Hour meter with incremental service indicator

An hour meter having a display that provides a visual indication of a total time an engine has operated and a visual indication of engine operation time remaining in a predetermined service time interval, comprising:

• a) a graph on said display having a plurality of segments that are selectively displayed in a first optical state or a second optical state;
• b) a display drive that displays said plurality of segments in said first optical state at a beginning of a predetermined service interval, said drive incrementally changes the state of each of the segments of the graph from said first optical state to said second optical state as the predetermined service time interval elapses to visually display the amount of engine operation time remaining in the predetermined service time interval;
• and
• c) a switch for manual resetting the predetermined service interval and the plurality of segments to the first optical state, said drive automatically resets the plurality of segments to the first optical state if said switch is not actuated and a predetermined engine operation time elapses after a predetermined service time interval elapses.

In an hour meter having a display that provides a visual indication of a total time an engine has operated, a method of visually displaying an amount of engine operation time remaining in a predetermined service time interval, comprising:

• a) selectively displaying a plurality of segments on said display in a first optical state or a second optical state;
• b) displaying said plurality of segments in said first optical state at a beginning of a predetermined service interval;
• c) changing the optical state of a first segment from the first optical state to the second optical state when a given portion of the predetermined service time interval has elapsed;
• and
• d) incrementally changing the state of a remainder of the plurality of segments of the graph from said first optical state to said second optical state as additional portions of the predetermined service time interval elapse to visually display the amount of engine operation time remaining in the predetermined service time interval.

In an hour meter having a display that provides a visual indication of a total time an engine has operated, a method of providing a visual indication of engine operation time remaining in a predetermined service time interval, comprising:

• a) providing a graph on said display having a plurality of segments that are selectively displayed in a first optical state or a second optical state;
• b) displaying said plurality of segments in said first optical state at a beginning of a predetermined service interval;
• c) incrementally changing the state of each of the segments of the graph from said first optical state to said second optical state as the predetermined service time interval elapses to visually display the amount of engine operation time remaining in the predetermined service time interval;
• d) resetting the predetermined service time interval and the plurality of segments to the first optical state when a manual reset switch is actuated;
• and
• e) automatically resetting the predetermined service time interval and the plurality of segments to the first optical state if said switch is not actuated during the predetermined service time interval and a predetermined engine operation time elapses after the predetermined service time interval elapses.