Persons with limited cognitive capabilities, such as e. g. mentally retarded persons, often have considerable difficulties with the time concept. While healthy persons readily associate time with the position and movement of the clock's hands, a normal clock often proves too abstract for persons with limited cognitive capabilities. Such persons will, therefore, not have the same possibilities for time comprehension. Consequently, they will not be able to associate a particular event with a particular instance of time.

Neither are they able to comprehend the duration of time before a particular event is to take place, nor the duration of the event. This limits such persons independence and often leads to frustration.

Although many clocks with alarm svstems, intended for persons with limited cognitive capabilities, are commercially available, the existing clocks are not able to provide the users with comprehensive and independent comprehension of time and the correspondence between time and events. Moreover, the clocks available on the market do not provide for an easv comprehension of the time interval between the different events nor the duration of events.

The inventor make the claim that this clock for persons with limited cognitive capabilities provides a comprehensive and immediate overview of events over an extended period of time as well as the time intervals between the individual events. The clock provides a unambiguous connection between a given instance of time and the event that is to take place at this particular instance of time. The clock is also capable of displaying the duration of an event.

The clock has a linear display which is easy to comprehend. Is is laid out as a row of lights emitters. Only the light emitter corresponding to the current time will be illuminated. The position of the illuminated light emitter moves with constant speed. In order to indicate activities and events, cards can be placed over and below the light emitters. The distance between the light emitters is large enough to allow the cards to be associated with a particular instance of time. The speed of movement of the position of the illuminated light emitter can be preset to different values. This allows the clock to be adapted for different applications and requirements. A rapid movement will allow the clock to display many events that are to take place over a short time interval, while a slower movement will provide an overview over a longer time interval. In order to provide the user with a firmer impression of the correspondence between time and events the clock is equipped with sound and light alarms. When a preset alarm is triggered a sound alarm is heard and the currently illuminated light emitter will be blinking.

A front view of the clock for persons with limited cognitive abilities is shown in fig. 1, while fig. 2 shows a cut view from the side. The clock consists of a linear row of light emitters 1. Cards that show activities 2 may be placed over and below and in immediate proximity to the light emitters. The individual distances between the lights are large enough to allow the cards that show activities 2 to be unambiguously associated with a particular instance of time. An illuminated light emitter 3 shows the current time. The position of the illuminated light emitter moves with constant speed along the row of light emitters.

The cards are fastened by being inserted into slots along the panel 4, which allows the cards to be positioned anywhere along the row of light emitters. Moreover, the width of the cards may be freely chosen. The cards 2 can be made from different materials, such as e. g. cardboard. No special preparation is necessary in order to fasten the cards. The hight of the cards, however, must correspond to that of the fastening slots.

The clock is operated from an operator's panel 5, which also contains the necessary control electronics. Adjustment of the current time, the speed of movement of the position of the illuminated light emitter and the various alarms are set from this control panel.