Sony Ericsson patent app details LCD watch hands

Considering the hordes of utterly unsightly timepieces that find their way into our browsers, we've got to hand it to Sony Ericsson -- it's done a pretty fine job at keeping its name attached to watches that are, you know, wearable. That being said, we're not surprised to see such an intriguing patent app surface from the aforementioned firm, and honestly, we'd be even less shocked if this thing eventually went beyond the drawing board. As the picture above partially demonstrates, SE has envisioned a watch with LCD hands along with an LCD display resting behind 'em, theoretically enabling the hands to "vanish" while users peek a quick video or read a text message on the screen beneath. Call us crazy, but we're pretty sure even the likes of Bond and Tracy would approve of this.

[Via Cellpassion]

[zurcociremer @ Dec 14th 2007 8:44AM]

We had a clock with LCD hands way back years ago from a company that my uncle worked for in Saudi Arabia. Too bad it's long broken. :(

[Carlos @ Dec 14th 2007 12:01PM]

Sony Ericsson had a flip phone with this LCD analog clock on the outside - came out a few years ago - nothing special

[LondonConsultant @ Dec 14th 2007 1:18PM]

Read the patent... It's for mechanical moving hands that can also go transparent when required (because they are made from a strip of LCD). I'm not aware of anyone who's built that before - probably because the obvious design is to simply display the hands instead on an LCD screen...

[DAZA @ Dec 15th 2007 9:24AM]

Thanks for explaining that LondonConsultant, didn't understand what it was before reading your comment. Very intriguing.

[Cory @ Dec 14th 2007 8:53AM]

What exactly is unique about this that they think that it passes both the "prior art" and "non-obvious" tests?

[Shaun @ Dec 14th 2007 8:58AM]

I had a Casio AX-1 as a kid and it had LCD hands and it's screen was composed of two layers. It could display a calendar on one layer and normal digits on the other in the same place. It was a really cool watch in the 80s and I haven't seen anything like it since. It is definitely prior art as far as this patent is concerned.

[Ron Scharf @ Dec 14th 2007 9:12AM]

Same here. That watch was also prominently featured by Roy Scheider in "Blue Thunder", 1983...
What's up with prior art here?!?

[charlie @ Dec 14th 2007 10:40AM]

Yes i too had one of these watches, displayed world time etc. I know that a newer watch would have a lot more features etc, but this is anything but a new concept.

[dave smith @ Dec 14th 2007 9:03AM]

typical Sony... a day late and a dollar short. My SmartWatch can do all that, plus gets news feeds, weather, sports and syncs with my outlook. sure, it's not an LCD display, but so what? I'll take content over display when it comes to my watch. Next.

[Will Static @ Dec 14th 2007 9:39AM]

This is a bs patent... I already have a watch that does this... it cost me... cost me $80 CAN.

[Ellianth @ Dec 14th 2007 9:50AM]

DAMNIT!! Every time you guys do a watch article I remember that e-ink watch that I did NOT win. Thanks, now you've ruined my long weekend :'(.

(Note to self: pick up a box of razors after work)

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Dec 14th 2007 10:21AM]

Remember to cut up and down the arm, not left to right. You'll never hit the artery if you go left to right.

[EdMercer @ Dec 14th 2007 10:25AM]

Why have LCD hands if they can have an LCD *display the image of hands* ? To double/triple the costs ?

Yay ! Great design SE ! Reading from sister-company Sony Computer Entertainment's rulebook ?

[tiuk @ Dec 14th 2007 10:29AM]

Ahh, thanks for clarifying that. At first I thought they were trying to patent displaying an image of hands.

I think this is even more ridiculous, though.

[riggs @ Dec 14th 2007 11:47AM]

and ill take comments from someone who has actually used a product than bashing a company patent. moron.

[riggs @ Dec 14th 2007 11:48AM]

damn engadget reply link!, that was a reply to someone up there...

[Wolfticket @ Dec 14th 2007 11:49AM]

I'm going to patent the making up of BS patents. I'll be minted!

[Brian McBride @ Dec 14th 2007 12:15PM]

There must be all sorts of really obvious things to patent before anyone else has a chance to that way we can sue the large companies.

Oh, how about a touchscreen interface for your vacuum? Eventually someone is going to make a more modern unit with all this cheap OLED tech coming out! I am going to go find a lawyer now to draft up lawsuits to Dyson and Hoover!

Internet/Website patents are the worst in the world though. I only wish I had a patent on blinking text when the web first came to be... oh the masses I could have sued. Well, I think I can still patent the process of someone dragging items from their page into a shopping cart icon and having the server automatically order the item for you. I'll call it "One Drop"... take that one click!

[j.johnson @ Dec 14th 2007 2:28PM]

Wow, how can they patent something that im wearing right now....
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/watches/954e/

or try http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/watches/8e18/