US3432952A

US3432952A - Desk appointment calendar

Info

Publication number: US3432952A
Application number: US646418A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert W Pratt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-06-09
Filing date: 1967-06-09
Publication date: 1969-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-18

Description

March 18, 1969 R. W. mm- 3,432,952

DESK APPOINTMENT CALENDAR Original Filed June 5, 1965 INVENTOR.

ROBERT W. PRATT BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office Patented Mar. 18, 1969 3,432,952 DESK APPOINTMENT CALENDAR Robert W. Pratt, Box 1, Greene, RJ. 02827 Continuation of application Ser. No. 460,978, June 3, 1965. This application June 9, 1967, Ser. No. 646,418 US. Cl. 40-117 6 Claims Int. Cl. G09d 3/10; G091? 11/24 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A calendar having a permanent base with drive mechanism mounted therein and a removable disposable unit removably positioned in the base with a web which may be written on extending from one reel to another reel which reels have simple driven means to cooperate with the drive mechanism of the base and receive motion in either direction therefrom.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 460,978 filed June 3, 1965, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a desk appointment calendar having a writing space assigned to each day on which, as is usual with such calendars, appointments and memoranda may be noted, but differing from other such calendars by reason of certain unique design and mechanical characteristics.

The invention comprises a permanent box-like base receiving member made of wood, metal, plastic, or other material, appropriately finished, together with a disposable calendar unit good for a year or other period of time which may be readily positioned in, and just as readily removed from the base, or receiving member, when a new unit is needed. The calendar unit comprises a web of material, such as paper, on which the calendar is printed, a supply reel on which the web is stored, a writing platen across which the web is drawn, and a take-up reel for receiving the web after it is drawn across the platen. When the calendar unit is in place in the base, and the device is ready for use, only the printed face of the calendar unit (the writing surface) is visible through an opening in the top of the base. The base includes a drive mechanism which engages the calendar unit when the unit is in place so designed that the web can be drawn from either reel to the other across the face of the writing platen by rotating a knob on the outside of the base. In this manner, the user can quickly bring into view any segment of the calendar, past, current, or future.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device having a permanent base and a disposable calendar unit which is simple to reload with a new calendar unit. With this invention, it is necessary only to remove the top from the base, lift out the used calendar unit, and insert anew unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable calendar unit having the web on which the calendar is printed permanently assembled with the supply and take-up reels.

Another object of the invention is to provide means that will prevent the web from ballooning when being drawn from one reel to the other so that it will always be tight across the writing platen over which it is drawn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable calendar unit of such simple construction as to be inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism that can be readily engaged with or disengaged from a calendar unit so that a unit may be readily inserted in or removed from the base.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism that will permit either the supply reel or the take-up reel to be rotated independently of the other so that the web may be drawn in either direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism that is suificiently compact to be housed in the base without adding undesirable bulk to the base.

Another object of the invention is to provide maximum calendar space for each square inch of desk space occupied by the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide easy access to the interior of the base, as for changing calendar units, by having atop that is easily removed and replaced.

Another object of the invention is to present the face of the calendar at a convenient angle to the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a writing surface that can be conveniently written on at any point, including the extreme low edge of the writing surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide means that will prevent the device from creeping away from the user as a result of the pressure exerted in writing when notations are made on the calendar.

Another object of the invention is to provide in the base a flexible cover that may be drawn over the exposed face of the calendar to conceal the same if desired.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete device, assembled, and ready for use;

FIG. 2 is a central section thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the disposable calendar unit partly broken away to show the construction;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through one side wall of the base, disclosing the drive mechanism for the reels substantially on line 44 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 5 is an end view of part of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the parts of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing how the disposable calendar unit is received into the base to mesh with the drive mechanism; and

FIG. 8 is an end view on areduced scale of one side of the device.

With reference to the drawings, in FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 designates the permanent box-like base receiving member, shown made of wood, having a bottom wall 11,

side walls

12 and 13, a back wall 14, a very low front wall 15 and a removable top 20 which might vary widely in design and material but is here shown as a fiat plate with a large opening 21 in its reposing in the rabbeted upper edges of the

walls

12, 13, 14, and 15, as at 16, 17, 18, and 19, where it is shown as held in place by friction but could be held by screws, a latch or some other locking device. When the top 20 is removed from the base 10, a disposable calender unit 25, as seen in FIG. 3, may be removably positioned through the open top of the base.

The disposable calendar unit 25, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises the web of paper or other material 35 on which the calendar is printed, a supply reel 31 on which the web is stored, a writing platen 26 of metal or other material having sufi'icient stiffness to resist the pressure of being written on, across which the web 35 is drawn printed side out, and a take-up reel 36 for receiving the web after it is drawn across the platen 26. At its ends, the web is afiixed to the reels in some permanent fashion. The platen is rolled in arcuate fashion as at 29 and 30 to enhance its stiffness and to provide smooth, gradual curves over which to draw the web where it must be drawn around turns. The two opposite sides of the platen are bent at the edges 27 at right angles to the surface of the platen to provide reel mounts 28L and 28R which serve in lieu of pillow blocks to accommodate the supply and take-

up reels

31 and 36. The reels are mounted by means of cylindrical trunnions 32 and 37 (as seen in FIG. 2) in the ends of the reels at mount 28L extending through the mount 28L, and reel gears 38 and 33 in the opposite ends of the reels at mount 28R extending through the mount 28R. The trunnion and reel gear of each reel, being exactly opposite one another, act as journals so that the reels may be rotated in the mounts when the reel gears are turned. A resilient bendable piece of metal or other springy material 40 is held by means of a rod 41, or other member serving the same purpose, attached to the opposite reel mounts 28L and 28R, which piece of metal or other material 40, being under tension as a result of being bent, continuously exerts pressure against the supply and take-up

reels

31 and 36 serving as a brake to prevent ballooning of the web at either reel or at the opening 21 in the top when the web is not under tension.

A drive mechanism for turning the reel gears 38 and 33 of the calendar unit when the unit is in place is located in a recess 44 in the side wall 12 of the base 10. The drive mechanism is shown in section in FIG. 4. The mechanism is actuated by a rotatable knob 46 on the outside of the base attached to a rotatable shaft 45 which connects the knob with the rest of the drive mechanism which consists of a main gear 49 permanently attached to the shaft 45 by one or more rivets through the flange 50 that is an integral part of the shaft, an intermediate gear carrier 52 having cars 54 and 55 to which the

intermediate gears

56 and 57 are attached, as may be seen in FIGS. and 6, which is free to turn on the shaft 45 and is separated from the main gear 49 by a spacer or washer 51, and a spring 53 which holds the assembly against the plate 47 through which the shaft 45 passes. The plate 47 holds the assembly together by being secured to the side wall 12 by screws as at 48. It will be seen that the

intermediate gears

56 and 57 in their normal operating positions, as shown, are both in permanent engagement with the main gear 49.

When the base has no calendar unit 25 in it and one is to be inserted, the top 20 is first removed. The knob 46 is then pulled away from the base against the resistance of the spring 53 thereby pulling the gear 49, the spacer 51, and the intermediate gear carrier 52 with it until movement is stopped against the side wall 12 of the base. With the

intermediate gears

56 and 57 thus held out of the way, a calendar unit 25 is positioned within the base by inserting the trunnions 32 and 37 in holes located to receive them in side wall 13, but not visible in the drawings (or, alternatively, in slots 60 and 61 in side wall 13 with some device to restrain vertical movement of the trunnions in the slots after the unit is in position) and dropping the reel gears 33 and 38 into the

slots

62 and 63 in the plate 47 positioning them as is seen in FIG. 7. The knob 46 is then released which will allow the spring 53 to return the assembly to its normal operating position in which position intermediate gear 56 can be meshed with reel gear 33, or intermediate gear 57 can be meshed with reel gear 38 as may be required for operation of the device as will be made clear below. When either intermediate gear is meshed with its companion reel gear it will serve to restrain vertical movement by the calendar unit in the

slots

62 and 63. The lower end of the calendar unit 25 will be positioned on the bottom wall 11 of the base 10 by the inclined edges of the reel mounts, 28L and 28R, as indicated at 28X in FIG. 2.

To remove an obsolete calendar unit 25 from the base 10, the top 20 is first removed, the knob 46 is pulled away from the base and the procedure described above for inserting a new unit is followed in reverse.

With a calendar unit in place, to operate the device, if it is desired to move the web 35 from the supply reel 31 to the take-up reel 36, the knob 46 will be turned clockwise. This action will first swing the intermediate gear carrier 52 so that the intermediate gear 56 will engage the reel gear 33 on the take-up reel 36, while at the same time the intermediate gear 57 will be disengaged from the reel gear 38. Upon continuing to rotate the knob 46 clockwise, the web will be drawn from the supply reel 31 to the take-up reel 36, If, however, it is desired to refer back to material which may have been recorded on a portion of the web that has already been drawn onto the take-up reel 36, it is merely necessary to turn the knob 46 counterclockwise when the first thing that will happen will be that the intermediate gear carrier 52 is swung so as to disengage the intermediate gear 56 from the reel gear 33 and engage the intermediate gear 57 with the reel gear 38 on the supply reel 31. Further counterclockwise rotation will then draw the web back from the take-up reel 36 to the supply reel 31.

A permanent inner flexible cover 65 (not to be confused with the top 20) which might be of leather, plastic, or some other flexible material or a combination of materials, may be incorporated in the base, which cover can be pulled downward by means of the handle 66, if desired, to cover the writing surface of the platen 26 and the web 35, and may be pushed upward again to expose the web when desired. Such cover extends from side wall 13 to side wall 12, less allowance for clearance, under the side edges of the top 20, so that when moved either upward or downward it is guided at the sides by the inside surfaces of the

side walls

12 and 13, or some other form of guide may be used. When the cover is pushed upward, it is guided into the base 10 by means of a guide 67 which might be curved as at 68 at its upper end and curved as at 69 at its lower end.

Non-slip material of rubber or plastic is afiixed to the bottom wall of the base 11 somewhat as at 70 to prevent the base from creeping away from the user when the calendar is being written on.

I claim:

1. A desk calendar comprising a permanent box-like base receiving member, a disposable calendar unit removably positioned in said base, said unit comprising a platen, reels carried by said platen, each reel provided with a gear, a web having its opposite ends attached to said reels and extending across said platen, and means carried by said base and engageable with a gear of a reel of said unit to draw the web from one reel to the other across said platen, said means comprising a drive gear, a member carrying spaced intermediate gears which is rockable by actuation of the drive gear to cause engagement of one of said intermediate gears with the gear of one of said reels and disengagement of its other intermediate gear with the gear of the other of said reels for selectively drawing the web across the platen in either direction as desired.

2. A desk calendar as in claim 1 wherein the drive gear is much greater in diameter than the gears which it drives.

3. A desk calendar comprising a receiving base having manipulating means comprising a rockable member carrying spaced driving means, a disposable unit removably positioned in said base comprising a platen of sufiicient stiffness to resist the pressure of being written upon and provided with two pairs of opposite bearings, a pair of reels rotatably supported in spaced relation in said bearings, a web extending across the upper surface of said platen with one end attached to one reel and the other end attached to the other reel, driven means on each reel, the driven means of one of said reels being so spaced from the driven means of the other reel as to be engaged by one of said spaced driving means as the member is rocked in one direction while disengaging the other of said spaced driving means from the driven means of the other reel.

4. A desk calendar comprising a box-like receiving base and a unit removably positioned therein, cooperating means between said base and unit to rotate said reels, said unit comprising a platen, a pair of reels carried by said platen, driven means on each reel, said base provided with driving means comprising an axially slidable drive shaft, driving means on said drive shaft located above and engaging said driven means on said reels and so positioned as to interfere with the removal or insertion of the removable unit when in driving position, a spring urging said drive shaft into such interference driving position but yieldable to move said shaft and said means out of the interference position for the insertion or removal of the unit.

5. A desk calendar comprising a box-like base with opposite side walls and a manipulating means for imparting rotation, a disposable calendar unit comprising a platen of suflicient stiffness to resist the pressure of being written upon and provided with downwardly extending side flanges removably telescoping into the side walls of said base, said flanges having openings therein to provide two pairs of opposite bearings, a pair of reels rotatably supported in spaced relation in said bearings, a web extending across the upper surface of said platen with one end attached to one reel and the other end attached to the other reel, and means on each of said reels for cooperation with said manipulating means in the base for receiving rotation therefrom.

6. For insertion in a base having manipulating means therefor, a disposable unit for a desk calendar comprising a platen of sutficient stiifness to resist the pressure of being written upon and provided with two pairs of opposite bearings, a pair of reels having end sockets, inserts in said sockets providing trunnions for rotatably supporting said reels in spaced relation in said bearings,

a web extending across the upper surface of said platen and over each end of said platen with one end attached to one reel and the other end attached to the other reel, said inserts being provided with gear-like ribs extending axially of the reels and gripping the inner surface of said sockets and also serving as gears along the portion extending outwardly beyond the ends of the reels for cooperation with a moving part in the base for receiving rotation therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 621,017 3/1899 Bellet -93 937,981 10/1909 Adams 40-93 1,396,553 11/1921 Bovy 40-86 1,547,033 7/1925 Crawford 40-86 1,801,139 4/1931 Chalek. 1,921,103 8/1933 Smith 40-86 2,498,476 2/1950 Alfonso 40-86 3,104,483 9/1963 Thompson 40-86 FOREIGN PATENTS 282,612 12/ 1927 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

WENCESLAO J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.