Digital coin timepiece for tactilely determining elapsed time
OwnerAlexander Wellen, David James Princeinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A digital coin timepiece that generates a tactile presentation which indicates elapsed time including a body member that includes a tactilely readable display surface that provides haptic feedback comprising first vibrations in a first location on the display surface when the tactilely readable display surface is touched by a user, with the first vibrations providing haptic feedback representing an actual minute or elapsed minutes so that the user can determine the actual or approximate time without having to view the display surface.
Claims20
A digital coin timepiece, comprising:
- a body member, wherein the body member includes:
- a display surface;
- a border, wherein the border includes hour indicators at each hour position along the border;
- a haptic motor inside the body member;
- and
- one or more sensors, wherein when the one or more sensors detect a physical touch to the display surface, the one or more sensors cause the haptic motor to generate haptic feedback;
- wherein the haptic feedback is configured to emulate shapes comprising:
- a first set of shapes having a first form, wherein the first set of shapes are provided at a first location of the display surface, and wherein the first set of shapes represents a current hour;
- and
- a second set of shapes having a second form that differs from the first form, wherein the second set of shapes are provided at a second location of the display surface that differs from the first location, and wherein the second set of shapes represents elapsed minutes within the current hour;
- and
- wherein contact to the display surface across the first set of shapes at the first location and the second set of shapes across the second location allows a user of the digital coin timepiece to sense and recognize by the haptic feedback the current hour and the elapsed minutes without having to view the display surface.
A method for indicating an elapsed time on a digital coin timepiece, wherein the method comprises:
- detecting a physical touch to a display surface implemented on a body member of the digital coin timepiece, wherein the physical touch is detected through one or more sensors implemented in the body member;
- generating, using a haptic motor inside the body member, a first haptic feedback on the display surface, wherein the first haptic feedback is configured to emulate a first set of shapes having a first form, wherein the first set of shapes are provided at a first location of the display surface, and wherein the first set of shapes represents a current hour;
- and
- generating, using the haptic motor, a second haptic feedback on the display surface, wherein the second haptic feedback is configured to emulate a second set of shapes having a second form that differs from the first form, wherein the second haptic feedback is provided at a second location of the display surface that differs from the first location, and wherein the second set of shapes represents elapsed minutes within the current hour.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.