US3113559A

US3113559A - Combined calendar backing panel and writing implement holder

Info

Publication number: US3113559A
Application number: US104569A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry J Friedman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-04-21
Filing date: 1961-04-21
Publication date: 1963-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 1980-12-10

Description

Dec. 10, 1963 H. J. FRIEDMAN 3,1 13,559 COMBINED CALENDAR BACKING PANEL AND WRITING IMPLEMENT HDLDER Filed April 21, 1961 United States Patent O This invention relates to a comb-ined panel and Writing implement holder.

Among the objects of my present invention are the provision of a device of the character described which can be hiulg, e.g. on a wall, or can stand by itself, includes means for detachably holding a writing implement, can be inexpensively mass produced, is simple to assemble and disassemble, is capable of being shipped flat in collapsed condition, and is rugged, durable and of attractive appearance.

Other objects of my invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the device hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claim.

ln the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

FIGS. l and 2 are, respectively, front and back perspective views of a calendar including a combined pmel and writing implement holder embodying the instant invention, the calendar being shown 1in standing condition;

p FIG. 3 is a front view of the calendar in collapsed condition as it appears when shipped;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken substantially along the line 4 4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail perspective view of the Writing implement holder in operative condition.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral lil denotes a calendar including a combined calendar backing panel and writing implement holder embodying my present invention. More particularly the calendar comprises a backing board, i.e. sheet, l2 and Writing implement holder 14. By way of example, a conventional monthly calendar pad 16 is shown secured, as by stapling, to the front surface of the board, and a pencil i8 is removably supported in the writing implement holder.

The board 12 is fabricated in the usual manner of a stili light weight inexpensive material such as cardboard and is provided with conventional means for maintaining the same erect position, such, for example, as an easel stand. Said stand includes a large rectangular flap 2t) hinged to the board along its bottom edge 22 and a small rectangular flap 24 hinged to the board along its upper edge 26. Both aps are formed in the board by Wellknown cutting methods, c g. by the use of slitting and creasing die rules, whereby each hinge constitutes a weakened linear Zone of the cardboard and the iiaps are integral with and fit completely into the board to produce a liat front and back surface in the disassembled (knockeddown) condition of the stand.

The large ilap includes an inverted (as seen in FG. 3) T-shaped slot 28 in which a tongue 3i) projecting from the lower edge of ap 24 is detaehably eaptively receivable. The slot 2S includes a lower (as viewed 1n FIG. 3) wide section 32 communicating with a narrow upper section 34. The tongue 30 is joined to the small ap by a narrow neck 36, the tongue, neck and small flap being in one piece. The tongue is receivable in the wide section 32 of the slot but not in the narrow section ice thereof while the neck is small enough to be received in said narrow section.

To stand the board, the large flap 2i) is swung down, the small flap 24 is swung up and the tongue of the latter is inserted into the T slot through the wide section thereof and then moved downwardly (as viewed in FIG. 2) so that the neck 36 enters the narrow section 34 of the slot (which has become inverted on swinging down of the large ap). In this manner the tongue is detachably captively held in the T slot, and the upper edge 38 of flap 26 (as viewed in FIG. 3) and the bottom edge 40 of the board comprise a manually collapsible easel stand for the board.

Pursuant to my present invention, the writing implement holder 14 includes a grommet, i.e. an eyelet or short tubular rivet 42, such as conventionally is provided in a board of the character described for hanging the board on a hook or nail, or on a strmg. The grommet extends through an opening in the board and is secured to the board near the upper edge thereof in any conventional manner. For instance, the front end of the grommet may be formed with an outwardly extending annular flange constituting a head which lies flat against the exposed, i.e., uncovered, front surface of the board while the rear end of the grommet is clinched against the rear surface of the board, as by bending portions of the rear end into contact with the back surface of the board, or by spinning or otherwise heading said rear end. Although the grommet itself is standard, in accordance with the present invention the front end of the grommet is integrally formed to include, i.e. has in one piece therewith, a novel pair of flat circular eyes 4d. These eyes are coplanar and are secured to and disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the front head of the grommet. The eyes therefore are located on the exposed front surface of the board i.e. the face on which the calendar pad is disposed. The grommet and eyes desirably are fabricated in one piece, as by stamping, from a light, easily (manually) deformable, slightly resilient, sheet metal such as thin mild steel or brass which is capable of maintaining against light stresses any shape into which it is deformed, as by bending, i.e. which can be readily bent by hand to assume a new configuration which it will resume when midly stressed away therefrom.

The internal diameters of the llat eyes are slightly larger than the cross-section of an ordinary pencil, ball point pen, crayon or the like with which the holder is to be used. Of course, the eyes can be made to any desired internal diameter so as to be able to accommodate a particular size or type of writing implement. Preferably the shape of the inner surfaces of the eyes is circular.

The eyes lie liat against the exposed front face of the board when the calendar lis shipped, i.e., before it is put into use, and this is a very important feature of the present invention, because calendars and the like of the type invloved herein preferably are capable of being shipped and stored flat.

To use the writing implement holder the eyes are bent up manually out of the plane of the board until they are almost, out not actually, perpendicular thereto; although this brings them into substantial registry, they are not parallel. Desirably they are deformed by bending where they are coupled to the grommet to converge slightly either toward or away from the board so as to reduce their effective diameters perpendicular to the board to a size ment to prevent it from slipping out of the holder accidentally.

As will be seen from the foregoing description, the instant device is simple to manufacture, can be shipped entirely flat and is very easy to assemble for use either as a standing or hanging combined calendar backing panel and writing implement holder. t should be pointed out also that the present invention 4is not useful only for calendar backing panels but can be applied to memo pads, note pads and various other similar products.

It thus will be seen that I have provided a device which achieves tbe various objects of my invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of my above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my inventiom I claim as new and desire to secure by Letter Patent:

A combined panel and Writing implement holder comprising, in combination, a sti flat board having a top edge and an exposed front face, said board further including an aperture near said top edge, and a grommet secured in said aperture in Said board so as to serve as a means for hanging the panel, and a Writing implement holder, said holder comprising two separate coplanar eyes secured to the grommet at diametrically opposite points of said grommet on said exposed front face of the board, said eyes being located on said exposed front surface of the board and being free of the grommet and the board except at said points of securement, both said eyes being at against said exposed front face of the board and being constituted of a light manually deformable slightly resilient sheet metal so as to be deformable with respect to said grommet adjacent said points of securement and to be capable of resiliently retaining against light stresses the positions into which they are deformed, the openings through said eyes being slightly larger than the cross-section of a body of a writing implement to be used with the holder whereby on bending of said eyes into a position where they are almost parallel, the writing implement can be thrust through the eyes and will be frictonally gripped thereby.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,296,529 Koester Mar. 4, 1919 1,446,741 Faber Feb. 27, 1923 1,803,511 Shanholtzer May 5,` 1931