Abstract:
A device such as a watch, pager or combination pager/watch that can iteratively display status information messages for set predetermined periods of time at a predetermined location on the display. In normal operation, the device is displaying a variety of standard information. Upon the detection of a status condition, the device will alternately display the standard information and status information messages corresponding to the status condition to more effectively alert the user to the existence of the status condition.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to devices for generating and displaying time information and receiving transmitted coded messages, and in particular, to an improved displaying methodology for providing status information messages to a user. 
     Generally, devices for both generating and displaying time information and receiving transmitted coded messages (hereinafter “pager/watches”) that display status information messages in response to a status condition are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,217 describes a radio pager with a visible indicator for displaying the number of received pages. Similarly, the design patent art is replete with pager constructions that display icons representing various status conditions. 
     It can therefore be seen that the prior art has recognized the need to alert a user to various status conditions taking place within a pager or a combination pager/watch. For example, representative icons may be displayed when a message buffer is full, etc. However, the known display methodology is deficient in that it insufficiently alerts a user to the particular status condition. Exemplary is the pager that merely constantly displays a battery icon to indicate a low battery level or an icon indicating receipt of a new message. Such constant and continuous displays without interruption may go unnoticed by the user. Likewise, other pager/watch displays may sacrifice one important display message for another. For example, if there is only one designated area on the display for status information, priority of displaying the messages becomes a major problem. 
     Accordingly, a device, which may be a pager, a watch, or a combination pager/watch that more expeditiously and effectively alerts a user to a status condition is desired. Similarly, it is also desirable to alert the user to the status condition in a manner that minimally intrudes on the user&#39;s ability to instantaneously obtain other information from the display. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide such a device that overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies. The invention disclosed herein achieves the aforementioned and below mentioned objectives. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally speaking, and in accordance with the invention, a device, such as a pager, a watch or a combination pager/watch that can iteratively display status information messages for predetermined periods of time at a predetermined location on the display is provided. The device preferably generates and displays first information such as the day of the week and then cycles through a series of status conditions to determine if any status conditions are satisfied. The device would generate status information messages corresponding thereto. The device displays the first information at a predetermined location on the display, and then alternately displays the status information messages at the predetermined location on the display for selected predetermined periods of time and thereafter, redisplays the first information at the predetermined location on the display. The display is arranged such that when the first information is being displayed on the display, the status information messages are not being displayed on the display, and when the status information messages are being displayed on the display, the first information is not being displayed on the display. The multiple status information messages are alternately displayed on the display, all at the predetermined location on the display and preferably one at a time. 
     Also in accordance with the present invention, a method of displaying information on a display of the device is provided. In the preferred embodiment, the method comprises generating and displaying first information at a predetermined location on the display, determining whether a first status condition is satisfied such that it is necessary to display on the display a first status information message corresponding thereto, displaying at the predetermined location of the display for a predetermined period of time the first status information message, and redisplaying the first information at the predetermined location on the display. Again, additional status information messages are alternately displayable at the predetermined location of the display. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that receives transmitted coded signals and/or generates and displays time information and that includes an improved display methodology. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device that more effectively alerts a user to a plurality of status conditions. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a watch, a pager and/or pager/watch that more expeditiously alerts a user to various status conditions. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to expeditiously and effectively alert a user to status conditions without sacrificing access to other desirable displayed information. 
     Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious from the specification. 
     The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, arrangement of parts and sequence of steps which will be exemplified in the construction and methodology hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a simplified functional block diagram of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the device of FIG. 1 illustrating the details of the functional blocks shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the device in accordance with the present invention; and 
     FIGS. 4A-4E illustrate exemplary displays of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference is first directed to FIG. 1, which represents a simplified functional block diagram for a device  10 , preferably a pager/watch, constructed in accordance with the present invention. As should be understood, the present invention is applicable to a watch or other timepiece, a pager and/or a combination pager/watch. Hereinafter, for convenience, reference is made to a pager/watch although the claims will not be limited as such. 
     An electronic watch circuit  20 , which is coupled to controller  16 , provides time information such as time and day and date, normally displayed on a display  22 . An antenna  12  is coupled to a paging receiver  14 , which itself is coupled to controller  16 . Paging receiver  14  receives transmitted coded message signals and displays the received message information on display  22 . It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the time information being generated by watch circuit  20  may include other functions such as elapsed time, interval times, and an alarm. Control of watch circuit  20  and paging receiver  14  is provided by user control inputs  18 , which are coupled to controller  16 , and which may be device switches or buttons as would be well understood in the art. 
     In normal operation, the pager/watch arrangement of FIG. 1 may function like a watch with the present time displayed on display  22 . The device switches provide control of the watch functions through controller  16 . However, when transmitted coded message signals, or pages, are received and decoded by paging receiver  14  in a manner well known to one skilled in the art, a control signal is generated by paging receiver  14  causing the pager/watch arrangement to function as a display pager. This may be effected by changing both the information displayed and the normal functions of the device switches. Thus, after the page has been received, the display may indicate a message was received as discussed below. Paging receiver  14  will include memory for storage of the message information. Readout of the message information stored in the memory is then controllable by the same device switches normally used to control the watch functions. 
     Reference is next directed to FIG. 2 which shows a more detailed block diagram of the present invention. Controller  16  is shown to consist of a controller  34  used for steering control inputs  18  to either time keeping circuit  20  or paging receiver  14 . Implementations for watch circuit  20  and paging receiver  14  are separately well known to those skilled in the art, and will therefore be omitted for brevity. Outputs from watch circuit  20  and paging receiver  14  provide time and message information, respectively, to display selector  38 . Display selector  38  is coupled to controller  34  and selects time or message information for display depending upon which section of the watch/pager device is being controlled by controller  34 . The information selected by display selector  38  is provided to a display interface  40  circuit which drives display  22 . 
     Paging receiver  14  consists of antenna  12  coupled to a receiver circuit  24 . Receiving circuit  24  receives the transmitted coded message signals which normally consists of transmitted selective call signaling information and transmitted message information in a manner well known in the art. The transmitted coded message signals are demodulated in receiving circuit  24 , again in a manner well known to one skilled in the art, and provided at the output thereof as a stream of binary information representing demodulated coded message signals consisting of selective call signaling information and message information. The output of receiving circuit  24  is coupled to a decoder  28 . Decoder  28  has a second input from a code memory  26  which stores predetermined address information consisting of one or more addresses to which paging receiver  14  will respond, as would be understood by one skilled in the art. Memory  30  for storing message information, is capable of storing multiple messages received at different times and is coupled to receiving circuit  24 , decoder  28 , controller  34  and display selector  38  as would be understood in the art. Decoder  28  may also transmit a control signal to controller  34  to effect control of paging receiver  14  by the device switches. 
     A timing generator circuit  36  is coupled to both controller  34  and selector  38 . Timing generator  36  controls the time duration during which received message information or status information is displayed on display  22 . For example, when controller  34  selects paging receiver  14 , a predetermined display time interval is generated. Upon completion of the time interval, timing generator  36  generates an output to cause controller  34  to again select the watch functions. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, timing generator  36  also controls the duration for which the various status information messages are displayed on display  22 , while controller  34  controls the checking of the status conditions and generation of the status information messages as will be better understood below. 
     Other control functions are known in the art and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,902, by way of example. Methods for storing and displaying the received unread messages is also well understood in the art and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,295, by way of example. 
     A battery source  50  is also provided and may be in the form of a button type energy cell in the watch/pager case. A battery level detector  52  detects the battery level of battery source  50  and provides the battery level status to controller  34 . 
     Reference is now made to FIGS. 3 and 4 which should be taken in connection with the following description for a further understanding of the present invention. 
     In the exemplary and preferred embodiment, pager/watch is generally displaying the time-of-day mode similar to that illustrated in FIG.  4 A. In the time-of-day mode of FIG. 4A, pager/watch  10  may display the date  62 , the time  64 , and the day of week  66  along with an exemplary time zone  68  notation NYC (New York City) indicating Eastern Standard Time. These steps are indicated as steps  100 ,  105  and  110  in FIG.  3 . 
     As will now be fully appreciated, the following methodology permits for the continuous sequencing through of a plurality of status conditions and the continuous sequencing of corresponding status information messages. If any of the status conditions are met, such as the battery level is low, there is pager message overflow, or there are unread pages stored, the corresponding status information messages are iteratively and temporarily displayed on the display until the user takes the corresponding appropriate action, such as changing the battery or reading unread messages. 
     Generally speaking, the flowchart and subroutine in FIG. 3 illustrates that various status conditions are checked to determine whether or not such respective status information messages should be displayed. Advantageously, the sequencing of the displayed status information messages more readily attracts the attention of the user by virtue of the changing nature of the display. 
     For example, after a predetermined amount of time, in the preferred embodiment the period of time being two (2) seconds (step  115 ), the battery level is checked (step  120 ). If the battery level is low, a “LO BATTERY” message  72  is displayed (step  125 ) where the day  66  and time zone  68  was previously displayed (FIG.  4 B). The passage of the two second delay can be seen in time  70 . After another delay of two seconds (step  130 ) the controller checks whether there is, for example, a pager message overflow (step  135 ). In the exemplary display of FIG. 4C, it is illustrated that there is a message overflow and therefore there is a display of the phrase “OVERFLOW”  76  which is indicated in step  140  of FIG.  3 . Again time  74  has incremented two seconds. The “OVERFLOW” display  76  is displayed for the preferred two seconds (step  155 ) until which there is a determination as to whether there are any unread pages currently stored (step  160 ). If there are unread pages stored, a phrase “NEW PAGES”  84  is displayed (step  165 ) as illustrated in FIG. 4E, this display being viewable for essentially two seconds (step  170  and note time  82 ) until which the display returns to that as illustrated in FIG. 4A (step  110 ) wherein the day of the week  66  and/or time zone  68  is displayed. 
     In the routine just described, FIG. 4D was intentionally omitted as it illustrates the exemplary display when there is no pager message overflow but rather when the pager message storage is full (step  145 ). If the pager message storage is full, pager/watch  10  will display a phrase “PAGER FULL”  80  as indicated in step  150  of FIG.  3 . “PAGER FULL” will be displayed for two seconds (step  155 ) at which point the routine continues as described above to step  160 . 
     It can therefore be seen that the present invention provides a new and advantageous method of providing information to a user in an expeditious and effective manner, while maintaining the user&#39;s ability to concurrently receive other information such as the time of day and date. 
     It should also be understood that such status information messages are by way of example and should not be interpreted in a limiting sense, and that other contemplated status information to which the skilled artisan may want to alert the user can be displayed. It should also be understood that the two second display of each status information message is by way of example and not by limitation since other delays, such as 1 second or 3 seconds are one of design choice, the only essential feature being that there is an alternating pattern to the display so as to facilitate a user&#39;s awareness to the status information messages. Additionally, it is contemplated that the length of the delays may be variable depending on the status information message being displayed. It will also be understood that the two second delay may not be exact but is essentially two seconds. Lastly, it is up to the skilled artisan as to where on the display the alternating status information is displayed. Lastly, the number of messages displayable is one of design choice left to the skill of the artisan. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions or methodology without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.