WO2002025382A2

WO2002025382A2 - Clock

Info

Publication number: WO2002025382A2
Application number: PCT/GB2001/004263
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Rowe
Original assignee: Protein Limited
Priority date: 2000-09-25
Filing date: 2001-09-25
Publication date: 2002-03-28
Also published as: AU2001290093A1; GB2367385A; GB0023451D0; WO2002025382A3

Abstract

A clock comprising a time display arranged to display a range of colours; a means for causing the time display to exhibit any of the range of colours, the colour being exhibited to change gradually with time such that the colour displayed is indicative of time; a global positioning device for identifying the latitudinal position of the clock, and means for shifting the colour displayed such that the colour is indicative of the time at the position of the clock.

Description

Clock

The present invention relates to a clock which may be implemented in any one of a number of different ways, such as in the form of a watch, or on a screen, for example the screen of a computer or television.

Existing clocks may be in the form of a watch which can be worn on the wrist, a clock which would normally be placed somewhere prominent so that the time may be seen quite easily, or on a television or computer screen where the time is indicated normally at the bottom or in a corner of a screen. Clocks are normally either analogue or digital. Analogue clocks indicate the time with hands which move round a clock face, whereas digital clocks display the time in the form of numbers. In the case of most clocks and watches, the hands are mechanically moved, whereas in most digital clocks and watches, the numbers are shown on a seven segment liquid crystal or light emitting diode display. On a screen, a clock can be shown in analogue form with an image of hands pointing to indicate the correct time, or in digital form.

According to the present invention, a clock comprises a time display arranged to display a range of colours; a means for causing the time display to exhibit any of the range of colours, the colour being exhibited to change gradually with time such that the colour displayed is indicative of time; a global positioning device for identifying the latitudinal position of the clock, and means for shifting the colour displayed such that the colour is indicative of the time at the position of the clock. The ability of the clock to display the correct colour for the time at its location has several useful advantages. It is a clock so that a user knows what time of day it is at that location. This could be useful for a traveller whilst away from home, and also during travel around the world. For example, during a flight from New York to London, the gradual change of colour will be accelerated during the flight in order to take account of the change in position of the clock. Not only does this allow the user of the clock to be more aware of the time at his immediate location, but it also helps such a user to acclimatise to the time change, thereby reducing the effects of jet lag, particularly if the clock is visible during a substantial part of the journey.

If the purpose of the clock is to be an accurate indicator of the chronological time at its location, it can include a time line database containing details of the positions of all time lines around the world, whereby the global positioning device identifies in which time zone the clock is located and the shifting means shifts the colour displayed by the time zone difference. Therefore, when a time line is crossed, the clock will jump by one hour. The displayed colour changes so that it is indicative of the time in that time zone. In this case, fast travel across a time zone will not be reflected in a faster or slower change to the colour displayed, only the normal gradual change that one would expect when stationary.

Alternatively, the shift in the colour displayed can change gradually with the longitudinal position whereby, during an aeroplane flight travelling east to west or west to east, the colour changes will accelerate or decelerate depending on which direction the clock is travelling in. In this case, the time displayed would not necessarily accurately reflect the time in that time zone. For example, in this case, two identical clocks located within the same time zone, but spaced apart would have slightly different colours at a particular moment in time.

According to one embodiment, the time display is an illumination unit, such as a lamp, arranged to display the range of colours. In this case, the means for causing the time displayed to exhibit any of the range of colours could include a light filter which changes over time to allow light in the colour range to be emitted from the illumination unit, or alternatively, the illumination unit could include multiple light sources of different colours, the intensity of which are controlled to cause the appropriate colour to be displayed. The illumination unit could illuminate some other object, such as a wall or a sculpture. According to an alternative embodiment, the time display is a clock face, and according to another embodiment, the time display is a display area of the computer, for example a lap top computer or hand held computer.

It is preferred that the display causing means is arranged to cycle through the entire range of colours every twelve or twenty four hours. It is most advantageous for the range of colours to be arranged to form an endless loop, so that one colour is displayed at the same time each day.

According to an alternative aspect of the invention, a clock comprises a first region across or along which there is a gradual change in visual characteristics; and a second region which has the visual characteristic of a point across or along the first region which is an alignment point; wherein the first and second regions are arranged to be gradually changeable to shift the visual characteristics relative to each other to move the position of the alignment point on the first region, whereby the time is indicated by the position of the alignment point. This allows the clock to indicate the time by the position of the alignment point. There might be a time scale indicated along either the second region or the first region against which the alignment point may be compared to read the time. Alternatively, if the time is arranged as a conventional analogue clock, in which twelve hours are indicated around the rim of the clock face, if the alignment point is at the top of the clock face, it will indicate 12 o'clock, whereas if the alignment point is at the bottom of the clock face, it will indicate 6 o'clock, and so on.

In the first preferred arrangement, the second region is arranged to gradually change in its visual characteristics so that it cycles through the entire range of characteristics every 12 or 24 hours or other suitable time period. The visual characteristics of the first region can be arranged to form an endless loop which is either fixed in position, or is arranged to shift its visual characteristics as well, so that each point across or along the region is arranged to cycle through the characteristics, say, once every 28 days or once every 365 days. The shift of the first region over 28 days or 365 days is in the opposite direction to its shift relative to the second region for time. This means that, for a oarticular time of dav, the visual characteristics will be different excetrt for everv 28 or 365 days. This change in characteristics day by day, by cycling through the range of visual characteristics every 28 days gives a lunar phase aspect to the display of the clock, and every 365 days gives an annual phase aspect to the display of the clock.

In a second preferred arrangement, the second region is arranged to have a substantially fixed visual characteristic, and the first region is arranged to gradually change in its visual characteristics over time so that it cycles through the entire range of characteristics every twelve or twenty-four hours, or other suitable time periods. The change in visual characteristics is a gradual shifting of the visual characteristics along the first region. Where, for example, the first region is longitudinal in orientation, the visual characteristics will gradually move along the region. Where the first region is arranged in a ring, the visual characteristics are arranged to move gradually around the ring.

In either the first or second preferred arrangements, the period of a cycle of the visual characteristics can be arranged to be any period that is desired. Usually, it is likely to be 24 hours, but could be eight hours, being a typical working day, 12 hours, 28 days, the lunar cycle, or 365 days, the length of one year.

Other cycles can be programmed into the clock such that the period can be adjusted to the task which the user of the clock is involved in. For example, if a person is travelling from London to New York, and the journey time is 6 hours, the clock can be arranged to cycle through the entire range of visual characteristics in that 6 hours.

It is also preferred that the clock includes a global positioning device and means for shifting the relative positions of the first region and the second region according to the global latitudinal position and to take account of the different time zones at different world latitudes. This can be used to automatically change the display to indicate the correct time in different latitudinal positions of the world. Therefore, when the user travels from London to New York, instead of cycling through the entire range of visual characteristics, the characteristics will shift gradually to take account of the user's position in the world, so that on arrival in New York, the correct time is shown. In view of the fact that this is linked to colour, the gradual change in colour can assist in the user coping with changes of time zone.

To aid the identification of the alignment point, it is very much preferred that the first region is arranged to have an edge along which the visual characteristic changes, and next to which the second region is arranged. Advantageously, the first region forms a ring within which the second region is located. This allows the clock to be displayed in a simple, easy to read manner.

According to one form of the invention, the clock includes a bevel, the bevel constituting the first region.

The gradually changing visual characteristics can be any one of a number of different characteristics, preferably colour hues. Alternatively, the characteristics could be grey shades.

Where colour hues are used as the visual characteristics, and this is very much preferred, it should be noted that changes in colour hue are often measured in degrees. It is preferred that the degree of change of colour hue correspond to the degree of change around the clock face. Therefore, if 24 hours are shown in one 360° circuit of the face of a clock, the colour hue will change by 1° for every 4 minutes, corresponding to a 1° movement around the clock face. Of course, if one 360° degree rotation corresponded to one 12 month period, a 1° change of colour hue will occur in just over 24 hours. Thus, if the colour hue at the alignment point changes for each degree of rotation around the clock face, 360 different colours will need to be displayed. A higher resolution can be obtained if more colours are able to be displayed.

It is also possible to arrange the clock as an icon or button for selection of computer software, or of a link to an Internet website.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a table showing the relationship between time and colour;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a clock;

Figure 3 shows a clock face according to the present invention in which midnight is shown; Figure 4 is a clock face according to the present invention in which midday is shown;

Figure 5 is a clock face according to the present invention in which 6 pm is shown;

Figure 6 is a clock face according to the present invention in which 6 am is shown;

Figure 7 is a linear clock face according to another embodiment; Figure 8 is the face according to Figure 7 showing noon;

Figure 9 is the face according to Figure 7 and 8 showing 6 pm; and

Figure 10 is the face according to Figures 7 to 9 showing midnight.

The present invention can be embodied in a number of different ways, but in all cases, the clock will include a time display. If the embodiment of the clock is an illumination unit such as a lamp, the time display will be an illumination device arranged to display a range of colours. If the clock is a computer, for example, a lap top computer or a hand held computer, the time display is the display screen of the computer which is able to display the range of colours. In any case, the range of colours can be displayed so as to change gradually with time such that the colour display is indicative of time. In the embodiments described, the range of colours are arranged in a colour cycle or loop.

This means that a particular colour will be associated with a particular time of day. To illustrate this, Figure 1 is a table showing the colour which is displayed at any particular time,, the colour being expressed in a degree of hue. The degree of hue of colour is expressed in degree form from 0° to 360°, and corresponds with the degree of colour hue in general use, for example by Photoshop, a graphics computer package made by

Adobe Systems Inc.

A first embodiment of the invention will be described with respect to a computer. The computer's screen may be of a lap top type computer, or of a hand held computer, or of a computer of any other size. Such a computer needs to have a colour screen, typically a liquid crystal screen. The screen, at any particular time of day, will display a colour according to the table in Figure 1. Therefore, at midday, the colour hue 0° will be displayed, whereas at 6.00pm the colour hue will be 270°. This colour can cover the whole screen, or can be the background colour, or the colour of an area of the screen. What is important is that it is visible to a user of the machine. Clearly, it is preferred that the colour occupies as large an area of the screen as is possible since this will give the user of the machine a greater feel as to what the time is.

Figure 2 shows a clock schematically, which can be embodied in any one of a number of forms, including the illumination unit, computer displays, watches and the like. A display 20 of the clock receives a colour driving signal in the form of red, green and blue colour signals from a colour splitter 21 which acts as the display driver. The colour splitter 21 is controlled by a chip 22 (indicated as the Chromo Chip) which identifies the time and controls the colour splitter 21 to display the colour from the colour table shown in Figure 1 corresponding to that time. Therefore, at 6.00am the colour display will exhibit 60° of hue.

In addition to the above, the clock includes a GPS chip 23 which forms part of a GPS device 24 in which the global position of the clock can be identified, and the position can be fed into a time zone database 26 which will identify in which time zone the clock is located. The time zone database is an optional part of this invention. The time zone database contains details of all of the time zone boundaries around the world so that it can identify in which time zone the clock is located. In this embodiment, where the time zone database is included, the time zone is fed into the Chromo chip 22 where the time is shifted to take account of the global position. The Chromo chip 22 makes the appropriate shift. For example, the Chromo chip 21 might operate on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) such that, if the user is located on the Greenwich meridian, the display 20 will display the appropriate colour for the time on the Greenwich meridian. If, however, the clock is located in New York, the GPS device 24 will identify this, and the time zone database 26 will indicate in which time zone New York is located so that the chip 22 will shift the colour being displayed accordingly, so that the colour display is that for the time five hours away from the colour that would be displayed at that moment on the Greenwich meridian. Where a time zone database 26 is used, the colour will be an accurate reflection of the local time. This means that, each time the clock crosses a boundary between time zones, the colour hue displayed will jump by 15°, corresponding to one hour. Of course, it might be undesirable to make sudden changes in what is displayed, and so the time zone database can be omitted, in which case, as the clock moves on an aeroplane East or West, the speed with which the colour changes will be accelerated or decelerated depending on which direction the clock is travelling. In this case, the colour which is displayed will not be an accurate representation of the local time (time zoned), but will be an accurate reflection of the time in terms of where the sun is in the sky. Therefore, two clocks both located within the same time zone, but separated from each other, for example one in London and one on the West coast of Ireland will display different colours since they are latitudinally displaced from one another. The chip 22 shifts the colour to take account of the different positions.

Finally, the process of global positioning followed by identifying the time and making any necessary time shifts, followed by generating the appropriate colour, will take place periodically, triggered by an automated timer 27. In this case, it is proposed that the timer will trigger the process every ten seconds.

One advantage of this system is that, the use of a device during a long distance flight allows a person to become accustomed to the change in time zones as a result of the accelerated or decelerated change in colours, thereby reducing the effects of jet lag. This effect is likely to be most effective where the colour is visible for as much of the flight duration as possible.

An alternative embodiment is shown in Figures 3 to 6. A clock 1 is shown indicating four different times. The clock includes a clock face 2 made up of a first region 3 in the form of an outer ring around the clock face 2, and a second region 4 which is a circular area of the clock face, the outer edge of which abuts or is positioned very close to the first region 3. Around the outside of the clock face are numbers 5 corresponding to the time. In this embodiment, a 24 hour clock is shown with all twenty-four hours shown around the clock face 2. Of course, the numbers 5 can be part of the clock face, or could be separate to it. Since all twenty-four hours are indicated in one 360° loon, not every hour is marked by a number, but every two hours. This is merely to prevent overcrowding of the clock face 2.

Although, in this embodiment, 24 hours are covered in a single cycle through the range of visual characteristics, different time periods are also possible. For example, the period of the cycle can be twelve hours which will allow the clock to be read in a similar manner to a conventional watch where midday and midnight are indicated at the top, and 6am and 6pm are shown at the bottom of the clock face 2. Alternatively, other time periods can be used. For example, the length of the cycle can be made to be the same as the lunar cycle, every 28 days. Another alternative is to make the period of the cycle 365 days in order to correspond with the length of a year. Shorter periods can also be shown. For example, the clock can be arranged such that the period of the cycle is 1 hour, or 8 hours corresponding to the length of the working day. The period can also be customised to particular activities, for example, if a user is to take part in an activity which will take a predetermined amount of time, such as an airline flight. In addition, of course, where an airline flight crosses time zones, the speed of change of the colour hues can be altered to take account of the changes of time zone. For example, if flying from New York to London, the colour hues will change more quickly to take account of the fact that the user is not only travelling for some hours, but is also crossing five time zone boundaries, effectively adding five hours to the time. Flying in the opposite direction, the change of colour hues will be slower than normal. Further aspects of this are discussed later on.

The visual characteristics of the first region 3 change gradually and continually around the clock face 2. The preferred visual characteristics are colour hues. Therefore, in this embodiment, at the mid day position (0°) the colour is red, as shown in Figure 2. At 3 pm (45°) the colour is pink; at 6 pm (90°) the colour is indigo, as shown in Figure 3; at 9 pm (135°) the colour is blue; at midnight (180°) the colour is aqua, as shown in Figure 1 ; at 3 am (225°), the colour is green; at 6 am (270°) the colour is orange, as shown in Figure 4; and at 9 am (315°) the colour is yellow. Between those colours, the visual characteristic gradually changes towards the next colour so that a smooth colour transition occurs. Every point around the first region is a different colour or has a different characteristic from every other point. The actual number of different colours shown are expected to be very great so that, for example, if the clock 1 is displayed on a computer screen, typically 16 million different colours are available for use, although rather fewer colours are likely used in practice. Colour hue can also be described as changing in degrees. The degrees of change of colour hue will correspond to the degrees around the clock face 2. Thus, where 24 hours are shown in one 360° revolution of the clock, each degree of the clock face corresponds to 4 minutes, and to 1° of change of colour hue. The colour hue can be arranged to change every 4 minutes where 360 different colours are available, or more frequently when more colours are available. In this embodiment, the first region 3 is fixed in its angular position, and always remains the same. However, other embodiments are discussed below where the first region may be shifted or altered over time.

The second region 4 which is located centrally of the first region 3, is an area of the clock face which at any particular time exhibits the visual characteristic of a part of the first region 3. For example, in Figure 3, the visual characteristic of the second region 4 is the same as that of the first region 3 at the position of midnight. During the day, the second region 4 changes its visual characteristic along the graded visual characteristics of the first region 3 such that it always matches the visual characteristic of the first region at a point, which is the alignment point 6. In the drawings, the alignment point 6 is indicated by an arrow. Thus, as the time passes midnight, the visual characteristic of the second region 4 gradually changes from aqua to green at 3 am to orange at 6 am, to yellow at 9 am, to red at noon, to pink at 3 pm, to indigo at 6 pm, to blue at 9 pm and back to aqua at midnight. As the visual characteristic of the second region 4 changes, the position of the alignment point moves clockwise around the clock face such that the time is indicated by the position of the alignment point relative to the numbers.

The colour of the second region 4 at a particular time of the day can be arranged to be linked to a person's mood at that time of the day, colour being closely linked to psychological mood, and mood being associated with the time of day. In addition, the position of the alignment point may be made more accurate by the use of a greater number of colours around the first region 3. Clearly, if the number of colours used around the first region were 32, one would be able to read the clock quite accurately. However, if the range of colours shown in the first region were 2048, the accuracy of the clock would be very much greater.

In the embodiment described above, the outer ring or first region 3 is indicated to be substantially fixed and the second region 4 changes colour to indicate the time by the position of the visual characteristic match between the second region 4 and the first region 3. However, the second region could remain the same all the time, with the first region 3 rotating such that the alignment point 6 moves by virtue of the rotational movement of the first region with respect to the second region. For some clocks, this will be preferred since a changing colour display may be difficult or expensive to manufacture in, for example, a watch.

The watch and clock embodiments could be arranged to be mechanical whereby a circular bevel, which forms the first region 3, is rotated against a second region of a fixed colour.

A further feature which can be included in the above embodiments allows the combination of more than one time to be displayed. For example, the lunar cycle can be used to alter the operation of the clock. Whilst in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, the first region 3 is fixed, and the second region 4 changes over 24 hours in its visual characteristics, if the lunar cycle is also to be used, the first region 3 can be arranged to rotate counter-clockwise over a period of 28 days, the period of a lunar cycle. This means that the visual characteristic or colour shown in the second region at a particular time will be different each day. For example, on a full moon, the colour shown at midnight might be aqua, but a few days later will be green and so on until the next full moon in which the colour shown at midnight would again be aqua. The alignment point 6 at the same time each day during that phase would be in the same position, or would correspond to the same number around the edge of clock face 2.

Other phases such as solar phases and individual biorhythms could be used in the place of the lunar cycles. In addition, another particularly useful feature is a global positioning device for identifying the latitude of the clock. On the basis of the global latitude, the visual characteristics of the first region are rotated in order to ensure that the correct time and visual characteristic is shown according to the latitudinal location of the device in the world. This can be incorporated with the arrangement described above, where the colour hues change faster or slower than normal, depending on direction of travel, or can just be arranged to change the indicated time.

The arrangement of the features of the clock can be arranged differently. For example, in the first embodiment, the outer ring, which is the first region, is filled by the second region 4. That second region 4, rather than being a complete circle, could be a ring having a particular visual characteristic which is located on the inside of the first region. In an alternative embodiment, the ring of the second region 4 could be located outside the first region 3. Further, in another embodiment, the first region 3 can be arranged to be linear rather than circular. The second region 4 would be arranged adjacent to the first region so that the alignment point 6 moves linearly over time rather than in a circle. The numbers 5 can be arranged along the linear first region. Of course, other shapes of first region could be used.

In addition, the clock can be produced in several forms. The clock can be constructed so as to be worn as a wrist watch, or so as to be placed in a prominent position in a room, such as hanging on a wall. A suitable clock face is required for indicating the time which is able to display the required colours. In practice, this might need to be carried out on some form of screen, such as a liquid crystal or cathode ray screen. Liquid crystal screens are now available which would be suitable for use in a watch. Alternatively, the clock could be placed on the screen of a personal organiser, laptop computer or other computer screen. The clock can be arranged to be visible throughout the use of such machines, and would be a very pleasing way of indicating the time. In that case, the creation of the clock face on screen would be software driven. Referring now to Figures 7 to 10, a time line 10 is shown which is linear. The left-hand end of the time line corresponds to midnight or 1 am. The time line includes a longitudinal first region 11 which changes in visual characteristics along its length. Adjacent the first region 11 is a second region 12 which has a particular visual characteristic from the visual characteristics of the first region 11. The point 13 at which the two regions 11, 12 exhibit the same visual characteristic indicates the time of day. The visual characteristics of one or both of the regions changes over time, such that the alignment point moves over time. The second region 12 can change in visual characteristic over time so that the alignment point 13 moves with time, and the visual characteristics of the first region 11 can move along the line 10, thereby moving the position of the alignment point 13 relative to the second region 12.

With reference to Figure 7, at 6 am, the visual characteristic of the second region is the same as the first region at the point at which the alignment point 13 is indicated, where 6 am is indicated by a time index or marking along the bottom of the time line 10. Over the following few hours, the visual characteristic of the second region gradually changes over time until, at noon, the visual characteristic is the same as the visual characteristic of the first region at the position indicated by the number 12, which forms the alignment point 13 in Figure 8. In the time between 6 am and noon, the visual characteristic of the second region 12 changes following the changes in visual characteristics along the first region from the position at 6 am to the position at noon. During the day, the visual characteristic of the second region will continue to change until, at 6 pm, as shown in Figure 9, the visual characteristic is the same as the visual characteristic adjacent the 6 pm mark, the alignment point 13. In Figure 10, midnight is shown, in which case the visual characteristic of the second region has moved to being the same as that of the first region at the point indicated by midnight, and the alignment point is indicated by arrow 13. After that time, the alignment point will return to the left hand side of the linear time line and work its way along to the right.

Of course, some of the other enhancements which are referred to with respect to the embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 6 apply equally well to this embodiment. Therefore, different time periods can be shown along the time line, and other aspects such as the movement of the visual characteristics along the second region are possible in line with what has been disclosed in relation to the embodiments of Figures 3 to 6.

According to another embodiment of the invention (not shown), a time display can be made which gradually changes its visual characteristic over time, but which does not include a second region against which an alignment point is created. In this case, the time of day would be indicated by the visual characteristic of colour hue, and the time display might be a lamp for lighting a room or part of a room with the colour which is indicative of the time of day. That lamp could be a wall mounted, table mounted or floor standing lamp unit with a light source able to display the required colours of the visual characteristics. The display could be a colour computer screen which changes in background colour over time. It will require a colour controller which causes the displayed colour to change, and which effectively stores the colour hues which are cycled through. The use of a GPS device as explained in earlier embodiments is also envisaged.

One other important aspect of the second embodiment of this invention is that, when the clock is shown on a screen, it may also be used to select the operation of a piece of software or to operate as a link to a web site. Thus, the clock may cover a small area of the screen, perhaps in a corner. By moving a pointer to the clock, it can be clicked so as to select that clock. The clock, therefore, forms an icon whereby embedded controls select software, or cause software such as Internet Explorer to be opened, prompting access to the Internet, and selecting a particular web site on the Internet. In addition, each of the colours of visual characteristics of the clock can relate to different pieces of software, or to different web pages. The visual characteristics selected can be appropriate to the matter being selected. This is particularly useful where the clock is displayed on a computer, or even on an interactive television.

Claims

1. A clock comprising: a time display arranged to display a range of colours; a means for causing the time display to exhibit any of the range of colours, the colour being exhibited to change gradually with time such that the colour displayed is indicative of time; a global positioning device for identifying the latitudinal position of the clock, and means for shifting the colour displayed such that the colour is indicative of the time at the position of the clock.

2. A clock according to claim 1, further comprising a timeline database containing details of the positions of all time lines of the world whereby the global positioning device identifies in which time zone the clock is located, and the shifting means shifts the colour displayed by the time zone difference.

3. A clock according to claim 1, wherein the shift in the colour displayed changes gradually with longitudinal position.

4. A clock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the time display is an illumination unit arranged to display the range of colours.

5. A clock according to claim 4, wherein the illumination device is a lamp.

6. A clock according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the means for causing the time display to exhibit any of the range of colours includes a light filter which changes over time to allow light in the colour range to be emitted from the illumination unit.

7. A clock according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the illumination unit includes the means for causing the time display to exhibit any of the range of colours, which includes multiple light sources of different colours, the intensity of which are controlled to cause the appropriate colour to be displayed.

8. A clock according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the time display is a clock face.

9. A clock according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the time display is a display area of a computer.

10. A clock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the display causing means is arranged to cycle through the entire range of colours every twelve or twenty-four hours.

11. A clock according to claim 10, wherein the range of colours is arranged to form an endless loop.