Selecting apparatus for a multimode electronic wrist instrument

Claim 1

Improved selecting apparatus for a multimode electronic wrist instrument of the type having a wrist-mounted case, a microcomputer in a said case programmed to provide a plurality of functions including timekeeping and other functions, and an electro optical display having actuatable display indicia, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of selecting indicia arranged on said display in a first line and at least one transversely spaced second line parallel to said first line, each of said selecting indicia adapted to indicate a selectable function of said wrist instrument, a plurality of directional switches in said case connected to said microcomputer, said microcomputer being programmed to sequentially actuate said indicia along said lines to indicate a said selectable function in response to operation of one of said directional switches, a selecting switch connected to said microcomputer, manual actuating means disposed on said case adapted to operate said selecting switch at said central reference position and to operate at least four of said directional switches by movement of an operator's finger from said central reference position toward a selected one of four locations on said case, said four locations being spaced from and surrounding said central reference position, a first pair of said locations being directionally oriented on the case to correspond to the directional orientation of said lines and a second pair of said locations being directionally oriented on the case substantially perpendicular to said lines, said microcomputer having a first memory location for storing a first function corresponding to said selectable function indicated by an actuated indicia on said display, said microcomputer having a second memory location for storing a second function and adapted to operate said wrist instrument in accordance with said second function, and said microcomputer being programmed (1) selectively to cause sequential actuation of said selecting indicia along a said line on the display in the same sense and direction as that corresponding to movement of the operator's finger with respect to said central reference position, and (2) selectively to cause transfer of the actuation of said indicia between said first and second lines on the display in the same sense and direction as that corresponding to movement of the operator's finger with respect to said central reference position, said microcomputer being further programmed (3) to select the selectable function displayed when said selecting switch is operated at said central reference position.