US 4,301,524 AGranted

Programmable alarm clock

AssigneeFairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation

InventorsRonald L. Koepp, Floyd F. Oliver, James V. Barnett

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Abstract

A programmable microcomputer controlled alarm clock has a multi-key input keyboard for setting the time of day, the month and date, and the alarm times of two or more independent alarms. Each alarm may be set to generate an alarm signal at a selected time on each day of two to six consecutive days of a seven-day period, the alarm sequence being automatically repeated each following seven-day period. In the normal operational mode, time of day is displayed until a month-and-date switch, an alarm-period or doze switch, or an alarm-enabling switch is actuated to display the respective date and alarm time. After the particular switch is actuated and the appropriate time information displayed, the clock returns to display time of day within several seconds.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A programmable clock having:

a microcomputer system for storing and processing time-related data and for controlling the display of time-related data;
input keyboard means operable in a SET mode for entering time-related data into the microcomputer system, said keyboard means including a plurality of numeric input keys;
switching means coupled to the microcomputer system for switching said clock between the SET mode and an operational RUN mode;
output display means controlled by the microcomputer system for displaying time-related data thereon;
and alarm means controlled by the microcomputer system for generating alarm signals;
characterized in that said alarm means include M independently operable alarm circuits, where M is a positive integer greater than one, each alarm circuit operable on a repetitive seven-day basis for generating during a seven-day period according to an alarm-signal sequence an alarm signal at a selected alarm time on each day of N consecutive days of the seven-day period, where N is an integer varying from two through six, the alarm-signal sequence automatically repeatable during each following seven-day period.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.