch function and means for inhibiting, when desired, the production of said sounds. 3 A timepiece as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the sounds generated are pulse sounds. 4 A timepiece as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the information conveying sounds are coded sound signals 45 A timepiece as claimed in claim 4 wherein the coded sound signals are Morse code signals. 6 A timepiece as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein means are pro 50 vided for conveying, by means of the sounds generated, whether the time piece is operating to display normal time of day or is performing the stop watch function. 7 A timepiece as claimed in any of the 55 preceding claims and having first time counting means for counting normal time of day, second time counting means for counting elapsed time, time counting memory means, and switch selecting means 60 controlled by a control circuit arrangement, for selecting the contents of said first or second time counting means or of said time counting memory means. 8 A timepiece as claimed in claim 7 65 wherein said control circuit arrangement is subjected to joint control by manually operable switch means and by the output of a coincidence detector detecting coincidence between the contents of said first 70 time counting means and said time counting memory means. Electronic timepiece substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings 75 J MILLER & CO, Agents fort he Applicants, Chartered Patent Agents, Lincoln House, 296-302 High Holborn, London WC 1 V 71 H. Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by The Tweeddale Press Ltd, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1980. Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC 2 A l AY, from which copies may be obtained.