Perpetual blind calendars

1 - The present invention is titled Perpetual Blind calendars, abbreviated (PBC) and deals with a variety of permanent advanced and combined calendars using basically mobile monthly units with daily displays using common variable symbols of One Letter Alphabet (OLA) system.

2 - Comparison with the prior art revealed no substan­tial prior art in that field, that could replace the present invention.

3 - Field of the invention.

3-1 The present invention deals with a variety of advanced calendars, and combined calendars involving a Gregorian calendar and Oriental short months moon calendars, based on mobile months' units, where the month's units could be moved monthly or yearly with respect to the weekdays, which units are of long­itudinal shape, circular shape or the like and are positioned and held with respect to each other and the weekdays unit by means of: a) a base plate and guides guiding the units; b) opposite flexible trans­parent films or suspenders interconnected in between the monthly units, with the said films or suspenders suspended, or rolled in a form of a belt around a central shaft; c) chains supporting the opposite sides of the monthly units in a venetion blind pattern with a provision to move said units laterally; d) opposite solid transparent plates pressed against the month's units to keep them in place; e) cylindrical trans­parent concentric drums around which the longitudinal units are fastened; f) longitudinal strips packed in a slide rule pattern; g) circular rings or discs rotating around a common central pin, and a variety of cursors, flexible or solid,moved daily to indicate the current weekday and the corresponding date of the month, and with additional large display of the actual weekday and the corresponding date of the month, with coloured, luminous or physical display means using a common variable symbol of One Letter Alphabet (OLA) system, that could be visually seen at large distance and could be read by the blind through touching process.

4 - Prior Art

4-1 The Prior Art uses mainly disposable calendars hinging basically around the 7 days weekly unit and since the number of days in the months differs from one month to the other, and while said numbers are not divisible by 7, it makes it difficult to produce re-usable calendars hinging on the 7 days weekly unit.

Several attempts were made in the past to produce permanent calendars but failed to come up with a satisfactory permanent calendar in relation to the mechanisms, positioning of the units, displays of information, and the overall costs, to replace the present calendars.

4-2 On the other hand a calendar hinging around the monthly unit results with very small figures hard to distinguish on a distant wall calendar and such are the problems that the present invention tries to solve to create permanent practical calendars.

5 - Summary

5-1 The present invention deals with a variety of perpetual calendars and combined calendars hinging around monthly units aligned with a number of weekdays displayed and positioned; a) in one row of weekdays and one parallel strip representing one month at a time; b) in one row of weekdays and 12 parallel strips for the 12 months of the year with the said strips, installed in between guides, suspended by transparent suspenders, pressed in between transparent plates, strapped around transparent cylinders, squeezed in a slide rule pattern, or the like; c) along circular discs or rings, with the provision to move the strips or discs representing the monthly units with respect to those representing the weekdays and with cursors to indicate the actual weekday and the corresponding date of the month and overall with One Letter Alphabet variable systems to display daily at a large scale the said actual day and its corresponding date, etc., resulting in a variety of perpetual calendars adapt­able for the wall, for the wrist and the pocket, that could be visually read at long distance and understood by the blind through touching process.

6 - Brief Description of the drawings

• Fig. 1 shows a perpetual calendar consisting of two strips displaying 37 weekdays and one month at a time with One Letter Alphabet common variable symbols for larger displays.
• Fig. 1X shows a typical cursor used in Fig. 1.
• Fig. 2 shows a perpetual calendar consisting of a base plate with 13 strips on it; one for the weekdays and 12 for the 12 months of the year.
• Fig. 2X shows a typical transparent cursor used in Fig. 2 and the like.
• Fig. 2Y shows a typical baseboard with upper and lower protruding edges for pressing thick strips calendars.
• Fig. 3, 3X shows a dual perpetual calendar consisting of 26 strips representing solar and moon calendars (a Western and an Oriental calendar) with one strip representing the weekdays and 6 pairs representing 6 months of each calendar at opposite sides of the base plate.
• Fig. 4, 4X is similar to Fig. 3 showing a Gregorian and a corresponding Chinese calendar.
• Fig. 5 shows a suspended, venetian blind pattern, combined perpetual calendar consisting of 13 pairs of strips back to back, suspended at opposite ends by means of transparent suspenders interconnected in between each pair of strips.
• Fig. 5X shows a flexible cursor used in Fig. 5, or the like.
• Fig. 6 shows a perpetual calendar comprising 13 strips mounted on concentric transparent cylinders.
• Fig. 7 shows a slide rule perpetual calendar consisting­ing of a transparent flat sleeve casing, with pairs of back to back strips inside it and a cursor outside.
• Fig. 8 shows a combined perpetual calendar with 13 pairs of strips back to back, held by pressure, stick­ing or the like, in between two transparent plates.
• Fig. 9 shows a circular perpetual calendar consisting of 2 discs, one for the weekdays and one displaying one consecutive month at a time.
• Fig. 10, 10V shows a perpetual calendar consisting of 13 discs, rings or the like, one for the weekdays marked at the opposite sides and 6 discs on each side of it for the 12 months of the year.
• Fig. 10W shows a frame of opposite trifork plates to hold the circular calendars.
• Fig. 10X shows a combined hanger/triangular flexible cursor used with circular calendars.
• Fig. 10Y shows a circular cursor used with pocket sized circular calendars, showing the first 6 months of the year.
• Fig. 10Z shows a circular cursor, showing the last 6 months of the year and used opposite to that shown in Fig. 10Y.

6-1 Description of Numbered Items on the Drawings.

1- Baseboard, 1A- short baseboard, 1B-chassis, 2- weekdays strip, 2A- weekdays ring/disc, 2B- two opp­osite weekdays discs, 3- variable month strip, 3A- 12 months strips, 3B- opposite months strips, 3C- variable months' ring/disc, 3D- 6 months' discs, 3E- opposite 6 months' rings/discs, 4- cursor, 4A- long cursor, 4B- double cursor, 4C- slide rule cursor, 4D- hanger/­flexible triangular cursor, 4E- circular transparent cursor, 5- One Letter Alphabet (OLA) common variable symbols, 5A- O.L.A. current year display, 6- guides for strips, 6A- guides/connectors for strips, 6B- cursor guide, 7- holding means for One Letter Alphabet (OLA) common variable symbols, 7A- central holding means, 8- wall hanging means, 9- cover for excess numbers, 10- One Letter Alphabet (OLA) display means, 11- cursor window, 12- week separators, 13- cursor strings, 14- cursor weights, 15- month indicator pin, or the like, 16- transparent suspenders, 17-attachment means on strips, 18- top plate stiffner, 19- combined chains/holding means, 20- shaft, 21- transparent cylinders, 22- transparent casing, 23- tightening screws, 24- flat spring loaded squeezer plate, 25- opposite transparent plates, 26- central pin, 27- notches on ring 3C, 28- slot on ring 2A, 29- eccentric pin on slot 28, 29A- general eccentric pin, 30- elastic month indicating band on transparent cursors, 31- hanger/­spacer for cursor band.

7 - Preferred Embodiments

The present invention, called the perpetual blind calendar and abbreviated as (PBC) deals with a variety of perpetual calendars and related issues, described as follows:

7-1 (See Fig. 1)

7-1-1 Fig. 1 shows a baseboard like No. 1, supporting a plurality of parallel strips like No. 2, 3 with equal size divisions.

7-1-2 One strip like No. 2, considered fixed, and representing a number of weekdays equal to the number of days in the longest month, in the type of calendar under consideration, plus 6.

For the western Gregorian calendar, the number of weekdays on the weekdays strip No. 2 is 31 plus 6 = 37 occupying individually 37 consecutive divisions.

7-1-3 The strip No. 3 is considered mobile and is marked with consecutive numbers representing the number of days in the longest month in the year, in the calendar under consideration.

For the western Gregorian calendar, the numbers marked on the months strip No. 3 are, from 1 to 31, occupying individually 31 divisions of the same size as the divisions on the weekdays strip No. 2.

7-1-4 The names of the consecutive months are displayed and changed on the same mouldings of One Letter Alph­abet (OLA) common variable symbols like No. 5, placed at one end of the strip.

7-1-5 The current weekday and the corresponding date of the month are identified through the window of a cursor like No. 4, (see Fig. 1X), mounted on a guide fixed on the baseboard. Every day the said cursor is slid by one weekday division to display through its window the new weekday on strip No. 2 and its corresp­onding date on the months strip No. 3 or the like. 7-1-6 Every month, the strip No. 3 is moved through its guides like No. 6, to re-align the new month with respect to the weekday strip No. 2.

While keeping the division No. 1 on the months strip No. 3, in the zone of the first week of strip No. 2, said No. 1 division is re-aligned with the weekday on which the new month begins.

7-1-7 Holding means like No. 7 are located at the main intersection of the lines of One Letter Alphabet (OLA) common variable symbols and are used as holding points for coloured display means spread in betwen the said holding points to display at a large scale the first letter of the actual weekday and its corresp­onding date.

7-1-8 the current year is shown by means of One Letter Alphabet (OLA) common variable symbols like No. 5A, installed on the main baseboard.

7-1-9 No. 8 identifies hanging means for wall calendars, consisting of holding means on the baseboard No. 1 and ties attachment.

7-1-10 Coloured display means (not shown) spread in between the holding means No. 7, to show at a large scale the current weekday and its date.

7-1-11 The item No. 9 is a decorative cover, tape or a sliding plate to hide the excess number of days at the end of the months strip when the current month is shorter than 31 days.

7-2 (See Fig. 2)

7-2-1 Fig. 2 shows a perpetual calendar consisting of a baseboard like No. 1, supporting a fixed weekday strip like No. 2, and 12 strips like No. 3A represent­ing individually the 12 consecutive months of the year.

Once a year each of the 12 months strips is moved along its guides like No. 6, to re-align the No. 1 division of each month in line with the weekday on strip No. 2, on which each month begins, in the same way described for Fig. 1.

7-2-2 Week separation lines like No. 12 are permanent­ly marked in between consecutive weeks to show at any time the dates of the weekends and serve at the same time as references in the alignment of the months' strips with the weekday strip.

7-2-3 The items 5A, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc., are the same as described for Fig. 1.

7-2X - (See Fig. 2X)

7-2X-1 - Fig. 2X shows a long transparent cursor used to identify the weekday and its date.

The names of the 12 months of the year are marked on the window of the said cursor in line with the strips representing the corresponding months.

The current month is indicated by a marker, an elastic band, or the like slipped down along the cursor arm and positioned opposite the current month to indicate said month.

7-3 (See Fig. 3, 3X)

7-3-1 Fig. 3 shows a combined calendar consisting of a western Gregorian calendar and a Middle East Oriental calendar based on the moon shorter months.

7-3-2 The months' strips No. 3A are mounted alternat­ively with the shorter months strip No. 3B to indicate at all times the correspondence of any day of the year on either calendar.

7-3-3 Another alternative is to install 6 months of each calendar on one side and the remaining 6 months, back to back on the opposite side, with a weekday strip on each side.

7-3-4 Still another alternative is to install separate 12 months of the corresponding calendars back to back on the opposite sides of the baseboard with a double cursor like No. 4B, showing the correspondence between the two calendars, on the opposite sides of the assembly.

7-3-5 One of the corresponding calendars has to have the numbers indicating the dates of the month housed on separate mobile divisions inserted through guides forming a separate months strip each.

Each year, when adjusting the months' strips with respect to the weekdays strip, some numbers, at the end of the months strip have to be removed and inserted at the beginning of the strip of the following month or vice versa.

7-4 (See Fig. 4, 4X)

7-4-1 Fig. 4 shows a combined calendar similar to Fig. 3, with the difference that it relates to a western Gregorian calendar combined with a far East Chinese calendar.

7-5 (See Fig. 5)

7-5-1 Fig. 5 shows a perpetual foldable calendar in a venetian blind pattern consisting of a short baseboard like 1A, combined with a fixed weekday strip like No. 2, and 12 mobile strips like No. 3A, suspended at their opposite sides from the baseboard by means of:

• A) Chains and hooks that could hook the months' strips through one of a plurality of holes like No. 17, at the opposite sides of said strips.
• B) Flexible transparent sheets, interconnected in between the strips to create guides for said strips.
• C) A pair of transparent flexible suspenders, like No. 16, interconnected in between the strips to create guides for said strips, or the like.

7-5-2 In the case of (B) where the suspenders are continuous transparent sheets the marking of the week separators like No. 12, is made along the flexible transparent sheets themselves.

7-5-3 The top baseboard No. 1, is stiffened with a plate like No. 18, from which additional ties like No. 19, are suspended and are used, at certain points along their links, as holding points like No. 7, for the display means No. 10 (not shown) to show at a large scale the first letter of the actual weekday and its corresponding date of the month.

7-5-4 At the same time holding means could be fasten­ed along the suspenders so saving the use of additional ties such as No. 19, or the like.

7-5-5 The resultant foldable calendar is presented either: a) as a wall suspended calendar in a venetian blind pattern; b) with both ends of the 12 strips joined together and rolled around a central shaft.

7-5X - (See Fig. 5X)

7-5X-1 A flexible cursor like No. 4A is slid over guides mounted over the strips assembly, and consist­ing of flexible strings like No. 13, stretching over the strips No. 2, 3A, with weights like No. 14, suspended at the end of the strings to keep them stretched and a month indicator like No. 15, made of a pin held between the twists of the strings No. 13, and could be rolled inside the said twists and position­ed opposite the current month to identify said month.

The opposite strings No. 13, are twisted separately to form loose loops, then the pin No. 15 is inserted through said loops resulting in an assembly allowing the pin to roll up and down, moving the carrying loops with it, to indicate the new month.

7-6 - (See Fig. 6)

7-6-1 Fig. 6 shows a cylindrical perpetual calendar consisting of a chassis like 1 (b), supporting a plurality of concentric transparent cylinders like No. 21, 21A.

7-6-2 The external cylinder No. 21 (a) is considered fixed and supports the weekdays strip No. 2, while the internal cylinder No. 21 is mobile and supports 12 strips like No. 3 (a), representing the 12 months of the year.

7-6-3 The strips are either wrapped around the cylinders and fastened by means of external flexible bands, by sticking means or the like, or rather they are inserted through grooves provided for them on the periphery of the circular discs, etc.

7-6-4 The weekdays and their dates are identified in between the strings of a flexible cursor, suspended from a guiding edge mounted on the chassis 1 (b) above the said cylinders. The weekdays are shown on the outer cylinder and their dates are seen on the inner cylinder, on the month strip, seen adjacent to the weekdays strip.

7-6-5 Every month the inner cylinder is rotated around the shaft No. 20 to bring the strip representing the new month to be seen adjacent to the weekdays strip mounted on the outer cylinder.

7-6-6 The whole assembly is supported on a chassis that could be either standing on a desk or suspended on the wall by means of a hanger.

7-6-7 A set of minimum 3 chains (not shown) are stretched above the calendar assembly or suspended below it to be used, at certain points, as holding means for One Letter Alphabet common variable symbols to display at a large scale the current weekday and its date.

7-7 - (See Fig. 7)

7-7-1 Fig. 7 shows a perpetual calendar made in a slide rule pattern, consisting of a transparent longitudinal flat casing like No. 22, with a plurality of strips inserted inside the said casing: A weekdays strip like No. 2 marked at its opposite sides and 6 strips like No. 3(b) marked at opposite sides, representing the 12 months of the year and installed in 3 pairs back to back to each other.

Every 6 months the 3 pairs of strips No. 3(b) are reversed to display the following 6 months of the year, and adjusted with respect to the weekdays strip as already described for Fig. 1.

7-7-2 The set of strips are squeezed inside the casing by means of a spring loaded flat plate like No. 24 over pressed by a tightening screw like No. 23.

7-7-3 The weekdays and their dates are identified by lines marked on a double cursor sleeve like No. 4(c) sliding along the transparent casing No. 22.

7-7-4 The opposite longitudinal edges of the casing used as holding means to display at a large scale the weekdays and their dates, with coloured display means like No. 10 (not shown) or the like.

7-7-5 The central holding points are provided by means of an elastic colourless string wrapped long­itudinally along the middle of the said calendar.

7-8 (See Fig. 8)

7-8-1 Fig. 8 shows a perpetual calendar consisting of a weekday strip like No. 2 and 12 strips like No. 3A, parallel to the strip No. 2 and held alto­gether in place by means of opposite transparent plates like No. 25, stuck, glued or pressed against each other, by means of Chicago screws or the like, with the 13 strips squeezed in between.

7-8-2 Each year, the assembly is opened, and the month's strips No. 3A are adjusted with respect to the weekdays strip No. 2 and the assembly is tightened again for the whole year.

7-8-3 The outer periphery of the transparent plates is provided with holding means like No. 7 which could be:

• A - Notches cut in the plates to hold the display ties.
• B - Pins, screws or the like fastened on the plates, or the extension of the tightening Chicago screws themselves, etc., with a central pin like No. 7B or similar one.

7-8-4 The resulting calendar is also provided with a cursor like Fig. 5X, with week separation lines like No. 12, with wall hanging means, etc.

7-8-5 The same procedure of pressing the strips to hold them in place could be applied to hold circular rings representing the months of the year, with the strips or the rings mounted on one side, back to back at opposite sides or the like.

7-9 (See Fig. 9)

7-9-1 Fig. 9 shows a perpetual circular calendar consisting of a plurality of concentric rings marked on superimposed discs like No. 2A, 3C, rotating around a central pin like No. 26.

7-9-2 The outer, larger disc No. 2A is marked around its periphery with 37 consecutive weekdays, housed on 37 equal divisions occupying each of them 360°/37.

7-9-3 The inner, smaller disc No. 3C, representing the months of the year, is considered mobile with respect to the weekdays disc No. 2A, and houses around its periphery numbers from 1 to 31 occupying 31 divisions equal to 360°,/37 each.

7-9-4 The number one division on the disc No. 3C is kept always in the sector of the first week of the weekdays disc No. 2A and every month said division No. one is turned to be in line with the weekday on which the new month begins.

7-9-5 A wall hanger like No. 8 and a triangular flexible cursor like 4D are combined to produce a cursor with its strings open by 360°/37.

7-9-6 The two discs are fastened with respect to each other for the duration of the month, and every day the circular calendar assembly is rotated by one division, and the new weekday is read on the weekdays disc No. 2A in between the strings of the cursor No. 4D and its corresponding date is read below it, on the months' disc No. 3C.

7-9-7 To lock the calendar assembly in a fixed position for the whole month, an eccentric spring loaded pin (not shown) is housed in a slot on disc No. 2A, which pin engages in one of 7 notches cut on disc 3C to lock the two discs to each other.

7-9-8 The accessories numbered 5, 5a, 9, 15, and 15X, etc. are similar to those described in Fig. 1.

7-10 (See Fig. 10, 10X)

7-10-1 Fig. 10 shows a perpetual circular calendar consisting of a plurality of concentric rings marked on superimposed variable sized discs like the weekdays disc No. 2B, and two sets of 6 smaller back to back discs like No. 3D, 3E representing the 12 months of the year, with the whole assembly of discs rotating around a central pin like No. 26.

7-10-2 The larger weekdays disc No. 2B is marked with the weekdays at opposite sides in the same way described for Fig. 9.

7-10-3 The set of 6 smaller discs like No. 3D, representing the first 6 months of the year, are installed on one side of the weekdays disc No. 2B while the 6 other discs No. 3E are installed at the opposite side of the said weekdays disc.

7-10-4 The 12 discs No. 3D, 3E, represent the 12 months of the year and each one of them is marked around its periphery outside the border of the adjacent concentric disc with consecutive numbers equal to the number of days in the month it represents, said numbers occupy divisions, having the same number of degrees as the weekdays division on disc No. 2B.

7-10-5 Once a year the months' discs are adjusted with respect to the weekdays disc in the manner described for Fig. 1 and Fig. 9 and are locked with repect to the said weekdays disc by means of:

• A - Eccentric pin (not shown) passing through one of a plurality of corresponding holes perforated along the same circle on each of the 13 discs of the calendar assembly.
• B - Detachable gluing/sticking means, (velcro, or the like) in between the various discs.
• C - By pressing the assembly in between opposite transparent plates as described for Fig. 8, or the like.

7-10-6 In certain cases the circular calendar consists of circular concentric rings of a certain thickness, replacing the discs, rotating inside each other with a central pin for the whole assembly. In such case, the 12 months of the year would be shown on one side of the calendar, otherwise, the oppositely marked months' rings have to be adjusted every 6 months with respect to the weekdays ring.

7-10-7 The said circular calendar is adaptable for a large wall calendar and for a pocket calendar, or the like.

For a wall calendar the assembly uses:

7-10-8 (See Fig. 10W) Trifork transparent opposite plates used in conjunction with circular calendars using thick concentric rings rotating around each other.

The weekday is shown through the provided window and its corresponding date is read beside the indicated month above a flexible band like No. 30 (not shown) slided monthly on the arm of the trifork plate.

The opposite trifork plates are installed at the opposite sides of the concentric rings and pinned together with the said rings to prevent them from falling apart.

7-10-9 (See Fig. 10X) A combined hanger with a triangular flexible cursor as described for Fig. 9, with a month indicator pin like No. 15, the same as described for Fig. 5X.

To hold this type of circular calendar in place the strings of the flexible cursor are made double at opposite sides of the said calendar and are passed through small rings or beads above the circular calendar which beads, when pulled down they clamp the opposite strings of the said cursor, against the calendar periphery and prevent it from rotating.

7-10-10 An additional baseboard connected to the calendar assembly through its central pin with the flexible cursor fastened to the supporting baseboard, and with a separate wall hanger on the said supporting baseboard.

7-10-11 Thin concentric rings supported on a base­board by means of Chicago screws, fasteners, snaps or the like mounted in between the adjacent concentric rings with certain allowance to rotate the rings around the said fasteners.

7-10-12 Thin flat rings for the weekdays and the months of the year adjusted, once a year, with respect to each other and pressed in between two transparent plates or temporarily stuck or glued on or in between transparent plates.

For a pocket calendar, the calendar assembly uses:

7-10-13 (See Figs 10Y, 10Z) Transparent double cursor as shown in Figs. 10Y, 10Z rotating around the central pin No. 26, joining the whole disc assembly.

Said cursor represents one arm of the trifork plates described in Fig. 10W.

To lock the cursor in place with respect to the general discs assembly, a system is used, consisting of a slot with a spring loaded pin mounted on the trans­parent cursor and engaging through notches cut at the periphery of the largest disc in a similar way to the system described for Fig. 9 and 10, No. 27, 28, 29, or the like.

7-10-14 A simplified reference system (not shown) consisting of an elastic string fastened at its opposite ends to the opposite sides of the central pin No. 26 joining the whole discs assembly, and stretched out to engage in one of the 37 notches like No. 28A (Fig. 10).

Every day said elastic string is stretched, pulled out and positioned in the following notch over the new weekday to indicate the current day.

The current month is indicated by means of a small bead tightly slipped on the said string and positioned opposite the current month.

Each month, the said bead is slipped along the said string and positioned in front of the following month to indicate said month.

The notches cut around the periphery of the circular calendars, whether wall calendars or pocket calendars are also used as holding points for colour display means to show at a large scale the current weekday and its corresponding date.