# US 5,708,627 A · Electronic clock and calendar apparatus with audio message recording and playback > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,708,627 A - Document ID: US5708627A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/298,149 - Filed: 1994-08-30 - Granted: 1998-01-13 - Earliest claimed: 1994-08-30 - Inventors: Stuart G. Gormley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5708627A ## CPC - G04G 13/00: Producing acoustic time signals - G04G: ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES ## Abstract An electronic device that stores audio messages entered by the user onto digital chips. Each recorded message is addressed with a chronological code that enables a microprocessor to access the memos according to specific times. When the code used to record the memo matches the current time and day or date, the memo is downloaded into an immediate access file. A proximity detector provides a signal to the microprocessor when a presence is detected, activating playback of the memos in the immediate access file, unless modified by suppression programming. The apparatus may further include a light sensor to activate a given message when ambient lights are turned off. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A programmable electronic clock and calendar apparatus comprising: a device for recording and automatic playback of at least one recorded message; a microprocessor connected to said device for assigning a chronological code to each of said at least one recorded message and delivery of said message to an access file upon occurrence of its assigned chronological time; a proximity detector connected to said microprocessor for detection of an operator presence and automatic initiation of playback of said at least one recorded message in said access file; and delay means for temporarily disabling said automatic initiation of playback of said at least one recorded message within a certain amount of time after a previous playback of said at least one recorded message so that the operator will not hear the recorded message successively unless said certain amount of time has elapsed since the most previous playback. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic clock and calendar apparatus of claim 1 further including an external housing connected to said device, microprocessor, and proximity detector. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic clock and calendar apparatus of claim 1 further including a clock display and clock controls connected to said microprocessor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic clock and calendar apparatus of claim 1 further including a telephone handset and telephone keypad connected to said microprocessor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic clock and calendar apparatus of claim 1 further including a photoelectric sensor connected to said microprocessor to initiate playback of a recorded message upon reduction in ambient light. ### Claim 6 A method of storing and automatically playing audio messages comprising the steps of: (a) providing a programmable message storage and playback device; (b) recording an audio message on said repogrammable message storage and playback device; (c) programming said programmable message storage and playback device to associate said audio message with a certain time in the future at which it is desired to play said audio message; (c1) programming said programmable message storage and playback device to set a time cycle delay to a desired amount of time relating to a minimum amount of time in which a user desires to hear said audio message a successive time; (d) determining whether said certain time has arrived; (e) sensing motion in the proximity of said device; (f) automatically playing said audio message if said certain time has arrived and if motion is sensed in the proximity of said device; and (g) repeating steps (e) and (f) after an amount of time has elapsed from the time the audio message was automatically played equaling the desired amount of time programmed into said time cycle delay unless the user disables the message playback. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of: providing a photoelectric sensor connected to the programmable message storage and playback device for sensing ambient light; sensing the amount of ambient light in the proximity of the programmable message storage and playback device to provide an indication of when a user of the programmable message storage and playback device has turned off a light; and automatically playing said audio message if a reduction in the amount of ambient light is sensed. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said certain amount of time is adjustable by the user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said proximity detector includes an adjustable sensitivity control for allowing the user to adjust the sensitivity of said proximity detector. ### Claim 10 A programmable clock and calendar apparatus comprising: a device for the recording and automatic playback of audio messages; a processor connected to said device for controlling the recording and automatic playback of audio messages and associating each audio message with a programmed chronological code relating to a certain time in the future as selectively programmed by a user, said processor enabling the automatic playback of any audio messages which are associated with a chronological code relating to the present time; a motion detector connected to said processor for detecting the presence of motion in the proximity of the apparatus and initiating the automatic playback of any enabled audio messages in response to the detected motion; a timer electrically connected to the processor for counting down intervals of time after the automatic playback of any enabled audio message wherein the intervals of time are selected by the user by programming a desired time into the processor, and wherein the processor ignores any further detected motion until the timer completes the count down of the intervals of time; and a phone line interface connected to said apparatus for allowing said apparatus to communicate over a phone line. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The clock and calendar apparatus of claim 10 wherein any of said messages played back are played back over said phone line.