US3721084A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Solid state watch incorporating large-scale integrated circuits
Assignee: Hamilton Watch Co
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Filing: 1971-08-03
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Granted: 1973-03-20
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Expires: 1991-08-03
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a solid state wristwatch having no moving parts. A crystal oscillator supplies a timing signal through a binary divider and display actuator to an electro-optical display in the form of a digital array of light-emitting diodes. The vast majority of the electrical components of the watch are incorporated in one or more large-scale integrated circuits.
Inventors
- 👤 B Dargent
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 05:05
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04G; G04G9/00; G04G9/08; G04G9/12; G04G9/126; G04G9/0023; G04G9/0029; G04G9/0047; G04G9/0052
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
93 words
A solid state wristwatch comprising a source of constant frequency electrical signals, a plurality of liquid crystal display devices, said devices including means for displaying the hours, minutes and seconds of time in decimal form, and largescale integrated circuit means electrically coupling said source to said display devices, said integrated circuit means including a divider for dividing down the frequency of the signals from said source, hours, minutes and seconds registers coupled to the output of said divider, and a common decoder coupling both said minutes and seconds registers to said display devices.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
93 words
A solid state wristwatch comprising a source of constant frequency electrical signals, a plurality of liquid crystal display devices, said devices including means for displaying the hours, minutes and seconds of time in decimal form, and largescale integrated circuit means electrically coupling said source to said display devices, said integrated circuit means including a divider for dividing down the frequency of the signals from said source, hours, minutes and seconds registers coupled to the output of said divider, and a common decoder coupling both said minutes and seconds registers to said display devices.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
A wristwatch according to claim 1 wherein said registers are counting registers coupled to said divider and producing binary coded decimal signals according to an 8-4-2-1 code, and means coupling said binary coded decimal signals to said decoder.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A wristwatch according to claim 2 wherein said means coupling said binary coded decimal signals to said decoder comprises a plurality of selection gates.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A wristwatch according to claim 3 including a plurality of input gates coupling said selection gates to said decoder.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A wristwatch according to claim 1 including a manually operated read switch, a flip-flop having its set terminal coupled to said read switch, and a timer coupled to the reset terminal of said flip-flop.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
A wristwatch according to claim 5 wherein said timer is coupled to an intermediate stage of said divider.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
A wristwatch according to claim 6 wherein said timer is a decade counter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
1 1/4 wristwatch according to claim 7 wherein said timer is coupled to an 8 Hz output from said divider whereby said flip-flop is reset after 1 1/4 seconds.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A wristwatch according to claim 1 including seconds and minutes divide by 10 registers, seconds and minutes divide by six registers, and a divide by 12 hours register, said registers coupling said divider to said decoder.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A wristwatch according to claim 9 wherein said decoder comprises a units section, a tens section and an hours section, said units and tens sections being common to said seconds and minutes registers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
A wristwatch according to claim 10 wherein the seconds and minutes liquid crystal display elements are both electrically coupled to said units and tens sections of said decoder.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
A wristwatch according to claim 9 wherein said divider includes an 8 Hz output, and a three-stage resettable counter coupling said 8 Hz output to said seconds divide by 10 register.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
A wristwatch according to claim 12 wherein said divider includes a 2 Hz Output, a manually operable hours-set switch for coupling said 2 Hz output to the input of said hours register, and a manually operated minutes-set switch for coupling said 2 Hz output to the input of said minutes divide by 10 register.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
A wristwatch according to claim 1 including noninverting buffers coupling said decoder to said display devices.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-19 | 1976-09-18 | 1977-03-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-19 | 1980-09-18 | 1981-03-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-19 | 1984-09-18 | 1985-03-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |