GB2243707A

GB2243707A - Easy read digit display calculator

Info

Publication number: GB2243707A
Application number: GB9006494A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roland Loue
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-03-22
Filing date: 1990-03-22
Publication date: 1991-11-06
Also published as: GB9006494D0

Abstract

A digital display (R1) having numerical display screen (1) and also a secondary display screen (2) consisting of a plurality of individual display arrangements one being T-shaped and another square (3). The T-shaped display is arranged to be illuminated below the first digit reading Thousands when counting from the decimal point. The square displays illustrate either an M against the first digit reading Millions or B against the first digit reading Billions, both counting from the decimal point. The displays are preferably Liquid Crystal Displays. A switch can be provided to change the displays from Western to Oriental numerical display systems. <IMAGE>

Description

DIGIT DISPLAY EASY READ CALCULATES2 This invention relates to a digital display for an easy to read calculator.

Because of the continual need for improvement and the rapid growth in industry and commerce, a more technologicaladvanced society has emerged. In this society, no matter it is for the application of industry and commerce or that of the technology research, there is a long chain of numbers.

For the calculation of those numbers in the early times, our ancestors were used to paper work and till now, the paper work has been evolved to abacus or calculators. There has been many evolutions, particularly after the invention of computer, man has developed an inertia to be too relied on computers and has stopped using their own brain resulted in miscalculation and wasting time to check the calculation.

Why did it happen? It is because modern man used to use traditional calculator (as shown in figure 1) to do the calculation which contains bigger numbers or more complex numbers. This kind of calculator perhaps will provide an accuracy when doing calculation with less digits. When it is a four or five digits calculation, user can still justify the number by consciousness (as shown in figure 2), but to those which contain over five digits, there will be man made mistake, and one has to count from the first digit.

(Generally speaking, a digit calculator can'handle a number up to ninety-nine million, and a 12-digit calculator can handle number up to ninety-nine billions.) For example, there is an amount of two billions five hundred and thirty thousand and eight only, and you have to do an addition or a subtraction with it, and you key it in a traditional calculator (as shown in figure 3), can anybody be certain that the key-in number is correct without error at the same moment? No one dares saying yes, and one has to check it by counting from the first digit. It is thus a waste of time.

And certainly he will discover after checking that there is an excessive zero and the correct number is to be the one that shown in figure 4. Although it is just a zero, for the amount, there is a difference of eighteen billions. And, after calculation, the result turns out to be which that shown in figure 5 on the display board, can you tell.the size of the number at the first sight? Of course, after counting from the first digit, one can tell that the number is fiftyfour billion, three hundred and twenty-one million, nine hundred and eight-seven thousand, six hundred and fifty four; if not, one can only know that it is a chain of numbers and cannot be certain the size of it.If we use the retroinferential method as shown on the above, it is a waste of time, some people will suggest to use a calculator with apostrophe E') function so that read out the number more easily. In reality, it is a little bit exaggerated. Despite those who has taken commerce or accounting courses, and those who has done the related work, whosoever cares about those apostrophes. Many people just know that the first apostrophe represents the thousand-digit, the second the million-digit, and the third, who knows. Thus, one has to count the number of apostrophes, then to make sure the digit those apostrophes referring to, and at last, one can finally read out the size of that long chain of numbers. It is not only a waste of time, but also will there be errors when reading it.

Particularly, most of the traditional 8-digit calculator do not contain this function. For the traditional 12-digit calculator, even they do have this function, it is not suitable for oriental society, for the method of marking the ('] is derived from western culture that they are familiar with the 3-digit-unit reading of numbers while orientals used to read numbers by four digits a time. Although many improvements have been made for the structure and function of traditional calculators, since there is not an effective effort made to display digits in a special way, it will be dropped off when the mode passed.

From the above mentioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure for a calculator which contains an easy read digit display function through such a sophisticated structure users can read out numbers of any size with ease.

A second object of the invention is to elidnate man made mistake while keying in calculators so as to fully demonstrate the accuracy of calculators.

Furthermore, by the function control selector, one can select a three-digit-unit reading or four-digit-unit reading to meet different demands for westerners or orientals.

Summary of the invention:

The structure of an easy read digit display calculator is to improve the display function of the traditional cal culators by displaying the digit that refers to the size of a number permitting users to read out the size of the number reflectively or to check the accuracy of the key in number avoiding man made error cased by a long chain of numbers and to maintain security for key in numbers of big size to attain the goal of rapid and accuracy of calculators as well as to complete the full function of calculators.

Description of the Drawings: Figure 1 is a 3-dimension sketch of the traditional calculator.

Figure 2 is display example 1 of the traditional calculator.

Figure 3 is display example 2 of the traditional calculator.

Figure 4 is display example 3 of the traditional calculator.

Figure 5 traditional calculator with E') display.

Figure 6 3-dimension sketch of the invention.

Figure 7 example 1 of digit display of the invention.

Figure 8 example 2 of digit display of the invention.

Figure 9 example 3 of digit display of the invention.

Figure 10 example 4 of digit display of the invention.

Figure 11 example 5 of digit display of the invention.

Figure 12 example 6 of digit display of the invention.

Figure 13 example 7 of digit display of the invention.

Description of the preferred Embodiment: The invention is an easy to read calculator (R) as shown in figure 6. It is to equip at the bottom of the liquid crystal display (LCD) (1) of the display screen (R1) of the calculator a T-shape LCD variant display screen (2) and a rectangular LGD number display screen (3). It can be controlled by the signal from the calculator and the variant codes T "M" and B will be displayed on the T-shape LCD at the bottom of the LCD (1). On the body (R), there is a selector (4) (i.e.

a switch) which can select the 3-digit-unit display (by switching the selector (4) to W (west) position) or the 4digit-unit display (by switching the selector (4) to E (east) position). When the selector (4) is at W position, the variant code T represents the thousand-digit -- the initial of THOUSAND in English, M represents the million- digit -- the initial of MILLION in English, and B represents the billion-digit -- the initial of BILLION in English.

When the selector (4) is at E position, the variant "T" stands for the ten thousand-digit (meets the oriental culture), "M" stands for the hundred million-digit, and since the largest capacity of a 12-digit calculator is only up to hundred billion, we simply use two variants "T and "M" in the 4-digit-unit display. And there are four locations for the variants in the 3-digit-unit display: 1. When a number before a decimal point is less than a 4-digit number, no variant will display as shown in figure 7.

2. When a number before a decimal point is equal to or greater than a 4-digit number but less than a 7-digit number, the variant T" will display under the 4th digit at the bottom of the LCD (1) to demonstrate the thousand digit as shown in figure 8.

3. When a number before a decimal point is equal to or greater than a 4-digit number but less than or equal to an 8-digit number, the variant T will display under the 4th digit at the bottom of the LCD (1) to demonstrate the thousand-digit and "M under the 7th digit for million digit as shown in figure 9.

4. When a number before a decimal point is equal to or greater than a 4-digit number but less than or equal to a 12-digit number, the variant "T will display under the 4th digit at the bottom of the LCD (1) to demonstrate the thousand-digit and "H" under the 7th digit for million digit, and "B" under the 10th digit for hundred billion as shown in figure 10.

And the 4-digit-unit display will have the following three situations: 1. When a number before a decimal point is less than a 5-digit number, no variant will display.

2. When a number before a decimal point is equal to or greater than a 5-digit number but less than a 9-digit number, the variant "T" will display under the 5th digit at the bottom of the LCD (1) to demonstrate the ten thousand-digit as shown in figure 11.

3. When a number before a decimal point is equal to or greater than a 5-digit number but less than or equal to a 12-digit number, the variant "T" will display under the 5th digit at the bottom of the LCD (1) to demonstrate the ten thousand-digit and M for the hundred million-digit as shown in figure 12.

The entire structure and design of the invention is to let users read out numbers from the display screen (R1) directly and clearly so as to attain the goal of correctness, accuracy and time saving. For example, a number as shown in figure 13, being processed by the invention, users can clearly see that the number is five billion and three thousand, and there is no more counting from the first digit or justifying those t'] marks. It saves you time and earns you accuracy.

Whilst the secondary LCD display containing the square or T units are described as located below the LCD number display, the square and T units can be located above the LCD display. Moreover, the invention is applicable to Western only calculators or Oriental only calculators.

Therefore the invention provides a structure for an easy read digit display calculator comprising a T-shape LCD variant display screen and a rectangular LCD number display screen under the LCD number display screen of the main body activated by the signal from the main body to demonstrate the variant codes "T", "M" and "B" matched with a selector for the selection of either the three7digit-unit or the four-digit-unit displays to satisfy the habits for demonstrating numbers in the Western and Oriental cultures is the feature of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A digital display for a calculator comprising a numerical display screen for displaying numbers thereon, and secondary display screens located above or below the numerical display screen so that when a number appears on the numerical display screen one or more of the secondary display screens are illuminated to read with a T, M or B to indicate for the displayed number the location of the first thousand digit T, million digit M, or billion digit B fran the decimal point even if not itself displayed.

2. A digital display as clained in claim 1, wherein the secondary display for the T read out is T-shaped.

3. A digital display as claimed in claim 1 or 2; wherein the secondary display for the M or B read out is square shaped.

4. A digital display as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second display screens are Liquid Crystal Displays.

5. A calculator including a digital display for a calculator comprising a numerical display screen for displaying numbers thereon, and secondary display screens located above or below the numerical display screen so that when a number appears on the numerical display screen one or 3ore of the secondary display screens are illuminated to read with a T, M or B to indicate for the displayed number the location of the first thousand digit T, million digit M, or billion digit B fran the decimal point even if not itself displayed.

6. A digital display substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 13 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A calculator substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 13 of the accompanying drawings.