AU4750099A - Wall calendar - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 451291

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

L

v r Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Day Runner, Inc 2750 West Moore Avenue Fullerton California 92633 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Douglas M Jack, Ronald M Blanco Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Wall Calendar The following statement is a full description of this Invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845 WALL CALENDAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of calendars, and in particular to wall calendars.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART The use of paper wall calendars has long been known. These calendars can be hung on a nail or a tack affixed to a wall to enable individuals to view the days of the month.

"4.."Often, calendars provide certain limited space so that the viewer can write reminders and notes on the areas representing certain days. Many wall calendars are of a fold design, configured so that when the calender is hung on a wall, a top page and a bottom page are open to view. Some wall calendars include the representation of the days of the week on one page, generally the bottom page, and a design, photograph or other decoration on the other page, generally the top page. Thus, wall calendars traditionally serve both a calendar S 15 function, as well as a decorative function.

A disadvantage of paper wall calenders is the limited space provided for writing reminders and notes. A further disadvantage of paper wall calendars is the permanence 6f writings on the calendar. When dates of events change, notes written in ink, or on some calendars, even pencil, cannot be easily and neatly modified. This often gives the calendars 20 of busy people or families a sloppy appearance. Wall calendars are also often used for recording phone numbers, leaving messages, reminders or just doodling. These writings, which are normally of importance for only a short duration of time, also tend to clutter the pages of a calendar and reduce the attractiveness of its appearance. Additionally, due to the open nature of wall calendars, these notes are open to casual observation by passersby in an office, or visitors to a home.

In an unrelated art of memo boards, the use of so-called "dry erase boards" or "whiteboards" is known. These boards include a white surface composed of a substance, which when written on with special pens, produces an easily erasable writing. Whiteboards provide convenient surfaces for making notes or recording information which will be needed for a temporary duration of time. Additionally, makers of whiteboards have incorporated grids and boxes on whiteboards which can be numbered by an individual and used as a calendar.

A disadvantage of whiteboards is the generally unattractive appearance of these boards when covered with notes and reminders. These boards, while functional, often detract from the attractiveness of a room, especially in the home.

A further disadvantage of ersatz whiteboard calendars is the need for the user to renumber the days of the week. While some whiteboards show several months at a time, many only show a single month. In either case, because the numbering of the days of the week changes from month-to-month, numbers are not pre-printed on the board. Thus, in order for an individual to reuse as intended, (whether it is the multi-month or single month variety) the individual must erase the numbering of the days from the previous month and re-number the blank calendar grid with the days of the upcoming month. Of course, to Saccomplish this, individuals often need to turn to the assistance of a pre-printed paper calendar.

view of the above, it should be appreciated that there is still a need for a calendar system which includes pre-printed paper calendar pages, includes an easily erasable surface for notes and messages which are needed for only temporary duration, and maintains an attractive appearance while concealing notes from casual observation. The present invention satisfies these and other needs and provides further related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present wall calendar system is embodied in a wall calendar with a calendar base, a paper calendar attached or affixed to or integral with the base, and a note-taking base with a note-taking surface movably attached to the calendar base. The paper calender may be a plurality of paper calender pages, each page representing a single month, or alternatively, a single printed surface showing multiple months affixed or integral to the calender base.

A feature of the wall calendar of the present invention is that it includes a notetaking base with a note-taking surface rotationally attached to the calender base. Preferably, this note-taking surface is a dry erase surface. Alternatively, the note-taking surface includes a plurality of removable paper pages. This feature allows the user to write notes and memos on the rotationally attached note-taking surface which would normally be written either in the limited space provided on the calender, or written on some separate writing surface.

As explained, preferably, the note-taking surface is a dry erase surface. This feature allows the owner to write notes of a more permanent nature on the paper calendar, such as, for example, birthdays of family members; and, to write notes needed for only a short duration of time on the dry erase board. Thus, due to the easily erasable nature of the dry S erase surface, the owner may maintain a neater and more organized wall calendar than would be otherwise possible with a paper calendar alone.

Another feature of the wall calendar is that the note-taking base is rotationally attached to the calendar base, near the bottom edge of the calendar base when the calender is S hung on a wall. This allows the note-taking surface to be positioned in a down position, which allows the pre-printed paper calendar to be viewed; and an up position, which shields .the calendar pages from view. This feature allows the owner of the calendar to prevent observation of the calendar by a casual passerby.

The note-taking base includes a front note-taking surface and a back surface, such that the note-taking surface is visible when the note-taking base is in a down position, while the back surface is visible in an up position. Preferably, a design, photograph or other graphic adornment is printed or affixed to the back of the note-taking base. This enables the owner of the calendar to place the note-taking base in an up position and display the design, thus maintaining the traditional decorative function of the wall calendar while concealing the owner's notes and markings on the calendar pages, and front note-taking surface of the note-taking base.

°Another feature is the inclusion of pen mounting devices. These devices allow either a dry erase pen, or a normal pen or pencil to be mounted on the wall calendar, thus keeping them within easy reach for the owner of the calendar.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wall calendar of the present invention, with the note-taking surface in a down position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wall calendar of Fig. I with the note-taking surface in an up position.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway side view of the wall calendar of Fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wall calendar showing an alternative embodiment of the pen mounting device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wall calender of Fig. 4 with the note-taking surface in an up position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wall calendar of the present invention showing another embodiment of the pen mounting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to Fig. 1, the wall calendar of the present invention includes a "10 calendar base 10, a plurality of calendar pages 12 (one shown), and a note-taking base 14.

The calendar base 10 is preferably composed of fiberboard, but may also be composed of plastic. Additionally, the wall calendar includes a mount 50 for hanging the calendar on a tack or nail on a wall, thus orienting the wall calender to define a top 52 and a bottom 53.

Referring additionally to Fig. 3, the calendar base has a top edge 16, a bottom edge 18, a left 15 edge 20, and a right edge 22. It also has a front surface 24 and a back surface 26. Attached to the calendar base near the top edge 16 are the plurality of calendar pages. Preferably, the calendar pages are attached by a spiral metal binding 28. Alternatively the pages may be attached by glue, staples, or other suitable methods of attachment. Additionally, a single page showing multiple months or an entire year may be affixed to the base in place of the 20 plurality of pages.

Attached to the calendar base 10, near the bottom edge 18 is the note-taking base 14.

The note-taking base also has a front surface 30 and a back surface 31. The front surface is preferably a dry erase surface composed of a plastic substance capable of working with "dry-erase" pens. Preferably, the dry erase surface is pivotably attached by another spiral metal binding 32.

Alternatively, the dry erase surface may be attached by glue, staples, or other suitable methods of attachment. The wall calendar thus has pre-printed paper calendar pages, which can be written on and used as normal paper calendars are used, as well as an attached dry erase surface suitable for writing notes, messages, telephone numbers and other items needed for limited duration. The wall calendar also includes a clasp 40 mounted on the calendar base Due to the nature of the spiral metal binding 32, the dry erase surface 30 may be moved from a down position, as shown in Fig. 1 to an up position as shown in Fig. 2.

When in the up position, the clasp 40 engages the dry erase surface 30 and secures the dry erase surface 30 in the up position.

As shown in Fig. 2, in a preferred embodiment, a decorative design or picture 60 is affixed to the back surface 31 of the note-taking base. This renders the back side unusable for taking notes. When in the up position however, the note-taking surface 30 covers the plurality of calendar pages, and any notes made on the note-taking surface are concealed from view. The picture 60 provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the wall calendar when in an up position, thus disguising the fact that the system is a calendar, and concealing any notes or dates from casual observation.

.With reference to Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the wall calendar includes pen mounting °devices, such as pen tubes 70 for holding either a dry erase pen or a normal pen. Preferably each pen tube is mounted on the back 26 of the calendar base 10 as is shown in Figs. 1-3. It is also preferred for each pen mounting device to be composed of plastic.

With reference to Figs. 4 and 5, the pen mounting devices may be configured as loops 76 affixed to bottom of the note-taking base 14 and projecting outwardly from the bottom of the note-taking base.

With reference to Fig. 6, an alternate embodiment of the pen mounting device is an enlarged spiral binding 80. The spiral binding is sized so that the diameter of the loops 84 of the binding 80 are able to allow a pen 86 to be inserted into and retained by the enlarged spiral binding 80. As shown, the top spiral binding 80 is enlarged and acts as the pen :mounting device; however, the bottom spiral binding 32 could be enlarged to serve the same function.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the calendar system of the present invention includes pre-printed paper calendar pages, includes an easily erasable surface for notes and messages which are needed for only temporary duration, and maintains an attractive appearance, while concealing notes from casual observation.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. A wall calender having open and closed positions which comprises: a calender base having a top edge and a bottom edge; a note-taking base having a note-taking surface rotationally attached to said calender base near the bottom edge, the note-taking base rotatable between open and closed positions; a clasp attached to said calender base near the top edge, so that when said note- taking base is in said closed position it engages said clasp and covers said calender base.

2. A wall calender of claim 1 wherein the note-taking surface is a dry erase o surface. oooo

3. A wall calendar having open and closed positions which comprises: a calendar base having a front surface, a back surface, top edge, and a bottom edge; a plurality of calendar pages removably attached to said front surface near said top edge; a note-taking base having a front, dry erase surface, said note-taking base rotationally attached to said calendar base near the bottom edge; a clasp attached to said calendar base near the top edge; so that when said note- taking base is in said closed position it engages said clasp and covers said plurality of calendar pages.

4. A wall calendar of claim 3 further comprising the calendar base includes at least one pen mounting device.

A wall calendar of claim 4 wherein said pen mounting device is a loop.

6. A wall calendar of claim 4 wherein said pen mounting device is a tube.

7. A wall calendar of claim 4 further comprising the calendar base has a right edge and a left edge and the pen mounting device is affixed to said calendar base and extends outwardly beyond at least one of said edges. 7

8. A wall calendar of claim 3 wherein the pen mounting device is mounted on the back surface of the calendar base.

9. A wall calendar of claim 3 further comprising the plurality of calendar pages are attached to the calendar base by a metal spiral binding.

10. A wall calendar of claim 3 further comprising the note-taking base is attached to the calendar base by a metal spiral binding.

11. A wall calendar of claim 3 further comprising a device for mounting the calendar on the wall.

12. A wall calendar of claim 3 further comprising the back surface of the note-taking base includes a two-dimensional ornamental design.

13. A wall calendar substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings. Dated 17 February, 1999 Day Runner, Inc. 15 Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON oo IN:\LIBLL102488:KEH