Abstract:
A wristwatch includes a case and a corresponding crystal, and an integrated circuit sized to be received with the case. The wristwatch has a first, second, third, and fourth capacitive touch sensor adapted to be located beneath the crystal and within the case when the wristwatch is assembled. The capacitive touch sensors are in electrical communication with the integrated circuit to control operation of the wristwatch. The capacitive touch sensors are located adjacent to the periphery of the crystal and are spaced apart.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    Various embodiments relate to wristwatches. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    Wristwatches, including digital wristwatches, have various modes of operation to provide different functions to a user. The modes and functions are controlled by the user through inputs which interface with the integrated circuit or microchip of the watch to change the appearance of the watch screen or dial. The inputs allow for a user to go to various functions of the watch and operate these functions. For example, a digital watch may provide functions such as a time and date, a stopwatch, a timer, an alarm, and other functions as are known in the art. These inputs may include tactile buttons on the side or the top of the watch body. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    There are two designs shown for the wristwatch, a generally round and a generally square design. 
         [0006]    Within each design, a four input system or a five input system may be used. 
         [0007]    In one embodiment, a wristwatch has a case and a corresponding crystal, and an integrated circuit sized to be received with the case. The wristwatch has a first, second, third, and fourth capacitive touch sensor adapted to be located beneath the crystal and within the case when the wristwatch is assembled. The capacitive touch sensors are in electrical communication with the integrated circuit to control operation of the wristwatch. The capacitive touch sensors are located adjacent to the periphery of the crystal and are spaced apart. 
         [0008]    In a further embodiment, the four capacitive touch sensors are generally equally spaced apart along the periphery of the watch. The spacing may allow for better contact of the capacitive touch sensor by the user, and reduction of the likelihood of activating adjacent sensors inadvertently. 
         [0009]    In an even further embodiment, the watch crystal is generally circular. 
         [0010]    In a further embodiment, the watch crystal is generally square or rectangular, and may include convex sides. 
         [0011]    In an even further embodiment, the wristwatch includes a tactile button positioned on the side of the case. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, a wristwatch has a case and a corresponding crystal, and an integrated circuit sized to be received with the case. The wristwatch has a first and a second capacitive touch sensor located beneath the crystal and in electrical communication with the integrated circuit to control operation of the wristwatch. The capacitive touch sensors provide four inputs to the integrated circuit to control operation of the watch. The first input is through a user activating the first sensor. The second input is through the user activating the second sensor. The third input is through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the first sensor prior to the second sensor within a time limit. The fourth input is through the user sweeping along the crystal and activating the second sensor prior to the first sensor within a predetermined time limit. 
         [0013]    In an embodiment, a wristwatch has a case and a corresponding crystal, and an integrated circuit sized to be received with the case. The integrated circuit has a switch which provides for use with either a four button watch or a five button watch. The watch may be configured as a four button watch having four capacitive touch sensors located beneath the crystal and adjacent to the periphery of the crystal, with the touch sensors in electrical communication with the integrated circuit. The watch may be configured as a five button watch having four capacitive touch sensors located beneath the crystal and adjacent to the periphery of the crystal, with the touch sensors in electrical communication with the integrated circuit, and with a tactile button located adjacent to the case and in communication with the integrated circuit. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a wristwatch according to an embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is another side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a top view of a wristwatch according to another embodiment; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is another side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a rear view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a schematic of a display area of a wristwatch according to an embodiment; 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a top plan view of a top portion of a case module for a wristwatch according to another embodiment; 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a side plan view of the top portion of the module of  FIG. 12 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 14  is a bottom plan view of a bottom portion of a case module for use with the top module of  FIG. 12 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 15  is a side plan view of the bottom portion of the module of  FIG. 14 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 16  is a partial sectional schematic view of the assembly of a wristwatch according to an embodiment; 
           [0030]      FIG. 17  is an electrical schematic for a wristwatch according to another embodiment; 
           [0031]      FIG. 18  is a schematic view of a four input wristwatch for the wristwatch of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 19  is a schematic of the mode architecture for a wristwatch according to an embodiment; 
           [0033]      FIG. 20  is a schematic of the operation within one mode of the mode architecture of  FIG. 19 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 21  is a chart of the input operation of a four input wristwatch; 
           [0035]      FIG. 22  is a chart of the input operation of a five input wristwatch; 
           [0036]      FIG. 23  is a top view of a wristwatch according to another embodiment; 
           [0037]      FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 23 ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 25  is a side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 23 ; 
           [0039]      FIG. 26  is another side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 23 ; 
           [0040]      FIG. 27  is a rear view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 23 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 28  is a top view of a wristwatch according to yet another embodiment; 
           [0042]      FIG. 29  is a perspective view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 28 ; 
           [0043]      FIG. 30  is a side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 28 ; 
           [0044]      FIG. 31  is another side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 28 ; 
           [0045]      FIG. 32  is a rear view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 28 ; 
           [0046]      FIG. 33  is a top view of a wristwatch according to another embodiment; 
           [0047]      FIG. 34  is a perspective view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 33 ; 
           [0048]      FIG. 35  is a side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 33 ; 
           [0049]      FIG. 36  is another side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 33 ; 
           [0050]      FIG. 37  is a rear view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 33 ; 
           [0051]      FIG. 38  is a top view of a wristwatch according to yet another embodiment; 
           [0052]      FIG. 39  is a perspective view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 38 ; 
           [0053]      FIG. 40  is a side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 38 ; 
           [0054]      FIG. 41  is another side view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 38 ; and 
           [0055]      FIG. 42  is a rear view of the wristwatch of  FIG. 38 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0056]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
         [0057]      FIGS. 1-5  illustrate an embodiment of a wristwatch  100  having a touchscreen. The wristwatch  100  has a case  102  connected to a band  104  by a spring bar  106 . Alternatively, the band  104  may be integrally formed with the case  102 , or connected using other mechanisms as are known in the art. The band  104  has a clasp  108  connected to one end of the band  104  to allow the watch  100  to be worn around the wrist of a user. Various clasps  108  as are known in the art are contemplated. 
         [0058]    The case  102  contains a digital dial  110  which provides information from the watch  100  to a user regarding the time, date, and information from other watch  100  functions. The digital dial  110  also contains touch buttons  112  which act as inputs to the watch  100 . A crystal  114  may cover the dial  110  and protect the dial from damage or the environment. A bezel  116  surrounds the dial  110  and cooperates with the crystal  114 , the case back  118 , and other portions of the case  102  to encase the watch  100 . The case  102  and dial  110  are shown as being generally circular, although other shapes are contemplated. 
         [0059]    The case  102  may include plastic materials, as well as metal. The crystal  114  may be made from a plastic material or from quartz. 
         [0060]    In an embodiment, a series of touch buttons  112  are on the dial  110  of the watch  100  and are positioned between a display area  120  on the watch  110  and the bezel  114 . Four touch buttons  112  are illustrated, providing four inputs to the watch  100  from the user. The touch buttons  112  are spaced apart such that a user may easily touch and activate a button  112 , and to minimize a use accidentally engaging an incorrect button  112 . The touch buttons  112  are integrated into the watch  100  such that the user is touching or tapping the smooth crystal  114  surface to activate a button  112 . In other embodiments, any number of touch buttons  112  for the watch  100  is contemplated. 
         [0061]    In another embodiment, the watch  100  includes an additional tactile button  122  located on the side of the case  102  to provide an additional input to the watch  100  from the user. The watch  100  therefore has five inputs, the four touch buttons  112  and the tactile button  122 . 
         [0062]    The user may input information or selections to the watch  100  by touching the crystal  114  in the area over a touch button  112  to activate one button  112  as an input, by touching a first button  112  and sliding the finger of the user to a second button  112  to provide another input, or by pressing the tactile button  122  if the watch  100  is provided with one. 
         [0063]      FIGS. 6-10  illustrate another embodiment of a wristwatch  150  having a touch screen. Functionally, the watch  150  operates in the same manner as watch  100  described previously and further below. The wristwatch  150  has a case  152  connected to a band  154 . The band  154  has a clasp  158  connected to one end of the band  104 . The case  152  contains a digital dial  160  to provide information to a user regarding the time, date, and other information for other watch  150  functions. The digital dial  160  also contains touch buttons  162  which act as inputs to the watch  150 . A crystal  164  may cover the dial  160  and protect the dial  160  from damage or the environment. A bezel  166  surrounds the dial  160  and cooperates with the crystal  164 , the case back  168 , and other portions of the case  152  to encase the watch  150 . The case  152  and dial  160  are shown as being generally rectangular, with convex sides. 
         [0064]    In one embodiment, the four touch buttons  162  provide inputs from the user to the watch  150 . In another embodiment, the four touch buttons  162  and an additional tactile button  172  located on the side of the case  152  provide inputs to the watch  150  from the user. 
         [0065]    Referring back to  FIGS. 1-2 , the watch  100  has a digital dial  110  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The digital dial  110  provides a digital display for information for the watch  100  user. The dial  110  includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) capable of producing segmented characters and indicia. The dial  110  has multiple display regions, including a first display area  202 , second display area  204  and third display area  206 . Based on the function selected by the user, the various display areas  202 ,  204 ,  206  can relay information regarding time, day of the week, date, a local time zone time and local location or city, a second time for a second time zone and second location or city, a daylight savings time with a daylight savings indicator  208 , a timer incrementing in either an increasing or decreasing amounts with a chronometer indicator  210 , an alarm mode with an alert chime or light with an alarm indicator  212 , a chime function with a chime indicator  214 , a back light for illumination of the dial  110 , and a touch indicator  216  when the touch buttons  112  are functional or operational on the watch  100 . 
         [0066]    The watch case  102  is illustrated in  FIGS. 12-14 .  FIGS. 12 and 13  illustrate a top view and a side view respectively of the front portion  220  of the case  102 .  FIG. 14  illustrates the back portion  116  of the case  102 . The back portion  116  includes a door  222  which can open for the insertion and replacement of a battery.  FIG. 15  is a side view of the back portion  116  of the case  102 , and includes clips  224  for use in assembling the front portion  220  and back portion  116  of the case  102  together. The clips  224  can be replaced by other fasteners as are known in the art for assembling the case. The dimensions depicted in  FIGS. 6-8  illustrate one embodiment of the watch  100 , and other dimensions are also contemplated. 
         [0067]      FIG. 16  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the watch  100 . The touch buttons  112  on the watch  100  operate through capacitive touch sensing and the concept of a variable capacitor. For capacitive touch sensing, a printed circuit board (PCB) based capacitor  230  is formed and an electric field is allowed to leak into the area above the capacitor  230 , which includes the crystal  114 . The sensor pad  230  and a surrounding ground pour (or ground plane underneath) create a baseline capacitance that can be measured. The base capacitance of such a sensor may be ˜10 pF for a finger-sized sensor  230 . 
         [0068]    When a conductor, e.g., a finger of a user, is near to or touches the crystal  114  above the open capacitor  230 , the electric field is interfered with and causes the resulting capacitance to change. The sensitivity of the sensor  230  may be adjusted through the connected detector integrated circuit  232  such that the watch crystal  114  needs to be touched to activate the sensor  230 . The crystal  114  acts as an insulating layer and to provide separation between the sensor  230  and the user. The coupling of the conductive finger with the capacitive sensor  230  increases the capacitance of the structure beyond the baseline capacitance, or the capacitance of the sensor  230  with no touch. By continuously measuring the capacitance of the sensor  230  and comparing the result to a predetermined baseline capacitance, the system microcontroller  232  can determine not only on/off button functions for each sensor element but also “amount” of press used for more complex interfaces such as positional sliders. 
         [0069]    The sensitivity of this sensor  230  is dependent on the gap between the surrounding ground and the sensor plate  230 . The sensor pad  230  size of around 10-mm diameter is often used, which is similar in size to the surface area of a human finger when pressed. A ground plane underneath the sensor  230  aids in shielding it from potential interference generated by other electronics and helps to maintain a more constant baseline capacitance. 
         [0070]    The sensor  230  is connected to a detector integrated circuit through the use of a connector  234 , or other electrical connector. For example, the connector may be a conductive elastomer, or have alternating layers of a non-conductive and a conductive material, such as silicon rubber and carbon-filled silicon rubber. The connector  234  is connected to the detector integrated circuit  232  on the main circuit board  236 . The main circuit board  236  is supported by the case  102  of the watch  100 . 
         [0071]      FIG. 17  illustrates a schematic for the touch sensing system for the watch  100 . The main circuit board  236  is connected to a power supply  240 , such as a battery. Four touch sensors  230  and corresponding detector integrated circuits  232  are connected to the main circuit board  236 . The main circuit board provides an output to the liquid crystal display  120  of the watch  100 . The circuit board  236  has a switch  242  to allow for use with a four input watch  100  or a five input watch  100 . For example, when the switch  242  is closed, the main circuit board  236  is used with a watch  100  having four inputs, or four touch buttons  112 . In another example, when the switch  242  is open, the main circuit board  236  is used with a watch  100  having 5 inputs, the four touch buttons  112  and an additional tactile button  122 . This allows for flexibility in manufacturing of both four and five button watches  100  using the same main circuit board  236 , detector integrated circuits  232 , and sensors  230 . The circuit board  236  or the integrated circuits  232  may be programmed such that repeat button  112 ,  122  activations will not register as repeat button presses when a button is held, also known as “typematic action”. 
         [0072]    Referring back to  FIGS. 1-5  and  11 , in one embodiment, the watch  100  has the following modes: local time and date, world time, chronograph, timer, alarm, and backlight. The local time and date may be displayed in twelve or twenty-four hour format, with the day of the week abbreviated and displayed, the date in MM-DD format displayed, automatic leap year adjustment, a second time zone displayable, an optional hourly chime, and an optional daylight savings time (DST) function. In the world time mode, as many as thirty-two cites may be programmed into the watch  100  to represent the time zones of the various cities. Two or more cities may represent the same time zone. In the chronograph mode, which provides a stopwatch (counting upwards) function, the chronograph may have a resolution up to one one-hundredth of a second for up to twenty-four hours. In the timer mode, which provides a timer (counting downwards) function, the timer may have a one second resolution for up to twenty-four hours. In the alarm mode, the alarm may be set for daily operation with different alert chimes and the backlight may optionally flash during the alarm. For the backlight function, the display  120  is electroluminescently backlit and may have an auto-off feature after three seconds of backlighting or after release of the light input  112 . Of course other numbers or combinations of modes and operational details of the modes for the watch  100  are contemplated. 
         [0073]    Referring now to  FIGS. 11 and 18 , a five input system  200  for a watch  100  and a four input system  250  for a watch are illustrated. For the four input system  250  or the five input system  200 , the touch inputs  112  are locked automatically after a specified time period, ten seconds for example. The locking process may be audibly signalled to a user as well. The touch indicator  216  will be not present when the system is locked. The locked system prevents accidental activation of a button  112 ,  252 . 
         [0074]    To unlock the four input system  250  and be able to use the touch buttons  252 , the user needs to activate the touch buttons  252  in a predetermined sequence. For example, by activating the [TOUCH] input  254  for approximately one second with a finger and then sliding the finger along the crystal  114  from the [TOUCH] input  254  to the [MODE] input  256  and then to the [SET] input  258  in a counter-clockwise direction. There may be a time limit on the sliding motion as an input to unlock the touch inputs  252 , for example three seconds. Of course, other combinations of activated inputs are contemplated for unlocking the touch buttons  252 . When the unlocking of the inputs  252  is complete, the touch indicator  216  will appear on the display and an audible signal may occur. 
         [0075]    To unlock the five input system  200 , the user activates the tactile button  122  to unlock the touch buttons  112 . Of course, other combinations of activated inputs are contemplated for unlocking the touch buttons  112 . When the unlocking of the touch inputs  112  is complete, the touch indicator  216  will appear on the display and an audible signal may occur. 
         [0076]      FIG. 19  represents the various modes of the watch  100 . The user can press [MODE] repeatedly to cycle between the modes. The modes may include time, world time, alarm, chronograph, and timer. The [MODE] input is a touch input  112  for either a four input system  250  or a five input system  200 . 
         [0077]      FIG. 20  represents an embodiment of the options within a time mode. Pressing inputs  112  as denoted in the schematic will cause different screens to be displayed to a user. The asterisk over a value on a display indicates that the value appears as flashing and may be altered in some situations (as depicted) by the user. The changes values, for example of the hour or the minute, the user can input the value as a sliding function using the touch inputs  112 . For example, to input an increasing setting value, the user may perform [operation  1 ] or [OP  1 ], which is sliding a finger from the [ST/STOP] input  112  to the [SET/RST] input in a clockwise motion. For example, to input a decreasing setting value, the user may perform [operation  2 ] or [OP  2 ], which is sliding a finger from the [SET/RST] input  112  to the [ST/STOP] input in a counter-clockwise motion. 
         [0078]      FIG. 21  illustrates an embodiment of various modes and inputs available within each mode for a four input system  250 . Individual activation of a touch button may provide an input to the watch. Additionally, operating two touch buttons in a sequence, i.e. by sliding on the crystal surface from [ST/STOP] to [SET/RST] in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction may act as a user input to the watch. The touch buttons are unlocked as described previously. 
         [0079]      FIG. 22  illustrates an embodiment of various modes and inputs available within each mode for a five input system  200 . Individual activation of a touch or tactile button may provide an input to the watch. Additionally, operating two touch buttons in a sequence, i.e. by sliding on the crystal surface from [ST/STOP] to [SET/RST] in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction may act as a user input to the watch. The touch buttons are unlocked through use of the tactile button. 
         [0080]    In order to conserve battery power, the backlight and the audible alert caused by a piezo system may not be operating concurrently. The watch  100  may have a preference system wherein wither the backlight or the piezo system is turned off in order for the other one to operate. 
         [0081]      FIGS. 23-27  illustrate another embodiment of a watch  300  with a touch screen. The watch has a case  302  and four touch buttons  312  located on the dial  310  of the watch  300 . The watch has similar components and functions as described previously for the watch  100  described in  FIGS. 1-5 . 
         [0082]      FIGS. 28-32  illustrate yet another embodiment of a watch  350  with a touch screen. The watch has a case  352  and four touch buttons  362  located on the dial  360  and a tactile button  370  on the case  352  of the watch  350 . The watch has similar components and functions as described previously for the watch  100  described in  FIGS. 1-5 . 
         [0083]      FIGS. 33-37  illustrate another embodiment of a watch  400  with a touch screen. The watch has a case  402  and four touch buttons  412  located on the dial  410  of the watch  400 . The watch has similar components and functions as described previously for the watch  100  described in  FIGS. 1-5 . 
         [0084]      FIGS. 38-42  illustrate yet another embodiment of a watch  450  with a touch screen. The watch has a case  452  and four touch buttons  462  located on the dial  460  and a tactile button  470  on the case  452  of the watch  450 . The watch has similar components and functions as described previously for the watch  100  described in  FIGS. 1-5 . 
         [0085]    While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.