Abstract:
The present invention provides a boxed and self-supportive, multi-functional calendar having a cover member that supports a date element at a slanted position on a flat surface for viewing and writing notes, and also wraps around the date element for preventing information from being seen by others. The calendar also has a magnetic element, supported by the cover member, to hold metallic pieces such as paper clips for a user to keep the surrounding surface organized. The disclosed calendar is composed of a minimal number of components which simplifies the manufacturing process and lowers production costs.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a calendar and, more specifically, to a calendar with a cover member that supports a date element on a flat surface for display and wraps around the calendar for protection, together with a magnetic element supported by the cover member and that holds metallic pieces such as paper clips for a user to keep the surrounding surface organized. 
     There are a great number of calendar displays. These displays are typically made with cardboard and a plurality of calendar leaves attached by staples or stitches, or placed in pockets on a display mount. The display may be provided with some means for supporting the display. It has also been common to combine a calendar display and paper clip dispenser together to form a desk appliance to hold paper clips. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,415 discloses a desk appliance that serves both as a paper clip dispenser and as a perpetual calendar. The desk appliance incorporates a magnetic paper clip dispenser having a cylindrical lateral wall and an annular magnet at the top for holding paper clips. The bottom of the container has an integral cylindrical extension. The extension is a mask or frame that exposes a perpetual calendar. However, the desk appliance is constructed with various types of materials and numerous pieces, making the manufacturing process complicated and time consuming. Since it is a cylindrical container, there is also no flat surface to provide a user with the ability to write notes on the calendar. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,056 is a note booklet with a foldable cover. The foldable cover has a first plane section, a second plane section, a third plane section, and a flap. The foldable cover is folded away from the note booklet to form a sheet and penholder, the third plane section is placed flat on the supporting surface, and the second plane section is formed at ninety degrees to the third plane section. For calendar displays on a desk or flat surface, it is usually preferred to have the calendar set in a slanted position for easy viewing against light reflection. Yet, the foldable cover for the note booklet in this patent does not evidently provide a slanted position for the note booklet. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,118 discloses a display mount desk calendar. The desk calendar has four connected rectangular panels with the first and second panels of the same size, the third panel is of a shorter length than the first and second panels, and the fourth panel is of a shorter length than the third panel. The calendar is formed with the third panel placed on a flat surface while the first panel is propped on the third panel, or while the first and second panels are folded to lie across the edge of the fourth panel. The desk calendar provides a ready reference for phone numbers, address or other useful information. However, without a cover, the desk calendar does not provide protection against damage. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a calendar that incorporates the different functions listed above from the prior art but that is simple in design and manufacturing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a boxed and self-supportive calendar comprises a date element, a cover member that supports the date element, and a magnetic element supported by the cover element such that the magnetic element holds metallic pieces for a user. The calendar has a first configuration wherein the cover member wraps around the date element such that the date element is boxed, and the calendar also has a second configuration wherein the cover member forms a triangle to support the date element in a slanted position. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a boxed and self-supportive calendar that can be viewed by a user while the calendar is on a support surface comprises a date element having a top side, a bottom side, a rear side, and a front side; a cover member that supports the date element, with the cover member having a first segment, a second segment, a third segment, and a fourth segment, the segments being oriented to one another about a plurality of fold lines; and a magnetic element supported by the cover element. The calendar has a boxed configuration wherein the cover member wraps around the date element such that the date element is boxed about the top side, bottom side, rear side and front side; and the calendar has a self-supportive configuration wherein at least three of the segments form a triangle to support the date element at an angle to the support surface. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a calendar with a partially boxed configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a calendar with a completely boxed configuration and shrink-wrapped according an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a calendar with a self-supportive configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of all of the cover member segments of the calendar laid out flat according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the calendar shown in FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the calendar shown in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Although the present invention is described as a calendar, the scope of the invention is not so limited. The present invention may be useful in the general context of an apparatus for recording and/or maintaining handwritten or pre-printed information such as in the form of appointments, reminder notes, and the like. In this general context, a user may desire to have the information, and specifically the medium such as paper on which the information is contained, protected from damage, such as during shipment. The user may also desire to have the information readily accessible and viewable, such as by displaying the information on a desk surface. 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views and FIG. 5 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention. Therein, the calendar  10  may comprise a date element  12 , a cover member  13  that supports the date element  12 , and a magnetic element  11  that is supported by the cover member  13 . The date element  12  may include an information medium, such as a plurality of paper pages, having calendar dates on them. The date element  12  can comprise a top side  12   a,  a bottom side  12   b,  a rear side  12   c,  and a front side  12   d.    
     The cover member  13  may be made of a protective material such as paper cardboard to protect the information medium from damage. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover member  13  can have a rectangular shape and comprise a first segment  13   a,  a second segment  13   b,  a third segment  13   c,  and a fourth segment  13   d  that may be separated by a plurality of fold lines or hinges  16   a,    16   b,  and  16   c  that enable the segments to articulate relative to one another. The segments  13   a - 13   d  are connected in series at the fold lines  16   a - 16   d.  As shown in FIG. 3, the fold line  16   a  is between the first segment  13   a  and the second segment  13   b;  the fold line  16   b  is between the second segment  13   b  and the third segment  13   c;  and the fold line  16   c  is between the third segment  13   c  and the fourth segment  13   d.    
     The segments may all be of the same shape (such as rectangular) and of the same width. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the first segment  13   a  can have a length that is longer than a length of the second segment  13   b,  and the second segment  13   b  may have approximately the same length as the fourth segment  13   d . The third segment  13   c  can have approximately the same length as the first segment  13   a,  which also has a longer length than the length of the second segment  13   b.  The third segment  13   c  may be affixed or secured to the bottom side  12   b  of the date element  12 . 
     The magnetic element  11 , adjacent to the date element  12 , may be affixed or secured to the fourth segment  13   d  of the cover member  13  such as by gluing. The magnetic element  11  serves to hold metallic elements—such as paper clips, tacks, and straight pins—In an organized fashion while providing easy user access to such metallic elements. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the magnetic element  11  may be of any shape, such as rectangular, and dimensioned to fit within the perimeter of the fourth segment  13   d.    
     In referring again to FIGS. 1A,  1 B, and  5 , the calendar  10  can have a first or boxed configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, in FIGS. 1A and 5, the calendar  10  is shown in a partially boxed configuration inasmuch as the cover member  13  is partially open. The boxed configuration may be particularly useful in preventing damage to the date element  12 , such as when the calendar  10  is being shipped or otherwise in transit. In can also be used to hide information on the date element  12  that may otherwise be in view of others. Further, the boxed configuration allows ease in shipment or other transport because, when the cover member  13  is completely closed, the calendar  10  may be easily shrink wrapped with a suitable material  18  (FIG. 1B) or placed into a shipping container, such as a cardboard box. 
     When the calendar  10  is in the boxed configuration, the cover member  13  may be completely or partially wrapped around the date element  12 . So wrapped, the first segment  13   a  of the cover member  13  can be immediately adjacent to and interfacing the top side  12   a  of the date element  12 ; the second segment  13   b  of the cover member  13  can be immediately adjacent to and interfacing the rear side  12   c  of the date element  12 ; the third segment  13   c  can be immediately adjacent to and interfacing the bottom side  12   b  of the date element  12 ; and the magnetic element  11  secured to the fourth segment  13   d  of the cover member  13  can be immediately adjacent to and interfacing the front side  12   d  of the date element  12 . In the first or boxed configuration, the first segment  13   a  and the second segment  13   b  of the cover member  13  can be substantially perpendicular to each other, as well as the second segment  13   b  and the third segment  13   c  of the cover member  13  being substantially perpendicular to each other. At the same time, the third segment  13   c  and the fourth segment  13   d  can be substantially parallel to each other. 
     FIGS. 2 and 4 are perspective and side views, respectively, of the calendar  10  having a second or self-supportive configuration according to an embodiment of the invention. When the calendar  10  is in the self-supportive configuration, a portion of the cover member  13  may be in the form of a triangle to support the date element  12  at a slant or angle δ 17  to a supporting surface such as a table. The angle δ 17  may be between about 25 to 35 degrees. The triangle can be formed by articulating the segments  13   a - 13   d.  For example, the first segment  13   a,  the second segment  13   b,  and the third segment  13   c  of the cover member  13  can be articulated to form the triangle with the first segment  13   a  being on the support surface. The triangle can be characterized by an angle α 14 , being about 75 to 85 degrees, and defined as the angle between the first segment  13   a  and the second segment  13   b  of the cover member  13 . The triangle can be further characterized by an angle β  15 , being about 75 to 85 degrees, and defined as the angle between the second segment  13   b  and the third segment  13   c  of the cover member  13 . 
     In the self-supportive configuration, the magnetic element  11  may also rest flat on the support surface for holding metallic pieces such as paper clips. It can also be seen that, in the calendar  10  changing from one configuration to another, the metallic elements can remain attached to the magnetic element  11 . The design simplifies the complexity of changing between two different configurations, saves time, and keeps the surrounding support surface organized. 
     In view of the above, it can be seen that the present invention provides a multi-functional calendar  10 . The boxed and self-supportive configurations keep information on the date element  12  from being seen by others, enable easy viewing and writing on the date element  12 , hold metallic pieces such as paper clips in an organized fashion, protect the date element from damage, and enable ease in packing for shipment. Also, less packaging must be discarded since an outer box is eliminated. The calendar  10  easily fits on a desk and provides a “clean” look. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to preferred embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.