Calendars

Claim 2

A mechanical calendar comprising a casing with first, second, third and fourth aperture means formed therein; first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth annular gears rotatably mounted within said casing and disposed in substantially parallel planes; the first, second, third, and fourth annular gears being disposed behind the first aperture means, and the sixth, seventh and eighth annular gears being disposed behind the second, third and fourth aperture means, respectively; data indicating the thousands, hundreds, tens and units parts of a year numeral being disposed on the outer peripheries of the first, second, third and fourth annular gears, respectively; gearing interconnecting said first, second, third and fourth annular gears to appropriately rOtate the first, second and third annular gears in response to rotation of the fourth annular gear so as to display a succession of different year numerals through the first aperture means; the fifth annular gear being drive connected with the fourth annular gear; the sixth annular gear having on its outer periphery data items indicating months of the year in which said data items are displayed in turn through the second aperture means as the sixth annular gear is rotated; the seventh annular gear having on its outer periphery data indicating days of the week displayed through the third aperture means; the eighth annular gear having on its outer periphery a display of data in the form of numerals from 1 through 31 for indicating the date displayed through the fourth aperture means; first and second simultaneously rotatable drive gears and third and fourth simultaneously rotatable drive gears being disposed within the casing; operative means to selectively bring the first and second drive gears simultaneously into and out of meshing engagement with the fifth and seventh annular gears, respectively, and to bring the third and fourth drive gears simultaneously into and out of meshing engagement with the sixth and eighth annular gears, respectively; actuating means operable by the calendar user to rotate the first and second drive gears and the third and fourth drive gears about their respective centers; whereby rotation of the first and second drive gears when enmeshed with the fifth and seventh annular gears rotates said fifth and seventh annular gears to thereby simultaneously alter the year numeral and day data displayed; and rotation of the third and fourth drive gears when enmeshed with the sixth and eighth annular gears drives said sixth and eighth annular gears to thereby simultaneously alter the month and date data displayed.

Claim 3

A mechanical calendar as in claim 1, comprising fifth and sixth simultaneously rotatable drive gears disposed within the casing, said operative means being selectively activatable to bring the fifth and sixth drive gears simultaneously into and out of meshing engagement with the seventh and eighth annular gears, said actuating means being arranged to rotate the fifth and sixth gears about their respective centers, whereby rotation of the fifth and sixth drive gears when enmeshed with the seventh and eighth annular gears drives said seventh and eighth annular gears to thereby simultaneously alter the day and data displayed.

Claim 4

A mechanical calendar as in claim 2, a cradle rotatably mounted within said casing, a first shaft rotatably mounted in said cradle, an elongated pinion fixed on first shaft, said first shaft having one end projecting from said casing, manually rotatable first knob means mounted in driving engagement with the projecting end of said first shaft for the purpose of actuation by the user to rotate said pinion; second, third and fourth shafts rotatably mounted in said cradle and extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said pinion in spaced apart relationship around said pinion; the said first and second drive gears being fixed on second shaft, and said third and fourth drive gears and said fifth and sixth drive gears being fixed fast on said third and fourth shafts, respectively, and said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth drive gears being in meshing engagement with said pinion; a sleeve mounted fast with said cradle, said sleeve rotatably projecting from the casing, and said first shaft projecting from said casing through said sleeve; second manually rotatable knob means mounted on a projecting portion of said sleeve for actuation by the user whereby said cradle is rotated to selectively bring the first and second, the third and fourth, and the fifth and sixth drive gears successively into and out of meshing engagement with the respective annular gears.

Claim 5

A mechanical calendar as in claim 3, wherein said cradle extends internally through said fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth annular gears, the axis of said pinion is at substantially a right angle to the respective planes of said fifth sixth and seventh and eighth annular gears, and gear teeth are formed around the interiors of said fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth annular gears for meshing engagement with the appropriate first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth drive gears.

Claim 6

A mechanical calendar as in claim 1, said eighth annular gear being disposed in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of arcuate date plates mounted on the eighth annular gear, said date plates extending side by side around the periphery of the eighth annular gear, and each plate having the numerals 1 through 31 represented thereon, the numerals on each plate being arranged in horizontal rows and seven vertical columns so that each numeral has a unique position in a row and column, means for allowing each plate a vertical movement relative to the eighth annular gear and the other plates, means for limiting the extent of vertical movement of each plate between a lowered position and a raised position to a distance equal to the vertical width of a said row, static cam means mounted within the casing adjacent to the fourth aperture means, said cam means positioned for engaging an underside of each plate in succession when each plate is rotated by the eighth annular gear into view through the fourth aperture means, said cam means shaped for lifting an engaged plate into the raised position, and said cam means also shaped for allowing the engaged plate to disengage the cam means and drop to the lowered position as all the numerals on the plate come into view through the fourth aperture means.

Claim 7

A mechanical calendar as in claim 5, the month data items being disposed in two vertically spaced rows extending around the sixth annular gear, the first row of month data items representing the months of an ordinary year set out in the cyclic order January, May, August, March, December, July, October November, June, September, April, February, the second row of the month data items representing the months of a leap year set out in the same cyclic order as the first row with January in the second row disposed in a position in advance of January in the first row and February in the second row disposed in a position rearwardly of February in the first row, a month mask in the form of an open ended cylinder rotatably surrounding the sixth annular gear within the casing, the wall of the month mask having first and second vertically spaced rows of month data revealing openings therein aligned with said second aperture means, the first row of openings being level with the first row of month data items, the second row of openings being level with the second row of month data items, the openings in the first row being spaced apart, the words ''leap year'' inscribed on each wall portion of said mask between each opening in the first row, the openings in the second row being spaced apart and staggered in relation to the openings in the first row whereby each ''leap year'' inscription appears in vertical alignment with an opening in the second row.

Claim 8

A mechanical calendar as in claim 6, said sixth annular gear having an inner face with a continuous cam groove formed therein, said cam groove comprising first, second, third and fourth groove portions connected one to another in succession by further groove portions, the first groove portion being at a higher vertical level than any other groove portion, said first groove portion disposed immediately behind the month data items relating to months of 31 days, the second groove portion being at a lower vertical level than the first portion, said second groove portion disposed immediately behind the month data items relating to months of 30 days, the third groove portion being at a lower vertical than the second portion, said third groove portion disposed immediately behind the February data item for an ordinary year, the fourth Groove portion disposed at a vertical level intermediate the levels of the second and third groove portions, said fourth groove portion disposed immediately behind the February data item for a '' leap,'' a first stud with one end slidably located in the cam groove to follow rises and falls of the groove during rotation of the sixth annular gear, the other end of said first stud mounted on an upper end of a vertical motion transmitting member, said member extending vertically within guide means adapted to restrict the member to vertical movement, said guide means mounted on the interior of said casing, a horizontal bifurcated yoke mounted on a lower end of the motion transmitting member; a horizontal floor mounted across a lower portion of the eighth annular gear, an upstanding cylindrical open ended second sleeve mounted on the floor, said second sleeve disposed at the center of the eighth annular gear, said second sleeve rotatably surrounding an upstanding fifth spindle, said fifth spindle mounted on the casing, a collar freely surrounding the second sleeve, said collar supported by the floor of the eighth annular gear, external faces of the collar formed with a plurality of ascending helical grooves, a ring surrounding the second sleeve disposed above the collar, a plurality of first arms depending alongside the collar from said ring, a plurality of second studs each having one end mounted on each first arm, the other end of each second stud slidably located in one of said helical grooves, an innerface of said ring formed with substantially vertical groove which slidably fits over a vertical rib, the rib mounted on the second sleeve and standing out therefrom above the collar, the extension of said ring being formed with a horizontal annular groove, and the bifurcations of said yoke slidably engaging in the annular groove, four horizontal spider arms extending outwardly from the collar below the helical grooves, each spider arm being at a right angle to adjacent spider arms, the outer end of each spider arm-engaging holding means, each holding means extending through opening means in the wall of the eight annular gear and each said date plate, the opening means in each said date plate being disposed adjacent to date numerals 29, 30, 31 on the date plate, an arcuate masking plate mounted on the holding means externally of the date plate and internally of the casing, each masking plate being at the same horizontal level as the numerals 29, 30, 31, and the opening means in the eighth annular gear and each said date plate being of sufficient dimension for allowing relative movement of each said masking plate moved by said spider arm to mask from view any of the numerals 29, 30, 31 on the date plate.

Claim 9

A mechanical calendar comprising a casing having first, second, third and fourth aperture means formed therein; first, second, third and fourth annular gear means rotatably mounted within said casing and being disposed behind said first, second, third and fourth aperture means, respectively; first data indicating a year numeral disposed upon the outer periphery of said first annular gear means and visible through said first aperture means; second data indicating the months of the year disposed on the outer periphery of said second annular gear means and visible through said second aperture means; third data indicating days of the week disposed on the outer periphery of said third annular gear means and visible through said third aperture means; fourth data in the form of numerals from 1 through 31 indicating the date disposed on said fourth annular gear means and visible through said fourth aperture means; actuator means for rotating said first, second, third and fourth annular gear means; and variable positionable coupling means for selectively coupling said actuator means to said first and third annular gear means or alternatively to said second and fourth annular gear means, means mounting said coupling means in said casing for movement between a first poSition in which said coupling means couples said actuator means to said first and third annular gear means to simultaneously alter the year numeral and day data displayed without changing the month and date data and a second position in which said coupling means couples said actuator means to said second and fourth annular gear means to simultaneously alter the month and date data displayed without changing the year numeral and day data.

Claim 10

A mechanical calendar comprising a casing having first, second, third and fourth aperture means formed therein; first, second, third and fourth annular gear means rotatably mounted within said casing and being disposed behind said first, second, third and fourth aperture means, respectively; first data indicating a year numeral disposed upon the outer periphery of said first annular gear means and visible through said first aperture means; second data indicating the months of the year disposed on the outer periphery of said second annular gear means and visible through said second aperture means; third data indicating days of the week disposed on the outer periphery of said third annular gear means and visible through said third aperture means; fourth data in the form of numerals from 1 through 31 indicating the date disposed on said fourth annular gear means and visible through said fourth aperture means; actuator means for rotating said first, second, third and fourth annular gear means; and variable positionable coupling means for selectively coupling said actuator means to said first and third annular gear means or alternatively to said second and fourth annular gear means, means mounting said coupling means in said casing for movement between a first poSition in which said coupling means couples said actuator means to said first and third annular gear means to simultaneously alter the year numeral and day data displayed without changing the month and date data and a second position in which said coupling means couples said actuator means to said second and fourth annular gear means to simultaneously alter the month and date data displayed without changing the year numeral and day data.