Displaying notifications on a watchface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377762-B2
Application number	US-201414453739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2014
Priority date	Jun 2, 2014
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for displaying notifications on a watchface. In one or more implementations, a watchface is displayed on a display of a smartwatch. The watchface occupies an entire display area of the display and indicates a current time in a first region of the watchface. In some cases, the watchface uses one or more rotating pointers or rotating dials to indicate the current time. Responsive to receiving a notification, the notification is displayed at a second region of the watchface such that the current time is visible in the first region of the watchface.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
outputting, by a computing device and for display at a display device, a watchface that occupies an entire display area of the display device and indicates a current time in a first region of the watchface, wherein the watchface comprises a plurality of numerals, wherein each numeral is indicative of a respective hour, minute, or second, wherein a first subset of the plurality of numerals is output for display at the first region of the watchface and a second subset of the plurality of numerals is output for display at a second region of the watchface, and wherein while outputting the watchface for display, the computing device always outputs the current time at the first region of the watchface;
receiving, by the computing device, a notification; and
responsive to receiving the notification, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, the current time at the first region of the watchface and the notification at the second region of the watchface such that the current time is indicated in the first region of the watchface and the second subset of the plurality of numerals is no longer output for display at the second region of the watchface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the watchface comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, one or more rotating pointers or rotating dials to indicate the current time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the notification comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, an opaque notification, such that the second subset of the plurality of numerals is no longer output for display at the second region of the watchface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the notification comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, the notification at approximately half of the display area of the display device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the notification comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, at least two pieces of notification information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region of the watchface comprises a top region of the watchface, and wherein the second region of the watchface comprises a bottom region of the watchface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting the watchface comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display by the display device, an analog watchface.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein outputting the analog watchface comprises outputting, by the computing device, at the first region of the analog watchface:
a stationary dial;
an hour pointer configured to rotate to point to hours arranged on the stationary dial to indicate an hour of the current time; and
a minute pointer configured to rotate to point to minutes arranged on the stationary dial to indicate a minute of the current time.

9. The method of claim wherein outputting the analog watchface further comprises outputting by the computing device, at the second region of the analog watchface:
an additional stationary dial; and
a second pointer configured to rotate to point to seconds arranged on the additional stationary dial to indicate seconds of the current time.

10. The method of claim wherein the watchface comprises outputting, by the computing device, a rotating watchface that comprises:
a rotating hour dial configured to rotate around a perimeter of the rotating watchface;
a rotating minute dial configured to rotate around the perimeter of the rotating watchface; and
a viewfinder, in the first region of the rotating watchface, configured to indicate an hour on the hour dial corresponding to the current time and to indicate a minute on the minute dial corresponding to the current time.

11. The method claim 1 , wherein the notification comprises one of a text message notification, a social-media notification, a weather notification, a flight notification, or a calendar notification.

12. A computing device comprising:
a display device;
at least one processor; and
at least a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
output, for display at the display device, a watchface that occupies an entire display area of the display device and indicates a current time in a first region of the watchface, wherein the watchface comprises a plurality of numerals, wherein each numeral is indicative of a respective hour, minute, or second, wherein a first subset of the plurality of numerals is output for display at the first region of the watchface and a second subset of the plurality of numerals is output for display at a second region of the watchface, and wherein the computing device always outputs the current time at the first region of the watchface when outputting the watchface; and
receive a notification; and
responsive to receiving the notification, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, the current time at the first region of the watchface and the notification at the second region of the watchface such that the current time is indicated in the first region of the watchface and the second subset of the plurality of numerals is no longer output for display at the second region of the watchface.

13. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the watchface comprises one or more rotating pointers or rotating dials that indicate the current time.

14. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein each of the first region and the second region occupy approximately half of the display area of the display device.

15. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the notification comprises at least two pieces of notification information.

16. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the watchface comprises an analog watchface.

17. The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the first region of the analog watchface comprises:
a stationary dial;
an hour pointer configured to rotate to point to hours arranged on the stationary dial to indicate an hour of the current time; and
a minute pointer configured to rotate to point to minutes arranged on the stationary dial to indicate a minute of the current time.

18. The computing device of claim 17 , wherein the second region of the analog watchface comprises:
an additional stationary dial; and
a second pointer configured to rotate to point to seconds arranged on the additional stationary dial to indicate seconds of the current time.

19. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the watchface comprises a rotating watchface.

20. The computing device of claim 19 , wherein the rotating watchface comprises:
a rotating hour dial configured to rotate around a perimeter of the rotating watchface;
a rotating minute dial configured to rotate around the perimeter of the rotating watchface; and
a viewfinder, in the first region of the rotating watchface, configured to indicate an hour on the hour dial corresponding to the current time and to indicate a minute on the minute dial corresponding to the current time.

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc
• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Hoobler Ricky J
• Jacobs Daniel T
• Knight Megan

Classifications

• G04G9/00 Primary

  Visual time or date indication means · CPC title

• G04G9/0064

  in which functions not related to time can be displayed (digital output to display devices of digital computers G06F3/14) · CPC title

• G04G11/00

  Producing optical signals at preselected times · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• G04G9/06

  using light valves, e.g. liquid crystals · CPC title