Abstract:
A sheet having indicia to indicate a one month time period and then with each month divided into days. Each sheet is provided with a slot that provides entry to a receptacle that is attached to the back of the sheet, thus keeping a portion of an inserted reminder card for an appointment or task remains easily visible for a user. General use appointment and task cards permit the user to tailor the time and date management apparatus to particular needs. Reminder cards could be color coded to indicate the type of task or appointment. Reminder cards can also be dimensioned to substantially the same size as a standard business card or appointment card such as used by a doctor or dentist.

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/405,395, filed Apr. 3, 2003, now abandoned. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a time and date management apparatus, in particular a calendar to organize appointments and tasks. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   The use of calendars to manage time and appointments is well known in the art. The need for handling multiple tasks and appointments is found in many different types of situations. Situations where people face numerous appointments are thus difficult to manage. Examples of such situations that are difficult to manage are found in sales workplaces requiring multiple client visits and in a home where a person must self-administer many different types of medications. 
   Typical calendars fall into three general categories: preprinted paper, dry-erase boards, and computer software. The first two require a person to manually transcribe with pen or pencil the appointments and tasks onto a surface area, while the third type requires a computer for use and enjoyment. 
   The problem with manually transcribing information on a preprinted paper calendar is that the information often times will not fit within the finite space provided by a calendar. Additionally, with preprinted paper calendars when appointments and tasks are rescheduled or recurring they must be written out once again. Finally, with preprinted paper calendars, a person runs the risk of overlooking appointments or tasks once the information in the portioned area becomes too voluminous. 
   Like preprinted paper calendars, the second category, dry-erase boards, present some of the same limitations, especially as problems relate to a finite area of space within which to record information. Admittedly, one improvement of dry-erase boards over preprinted paper calendars is that a person can remove and re-record information faster than with a preprinted paper calendar. Nonetheless dry-erase boards still require rescheduled or recurring appointments or tasks are written out one at a time. Finally, dry-erase boards present two problems unique from preprinted paper calendars. First, ink on a dry erase board will often times smudge, contributing to confusion. Second, when ink on dry-erase boards is erased a bothersome residue is often left behind, potentially damaging clothing or at the very least presenting a nuisance by amassing on a person&#39;s skin. 
   The third general category of calendars, computer software, offers some distinct improvements over earlier preprinted paper and dry-erase boards. Much more information can be stored within a certain space on a computer software calendar, displays can be manipulated according to the preference of the user, and recurring appointments are recorded with relative ease. However, computer software calendars are limited in two areas: the overall monthly or yearly view of the calendar is constrained by the size of the computer&#39;s monitor, and the use and enjoyment of the computer software calendar requires that the user has already made a costly economic investment—the purchase of a computer. 
   A calendar that is designed to hold standard business cards or pre-printed appointment cards in a pocket corresponding to the due date is not found in the prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an aspect of the invention to provide receptacles behind each day on the calendar within which reminder cards are placed for important appointments and tasks. 
   The invention also provides that the receptacles be sized in a manner conducive to storing business cards. 
   The invention allows a portion of the reminder and business cards to protrude so that their presence in the calendar on a particular day is known. 
   It is another aspect of the invention to provide slots for placing the cards extend slightly into an adjacent day so that the calendar can be a width that is typical of a traditional calendar. 
   Still another aspect of the invention is to provide slots in the calendar that are diagonal rather than horizontal to eliminate the possible of tearing the calendar during the insertion and removal process of a card. 
   Another aspect of the invention is to provide pockets for the cards that use anti-static PVC (polyvinylchloride) transparent plastic. The advantage of using transparent plastic is the back of the cards can be read without necessarily removing them from their pockets if information is contained thereon. 
   Still another aspect of the invention is to provide pockets that are taped together to form a monthly array rather than heat sealing the plastic strips which would cause plastic pockets to curl, ripple and otherwise distort the calendar shape. 
   The invention is designed so that the receptacles are compartmentalized but attached to one another allowing for them to be bonded and thus fastened to the back of each sheet of the apparatus. 
   Each sheet preferably has indicia to indicate a one month time period and then with each month divided into days. However, the time duration could be one day and then each month divided into hours. Other arrangements could also be used such as the seasons, years, and so on. Each sheet is provided with a slot that provides entry to a receptacle that is attached to the back of the sheet. However, the receptacle could be eliminated if each reminder card was die cut stamped so that a tab was placed in the card. The tab could then be placed on edge of the slot to align and position the reminder card so that the appointment time, place, etc. could be easily viewed. 
   Finally the invention includes general use appointment and task cards that the user can tailor to his or her particular needs. For example, the reminder cards could be color coded to indicate the type of task or appointment. Reminder cards can also be dimensioned to substantially the same size as a standard business card or appointment card such as used by a doctor or dentist. 
   These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent in light of the detailed description of the invention which follows. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of time and date management apparatus in accordance with the invention. 
       FIG. 2   a  is a rear view of the apparatus showing “pocket” strips attached with double side cellophane tape. 
       FIG. 2   b  is a rear view of the apparatus showing “pocket” strips attached with single sided cellophane tape. 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of a business card being inserted into a pocket. 
       FIG. 4  is a rear view of the business shown in  FIG. 3  in its pocket. 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the pocket construction that is provided on the back of the apparatus. 
       FIG. 6  is an alternative embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 7  is an alternative embodiment of a specifically designed reminder card for the apparatus. 
       FIG. 8  is another alternative embodiment of a specifically designed reminder for the apparatus. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention is a time and date management apparatus preferably having twelve monthly sheets and various reminder cards allowing the user to distribute various appointments and tasks throughout the calendar in an efficient manner. This level of efficiency is desirable in situations where there are a multitude of appointments and tasks faced by the user. 
   As noted above, a different time duration (not shown) well known in the art could be selected. For example, each sheet could represent a time duration of one week, one day, etc. Time intervals would then be then days, hours, etc. 
   Referring first to  FIG. 1 , invention  10  is a sheet preferably made from heavy-stock paper  10  that serves as the back page of the apparatus which is typically a monthly calendar . . . The front side of the sheet  24  is imprinted with the indicia  12  depicting time duration and time interval. As shown, the time duration is the month of May, 2005 and the time interval are the days of the month. Each week makes up one row with the days of the week forming the headers and the month and year displayed across the top. Each day is bordered within a box that has sufficient room for additional indicia  20  to be placed thereon, either handwritten or printed. Each day contains a slot  14  within which a standard business card  18  is placed so that a portion is above slot  14  and is visible. The remainder of card  18  is behind sheet  24  and therefore not visible. Alternatively card  18  may also be color coded  22  which is discussed below or imprinted with special appointment information. The width C of slot  14  is dimensioned in accordance with the short axis (2 inches) of card  18 . Note that width of slot  14  extends slightly into an adjacent day. This is done so that the overall width of calendar is comparable to typical prior art calendars. Also, each slot  14  is set at an approximately 30 degree angle (depending on the row which is discussed below). This angle helps eliminate potential weakness and tearing that could occur between adjacent slots. 
   Also, the height D of slot  14  is dimensioned so that more than one card  18  may be introduced into each slot  14 . 
   As noted, the layout of sheet  24 , while preferable, can easily be changed to accommodate different time durations and time intervals. Further, indicia  12  can be imprinted using any calendar layout including decorative material well known in the art. 
   The pages of the calendar are hinged together to the heavy stock paper  10  via spiral binder  17 . However, any well known technique used to hold one calendar page to another could be substituted. 
   Turning to  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b , and  5 , the construction of the calendar page pockets are shown. Five horizontal strips of non-static PVC (polyvinylchloride) plastic are overlapped to form the pockets to hold the portion of the cards that are hidden behind the calendar page. Each strip  60 ,  61 ,  62 ,  63 ,  64  is preferable 3⅝ inches wide and 13 inches long. By selection strips of these dimensions, the calendar is comparable in size to standard wall calendars yet will accommodate standard 2 by 3½ inch business cards. 
   The extra ⅛ inches width in each strip allows for a ⅛ inch cellophane adhesive tape for fastening. The pocket construction preferably uses cellophane adhesive tape such as manufactured under the SCOTH brand by 3M Corp. The inventor has discovered that heat sealing the layers together results in the calendar pages to curl, ripple and thus the calendar can distort substantially. 
   Further, PVC transparent sheets are preferable because other plastic products as well as vellum, tissue paper, wax paper, cotton fiber paper causes the pages to puff up, billow, wave and wrinkle. The non-static nature of the PVC sheets eliminates dust, dirt and hair from adhering to the strips and ensures a clean pocket. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  5 , strip  60  is fastened to the sheet  24  with double-sided tape  80  at the top of weekly row j 1 . Sheet  60  is on top taped to sheet  24  with tape  80 , sheet  61  is taped underneath sheet  60  with tape  80 , offset by the width of the weekly row j 1 ; sheet  62  is taped underneath sheets  61  and  60  with tape  80 , offset by the width of weekly row j 2  and so on. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 2   b  and  5 , the bottom of strip  60  is fastened to strip  61  with single-side cellophane tape  82 ; the bottom of strip  61  is fastened to strip  62  with tape  82 ; the bottom of strip  63  is fastened to strip  64  and the bottom of strip  64  is fastened to sheet  24  with tape  82 . Thus five discrete horizontal rows are provided, each row is accessed the row of slots  14  corresponding to the day of the week and date within the calendar month. The “pocket” has no sides but cards are kept vertically in place by alignment with the bottom of the taped row and diagonal slot that is used to insert the card. 
     FIG. 3  is a front view of a business card  90  being inserted into a “pocket”. The portion of card  90  that is visible from the front is shown shaded. The area held behind sheet  24  is shown in dotted line. 
   Noted that a small portion of card  90  extend over into the indicia for the preceding day. At noted above, this enables seven (7) columns of two inch wide business cards plus calendar borders to be fit into a width that is about 13 inches wide. As noted above, the slots  14  are at a slightly different angle for the first columns that the remaining columns, again to save achieve a narrower calendar. 
     FIG. 4  is a view of the business card  90  shown in  FIG. 3  in the same “pocket” as viewed from the rear. Note that the bottom of the card is held from slipping by the taped sealed bottom of the strip. 
     FIG. 6  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention with the slots  14  being horizontal. In this configuration, the width of the calendar must be at least 16 inches, not including borders, to accommodate the use of standard business cards. The pockets could also be constructed as previously described in U.S. pat. Ser. No. 10/405,395, filed Apr. 4, 2003, now abandoned, and hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. 
   As previously, each sheet  24  of invention preferably contains separate plastic receptacles for standard business cards or reminder cards  18  (discussed below) that can be placed in each time interval, usually a calendar day. The receptacles are preferably plastic sheets which dimensioned in accordance with the size of the reminder card  18  or standard business card that are to be held within. Each receptacle should be able to hold at least two reminder cards  18  or paper slips or a combination of both to remind the user of an appointment that is due during the time interval represented the corresponding receptacle. The total amount of information thus contained in each day is considerably more than can be stored on a similarly sized calendar that requires manual transcribing information. Using only business cards as an example, key contact information for meetings is all contained within the day. 
   The plastic receptacles are grouped in horizontal rows where each receptacle forms a row as previously shown. Each receptacle is positioned such that a portion or reminder card  18  or standard business card is clearly visible and held at that desired height. The remaining portion of reminder card  18  is held in the back of sheet  24  within receptacle and out of view. Each row can be cascaded. At least a portion of the each row may be overlapped with an adjacent row so that the overall top to bottom dimension of sheet  24  can be less than if each receptacle abutted each receptacle below it. 
   As noted, sheets are preferably plastic so that they can be heat sealed to form receptacles as an alternative to preferable taping. However, paper that is glued together could also be used if the limitations of this method are recognized. The sheets can be attached together via heat sealing to form “pockets” and are attached to sheet  24 . Also, the sides could be heat sealed as well so that each row of “pockets” form seven distinct pockets if that was desired. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , reminder cards  18  can be colored coded  22 . Thus, for example, as shown, reminder card  18  could be blue  36  to indicate a doctor&#39;s appointment, green  38  to indicate music lessons, and gold  40  to indicate a social engagement. Since reminder cards  18  are sized in accordance with standard business card sizes, invention  10  can be used with reminder cards  18  packaged with invention  10  or in combination with standard business and appointment reminder cards. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , alternative embodiments of reminder card  18  are shown. In this embodiment, die cut  44  is made into reminder card  18  so that a tab  62  is provided. Tab  62  hold reminder card  18  in position on slot  14  so that positioning sheet  51  with receptacles  46  is unnecessary. However, this embodiment is limited to the use of special cards having tab  62  die cut therein since the use of a standard business card will merely slide though slot  14  and not be held within position to be viewed. 
   The invention allows the user to shuffle and reschedule appointments as needed by simply removing cards and placing them within another receptacle. As mentioned this requires considerably less effort than crossing out or erasing unfulfilled tasks and canceled or rescheduled appointments and manually transcribing the same information all over again. 
   While certain representative embodiments of the invention have been described herein for the purposes of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modification therein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.