IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,259,691
Granted Patent B2
US 12,259,691 · App. 16/911,472 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Electronic watch

Inventor: Yoshihide Kaneko (Shiojiri, JP)
Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
G04G5/00G04B19/04G04B19/24G04B27/002G04C3/146G04C10/02G04R20/02G04R60/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,259,691
App. No.
16/911,472
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic watch includes memory that stores a reference time and a time difference relative to the reference time, a timekeeper that clocks the reference time, a time display unit that includes an hour hand displaying a display time based on the reference time and the time difference, a calendar display unit that displays a date based on the reference time and the time difference, an operation device that includes a crown or a button, and a controller that, in a set time-difference setting range, corrects the time difference at a regular interval for each of operations of the operation device, and updates the hour hand and the date in accordance with the corrected time difference.

Claims (24)

1. An electronic watch comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a satellite signal from a GPS satellite;

a memory configured to store a reference time, a time difference, and a time difference correction range, the time difference corresponding to a difference between a local time in a current position and the reference time, the reference time corresponding to universal time coordinated (UTC), the reference time having year, month, and day information, the time difference correction range including an upper limit value and a lower limit value, the upper limit value corresponding to a forwarded time from the reference time and having the year, month, and day information, the lower limit value corresponding to a backwarded time from the reference time and having the year, month, and day information;

a timekeeper configured to clock the reference time;

a time display unit including an hour hand and configured to display a display time based on the reference time and the time difference via the timekeeper;

a calendar display unit configured to display only a date based on the reference time and the time difference via the timekeeper, the calendar display unit having a ring-shaped date indicator at which numbers 1 to 31 are marked;

an operation device including a crown or a button; and

a controller configured to:

cause the memory to store the reference time and the time difference in response to the received satellite signal;

set the time difference correction range between the upper limit value and the lower limit value to a constant period of one month relative to the clocked reference time by the timekeeper, wherein

a specific day of the upper limit value and a specific day of the lower limit value are respectively set according to the reference time, which has the year, month, and day information, at a time when a mode of the electronic watch is changed to a time difference correction mode by operating the operation device; and

days as the day information of the time difference correction range are set under the following conditions:

same days as the day information do not exist in the time difference correction range regardless of a corrected amount; and

a position of the day in the ring-shaped date indicator when the corrected amount corresponds to the upper limit value and a position of the day in the ring-shaped date indicator when the corrected amount corresponds to the lower limit value are adjacent to each other;

correct the time difference with the corrected amount created by operating the operation device at a regular interval for each of the operations of the operation device to obtain the corrected time difference, wherein

when the corrected amount is within the time difference correction range, the controller is configured to generate a regular corrected time difference;

when the corrected amount forwardly exceeds the upper limit value by a first exceeded value, the controller is configured to generate a first update corrected time difference, and the first update corrected time difference corresponds to a first value obtained by adding the lower limit value and the first exceeded value; and

when the corrected amount backwardly exceeds the lower limit value by a second exceeded value, the controller is configured to generate a second update corrected time difference, and the second update corrected time difference corresponds to a second value obtained by subtracting the second exceeded value from the upper limit value; and

cause the timekeeper to update the hour hand and the date in accordance with the regular corrected time difference and either the first update corrected time difference or the second update corrected time difference.

2. The electronic watch according to claim 1 , wherein

the regular interval of the correction of the time difference is one hour or 15 minutes, and

the regular interval of the correction is switched over based on the operation of the operating device.

3. The electronic watch according to claim 1 , wherein the correction of the time difference is performed, with a value of the time difference being looped within the time difference correction range within which the time difference is corrected.

4. The electronic watch according to claim 1 , comprising a month display unit configured to display a month based on the reference time and the time difference.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2020
From: KANEKO, YOSHIHIDE
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053034/0679 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-119687 · Jun 27, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200409313A1 · Dec 31, 2020
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