GB2233483A - Apparatus for constructing a chart, eg of biorhythms - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus comprises: a calender indicator sheet bearing a representation of days within a given time period; a plurality of parameter indicators each bearing a representation of the cyclic variation of a respective parameter (e.g. physical, emotional and intellectual biorhythm curves (8, 10, 12)), on a transparent sheet; and securing means (1) for releasably securing the calender indicator and the parameter indicators together superimposed on each other so as to provide a display of each parameter relative to the days shown on the calender indicator sheet. <IMAGE>

Description

APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING A CHART. EG OF BIORHYTHMS This invention relates to apparatus for constructing a chart showing the status of cyclic parameters, eg biorhythms, relative to a selected day or time period.

There are several ways in which an individual can establish their own personal biorhythm status. Books have been published on the subject provided with lengthy and complicated sets of tables for establishing biorhythm status. A major drawback of these books is that they contain information for only two or three years at a time and enable the user to calculate their biorhythm status for only one day at a time. Not many people are inclined to repeat this slow and laborious process every day.

A better and more useful method is to use a computer with an appropriate software package to display, for example, a biorhythm chart for the corIng month, This enables biorhythms to be used as a real tool for planr. ng important events. The major drawback of this method is that it is necessary to have a computer system and the confidence and ability to use it before it is possible to produce tangible results. The results are also restricted by the characteristics of the display unit or printer used.

This invention aims to provide simple apparatus which enables the user to construct their own personal chart within a few minutes without the need for any previous knowledge or expensive equipment. The invention will be described with specific reference to biorhythm charts but it is equally applicable to charts displaying other cyclic parameters.

According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for constructing a chart displaying the status of cyclic parameters, eg biorhythms, comprising: a calender indicator bearing a representation of days within a given time period; a plurality of parameter indicators each bearing a representation of the cyclic variation of a respective parameter; and securing means for releasably securing the calender indicator and the parameter indicators together in selected positions relative to each other so as to provide a display of the status of each parameter relative to the days within the said time period.

Preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the subsidiary claims of the specification.

The invention wiil now be further described, merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 shows a front cover of apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention relating to a biorhythm chart; Figures 2, 3 ane 4 shows transparent overlays used in constructing the biorhythm chart with part shown enlarged; Figure 5 shows a calender sheet on which the overlays shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 are positioned; and Figure 6 shows a view of a biorhythm chart constructed using the components illustrated in the previous Figures.

Before the apparatus is described, the principles involved in the construction of a biorhythm chart will be explained.

Biorhythms consist of three distinct cycles: a PHYSICAL cycle, an EMOTIONAL cycle and an INTELLECTUAL cycle. Each of these cycles follows the form of a sine curve, ie any given position in the cycle is calculated using a sine function.

The three cycles vary from each other in that they each have a different period, ie the time taken to complete one full cycle.

The PHYSICAL cycle is 23 days long The EMOTIONAL cycle is 28 days long The INTELLECTUAL cycle is 33 days long The cycle positions for any given person is dependent on their 3ite of birth. At birth, all of the biorhythm cycles are at the beginning. However, due to their different periods, the cycles will te at different phases thereafter.

Each cycle begins at zero, rises to one, falls to zero, falls to minuC one and then rises back to zero to complete a full cycle in the manner of 3 sine curve. For biorhythms, the zero positions are considered as "critical" days with the remainder of the cycle being either "positive" or "negative".

These three distinct phases of each cycle have a direct bearing on the particuiar parameter, ic PHYSICAL, EMC.TlONAL or INTELLECTUAL For example, phases of the PHYSICAL cycle have the following significanted Positive: you should feel physical y strong Negative: you should feel physically weak Critical you should feel physically vulnerable Similar variations apply to the other two cycles. However. it interaction of the three cycles together which provides the overall picture for any given day.For example, on a particular day the PHYSICA cycle m & be positive, the EMOTIONAL cycle critical and the INTELLECTUAL cycle negative. On such a day the person should feel physically weli bjt their emotions are at a critical stage and this is not helped by intellectual negative capability. They should therefore avoid preoccupation in order tc get through the day without incident.

In order to determine the status of each of the cycles on a given day, it is necessary to calculate the number of days from the person's date of birth to (and including) the chosen day. This number is then divided by the number of days in the cycle of the respective parameter to give the number of complete cycles since birth plus a remainder. It is this remainder that is used to determine the status of the cycle, eg for the PHYSICAL cycle, C remainder of: either 0 or 11 indicates a critical day from 1 to 10 indicates a positive day from 12 to 22 indicates a negative day The following example will illustrate this: Date of birth of individual: 1st January 1957 Forecast date: 21st January 1989 Therefore this person has been alive for 11,708 days.

To calculate the position of the cycles you simply take the total days lived and divide it by the given cycle length: PHYSICAL 11708/23 = 509 remainder 1 EMOTIONAL 11708/28 = 418 remainder 4 INTELLECTUAL 11708/33 = 354 remainder 28 In this example, the PHYSICAL cycle will be at position 1, ie i day irto its 23 day cycle, which means the individual in question will be physically in a positive position on January 21st i989. Emotionally they will be at position 4 which is also in the positive region, and intellectually at position 26 which is in the negative region.

The figures illustrate the main components of the chart: a front cover 1 (Figure 1), an INTELLECTUAL curve overlay sheet 2 (Figure 2), an EMOTIONAL curve overlay sheet 3 (Figure 3), a PHYSICAL curve overlay sheet 4 (Figure 4) and a calender sheet 5 (Figure 5).

The front cover 1 is made from a clear plastic sheet which is reverse printed on the back to prevent scratching of the printed artwork in the assembled form. Two transparent windows 6 and 7, ie parts of the sheet not printed on, are provided for viewing the curves on the overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4 and the calender sheet 5 which, in use, are positioned behind the cover sheet 1. Two windows 6 and 7 are provided, one to display the chart for the months January to June, the other to display the chart for the months July to December.

The lower part of the cover 1 is printed with information describing the meanings of the various possible combinations of critical, positive and negative phases of the three cycles. This information is colour co-ordinated with the curves for the relevant parameters (see below) and different symbols are used for each parameter, eg a square for the PHYSICAL parameter, a heart for the EMOTIONAL parameter and a circle for the INTELLECTUAL parameter.

The INTELLECTUAL curve overlay sheet 2 is made from a clear plastics film which is over printed with the INTELLECTUAL biorhythm curve 8 along wt > , an incremented scale 9 (shown enlarged) to enable the correct positioninii cf the curve with respect to the calender sheet 5. The curve is split into two portions corresponding to the positions of the windows 6 and 7 in the cover 1.

The EMOTIONAL curve overlay sheet 3 is of similar material and construction as the INTELLECTUAL curve overlay sheet 2 with the exception that the printed artwork provides the EMOTIONAL curve 1D and EMOTIONAL incremented scale 11 (shown enlarged).

The PHYSICAL curve overlay sheet 4 is also of similar material and construction as the INTELLECTUAL curve overlay sheet 2 with the exception that the printed artwork provides the PHYSICAL curve 12 and PHYSICAL incremented scale 13 (shown enlarged).

The curves 8, 10 and 12 are colour co-ordinated with the symbols used on the front cover 1, eg blue for PHYSICAL, red for EMOTIONAL and yellow for INTELLECTUAL.

The calender sheet 5 is printed on a laminated card with both a non-leap year calender 14 and a leap year calender 15 over printed on it. Each of these is also split into two portion corresponding to the positions of the windows 6 and 7 in the cover sheet 1. The non-leap year calender 14 or the leap year calender 15 are selected depending upon the orientation of the sheet 5 with respect to the front cover 1. The calender information comprises a series of lines (or the spaces between them) representing the days of the year, with appropriate month and date indications. A centre line 16 is provided through each portion of the calender display The sheet 5 is also provided with three "JAN 1" alignment marks 17, 18 and 19 for tne INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL and PHYSICAL overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4, respectively.

The scale ofthe calender corresponds to that of the curves on the overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4, ie the spacing between 23 days matches the length of each cycle of the PHYSICAL curve i2, etc.

To construct a biorhythm chart from the apparatus described, the user first needs to determine the correct alignment positions for each of the overlsy sheets 2, 3 and 4 with respect to the calender sheet 5. This is done by calculating the remainders applicable to each of the INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL and PHYSICAL parameters on 1st January for the year in question relative to the user's date of birth in the manner described above. However, it 25 preferable to provide the user with tables to enable these remainders to be looked up without the need to perform any calculations. Such tables are conveniently provided in an instruction manual (not shown).A few pages of tables are sufficient to provide the necessary remainder figures for users with a birth date lying between, say, 1900 and 2003 to construct charts for any of the years between, say, 1980 and 2000. Further tables can be provided to cover other periods, either in the future or in the past.

Having determined the relevant remainder numbers, these are used to align the respective overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4 with the calender sheet 5 using the scales 9, 11 and 13 and the JAN 1 alignment marks 17, 18 and 19. Each of the scales 9, 11 and 13 is marked with the possible remainder numbers for the respective parameter, ie O to 32 for the INTELLECTUAL cycle, 0 to 27 for the EMOTIONAL cycle and 0 to 22 for the PHYSICAL cycle (see enlarged views shown in Figures 2-4).The numbered locations on the scales are positioned on the respective overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4 such that when the relevant remainder number on the scale is aligned with the respective JAN 1 alignment mark on the calender sheet 5, the curve in quest icy is correctly aligned with the ceiender 14 @or i58 printed on the calender sheet 5 with the zero, or critical, points of each curve intersected by the centre line 16.

For convenience, the scales and JAN 1 alignment marks for each curve ere printed at different positions on the respective sheets: above the curves on the INTELLECTUAL curve overlay sheet 2, between the curves on the EMOTIONAL curve overlay sheet 3 and beneath the carves on the PHYSICAL curve overlays: sheet 4.

having aligned the overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4 with the calender sheet 5 in this manner, the sheets are reeasably secured together bv clamping the..

between backing board (not shown) positioned behind nd the calender sheet S and a frane (not shown'. mounted on top of tne front cover 1. The backing board may clip within the frame to sandwich the sheets therebetween Alternatively, the sides of the frane mav fit ontc the edges cf the sheets in the same way as slide binders.

Ac- the sheets are made of plastics material such as self-cling PVC they tend to stick together rather than slip on one another so making i easier to keep them in alignment whilst they are being secured between the backing board and the frame.Alternatively, the sheets may be provided with re-usable sticky or tacky portions to assist in holding them in alignment before being clamped between the backing board and the fra:::e. In a further aiternative (not shown), the calender sheet 5 may be provided with see protrusions or pegs designed to fit within holes provided in the overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4 to assist in alignment.

It would also be possible to permanently attacn the calender sheet 5 to the backing board or, if suitable material is used, to Frint the calender information on the backing board.

The status of each parameter for any perticuiar day is read by viewing the chart thus constructed through the windows 6 end 7 of the cover sheet 1 and comparing the position of the respective curves within the relevant dey section with the position of the centre line 16. If the curve lies above this line, the parameter is positive, if it lies on the line, it is critical and, if it lies below the line, it is negative.

The various components of the chart may conveniently be the size of A2 sheets, ie approximately 594mm x 420mm, although the frame (not shown) would be slightly larger to accomodate the other components and the three overlay sheets 2, 3 and 4 would be less than 420mm wide so they may be aligned in any of the possible positions without exending beyond the edges of the calender sheet 5. Thus, if the distance between the extreme positions on the INTELLECTUAL incremented scale 9 is about 45 mum, the sheets 2, 3 and 4 should be about 375mm or less in width.

Other means of clamping the sheets together may aisc be used. C)r.e possibility would be for the sheets to be slidably held within an open-ended sleeve so they can be aligned by pulling therm through the sleeve but are otherwise held in position by the sleeve.

In an alternative arrangement (not shown), it would be possible to overlay the three sheets 2, 3 and 4 and the calender sheet 5 in any order so long as the appropriate portions of the relevant sheets are transparent or provided with windows so the chart constructed by the superipositicn of the information on the four sheets can be seen. Although each of these components is conveniently in the form of a sheet, other arrangements may be used which provide the required superimposition of information. For example, the information may be provided on a series of concentric cylinders which fit within or around each other and which can be rotated relative to each other.

The apparatus described above can be used to construct a biorhythm chart for any year so has an indefinite life. The chart can be quickly and easily constructed by a user having no prior knowledge of biorhythms and without the need for other specialist equipment. The chart conveniently displays the biorhythm status for the whole year thus enabling the user to plan accordingly. A similar chart may, howver, be provided covering other time periods, eg one week or month or even several years.

Claims (10)

1. Apparatus for constructing a chart displaying the status of cyclic parameters, eg biorhythms, comprising: a calender indicator bearing a representation of days within a given time period; a plurality of parameter indicators each bearing a representation of the cyclic variation of a respective parameter; and securing means for releasably securing the calender indicator and the parameter indicators together in selected positions relative to each other so as to provide a display of the status of each parameter relative to the days within the said time period.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the calender indicator is provided with a series of lines representing the days within the said time period.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the calender means is provided with alignment means for indicating possible positions in which the parameter indicators may be aligned therewith.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which each indicator means is provided with a curve representing the cyclic variation of the respective parameter and alignment means for aligning with that of the calender indicator.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the calender indicator is in the form of a sheet and each of the parameter indicators comprises an overlay sheet for superimposing on the calender sheet or another of the parameter overlay sheets, at least those portions of the parameter sheets which, in use, lie over the representation of days on the calender sheet being substantially transparent.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 for constructing a biorhythm chart comprising three parameter overlay sheets. one bearing a curve representing a PHYSICAL parameter, one bearing a curve representing an EMOTIONAL parameter and one bearing a curve representing an INTELLECTUAL parameter.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claims 4, 5 and 6 in which the alignment means on each of the parameter overlay sheets comprises a scale indicating the possible remainder numbers (as hereinbefore described) for the respective parameter.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or 7 comprising a cover sheet for positioning over the uppermost parameter overlay sheet and having a window or transparent portion for viewing the curves of the overlay sheets positioned beneath it and carrying information relating to the possible combinations of status of the PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL and INTELLECTUAL parameters.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or any claim dependent thereon in which the securing means comprises a backing sheet and a frame between which the parameter overlay sheets and the calender sheet may be secured.

10.Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or any claim dependent therecn in combination with an instruction manual providing instructions on how to use the apparatus and tables for assisting a user to determine the relevant remainder numbers.

;1.Apparatus for constructing a chart displaying the status of cyclic parameters, eg biorhythms, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.