| 摘要 |
A clocking element that automatically updates when it becomes inaccurate is provided according to the invention. Such a clocking element includes a processor, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor. It further includes a wireless telephone receiving module that is coupled to the processor. The wireless telephone receiving module is adapted to receive wireless communication signals, such as wireless telephone calls, and to extract temporal information therefrom. Further, the processor is adapted to receive the temporal information from the wireless receiving module and to perform an updating function based thereon. This updating function can be based on a threshold, such that, for example, if the clocking information stored within the device differs from that received by the wireless receiving module by more than a predetermined amount, then the device will update the clocking information to match that provided by the wireless receiving module. In an alternative embodiment according to the invention, a method of maintaining a timing value includes the steps of receiving a communication signal, extracting temporal information from the communication signal, and updating the timing value based on the temporal information. The extracting step can include extracting timing data from a time of day field in the temporal information, and the updating step can include comparing the extracted timing data to the previous timing value and updating the timing value based on the comparison. In one embodiment, the updating step is implemented gradually so that the change in the timing value does not occur abruptly and is, thus, not readily apparent to the user. |
