Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Talking timing devices, per se, are known to the art and earlier
descriptions of such devices may be found in the patent literature. See U.S.
Patents Nos. 3,581,410 and 4,266,096, for example. In general, it is to
improvements in "talking timers" that the present invention is directed and, in
particular, it is to a new and improved talking countdown timer to which the
patent claims herein are directed.
The present invention relates specifically to a new and improved
countdown timer having a digitally displayed and "vocally," audibly annunciated
output of time remaining in a selected countdown period. The new timer is
10 formed as a dedicated mirco-computer having sufficient voice synthesizing capacity
and programming to provide synthesized vocal equivalents of the displayed
countdown time at pre-determined intervals during the countdown. For example,
the synthesized speech equivalent of the displayed time may be provided at whole
minute intervals during the initial phases of the countdown; at 15 second intervals
during the penultimate phases of the countdown, and at one second intervals
during the final countdown to a zero time base datum.
The countdown timer of the present invention is specially designed for
counting down predetermined intervals of time, while periodically annunciating
the progessive elapse of the counting down period with synthetic speech, while
20 decreasing the time interval between the "spoken" announcements of the time
rçm~ining as the end of the counting down period approaches. As a more speclfic
aspect of the invention, an automatic "restart period" is incorporated, which
functions as follows: upon the termination of the initial selected countdown
period and continuously thereafter upon the completion of each successive "restart
period," the countdown timer recycles to a pre-determined time and resumes
counting down. Associated with the "restart" feature of the countdown timer is
a register which keeps track of the number of times the counter has been in a
"restart" mode and a visual display indicating the actual number of the "restart"
cycle being counted down when the unit is in its "restart" mode.
The timer of the present invention has particular utility with events
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in which it is necessary to coordinate with precision a particular activity with
a counted down time and/or a counted down time extended by a pre-determined
"restart" period such as, for example, in the coordination of yacht position with
a starting line at the start of a yacht race. Typically, in yachting a pre-start
time signal (cannon fire) is given to indicate that the race will start at a
predetermined time thereafter. Yachtsmen then must coordinate the position of
their vessels to the starting line so as to approach the line, but not cross the
line, at the very end of the counted down period. In some cases, it is necessary
to delay the start of the race by a predetermined interval, a "general recall"
10 period, in which event the start of the race time is postponed automatically to
a predetermined later "restart" time, for example, five minutes later than the
original start time. As will be appreciated, the countdown timer of the present
invention is ideally suited for use by yachtsmen and others who require both
visual a. d audible signals representing the elapse of a predetermined period of
time and/or the elapse of a predetermined period of time as continually extended
by one or more predetermined "restart" periods.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and a
better appreciation of its attendant advantages, reference should be made to the
following detailed description of the invention taken in conj~lction with the
20 accompanying drawings, a description of which follows:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a miniaturized
countdown timer assembled in a housing and embodying the principles of the
present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the interrelationship of the
physical components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the
invention.
Referring now to Fig. 1, the new countdown timer 10 includes a
compact housing 11 made of a waterproof, shoek-resistant thermoplastic material,
30 such as polycarbonate or other suitable material. The front wall 12 of the housing
11 includes a window 13 through which a digital time display 14, comprising
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"min~lte digits 31, a colon 32, and second (ligits 33, is cxposed; a series of
pushbuttons 15 for selccting countdown programs or performing a clear function;
and a speaker grille 16 sealed by an impermeable~ sound conductive membrane
36 through which synthesized vocal soun~ls are emitted to the user. A sidewall
of the housing ll includes a protruding start button 9 for initiating the countdown
of a pre-selected time period in a manner to be described in greater detail
hereinafter and an on/off button 17. It is to be understood that other means of
selecting programs rather than buttons may be employed, e.g. rotary stepping
switch; a multi-position switch; or the like, and such components are illustrated
10 in Fig. 3. Also included in sidewall 34 or at other accessible locations on the
housing are an external speaker jack 18; a simple volume control knob l9; and
a separate jack 20 for external power and/or recharging of an internal battery
(indicated at 45 in Fig. 2).
Referring now to Fig. 2, the internal structure of the countdown
timer lO is, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, fabricated
as dedicated micro-computer 30 having an assemblage of interrelated electronic
components suitably associated and mounted on a suitable printed circuit board.
The micro-computer 30 includes a digitized electronic readout display 14 in the
nature of a six digit LCD display having two "minute digits" 31; a colon 32; two
20 "second digits 33; and two "recall count" digits 8 or other suitable digitized
displays such as an LED display also may be used. The LCD display 14 exl ibits
the current value of counting down time from a pre-determined starting period
of for ~x~mple, three minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, or twenty minutes.
The display time is continuously shown in minutes and seconds starting from 20:00
down to 00:00. Preceding the minute and second digits is a separate two digit
"recall" register 8 indicating the number of "recalls", if any, that have taken
place. A "recall" is a restart of the countdown immediately after time zero has
been reached, commencing a new five minute interval. During an initially selected
countdown period, the recall register 8 will indicate zero; after the initial
30 countdown period has reached zero the recall register 8 will indicate "01" as the
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timer then counts down from five minutes to zero; after the first recall the
countdown timer will again automatically count down a second five minute period
of time and tlle recall register 8 will indicate "02" to inform the user that the
timer is in its second cycle of the recall mode.
The digital display 14 is driven by suitable integrated circuits 40,41,
which power and display the digit segments as required. The specific instantaneous
signal delivered to the integrated circuitry 40,41 is generated in a CPU (central
processing unit) 42, for example, a Z80L which is available from Zilog, Inc.,
Cupertino, California.
The CPU 42 receives an input from a pre-programmed ROM (Read
Only Memory) device 43, such as a 2716 EPROM and a RAM (Random Access
Memory) device 44 such as 2114L-4. The power to the CPU 42 is provided by
a miniaturized internal DC battery 45, which is wired to the CPU through an
on/off switch 17. The jack 20 is also wired into the CPU as shown to provide
an alternative source of energizing the micro-computer circuitry 30. As shown
in Fig. 2, the "select" push buttons 15 for each of the finite countdown programs
are directly wired to the CPU 42.
The output of the CPU 42 is, as indicated in Fig. 29 used not only to
drive the digit select and segment select circuitry 40,41 for generating a
20 continuously displayed digital countdown but is also used for driving at pre-
determined programmed intervals a VSP (voice synthesizer processor) 46, for
example, a TMS 5200 available from Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas. The VSP
46 generates synthesized vocal sounds corresponding to actual time being counted
down. The output of the VSP 46 is appropriately delivered to a local speaker
47 through a pitch control means 48 and a combination filter-amplifier means 49
such as an LM 386. A simple adjustable volume control means 50 is included in
the voice synthesizing circuitry for selectively controlling the loudness of the
generated synthetic speech. In addition, the loudspeaker circuit includes an output
jack 18 which may be used with an external speaker should one be required or
30 necessary for a particular countdown application. The VSP 46 also receives input
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from a VSM (vcice synthesis memory) 51, actually a ROI~I device having the
appropriate speech parameters stored in a suitably encoded form, i.e. the
electrically coded signals for the sounds, e.g. "one, two, three", etc. through
"fifty", as well as "AM, PM", etc.
In use, the new and improved countdown timer of Fig. 1 operates as
follows:
The on/off switch 17 is depressed to energize the micro-computer
circuit 30 at which point the CPU 42 generates a display ready message in the
form of the word "Ready" on the display panel 14, which is~ of course, blank
10 when the unit is unenergized. Thereafter, the user selects a particular time
period which is to be counted down by pressing one of the buttons 15 for a
pre-programmed period, for example, twenty minutes. By depressing the "select"
button 15 for a period of time to be counted down, the numerals for that period,
e.g. 20:00, will then be displayed on the read-out display 14. There is no synthetic
speech generated or annunciated with the selection of an interval to be counted
down.
When it is desired for the actual countdown to commence, the start
button 9 is depressed at which time a synthesized vocal sound "twenty, zero,
zero" will be generated (or in the case of an alternate selected program, the
20 precise starting time will be similarly annunciated by a synthesized vocal sound).
At this point the display time will begin to continuously digitally count down
towards a zero time. In accordance with the principles of the invention, the
micro-computer circuit 30 is programrned to generate synthetic vocal sounds on
the whole elapsed minute until 10 minutes remain in the countdown, at which
time the remaining time is synthetically voiced at 15 second intervals until the
final minute, at which point it voiees every five seconds until fifteen seconds
remain, at which time it voices every second until zero, with zero being indicated
by a pronounced beep or other sharp sound signal.
At this zero datum point, in accordance an important specific aspect
30 of the present invention, the circuit 30 is programmed immediately, without any
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pause whatever, to countdown an additional Eive minute "recall" period. The
annunciation of the recall countdown is identical to the annuciated countdown of
the final five minutes of the initially selected period, however, the digits of the
"recalr' register 8 will immediately display "01", indicating that the initial
countdown has been completed and that the timer is in its first recall period.
The first recall period, when expired, will automatically recycle into a subsequent
five minute recall period, at which time the recall register 8 display will indicate
"02". The sequence will automatically be repeated up to 99 times, unless the
program is terminated by the depression of the cn/off switch 17.
The "clock mechanism'l by which time is reckoned in the present
~vention is based upon the knowledge that the performance of ce~tain software
operations consume a predetermined amount of time (a "clock cycle") and those
clock cycles are controlled by an on-chip oscillator in the central processing unit
42. Advantageously, the synthetic utterances are generated in accordance with
a specific aspect of the present invention by the use of "linear coding techniques"
rather than phoneme synthesis techniques. This is to produce utterances of the
highest possible fidelity and because this technique requires a minimum of internal
encoded information storage to produce the required synthesized "utterances".
Referring now to Fig. 3, an alternate preferred embodiment of the
20 present invention is illustrated. The countdown timer 70 of Fig. 3 includes a
specially shaped and sized housing 71, which is contoured as shown at its upper
and lower edges to fit comfortably into the hand of a user, for example, the
housing 71 is approximately 2 3/4" in width, 3 1/2" in height, and approximately
1 1/4" in depth. The timer 70 is similar in all respects to the timer 10 shown
in Fig. 1, insofar as the internal dedicated micro-computer 30 is concerned,
however, the control elements and accessory ,acks are arrayed and configured
somewhat differently. As shown, a combination on/off-volume control rotary
switch 72 is disposed at the front face of the time. 70 for turning the unit on
and off and adjusting the volume from low volume to high volume as the switch
30 knob 73 is rotated clockwise. Also disposed on the front face of the timer 70
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is a rotatable detent switch 74, the knob 76 of which may be indexed to select
a predetermined countdown program. For example, 20 minutes; 15 minutes; 5
minutes; or 3 minutes, as indicated. The timer 70 further includes a contoured
"start" push button 76 disposed at an upper shoulder portion 17 of the housing
for easy depression by the index finger Oe a user when the unit is held with the
convex lower wall portions 78 in the palm of a user. As is the case for the
timer 10 of Fig. 1, the timer 70 of Fig. 3 includes a speaker grille 79 and a
LCD time display 80. As will be understood, the operation of the timer 70 is
in all respects identical to the operation of the timer 10 and need not be described
10 further. An eye member 81 is secured to the top wall of the housing 71 to
support a neck lanyard (not shown) when the timer 7Q is worn around the neck.
A clip (not shown) for belt mounting of the timer may be affixed to the rear
wall of the housing. The timer of Fig. 3 is simply an alternate preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
While the present invention has been described with respect to two
specific embodiments thereof, it is to be appreciated that certain variations and
modifications therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and that any
such variations and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope
of the following claims.
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