World Watch Automatic Time Zone Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current multi-time zone watches are difficult to use for determining current local times across various locales due to complexities in time zone designations and daylight savings time, requiring manual adjustments and calculations.

Innovation Solution

A world watch design that automatically displays current time information for multiple locales, incorporating a digital controller and mechanical mechanisms to account for daylight savings time, with a user-friendly interface that includes concentric rings and city indicia for easy time zone selection and automatic time adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple individual dials are used to represent different time zones, then the watch can display multiple time zones, but the user must manually set the time for each display and there is no indication of the location to which the display time is correlated to

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-time zone display capabilityVSAvoidmanual time setting requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The watch face is divided into multiple concentric rings, each representing different time zones. The outermost ring displays city names and time zone abbreviations, the middle ring shows hour markers for each time zone, and the innermost ring displays minute markers. This segmentation allows each time zone to be displayed independently with its own hour and minute hands, eliminating the need for manual time setting while maintaining clear location indication.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If preprogrammed time zone offsets are provided, then the watch can display time for multiple locations, but the user is still required to manually adjust the primary display for daylight savings time or at the very least manually activate a daylight savings time mode of operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime zone coverageVSAvoidmanual daylight savings adjustment
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The watch incorporates automatic daylight savings time adjustment mechanisms that activate before the user needs to check the time. The system pre-programmed with daylight savings schedules for each displayed time zone, automatically advancing or retarding the hour and minute hands at the appropriate dates and times without requiring user intervention. This preliminary action eliminates manual daylight savings adjustment while maintaining comprehensive time zone coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of information

If a distinct interface displaying the name or abbreviation of the locale is provided, then the user can identify the time zone, but the interface becomes more complex and the watch design becomes less intuitive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation identificationVSAvoidinterface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The watch merges the location identification function with the time display function by integrating city names and time zone abbreviations directly onto the concentric ring structure. The outermost ring combines city names, time zone abbreviations, and hour markers into a unified display interface. This merging approach provides clear location identification without adding separate complex interfaces, as the time zone information is inherently part of the time display mechanism itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9785120B2World watch
Publication Date: 2017.10.10 SIMPLIFY & GO LLC
  • US9785120B2 patent drawing
  • US9785120B2 patent drawing
  • US9785120B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A world watch capable of automatically adjusting displayed information otherwise indicating time of day around the world upon occurrence of a daylight savings time event.