Timex Corporation

John R Lowdenslager

Alan E Willis

Norman C Zatsky

Jack Schwarzschild

Neal Goldstein

A meter reader is disclosed for automatically reading utility meters at a telephone subscriber station and transmitting the meter data read to a central office over non-dedicated telephone lines in response to a call initiated by the central office. The meter reader is located at the subscriber station and includes, a microprocessor, a telephone isolating device, a call answering device, a ring detector, an off-hook detector, a ring generator, a data transmitter-receiver device and a modem. Each day the telephone is isolated from the telephone lines for a predetermined data access time. Any call made to the subscriber station during the data access time is answered by the meter reader. A coded signal is sent out over the telephone lines by the meter reader for the purpose of determining the source of the call. If the call is from the central office a coded reply signal is sent back and, the meter reader transmits the data to the central office. If the coded reply signal is not returned, the meter reader generates ringing signals for activating the bell in the subscriber's telephone. If the subscriber telephone is picked up at any time during the data access time, it is immediately unisolated from the telephone line.

Remote meter reader and method for reading meters over non-dedicated

A two-dimensional traveling display method and apparatus for displaying data that may be continuously or intermittently changing in a manner of a traveling sign with the traveling display moving either left, right, up or down depending upon a desired format. The display comprises an electrically actuated two-dimensional dot matrix display panel formed by a plurality of rows and columns of dot-like areas whose light modifying characteristics are changed by application of electrical energization potentials. The panel is provided with respective sets of row and column electrodes for selective application of energization potentials to selected ones of the dot-like areas to form a desired image. A display matrix driver circuit comprised by a two-dimensional shift register is provided for selectively applying electrical energization potential to the row and column electrodes of the two-dimensional dot matrix display panel in accordance with data whose image is to be displayed and which is stored in the shift register. The individual cells of the shift register are applied to either the column or row electrodes of the display panel and a time division multiplexing circuit provides discrete waveform multiplexing electric signals unique to particular ones or the other of either the row or column electrodes for causing desired ones of the dot-like areas of a liquid crystal display to be energized in accordance with data whose image is to be presented and for moving the image left, right, up or down in the manner of a traveling sign.

Method and system for two-dimensional traveling display and driver

A method and apparatus for adjusting the frequency of a piezoelectric crystal oscillator. The effective frequency of the oscillator is adjusted (trimmed) by periodically inhibiting pulses to the divider stage. The pulse inhibit circuit includes a nonvolatile programmable read-only-memory (ROM) to store binary complement information corresponding to the number of oscillator pulses to be suppressed. A counter is periodically preset with the binary complement information and the count advances in response to oscillator pulses. The difference count between the complement number and the counter's maximum count controls the number of pulses periodically suppressed.

Digital frequency trimmed electronic timepiece

A method and apparatus for adjusting the frequency of piezoelectric crystal oscillator. The effective frequency of the oscillator is adjusted (trimmed) by periodically inhibiting pulses to the divider stage. The pulse inhibit circuit includes a nonvolatile programmable read-only-memory (ROM) to store binary complement information corresponding to the number of oscillator pulses to be suppressed. A counter is periodically preset with the binary complement information and the count advances in response to oscillator pulses. The difference count between the complement number and the counter's maximum count controls the number of pulses periodically suppressed. During manufacture/assembly of the timepiece, the ROM is programmed to contain the desired complement information.

Method for digital frequency trimming an oscillator in an electronic

A solid state digital watch and barometric pressure indicator having a sealed quartz crystal and a second unsealed quartz crystal which changes frequency with atmospheric pressure changes. The frequency variation of the unsealed quartz crystal is measured over a selected (interrogation) period and some number proportional to the frequency variation, which is indicative of the magnitude of atmospheric pressure change, is displayed with an appropriate sign to indicate increasing or decreasing atmospheric pressure.

Watch with barometric pressure indicator

An electronic horological instrument which includes a piezoelectric crystal oscillator and a counter such as a series of count-down circuits connected in tandem. The 'effective frequency of the oscillator' is adjusted by inhibiting the oscillator pulses to the count-down circuits by means of a pulse inhibit circuit. The pulse inhibit circuit is readily programable to inhibit a desired number of oscillator pulses by means of a switch arrangement that includes multi-position detented pin switches.

Frequency adjustment means for an electronic timepiece

A watch/chronometer/wrist calculator/measurement device contains a crystal or analog precision source of pulse trains which is used to update a clock register serving as an information source and a multipurpose arithmetic accumulator. A manual keyboard provides means for entering decimal numbers into a third or input register to serve as an additional information source. Data entry means are provided for incrementing or decrementing the multipurpose accumulator by the number of units contained in the input register. An additional information source for the accumulator is the chronograph control. Entry means are provided to increment the number contained in the accumulator at a rate controlled by the chronograph control and by the precision source of pulse trains. A display select control provides means to manually switch the display mode between the clock register and the calculator/chronometer function. Additional automatic means is provided to switch the display function between the input register and the accumulator when in the calculator/chronometer mode. The display device thus provides means for showing; optically, the decimal value of the digits in the clock register, or optionally, the number entered in the multipurpose accumulator. An update control provides means to reset, manually, the number contained in the clock register. An alternate configuration of the device provides an electrical connection on the case to which an external voltage can be connected, means to make a measurement of such external voltage, and serves as an additional information source to enter the measurement into the multipurpose accumulator so as to display, digitally, the value of such measurement on the face of the device. Means is also provided to make a frequency or period measurement of the said external voltage provided said external voltage is periodic in nature.

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Stamford, CT, United States of America

John R Lowdenslager