Unidirectional segmented digital time displays

Combination unidirectional segmented and bidirectional quadribalanced or enhanced quadribalanced digital time displays which comprise:

• (a) multiple digital display elements which are activatable to display current or next hour digits,
• (b) multiple digital display elements located on the right side of elements (a) which are activatable to display selected elapsed minute digits past the current hour in relatively upper and lower positions,
• (c) multiple digital display elements located on the left side of elements (a) which are activatable to display either selected elapsed minute digits past the current hour or selected remaining minute digits before the next hour,
• elements (b) being activated to display selected first and second respective groups of elapsed minute digits past the current hour in the relatively upper and lower positions, during approximately the first half of a current hour, and
• elements (c) being activated to display either
• (i) selected third and fourth respective groups of elapsed minute digits in the relatively lower and upper positions, during the remaining portion of the current hour or
• (ii) selected first and second respective groups of remaining minute digits before the next hour, displayed by elements (a), in the relatively lower and upper positions, during the remaining portion of the period before the next hour,
• whereby the combination may be activated to display only the unidirectional elapsed minutes sequence of (b)(c)(i) or the bidirectional elapsed and remaining minutes sequence of (b)(c)(ii), as a viewer may choose.

A method of performing unidirectional segmented digital timekeeping which comprises:

• (a) providing multiple digital display elements which are activatable to display current or next hour digits,
• (b) providing on the right side of elements (a) multiple digital display elements, which are activatable to display selected elapsed minute digits in relatively upper and lower positions,
• (c) providing on the left side of elements (a) multiple digital display elements which are activatable to display selected elapsed minute digits in relatively lower and upper positions,
• (d) activating elements (a) to display a current hour digit,
• (e) activating elements (b) to display selected first and second respective groups of elapsed minute digits past the current hour in the relatively upper and lower positions, and
• (f) activating elements (c) to display selected third and fourth respective groups of elapsed minute digits past the current hour in the relatively lower and upper positions, whereby the elapsed minute digits are graphically traversed around the current hour digit in successive unidirectional segmented positions during the course of the entire hour.

A method of performing combined unidirectional segmented and bidirectional quadribalanced or enhanced quadribalanced digital timekeeping which comprises:

• (a) providing multiple digital display elements which are activatable to display current or next hour digits,
• (b) providing on the right side of elements (a) multiple digital display elements which are activatable to display selected elapsed minute digits in relatively upper and lower positions,
• (c) providing on the left side of elements (a) multiple digital display elements which are activatable to display either selected elapsed minute digits past the current hour or selected remaining minute digits before the next hour,
• (d) activating elements (a) to display a current hour and simultaneously activating elements (b) to display selected first and second respective groups of elapsed minute digits past such current hour in the upper and lower positions, respectively, during approximately the first half of such hour,
• (e) activating elements (c) to display either
• (i) selected third and fourth respective groups of elapsed minute digits in the relatively lower and upper positions, during the remaining period of the current hour or
• (ii) activating elements (a) to display the next hour and simultaneously activating elements (c) to display selected first and second respective groups of remaining minute digits before the next hour in the relatively lower and upper positions, during the remaining period of the current hour,
• whereby the timekeeping procedure may be controlled to display either the unidirectional elapsed minutes sequence of (e)(c)(i) or the bidirectional elapsed and remaining minutes sequence of (e)(c)(ii), as a viewer may choose.