CIRCULAR CALENDAR

Abstract: A circular calendar (1) produced as printed matter or by means of a display, like a screen or similar, and intended for planning, presentation or follow-up of time spans, which calendar contains at least the cycle of a year, presented in the form of a circle divided into months, weeks and days. The calendar comprises circular ring spaces (6) to show the length and position of time spans by means of codes (8) marked in said ring spaces.

Description: CIRCULAR CALENDAR The invention relates to a circular calendar according to the introduction of patent claim l. The circular calendar is a device for fixing and visualizing the expenditure of time. It is meant for planning pro year or pro academic year and works also as wall calendar. The calendar can be produced as printed matter or as a computer version, whereby the calendar is studied from the display screen, for instance. In known calendars the year is visualized vertically or horizontally, and no colour expression, to visualize the cycle of year, is applied to them, which, in utilizing colour psychology, makes it easier to visualize a season. Known circular calendars, such as design application FI 281/86, as well as in Think Ink company's (www-ink.com/Cir-Cal) circular calendars have divisions into years and weeks, the last ones also into days, but they have no space for planning pro year or pro academic year, neither have they any colour symbols to facilitate visualizing and to refresh the memory. With the solution according to this invention the above described problems and deficiencies are solved and a remarkable improvement is achieved compared to former circular calendars. The invention is characterized in what is presented in the enclosed patent claims. The aim with the invention is to produce a calendar to help its user to visualize by a glance the whole year, i.e. the object of planning, and thus help to remember and take notice of the facts, which affect the planning and must be paid attention to. It also helps to make observations, comparisons and conclusions of the entirety that is being planned. Thanks to its visual appearance, the circular calendar according to the invention is a calendar opening intuitive thinking. It changes the calendar character from a device of notes to a device of thinking. The calendar according to this invention is based on cyclic thinking. The man lives in cycles of a year. The life of man is regulated by frequent events every year and the yearly course of nature. The calendar helps its user by planning, to pay attention to his/her own and his/her public's emotions, resources and orientation with respect to the season (students in schools and other educational institutions, children in kindergartens, residents in old people's homes, consumers of art, products of electric communication and merchandise etc.). The thinking-opening calendar helps to divide one's activities appropriately into periods that must to be arranged within the year in order to reach their target in the best possible way. In arranging own jobs and studies the calendar helps to divide the resources appropriately in order to avoid too much stress and thus it guides its user to live, gradually, here and now. In the following the invention is disclosed with reference to the enclosed drawing, where, Fig. 1 shows a circular calendar according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the code key table. Figure 1 is a circular calendar, where the cycle of the year is presented in form of a circle. The calendar contains several circles within each other, into which the time spans are marked radially divided. In the solution of this figure the days are in circle 3 and immediately in the next inner circle the weeks in periods of seven days. The days of the week are separated by radial borderlines and the space reserved for each day of the week has a different base colour. In order to facilitate visualizing, each space is marked with a shade of the rainbow. Monday is red, Tuesday is orange, Wednesday is yellow, Thursday is green, Friday is turquoise, Saturday is blue and Sunday is violet. The colours are repeated all around the circle. Next there is circle 9 reserved, for instance, for the lunar month. The next circle 4 is the week circle, where the weeks are numbered and separated by radial lines from one another. Next is the month circle 5, which is divided into 12 parts and the month named. For the months two separate circles are reserved in this case. The cycle of the year is visualized on basis of colour psychology following the shade system of the sunlight spectrum, gradually changing from one shade into another clockwise or anticlockwise starting from the red colour of Christmas time. Winter is red and from there onward the shade at first goes over to orange, then in spring to yellow, in the summer to green, then to turquoise, in the autumn to blue, then to violet until read again. This coloration can be put, for instance, in circle 4 or 5. Further or alternatively, the cycle of the year can be visualized also as target groups by illustrations of the course of nature. The next more inward circles are rings 6, of which there are many within each other and which are separated by radial lines 7 according to the division of weeks. These circles are for marked to show parallel activities and to help the planning of parallel activities and help to make comparisons and to draw conclusions. In order to increase clarity it is possible to mark in parallel circles 6 the odd weeks with a different degree of darkness parallel than the even weeks. Then, glancing at the calendar, it is much easier to recall the number of the week, if remembering, whether it was light or with dark shade. In circles 6 the activities and cycles are marked in writing, with colour codes and pictures or any other easily visualized means. For definition of codes of colours and pictures, a code key as per figure 2 is attached to the calendar. Figure 2 is a code key, whereby with codes 8 different kinds of cycles are marked in circles 6. By means of code key 6 it is easy to figure out the meaning of each code.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A circular calendar ( 1 ) produced as printed matter or by means of a display, like a screen or similar, and intended for planning, presentation or follow-up of time spans, which calendar contains at least the cycle of a year, presented in the form of a circle divided into months, weeks and days, characterized in that the calendar comprises circular ring spaces (6) to show the lenght and position of time spans by means of codes (8) marked in said ring spaces. 2. A circular calendar according to claim 1 characterized in that ring spaces (6) are within each other and also have radial division lines (7). 3. A circular calendar according to claim 1 and 2 characterized in that the cycle of the year is shown by applying the shade order of the sunlight spectrum on defining the colouring for at least one circle among the circles (3 - 6) of the calendar. 4. A circular calendar according to any of the previous claims 1 - 3 characterized in that each day of the week is corresponded by a certain colour shade of the rainbow. 5. A circular calendar according to any of the previous claims 1 - 4 characterized in that it includes a code key table (2) for listing of the used codes (8). AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 16 November 1999 (16.11.99); original claim 1 amended; remaining claims unchanged (1 page)] 1. A circular calendar ( 1 ) produced as printed matter or by means of a display, like a screen or similar, and intended for planning, presentation or follow-up of time spans, which calendar contains at least the cycle of a year, presented in the form of a circle divided into months, weeks and days and placed on the outest ring spaces (3,4,5,9) in the calendar, characterized in that the calendar moreover comprises circular ring spaces (6) inside said outest ring spaces to show the lenght and position of the time spans by means of codes (8) marked in said ring spaces (6). 2. A circular calendar according to claim 1 characterized in that the ring spaces (6) are within each other and also have radial division lines (7). 3. A circular calendar according to claim 1 and 2 characterized in that the cycle of the year is shown by applying the shade order of the sunlight spectrum on defining the colouring for at least one circle among the circles (3 - 6) of the calendar. 4. A circular calendar according to any of the previous claims 1 - 3 characterized in that each day of the week is corresponded by a certain colour shade of the rainbow. 5. A circular calendar according to any of the previous claims 1 - 4 characterized in that it includes a code key table (2) for listing of the used codes (8).

Inventors: REPO KRISTIINA, RIHLAMA SEPPO KULLERVO, REPO, KRISTIINA, RIHLAMA, SEPPO, KULLERVO
Applicants: REPO KRISTIINA, RIHLAMA SEPPO KULLERVO, REPO, KRISTIINA, RIHLAMA, SEPPO, KULLERVO
Application year: 1999
Main classification: G09D3
IPC codes: G09D3