invention

Inventor Patents New Way to Tell Time: Colorful Display Ideal for Cell Phones, Wearable Audio Players, and Mobile Electronic Devices

TWELV | a new way to tell time
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Summary:  A newly patented time-telling system—called “TWELV” —eliminates the use of numerals, clock hands and traditional clockfaces. Instead, each individual hour of the day is represented solely by one of twelve unique colors. The display is simultaneously more attractive and smaller in footprint than conventional time formats.

(Original press release:  LOS ANGELES, CA SEPTEMBER 14, 2006)

Inventerprise(R) LLC announced today the granting of a United States patent on a new way to tell time. The newly patented system breaks from centuries-old tradition, dispensing altogether with the use of any hour hand or hour digit. Instead, each individual hour of the day is represented solely by one of twelve unique colors.

As a result, the new time format—called “TWELV” —requires much less display monitor space than conventional formats. This smaller footprint makes TWELV ideal for use on mobile phones, portable consumer electronics, head-mounted displays, wrist-watches, and other wearable computing and communications devices.

“The prototype is stunningly simple and elegant,” a company representative commented. “Colors are not only more pleasing visually, but they can also be correctly recognized from much greater distances than can individual numerals or clock hands.”

In some TWELV embodiments, the minute hand or digit is also eliminated. Instead, a moon serves as the minute indicator, waxing from a slender crescent at the beginning of an hour to a full orb at the end. This embodiment also allows virtually any other monochromatic image —such as a company logo, a silhouette, or a musical note—to serve as the minute indicator.
Inventerprise arranged for designer Christopher Tjalsma to create the first prototype of the moon-based embodiment of TWELV. This prototype is now available for viewing via the web site: http://www.twelv.com.

“The sun and moon are probably the earliest time indicators used by the human race,” the representative continued. “Christopher’s design somehow taps into humanity at that very deep level. It feels a thousand generations old.”

The patent announcement comes on the heels of the company’s headline-making roll-out of Jatalla.com (http://www.jatalla.com), a prototype search engine that uses no Web crawlers and no document analysis software, instead relying solely upon relevancy rankings performed by living human beings.

Watches and clocks based on the TWELV(TM) system, including the Tjalsma Intuitime(TM) design and the hybrid TIKR(TM) design—which provides minute but no hour digits—are expected to be made available commercially in two to four years. All TWELV displays also include an override feature, allowing users to display time in standard 4-digit format if needed.

View the latest paradigm in horology at http://www.twelv.com.

TWELV | a new way to tell time
TWELV | a new way to tell time

Horology 2.0: Wearable Computing Pioneer Receives Notice of Allowance for Time-Telling Invention

TWELV | a new way to tell time
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Summary:  The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance in the case of a patent application filed on a new way to tell time. The new time display method uses colors instead of an hour hand or hour digit. Products using the new way to tell time are expected to be marketed under the brand name TWELV(TM)(http://www.twelv.com).

(Original press release:  LOS ANGELES, CALIF. JUNE 5, 2006)

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance to award-winning inventor Shelley Harrison in the case of a patent application filed on a new way to tell time. The new time display method uses colors instead of an hour hand or hour digit. Products using the new way to tell time are expected to be marketed under the brand name TWELV(TM)(http://www.twelv.com).

TWELV time relies upon a series of twelve colors, each of which is uniquely assigned to an hour of the day. A color is displayed during the hour to which the color is assigned. Thus, for instance, during the six o’clock hour, the color green is displayed. Minutes are still indicated by numerical digits, which are set against a background that is the color corresponding to the given hour.

The TWELV time-telling system allows a number of advantages. For instance, holding display size constant, two digits can be displayed at a much larger size than can four digits. Meanwhile, colors can be correctly identified at much longer distances than can individual characters or clock hands. Thus, the new time-telling system offers a readability over greater distances than conventional time display methods allow.

Users do not need have to commit the colors to memory right away: the first wristwatch based upon the new technology, called the TIKR(TM), will include a manual override feature so that users can view time in conventional digital format simply by touching the screen or a button.

Harrison holds three patents in the field of wearable computing, including wrist-wearable computers, PDAs, telephones and audio players. He is founder of Wearable Computing(R), an Internet portal, and is most known for creation of the Orang-Otang(R) Peel-It(R), a product that serves as both a case and a wrist-mount for consumer electronic devices such as the Palm PDA or the Apple iPod.

A working demo of the invention can be viewed at http://www.twelv.com/demo5.htm.

TWELV | Sample Color-to-Hour Training Image
TWELV | Sample Color-to-Hour Training Image