Piotr Bitner

Shape Clock

Shape Clock

Analog clock and digital clock is commonly used for time display. There is binary clock as well.

There is yet another type of clock – Shape Clock, when quantities of elements are used to display number of hours, minutes and/or seconds.

Shape Clock principal rule

To get current time one must count number of elements showing elapsed time. To have current hour – one must count elements showing elapsed hours. To have current minutes - one must count number of elements showing elapsed minutes. And eventually, to have current seconds - one must count number of elements showing elapsed seconds.

Early Shape Clocks

In 1974 SEIKO INSTR & ELECTRONICS registered invention of wrist watch (GB1429688 ) with drawing of tree where hours were represented by fruits while minutes by leaves. From newest works Kent, Dennis, C (US) pat EP 1664942 had registered invention - device for displaying time in form of user selectable display patterns.

Modern shape clock

In 2008 Piotr Bitner’s registered (P 384702; WIPO PL384702) new type of shape clock. This modern shape clock opens new possibilities for clock designers. Main difference comparing to previous approach is that elements showings time are always visible – all of them, all the time. Registered method of time display allows to show: current time, elapsed time and remaining time, in given time period. Fig. 2. shows: - 1 elapsed 8 hours - 2 remaining 4 hours

Together they shows twelve hours clock.

Piotr Bitner’s (P 384702; WIPO PL384702)

Face rotation

Shape clock principal rule: one must count elements and modern method: elements are always visible allows looking at clock face from different directions. Shape clock does not need to have 12 up, 3 at right and so on, the elements could be placed anywhere.

Looking at clock face from different directions does not make it illegible, does not introduce possibility for incorrect readout of clock. Fig. 3 is rotated version of Fig. 1 one can easily read that 8 hours passed from 12.

modern shape clock - face rotation

Pattern

In Piotr Bitner’s Shape clock elements showings time are always visible - this allows hours, minutes and seconds to be placed anywhere. So they could be placed create such a w way that they create pattern. For example they could be arranged to create simple pattern – like ©Slot 1. On the picture showing ©Slot 1 time is 7:16:4. Biggest elements indicate hours – passed 7. Smaller elements indicate minutes and seconds, 16 minutes and 4 seconds.

©Snowflakes 1 is example of more advanced pattern. In ©Snowflakes 1 elements showing time are integrated with element fulfilling pattern.

modern shape clock - pattern example

How to read shape clock

In modern shape clock it is not stated explicitly which elements indicate elapsed time and which indicate remaining time. Nor position of elements neither their property state this. It is clarified when there is a change in time – for example second passed. Then number of elements indicating elapsed seconds increase while number of elements indicating remaining seconds decrease.

The same is for minutes and hours elements.

Animation of clock elements

Because moment of change in time is helpful in finding out which elements indicate elapsed time and which indicate remaining time it is useful to accent it.

For this reason when elements go from state showing remaining to state showing elapsed, the transition moment could be accented by change of color, shape etc. Change of property for a moment means animation of element.

modern shape clock - animation of elements

Animation of whole pattern

Looking at clock face from different directions does not make it illegible. So pattern itself could be rotated and it does not decrease readability. Additionally pattern could be moved without decreasing readability. This open possibility to move and rotate whole pattern son clock face is more attractive while still useful.

modern shape clock - face animated