Abstract:
A countdown or advent type calendar for a selected time interval includes the concurrent provision of a text message and completion or modification of a pictorial design during the sequential indication of the date during the countdown.

Description:
This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/416,631, filed Oct. 7, 2002. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART 
   The present invention relates to countdown or advent type calendars corresponding to a selected time interval having a beginning date, an end date and a pictorial design and/or textural message relating to a theme associated with the time interval. The calendar may have any selected theme such as a recognized holiday or an arbitrarily designated time interval relating to events having a personal or familial significance such as a birthday, wedding, anniversary, vacation or the like. 
   The countdown calendars of interest herein track the arrival of a date. The calendars are particularly enjoyed by children as a means to quantify the time interval to the approaching event date and to heighten the anticipation of the event. 
   It is known to provide a date array with pocketed date locations for insertion of a marker element or separate mounting locations for numbered marker elements as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,061. Removal of marker elements from the date array during the countdown may reveal a personal message as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,553. Instead of removing marker elements, tabs may be arranged to be opened along fold lines to reveal a series of messages associated with the upcoming event as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,443,288 and 6,280,200. 
   Communication and educational calendars may enable a user to write a personal reminder message under a movable tab as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,278, receive a specific health or behavior modification message related to a goal as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,580, or disclose an inspirational or motivational message on movable tabs assembled to highlight or form a pictorial design as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,733. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the invention, a countdown calendar for a selected event is enhanced by the concurrent provision of a text message and completion or modification of a pictorial design during the quantification of the time interval preceding the event. The sequential indication of date during the countdown provides for the development of the text message and design. 
   In an illustrated embodiment, the sequential indication of the countdown date reveals a text message or greeting relating to the event and completes or modifies an associated pictorial design or forms a second text message. 
   To that end, date marker elements moved during the countdown progressively reveal the letters forming a text message. As the marker elements are moved during the countdown, they are repositioned to complete a design. The marker elements may bear portions of a more comprehensive design or may comprise individual features of the more comprehensive design. The marker elements may be coded to fix their position upon movement. 
   The calendar includes a support substrate having a date location which may include a date array and a target location which may include a pictorial design and/or coded target locations for repositioning of marker elements. 
   The marker elements may be temporarily mounted to or removably secured to the substrate at the date location and target locations using any convenient method of attachment. For example, the marker elements may be temporarily mounted or removably secured by magnets, hook and loop fasteners, non-hardening adhesive, e.g. pressure-sensitive adhesive, interlocking members such a snap connectors, or in other suitable manners as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,799,423, 5,934,707, D385,577 and D458,061. It is also possible to use static cling to mount a polymeric film material as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,777. The teachings of the foregoing patents are incorporated herein by reference. 
   In a further embodiment, the marker elements may comprise three-dimensional bodies or pieces that mechanically interfit with the support substrate. For example, the marker element cross-section may be circular, oval, polygonal, rectangular (including square) or other regular or irregular geometric shapes having multiple faces that are mirror images and configurations that allow the marker element to be mounted in a target location with a selected one of the mirror image faces exposed. 
   Accordingly, the marker elements may be oriented and mounted to the substrate to expose different faces. One of the faces may carry countdown numbers or dates and one or more other faces may carry a text message or a letter, a pictorial design, an image comprising a part of a more comprehensive design or a combination thereof. The marker elements may be removed, rotated or reoriented to change the exposed face and remounted in it&#39;s date location or moved to a target location. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a Christmas countdown calendar prior to the beginning of the countdown; 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of on an enlarged scale of a marker element shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the marker element shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the calendar of  FIG. 1  after the countdown is completed and the marker elements have been moved from their date locations to their target locations; 
       FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of a birthday countdown calendar in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of a Christmas countdown calendar in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention; 
       FIG. 7  is a front perspective view on an enlarged scale of a marker element shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the marker element shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a front perspective view on an enlarged scale of a marker element shown in  FIG. 6 ; and 
       FIG. 10  is a front elevational rear perspective view of the marker element shown in  FIG. 9 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a countdown calendar  100  having a Christmas theme is illustrated. The calendar  100  includes a substrate  102  having a design portion  104  and a date portion may be formed of non-woven fabric, similar sheet material that may be printed or otherwise marked on a front or display surface  102   a  with the features of the design and date portions. The design portion  104  includes an illustrative Christmas scene  108  comprising a room having a fireplace  106 . The substrate  102  cardboard, plastic or a  110 , a Christmas tree  112 , a toy train track  114 , a room window  116  and a table  118 . Of course, other Christmas scenes may be used. In a like manner, design portion scenes related to other calendar themes may be used. For example, a Halloween countdown calendar may include a ghost scene, a Thanksgiving countdown calendar may include a Pilgrim dinner celebration scene and a birthday countdown calendar may include a cake or other birthday celebration indicia. Similar event related scenes may be used in connection with other recognized holidays such as Valentine&#39;s Day, New Year&#39;s Day, Easter, Independence Day, St. Patrick&#39;s Day, Mother&#39;s Day, Father&#39;s Day, Memorial Day or Labor Day. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the Christmas scene  108  includes number coded target locations  120 . A total of 24 target locations  120  are contained in the Christmas scene  108 . Each of the target locations  120  is number coded  1  through  24 . The target locations  120  need not be number coded, but rather, they may be coded with letters, colors, designs, specific shapes or other indicia suitable for recognition by children. 
   The date portion  106  of the calendar  100  comprises a date array  122  formed by a plurality of date locations  124 . Each date location  124  includes a square border  126  within which a marker element  128  is temporarily mounting to the front surface  102   a  of the substrate  102 . 
   The date locations  124  may be defined in any convenient manner such as by the use of square borders  126 , other suitable geometric shapes, color designs or merely numbered. The date array  122  comprises a total of 24 date locations which corresponds with the number of days in the time interval or countdown period. Of course, the number of date locations and the length of the time interval or countdown may be varied. Each of the date locations  124  is number coded  1  through  24  and corresponds with a day of the countdown time interval. The date array  122  comprises four rows  130   a ,  130   b ,  130   c  and  130   d  of date locations  124 . The rows  130   a ,  130   b ,  130   c  and  130   d  respectively contain a total of 4, 5, 6 and 9 date locations  124 . The configuration of the date array  122  may be varied so as to include arcuate as well as combined arcuate and linear date location alignments. However, vertically spaced horizontal rows are convenient since removal of the marker elements  128  reveals a text message. 
   The date marker elements  128  have specific configurations and/or pictorial representations on a front or display side thereof corresponding with additional features or aspects to be added to the design portion  104  to complete or modify the Christmas scene  108 . A total of 24 marker elements  128  are provided. The marker elements  128  are number coded  1  through  24  so that each marker element is associated with an appropriate date location  124  and, upon repositioning, a proper target location  120  to complete or modify the Christmas scene  108 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the marker element  128  associated with date location  1  is shown and referred to as marker element “I” herein. The marker element  1  has a front surface  1   a  and a back surface  1   b . The front surface  1   a  is decorated to depict a mouse hole that is to be added to the Christmas scene  108 . The back surface  1   b  is marked with the particular element number, i.e., “ 1 ” herein as shown at “A”, and has a hook fastener  132  secured thereto. 
   For purposes of removably mounting the marker elements  128  to the front face  102   a  of the substrate  102 , each of the date locations  124  and target locations  120  has a loop fastener  134  secured to the front face  102   a  in any suitable manner such as by adhesive or sewing. Accordingly, the marker elements  128  may be moved between their date locations  124  and target locations  120  by disengaging the hook fasteners  132  from the loop fasteners  134  at the date locations  124  and reengaging the hook fasteners  132  with the loop fasteners  134  at the target locations  120 . It should be appreciated that the non-woven fabric forming the substrate  102  may be of sufficiently loose construction to provide the loop function and enable the elimination of the loop fasteners  134 . 
   At the completion of the countdown, all of the marker elements  128  have been moved from their date locations  124  to the target locations  120  and the Christmas scene  108  has been completed and the calendar  100  appears as shown in  FIG. 4 . A text message “Twas the Night Before Christmas” appears at the date portion  106  and the Christmas scene  108  in the design portion  104  is modified or completed. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , a further embodiment of a countdown calendar  200  is shown. For convenience, the same reference numerals as used in the description of the prior embodiment will be used herein with the addition of  100 . 
   In this instance, the calendar  200  includes a substrate  202  having a design portion  204  and a date portion  206 . The calendar  200  relates to a birthday, and the design portion  204  depicts a birthday celebration scene  208  including a cake  210 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , the birthday scene  208  includes number coded target locations  220  arranged in an array on the cake  210 . In this embodiment, the marker elements  228  are moved during the countdown to complete the pictorial design of the birthday scene  208  and also to form a birthday greeting. For convenience, all of the marker elements  228  are shown in their target locations  220  except for the elements “ 22 ”, “ 23 ” and “ 24 ” which are in their date locations  224 . 
   Alternatively, it should be appreciated that a chart may be provided on the back side of the substrates  102  and  202  showing each of the marker elements and its corresponding number, color or other code to be used in positioning the element at the proper date and target locations. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , a countdown calendar  300  having a Christmas theme is illustrated. The calendar  300  includes a substrate  302  having a design portion  304  and a date portion  306 . A front or display surface  302   a  of the substrate  302  is marked with various pictorial or text features in the design and date portions. 
   In this instance, the substrate  302  is formed of a more rigid material such as wood, plastic or a similar material that is sufficiently rigid to have mounting cavities or recesses  303  formed therein for receiving and mounting the marker elements  328  as described below. For example, the substrate  302  and marker elements  328  may be formed of wood. It is also possible to form the substrate  302  of a plastic sheet material that may be thermoformed or vacuum formed to provide the recesses  303  and, similarly, the same plastic material may be used to form the three-dimensional bodies of the marker elements  328 . Suitable plastics include acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene, high impact polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride and acrylic. 
   The design portion  304  includes an illustrative Christmas tree scene  308  comprising a Christmas tree  312 . In this embodiment, the date portion  306  includes a text message by  314 . For illustration, the marker elements  328  for date locations  324  numbered  1  through  10  are shown in their reverse or message positions in date locations  320 . That is, upon expiration of days  1  through  10 , the marker elements  328  have been reversed sequentially during the countdown so as to show that text message “Santa Claus”. 
   On the other hand, none of the marker elements  328  in the date locations  324  numbered  11  through  15  have been moved to their target locations  320  on the Christmas tree  312 . Accordingly, the recesses  303  are visible. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the marker element  328  corresponding with the number “ 1 ” date location  324  is shown. As shown, the marker element  1  has a cubic shape including a first face  1   a  having a Christmas candle  336  decoration or design. At the end of the first day, the marker element  1  is withdrawn from the recess  303  at the date location  324 , rotated and reinserted in the recess so as to expose a second face  1   b  bearing the letter “S”. 
   The marker element  328  may have a thickness dimension extending between the faces  1   a  and  1   b  substantially equal to the depth of the recess  303  so that the calendar is assembled to a flat or planar condition similar to a jigsaw puzzle. For younger children, the marker element  328  may have a thickness dimension greater than the depth of the recess  303  to permit gripping the element during removal from the recess. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the marker element  328  corresponding with the number “ 15 ” date location  324  is shown. As shown, a first face  15   a  of the number  15  marker element includes a Christmas wreath  338 . A second face  15   b  includes a Christmas tree  340 . Accordingly, the marker element  15  may be moved from its date location to the target location  320  numbered  15  shown on the Christmas tree  312  with either the Christmas wreath  338  or Christmas tree  340  shown as a decorative feature of the Christmas tree  312 . 
   It should be appreciated that each of the marker elements  328  may be provided with a different geometric shape. For example, the marker elements may be shaped or provided with peripheral or side configurations in the thickness direction such that each marker element fits in only one recess at the date location and only one recess at the target location. Accordingly, there would be no need to number or otherwise code the marker elements and corresponding date and/or target locations. 
   While the invention has been shown and described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, this is for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, and other variations and modifications of the specific embodiments herein shown and described will be apparent to those skilled in the art all within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the patent is not to be limited in scope and effect to the specific embodiments herein shown and described nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent to which the progress in the art has been advanced by the invention.