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US 4,034,551 AGranted
Safety feature for function control circuit
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha
InventorYoshito Ushiyama
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AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha
InventorYoshito Ushiyama
Estimating the term…
A safety feature for a function control circuit particularly adapted for use with timing circuitry adapted to produce a time based signal is provided. A function signal circuit is adapted to produce either a first or a second function selecting signal. A multi-position switch is coupled to the function signal circuit and is adapted to remain in a quiescent position. The multi-position switch is further adapted to be manually displaced in a first direction to effect producing of a first function selecting signal by said function signal circuit and is further adapted to be manually displaced in a direction opposite to said first direction to effect producing by said function signal circuit of a second function selecting signal. An inhibit circuit is coupled to the timing circuit for receiving the time based signal and is also coupled to the function control circuit and multi-position switch and in response to displacement of the multi-position switch in the first direction inhibits producing of the second function selecting signal in response to displacement of said multi-position switch in the opposite direction within a predetermined interval of time after the multi-position switch means is returned from displacement in the first direction.
A function control circuit comprising in combination, function selecting means for producing one of a first and second function selecting signal, a multi-position switch means coupled to said function selecting means, said multi-position switch means being maintained in a quiescent position and being adapted to be displaced in a first direction to effect producing of a first function selecting signal by said function selecting means, and being further adapted to be displaced from a quiescent position in a second direction opposite to said first direction to effect producing of a second function selecting signal by said function selecting means, and inhibit means coupled to said multi-position switch means and said function selecting means, said inhibit means being disposed in response to displacement of said multi-position switch means in said first direction to inhibit producing of a second function selecting signal, said inhibit means in response to the return of said multi-position switch means from said first displaced direction being adapted to inhibit producing of said second function selecting signal until a predetermined interval of time after said multi-position switch means is returned from said first displaced direction.
In an electronic timepiece including timekeeping means for producing timekeeping signals and display means for displaying time in response to said timekeeping signals, the improvement comprising first and second function control means, function selecting means coupled to said first and second function control means and producing one of a first and second function control selecting signal, a multi-position switch means coupled to said function selecting means, said multi-position switch means being maintained at a quiescent position and being adapted to be displaced in a first direction to effect producing of a first function control selecting signal by said function selecing means, and being further adapted to be displaced from a quiescent position in a second direction opposite said first direction to effect producing of a second function control selecting signal by said function selecting means, and inhibt means coupled to said multi-position switch means and said function selecting means, said inhibit means being disposed in response to displacement of said multi-position switch means in said first direction to thereby inhibit producing of said second function control selecting signal, said inhibit means in response to said multi-position switch means being returned from said first displaced direction inhibiting producing of said second function control signal until a predetermined interval of time after said multi-position switch means is returned from said first displaced direction.
A function control circuit for preventing inadvertent function selection comprising multi-position manually operated switch means displaceable from a quiescent position to one of a first and second function selecting position, and function selecting circuit means coupled to manually operated switch means for selecting no function when said manually operated switch means is in a quiescent position and one of a first function and second function in response to said displacement of said switch means from a quiescent position to one of said first and second function selecting positions, respectively, said function selecting circuit means including inhibiting means for inhibiting said function selecting circuit from selecting said second function until a predetermined interval of time after said manually operated switch means is returned to said quiescent position from said first function selecting position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.