Wireless programmable digital chess clock

Abstract

A wireless programmable digital chess clock having to a housing, a display mounted in the housing and operatively arranged to display time associated with a first player's clock and operatively arranged to display time associated with a second player's clock, a first switch mounted in the housing and operatively arranged to stop the first player's clock and start the second player's clock when activated; a second switch mounted in the housing and operatively arranged to stop the second player's clock and start the first player's clock when activated, a microcontroller operatively arranged to set and control the first and second players' clocks, and, a near field communication module, in communication with microcontroller, and operatively arranged to receive signals from an external transmitting device, where the signals are used to set the time on the first and second players' clocks.

Claims

1. A combination programmable digital chess clock and software, comprising: a programmable digital chess clock operatively arranged to receive near-field communication signals, said signals containing information necessary to initially set a first player clock display and a second player clock display on said programmable digital chess clock, thereby displaying a first time allocated to said first player on said first display to play a game of chess and a second time allocated to said second player on said second display to play said game of chess, wherein said information also includes information necessary for setting said first player clock display and said second player clock display for a plurality of time periods for said game of chess, wherein said programmable digital chess clock is adapted to communicate with a mobile device running software, said software stored on said mobile device, said mobile device having a touch screen, said software causing said mobile device to display an icon, which, when touched, causes a processor of said mobile device to: display a first player field and a second player field on said mobile device, said first player field display corresponding to said first player clock display and said second player field display corresponding to said second player clock display; populate said first time in said first player field and said second time in said second player field upon an input to said mobile device, said input comprising said touch screen of said mobile device, said touch screen operatively arranged to detect touch from a user, wherein said time corresponds to at least one of said plurality of time periods for said game of chess; and, transmit said information via said near-field communication signals from said mobile device to said programmable chess clock upon placing said mobile device within two inches of said programmable chess clock to set said first player clock display with said first time on said first player field display and to set said second player clock display with said second time on said second player field display.

2. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 1, wherein said time comprises hours, minutes, and seconds.

3. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 1 further comprising: a microcontroller operatively arranged to set and control said first and second player clock displays; a first switch in communication with said microcontroller and said first player clock display; a second switch in communication with said microcontroller and said second player clock display; and, a third switch in communication with said microcontroller, wherein said time on each of said player clock displays may be set by physically actuating said switches.

4. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 3, wherein said first, second, and third switch comprise at least one of: a push button; a touch sensor; and, a combination thereof.

5. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 1, wherein said information further comprises one or more of: a time delay or a time increment.

6. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 5, wherein said time delay is selected from the group consisting of: Simple; Fischer; and, Bronstein.

7. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 5, wherein said time delay is in seconds.

8. The combination programmable digital chess clock and software recited in claim 5, wherein said time increment is in seconds.

9. A combination programmable digital chess clock and software, comprising: a programmable digital chess clock operatively arranged to receive near-field communication signals, said signals containing information necessary to initially set a first player clock display and a second player clock display on said programmable digital chess clock, thereby displaying a first time allocated to said first player on said first display to play a game of chess and a second time allocated to said second player on said second display to play said game of chess, wherein said information also includes information necessary for setting said first player clock display and said second player clock display for a plurality of time periods for said game of chess; and, a mobile device operatively arranged to run software, said software stored on said mobile device, said mobile device having a touch screen, said software causing said mobile device to display an icon, which, when touched, causes a processor of said mobile device to: display a first player field and a second player field on said mobile device, said first player field display corresponding to said first player clock display and said second player field display corresponding to said second player clock display; populate said first time in said first player field and said second time in said second player field upon an input to said mobile device, said input comprising said touch screen of said mobile device, said touch screen operatively arranged to detect touch from a user, wherein said time corresponds to at least one of said plurality of time periods for said game of chess; and, transmit said information via said near-field communication signals from said mobile device to said programmable chess clock upon placing said mobile device within two inches of said programmable chess clock to set said first player clock display with said first time on said first player field display and to set said second player clock display with said second time on said second player field display.

10. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 9, wherein said time comprises hours, minutes, and seconds.

11. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 9 further comprising: a microcontroller operatively arranged to set and control said first and second player clock displays; a first switch in communication with said microcontroller and said first player clock display; a second switch in communication with said microcontroller and said second player clock display; and, a third switch in communication with said microcontroller, wherein said time on each of said player clock displays may be set by physically actuating said switches.

12. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 11, wherein said first, second, and third switch comprise at least one of: a push button; a touch sensor; and, a combination thereof.

13. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 9, wherein said information further comprises one or more of: a time delay or a time increment.

14. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 13, wherein said time delay is selected from the group consisting of: Simple; Fischer; and, Bronstein.

15. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 13, wherein said time delay is in seconds.

16. The combination programmable digital chess clock and mobile device recited in claim 13, wherein said time increment is in seconds.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Various embodiments are disclosed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first type of typical prior art digital chess clock;

(3) FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a second type of a typical prior art digital chess clock;

(4) FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the housing of the prior art chess clock shown in FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wireless programmable chess clock of the present invention, shown in close proximity to a mobile device used to wirelessly program and set the clock;

(6) FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of two chess players playing a game of chess using the wireless programmable chess clock of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the wireless programmable chess clock of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 7 is a front view of the wireless programmable chess clock shown in FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 is a top view of the clock shown in FIG. 6;

(10) FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the clock shown in FIG. 6;

(11) FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the clock shown in FIG. 6;

(12) FIGS. 11-15 illustrate the schematic diagram of the present invention;

(13) FIG. 16 is a view of a first screen on a mobile device application used to program and set the clock of the present invention;

(14) FIG. 17 is a view of a second screen on a mobile device application used to program and set the clock of the present invention; and,

(15) FIG. 18 is a view of the mobile device of the invention being held in close proximity to the clock of the invention to set the clock.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(16) At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects.

(17) Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

(18) Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments. The assembly of the present disclosure could be driven by hydraulics, electronics, and/or pneumatics.

(19) It should be appreciated that the term substantially is synonymous with terms such as nearly, very nearly, about, approximately, around, bordering on, close to, essentially, in the neighborhood of, in the vicinity of, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term proximate is synonymous with terms such as nearby, close, adjacent, neighboring, immediate, adjoining, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. The term approximately is intended to mean values within ten percent of the specified value.

(20) Moreover, as used herein, and/or is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element.

(21) The term time control as used in the present disclosure is intended to mean the format and rules which define the time allowed to play a particular game of chess. For example, each player must make a certain number of moves, all moves, or all remaining moves in an allotted period of time, theses factors being specified in advance to the players by a tournament director. In a non-sudden death time control, if both players complete the required moves in the allotted time, a new period begins. Each such time period is called a time control. Time controls appear in tournament publicity as number of moves (#), slash (/), time in minutes: #/mm. For instance, if each player must make 40 moves in 1 hours, this is abbreviated 40/90. In a sudden death time control, the designation SD is used. For example, 40/120 SD/60 indicates that 40 moves must be made by each player in two hours (120 minutes) followed by the rest of the moves in the game in one hour (60 minutes). If the time control indicates a delay (pause) time, the abbreviation d/# is used, where # is the delay time in seconds. For example, d/5 indicates a time delay of 5 seconds, which means that the clock display will pause for 5 seconds before starting to decrement. If the time control indicates an incremental (added) time, the abbreviation inc/# (or +#) is used, where the added time # is the incremental time in seconds. For example, inc/30 or +30 indicates an incremental time of 30 seconds, which means that 30 seconds will be added to a player's clock at the conclusion of a move, once the player touches her sensor button.

(22) The terms wireless communication and wireless signal as used in the present disclosure are intended to mean telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path. The term is intended to include, but not be limited to, near field communication, Bluetooth communication, and communication over a WiFi network.

(23) The term touch sensor as used in the present disclosure is intended to mean a type of equipment that captures and records physical touch of a device and/or object. It enables a device or object to detect touch, typically by a human user or operator. It is intended to include capacitive switches.

(24) The term mobile device as used in the present disclosure is intended to mean a portable computing device such as a smartphone or tablet computer.

(25) Adverting now to the Figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a typical prior art digital chess clock. This particular clock, made by Chronos, comprises a housing 10, a first player clock display 20 and a second player clock display 30 mounted in the housing, a first player touch sensor 40 and a second player touch sensor 50 mounted in the housing, a first player LED indicator 60 and a second player LED indicator 70 mounted in the housing, and a central power switch 80. An indicator is lit to indicate that that player is on move, i.e., that player's clock is ticking down. To minimize the expense of hardware in the clock, the clock is set using various combinations of touches of the two player buttons and the central power switch (button). For example, to turn this clock on you press the center button, and to turn it off you press and hold the center button, then press either the first player sensor or the second player sensor five times. Other complex keystrokes for setting various functions of this clock are detailed in its instruction manual, available at this website: http://s3.chesshouse.com/manuals/clocks/ChronosManual.pdf.

(26) FIG. 2 illustrates a second prior art clock, made by Garde. Similar to the clock shown in FIG. 1, this prior art clock has a housing 11, a first player clock display 21, a second player clock display 31, a first player switch (button) 41 and a second player switch (button) 51. Unlike the Chronos clock shown in FIG. 1, this clock doesn't have a power button atop the housing. Rather, the power (on/off) button is located in a recess in the base of the clock, shown in FIG. 3. As seen in the figure, various electrical switches/buttons are located in the base of the clock, including on/off switch 81, ENTER button 82, minus button 83, plus button 84, and sound button 85. The ENTER and plus/minus buttons are used to both select the program the user intends to program the clock to use during a game, and to set the clocks. Like the Chronos clock, the Garde prior art clock requires a complex set of button pushes (using the ENTER and plus/minus buttons) to step through a number of different available pre-configured time controls available with the clock. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the user has programmed the clock to follow preset program P04, and set both clocks to 30 minutes each with no time delay. Other complex keystrokes for setting various functions of this clock are detailed in its instruction manual, available at this website: http://www.chesspraga.cz/download/manualy/garde-manual.pdf.

(27) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of wireless programmable digital chess clock 100 of the present invention, shown in close proximity to mobile device 150, which mobile device contains a software application operatively arranged to wirelessly transmit signals to the clock to set it. Device 150 includes icon 151 which is used to access and start the software application. In this drawing mobile device 150 is shown to comprise a smartphone, although the device could take other forms, such as a tablet computer, such as an iPad device, or a laptop, for example. In operation, as will be described infra, a user uses the software application on the mobile device to select the time settings desired on clock 100. Once the settings have been made on the mobile device, the user brings the mobile device close to the clock itself. Once the mobile device is close enough to the clock, a transmitter from the mobile device sends a signal to the clock to set the clock. This is best illustrated in FIG. 18, where hand 140 of a user is shown holding mobile device 150 in close proximity to clock 100, and wireless signals 145 are being transmitted from the mobile device to the clock to set the clock.

(28) FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of two chess players playing a game of chess using wireless programmable chess clock 100. The players are playing a game of chess on chess board 152 which is arranged and resting on table 153. First player 154 is playing with the white chess pieces (not numbered), and second player 155 is playing with the black chess pieces (not numbered). First player 154 is shown to have 32 minutes and 44 seconds remaining on his clock, and second player 155 is shown to have 37 minutes and 23 seconds left on his clock. First player 154's clock display is frozen in the drawing, whereas second player 155's clock display is counting down since player 155 is on move. Since second player 155 has just made a move, he is shown reaching for the switch/button on his side of the clock. Depressing his button will stop his clock and start his opponent's clock.

(29) The wireless programmable digital chess clock of the present invention is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 6. Clock 100 is encased in a housing which includes top housing member 109, display housing member 118 (shown in FIG. 10), sensor electronic board 119 (shown in FIG. 10), and base housing member 120 (shown in FIG. 10). The clock is shown to comprise display 102 which includes first player clock display 103 and second player clock display 104. These displays are programmed to show the time remaining in a chess game. As shown in this view, both clocks have been set for 5 minutes and zero seconds, a typical setting for a game of Blitz chess. The displays are visible through a rectangular aperture in front surface 110 of the housing. Top housing member 109 includes top surface 101. First player touch sensor 105 is mounted through an aperture in surface 101, as is second player sensor 106. Similarly first player LED indicator 107 is mounted through an aperture in surface 101, as is second player LED indicator 108. In operation, when the first player is on move, his clock display will be decrementing and his LED 107 will be lit. This permits spectators to know that he is on the move. Once the first player makes his move on the chessboard, he touches his sensor 105, which simultaneously stops his clock, turns off his LED 107, starts his opponent's clock, and lights second player LED indicator 108. Similarly, when the second player is on move, his clock display will be decrementing and his LED 108 will be lit. Once he completes his move on the chessboard, he touches his sensor 106 which simultaneously stops his clock, turns off his LED 108, starts his opponent's clock and lights first player LED indicator 107. This process continues until the game ends, either by checkmate, stalemate, or draw, or until one of the two players runs out of time. Should a player run out of time, his display will read 0:00 and his opponent's display will freeze with whatever time he has remaining. These are standard operations of all chess clocks and are well known in the art.

(30) FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of clock 100.

(31) FIG. 8 is a top view of clock 100.

(32) FIG. 9 is a bottom view of clock 100. This view shows battery compartment 116, speaker 117, and first base foot 112, second base foot 113, third base foot 114, and fourth base foot 115. These base feet are preferably comprises of rubber or a similar material to provide frictional stability between the clock and the surface it is set upon during game play. The speaker may be optionally turned on or off to sound an alarm when a player has run out of time.

(33) FIGS. 11-15 illustrate the electronic schematic of the invention. FIG. 11 illustrates the circuit associated with the near field communication module 160. The circuit includes chip 161 (Model NT3H2111), which is an NFC (near field communication) tag, manufactured by NXP, B. V. The data sheet which completely describes this module and how to program it is found here: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/NT3H2111_2211.pdf. This module enables two-way wireless near field communication between mobile device 150 and clock 100. The communication occurs automatically when the mobile device is brought close in proximity to the clock. The distance between the clock and mobile device required for communication is variable and depends upon the tuning of the communication module. In a preferred embodiment, the module is tuned such that communication occurs when the module is approximately 1 away from the clock. In operation, the user programs a software application on the mobile device, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 and described infra, and this information is transmitted wirelessly to module 160 which, in turn, communicates this information to microcontroller 200, also described infra. Once the mobile device is brought close to the clock, the display on the clock will show the programmed time for the game.

(34) Chip 16 is connected to antenna ANT, capacitor C.sub.1, resistors R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3. The chip is powered by a 3V direct current supply. In addition to receiving information for setting the clock from the mobile device, the NFC module is also operatively arranged to transmit data about a chess game being played, or just played, back to the mobile device. For example, in analyzing a chess game that has been played, a player and her coach may find it useful to know how much time a player spent on each move in the game. It should be appreciated that the NT3H2111 chip has an onboard memory to store the elapsed time information (time for each move) for the clock. The memory is cleared whenever the clock is turned off. To extract the clock information from the clock, the user/player would bring his mobile device close to the clock, and the time for each move would be transmitted to his mobile device.

(35) Adverting now to FIG. 12, voltage regulator 170 is illustrated. The clock of the invention operates generally on a supply voltage of 4.5 VDC. This is achieved by three AA cell batteries, arranged in series. Voltage regulator 170 comprises chip 171 (Model TC1185), manufactured by Microchip Technology Inc., which is a CMOS Low Dropout Regulator (LDO) with Shutdown and Reference Bypass chip. In operation, this circuit converts the 4.5 VDC into the operating voltage of 3.0 VDC necessary to run the circuit. The datasheet for this chip is found here: http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/21335e.pdf.

(36) With reference to FIG. 13, timing circuit 180 is shown. The circuit includes quartz crystal oscillator Q.sub.1, 32.768 KHz, chip 181 (Model MCP7940) manufactured by Micochip Technology, Inc., as well as capacitors C.sub.2 and C.sub.3 and resistors R.sub.4, R.sub.5 and R.sub.6. This circuit provides the timing for the clock displays in the clock. The datasheet for this chip is found here: http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/20005010F.pdf.

(37) Adverting now to FIG. 14, battery monitor 190 is illustrated. The clock of the invention operates generally on a supply voltage of 4.5 VDC. This is achieved by three AA cell batteries, arranged in series. Circuit 190 comprises chip TLV803, manufactured by Texas Instruments, which is a 3-PIN Voltage Supervisor with Active-Low, Open-Drain Reset chip. In operation, this circuit monitors the battery voltage. When the voltage of the three batteries in series drops below 2.64 volts, a signal is sent to the microcontroller and, in turn, to the LCD display, to inform the user that it is time to change the batteries. The RESET pin connects to the microcontroller. If the signal on this pin is high, the voltage level is satisfactory; if the signal is low (below a threshold level), the voltage level is unsatisfactory and a warning message will be sent to the display by the microcontroller. Once the warning level is reached, the players probably will enjoy about 10-20 hours of additional play. The datasheet for this chip can be found here: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tlv803.pdf.

(38) Microcontroller 200 is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. From a top view, the left side of the microcontroller, and its associated pins, is shown in FIG. 14, and the right side of the microcontroller, and its associated pins, is shown in FIG. 15. Although the pins and their functions are largely self-explanatory to a person having ordinary skill in the art of designing and programming circuits using microcontrollers, a brief description of some of the functions follows. In the circuit shown, in a preferred embodiment, the microcontroller is model MCP7940, manufactured by Microchip Technology Inc. This is a real-time clock/calendar, operatively arranged when programmed to track time using internal counters for hours, minutes, seconds, days, months, years, and day of the week, although not all these functions are used for timing a chess game. The datasheet for this microcontroller can be found here: http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/20005010F.pdf.

(39) Adverting to FIG. 14, which shows the pins on the left side of the microcontroller chip, it is seen that pins 10, 26, 38 and 57 are connected to the 3 volt supply. Pin 24 is connected to left (first player) touch sensor 105, and pin 21 is connected to right (second player) touch sensor 106. Pins 23, 27, 58, 55, 54, 52, 51, 50, 49 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 are all connected to LCD display 102. Pins 44 and 43 are connected to near field communication chip 161. Pins 40, 39 and 48 are connected to real-time clock/calendar chip 181.

(40) Adverting to FIG. 15, which shows the pins on the right side of the microcontroller chip, it is seen that pins 9, 25, 41 and 56 are connected to ground; and pins 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 62, 63 and 64 are connected to the LCD display. Pins 29 and 30 are tied to light emitting diodes LED.sub.2 and LED.sub.1, respectively, which, as described above, indicate which player is on move. The respective LED is active (lit) when a player's clock is running/decrementing. This allows both the players and the tournament director and spectators to see at a glance which player is on move. Finally, LS1 is a piezoelectric beeper which makes a short sound to alert the players that one of the players is out of time. This beeper is physically located beneath speaker 117.

(41) To set the time on the clock, a user would touch software application icon 151 on mobile device 150, as shown on FIG. 4, which launches a software application to set the clock. A user has the option to set the time for a casual or single time control game of chess, a rated chess tournament game, or a game of Scrabble. Adverting now to FIG. 16, to make her selection, a user would tap chess icon 159, chess tournament icon 162, or Scrabble icon 163. The screen will highlight the selected icon. If a user wants to set the clock for a casual game of chess, for example, she would tap chess icon 159 on application screen 157. To set the time for player 1, a user would tap in the PLAYER 1 field 164 on the screen, and then tap either within the Hours, Minutes or Seconds field to adjust the time setting. If a player taps in the Hours field, for example, a drop down box (not shown) would appear, and the player would scroll to the desired number of hours and tap it to set the time. She would repeat this process for minutes and seconds. The procedure would be repeated to set the time for Player 2 within field 165. To set a time delay on the clock (where the display delays for a specified amount of time before decrementing), a user would tap the icon within field 166 labeled DELAY to adjust the length of the delay in seconds. To activate or deactivate the delay feature, a user would tap the on/off toggle button within field 166. To set an increment on the clock, a user would tap the icon within field 166 labeled INCREMENT to adjust the length of the added time in seconds. To activate or deactivate the increment feature, a user would tap the on/off toggle button within field 166. To set a notification that will generate a beeping sound should one player run out of time, a user would tap on/off toggle button 172. When a user finishes setting the time on application screen 157, she would then hold mobile device 150 proximate to wireless programmable chess clock 100, as shown in FIG. 18. Once the mobile device is close enough to the clock, the clock will receive the signals from the device and set the clock. The distance between the device and clock necessary for communication can vary. In a preferred embodiment, the near field communication circuit may be tuned such that a distance of 1-2 is sufficient for communication, so as to prevent interference from other devices and avoid errors in setting the clock, but this distance should not be considered limiting of any claims in the patent. The software application within mobile device 150 will communicate with near field communication module 160, allowing the time settings created by a user operating the software application to automatically synchronize with the wireless chess clock 100. Once wireless chess clock 100 synchronizes with the software application, the time set by a user for player 1 will appear on first player display 103, and the time set for player 2 will appear on second player display 104.

(42) If a user sought to set the time controls for a chess tournament, she would tap chess tournament tab 162, as shown in FIG. 17. To set the number of time controls to be used in the tournament, a user would tap either the circle field labeled 2 to set two time controls or the circle field labeled 3 to set three time controls on application screen 158. To activate or deactivate the move-counting feature, a user would tap the on/off toggle button 167. To set the first time control, a user would tap first time control 168 to adjust the number of moves allotted to each player in that in time control as well as the length of time of each player's turn in hours and minutes. To set the second time control, a user would tap second time control 169 to adjust the number of moves allotted to each player in that in time control as well as the desired length of time of each player's turn in hours and minutes. To set a third time control, a user would tap third time control 171 to adjust the number of moves allotted to each player in that in time control as well as the length of time of each player's turn in hours and minutes. To activate or deactivate the delay feature, a user would tap the on/off toggle button at the bottom of application screen. To set an increment on the clock, a user would tap the icon at the bottom of application screen labeled INCREMENT to adjust the length of the added time in seconds. To activate or deactivate the increment feature, a user would tap the on/off toggle button at the bottom of the application screen. To set a notification that will generate a beeping sound at the conclusion, a user would tap on/off toggle button 172. When a user finishes setting the time on the software application, she would then hold mobile device 150 horizontally not more than two inches above top surface of housing 101 as shown in FIG. 18. The software application will communicate with near field communication module 160, allowing the time settings created by a user operating the software application to automatically synchronize with, and set wireless chess clock 100. Once wireless chess clock 100 synchronizes with the software application, the time control settings set by a user will appear on first player display 103 and second player display 104.

(43) With respect to setting the number of moves permitted in a first, second or third time control, as indicated above, it should be appreciated that the clock itself can keep track of the number of moves made by each player, simply by counting the number of times a player hits her respective sensor button. This counting is performed by the microcontroller. The clock is operatively arranged to freeze the display should a player not make time control, i.e., not make the required number of moves within a preset time control period. It is also possible that the players are playing on a sensory chess board in communication with the clock, and that the board is operatively arranged to count the moves as well. In such a configuration, the time, the number of moves, and the time controls settings can be transmitted to a personal computer, which can also indicate if a player loses on time for not making the time control.

(44) Finally, it should be appreciated that many chess players play repeatedly in a number of different tournaments, with each tournament having its own time control. The software application of the present invention, although not shown in the drawings, includes a drop-down list of stored/saved favorites of frequently used settings, thereby allowing the player to save time in selecting a setting for a particular tournament.

(45) It will be appreciated that various aspects of the disclosure above and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

(46) 10 housing 11 housing 20 first player clock display 21 first player clock display 30 second player clock display 31 second player clock display 40 first player touch sensor 41 first player push button 50 second player touch sensor 51 second player push button 60 first player LED indicator 70 second player LED indicator 80 central power switch 81 on/off switch 82 enter button 83 minus button 84 plus button 85 sound button 100 wireless programmable chess clock 101 top surface of housing 102 display 103 first player display 104 second player display 105 first player touch sensor 106 second player touch sensor 107 first player LED indicator 108 second player LED indicator 109 top housing member 110 front surface of housing 111 base of housing 112 first foot on base 113 second foot on base 114 third foot on base 115 fourth foot on base 116 battery compartment door 117 speaker 118 display housing member 119 sensor electronic board 120 base housing member 140 hand of player holding mobile device 145 wireless NFC signals transmitted from mobile device to clock 150 mobile device 151 software application icon 152 chess board 153 chess table 154 first player 155 second player 156 chess pieces 157 first application screen 158 second application screen 159 chess application icon 160 near field communication module 161 near field communication chip 162 chess tournament icon 163 Scrabble icon 164 PLAYER 1 field 165 PLAYER 2 field 166 DELAY/INCREMENT field 167 move counter button 168 first time control field 169 second time control field 170 voltage regulator 171 third time control field 172 sound button 174 voltage regulator chip 190 battery life monitor circuit 180 clock oscillator circuit 181 real-time clock/calendar chip 200 microcontroller C.sub.1 100 pF capacitor C.sub.2 12 pF capacitor C.sub.3 12 pF capacitor LED.sub.1 light emitting diode LED.sub.2 light emitting diode Q.sub.1 quartz crystal oscillator (32.768 kHz) R.sub.1 2.2 k resistor R.sub.2 2.2 k resistor R.sub.3 2.2 k resistor R.sub.4 2.2 k resistor R.sub.5 2.2 k resistor R.sub.6 2.2 K resistor