Abstract:
A novel digital calendar is disclosed for the retention of a user&#39;s schedule and events, and for displaying and communicating the user&#39;s schedule and events pursuant to an instruction set that manages the operations of the digital calendar. The digital calendar comprises an oversized display that is retained in a housing, with a keyboard for inputting data, a microprocessor for management of the functions of the digital calendar, a speaker/microphone for inputting and outputting audible messages, and a power supply. The microprocessor includes an instruction set that defines the operation the digital calendar. In one embodiment of the present invention, a remote is provided for the remote entry and receipt of inputs and outputs from the digital calendar.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING GOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED WORK  
       [0002]     Not applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention relates to a digital calendar. More particularly, the present invention relates to a digital calendar that has an oversized display for use by persons who are vision challenged and which provides an audible message relating to events.  
         [0004]     For people who suffer from limited vision or who may have other disabilities that impair the use of conventional items such as printed calendars or memo pads, the need exists for a device that circumvents their disability and allows them to manage their affairs in the same manner as people who are fully able to take advantage of printed calendars and memo pads.  
         [0005]     In the prior art, some devices are known that do provide functions relating to messages in general and which may or may not provide some level of assistance to those with disabilities of differing types. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,627 (Gormley) teaches an electronic clock and calendar that has a voice recorder that will accept voice messages for playback at specified times. The device does not provide a visual indication that is geared towards the visually impaired nor does it provide a display of the calendar in the usual calendar format. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,800 (Levine) teaches the use of an electronic scheduler that can make and record appointments over the phone. This system does not relate at all to a visually displayed calendar system even though it does record and can impart audible messages to users relating to appointments and other calendared events.  
         [0006]     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,854 (Sucato) a calendar device is integrated with a phone system to allow remote access to stored messages relating to scheduled events. This device is not directed towards users who are visually disabled nor does it provide information in the traditionally displayed calendar format. The function of message storage and retrieval is very different from the present invention as well. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,009 (Svast) teaches the use of a programmable clock face that will record dates relating to events and then provide reminders both audibly and visually. The reminder clock interacts with the user in a way that is very different from that where one is enhancing the efforts of a disabled person, especially one who is visually disabled. The reminder clock does not include any calendar display that would be user friendly with respect to the visually disabled.  
         [0007]     In U.S. Design Pat. No. 334,945 (Hill) the design for an electronic calendar is disclosed where the display appears to show the typical calendar format. There is no other guidance or teaching in this prior art reference to indicate to what extent the electronic calendar can provide information that is useable to a person who is visually disabled. Nor is there any teaching with respect to the integration of messaging with the visual display. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,923 (Martin) an electronic calendar is taught without a visual display that would be consistent with supporting the needs of a visually impaired person. There is no integration of audible signals or messaging as well.  
         [0008]     As may now be appreciated, there has been no solution offered for those visually impaired persons who have a need to participate in life&#39;s daily activities, whether this is business or social, and would find the use of a calendar or organizer helpful. The prior art devices are directed towards very specific uses and do not contemplate the needs of the visually impaired with respect to the objects of such inventions. The need for a display that can be easily and conveniently used by a visually impaired person along with the integration of audible signals and reminder playbacks is functionality that has not been shown or even contemplated in the prior art.  
         [0009]     It is submitted that the present invention solves many of the aforementioned and longstanding problems that have been known, as well as providing other functional attributes that are not known in the prior art. These features and developments will be discussed in more detail below.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     A novel digital calendar comprises an oversized display in a housing, with a keyboard for inputting data, a microprocessor for management of the functions of the digital calendar, a speaker/microphone for inputting and outputting audible messages, and a power supply. The microprocessor includes an instruction set that defines the operation the digital calendar. The display may provide a representation of a calendar year, or a calendar month, or calendar days the selection of which is synchronized by the instruction set in the microprocessor with data relating to events, or schedules, and with other functions of the digital calendar.  
         [0011]     In one embodiment of the present invention, the digital calendar includes a remote which contains the keyboard and the speaker/microphone. The remote is capable of transmitting and receiving between it and the display and can be employed by the user to input data or to hear audible messages without having to be close proximity with the display portion of the digital calendar. The remote is preferably capable of docking with the digital calendar.  
         [0012]     The digital calendar of the present invention is preferably powered by a rechargeable battery source allowing the digital calendar to be kept in view, at times, independent from any need to have it have plugged into a household AC power supply.  
         [0013]     These and other attributes and features of the present invention will be discussed in more detail below. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the digital calendar of the present invention with the remote in the docked condition.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the remote of the digital calendar of the present invention in the undocked condition.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the digital calendar of  FIG. 1  taken along Section Lines  3 - 3 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view showing the power supply for the digital calendar of the present invention, in close proximity to a portion of the side of the digital calendar. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     A novel digital calendar in accordance with the present invention is shown in the drawings and is discussed in detail within this section. The benefits of the present invention are primarily directed towards assisting those who may have some sensory disability, typically visual in nature, by providing a means for organizing their daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly affairs as is commonly done by non-disabled persons. Notwithstanding the primary beneficiary of the invention, the digital calendar taught herein can be used in fact by virtually any person without regard to their abilities. For some, the features that are provided may be attractive and desired notwithstanding their non-disabled status. It is also thought that many people who are of advanced age would find the present invention desirable notwithstanding any congenital disability but the natural consequences of the aging process.  
         [0019]     Turning now to the drawings, in  FIG. 1 a  general overview of the digital calendar  10  can be appreciated with the display  12 , which is further broken down into segments representing months  14  and days  16 . The digital calendar  10  further includes a keypad  18 , a speaker/microphone  20 , the housing  22  and with the housing top  24 , the housing sides  26 . Also shown is the power supply input  28 . In  FIG. 2  the keypad  18  and the speaker/microphone  20  are shown as residing on the remote  30  which includes the remote housing  32  and the input/output connections  34 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  reveals a portion of the interior of the digital calendar  10 , with the housing bottom  40 , the calendar display module  42 , the microprocessor  44 , the input/output port  46 , which is connected to the microprocessor  44  by the input/output lead  48 . The keypad module  50  is located within the remote  34  portion of the digital calendar  10  and includes the keypad module lead  52  that connects to the input/out board  54  which the connection lead  56  connects to the input/output connection  34 . The remote portion  30  also includes the access door  58 . The interior of the digital calendar  10  includes the display lead  60  which connects the microprocessor  44  to the calendar display module  42 . The power lead  62  connects the battery  64  to the microprocessor  44 .  
         [0021]     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , the power supply  70  is shown (an A.C. to D.C. transformer) with the AC line cord  72 , the AC plug  74 , the DC line cord  76  and the DC plug  78 .  
         [0022]     With reference to the drawings it can be appreciated how the present invention may be placed into use. The digital calendar  10  preferentially utilizes a rechargeable battery  64  which can be recharged using the power supply  70 . This allows some portability whereby the digital calendar  10  can be moved about by the user and even hung on a wall or taken along for trips outside the home. The battery  64  allows for many hours of use in the normal situation.  
         [0023]     The keypad  18  may be used to actuate the digital calendar, which will energize the components and commence operation of the display  12 . For this purpose, the keypad  18  may include an on/off switch or the input from a key on the keypad  18  may be set to trigger the commencement of the digital calendar  10  operations. The display  12  is typically configured to show a formatted appearance which can include the portrayal of the months  14  in a given year, or the days  16  in a given month or week. The format shown in the drawings is based upon a grid of four months  14  across and three months  14  down to reflect the months  14  in the year. In use, the display may be called upon to show just a single month  14 , or it may show a number of days  16  such as the days  16  in a given week. The actual format can be generated by the microprocessor  44  and appears on the display  12 . The display  12  is typically an LCD display which has the advantage of being a low cost component and which also uses relatively small amounts of battery power in use. The preferred LCD display  12  is suited to show the various configurations that can be selected by the user.  
         [0024]     The instruction set used by the microprocessor  44  to manage the operations of the digital calendar  10 , includes the ability to take inputted data and associate it with a given date, time, and subject. The data may be used to generate a visual message on the display  12 , or it may be used to generate an audible message through the speaker/microphone  20 . An example of this interaction between the user and the digital calendar  10  would include a situation where the user determines that he/she would like to notate an appointment at some future date and time. The user may input this message through the use of the keypad  18  and the speaker/microphone  20 . The date and time are notated and the user can enter a verbal message that will be tagged with the event. Depending on the instruction set, the verbal message may be triggered automatically to play back at various times, such as the day before the event, or the day of the event, or at times just prior to the scheduled event. In addition, the user can activate the audio playback by appropriately entering an input to the digital calendar  10  that requests information on the particular date in question, or for a playback of upcoming events. In yet another mode of operation, the digital calendar  10  may cause the display  12  to flash to indicate a pending event. Depending on the instruction set, the flashing can be made to occur across the whole display  12  or it can be focused onto the day  16  on which the event is being recognized. Any number of combinations of requests and instructions can be made operative with the objective being the convenience of use for the user.  
         [0025]     The benefits of the display include its overall size. Preferably, the digital calendar  10  of the present invention is made to be oversized as compared to hand held calendar devices that are known. In fact, the preferred size of the present invention is approximately 30″ by 36″ (height by width) which results in a display  12  that is proportionately large as well. It is anticipated that the components of the digital calendar  10  will be adequately retained in the housing  22  which may only be ½″ in thickness although it may be more than this if desired. The display  12  will, in this instance, portray the calendar configurations in such sizes as will allow many users with visual impairments to see the calendar and to interact with it. In one version of the present invention, the display  12  is itself interactive and will respond to touch or the placement of a stylus (not shown) onto the display  12  itself and will, for instance, audibly report the message associated with an appointment or a date, or similar information. This allows for a “user friendly” operation that minimizes the need for the user to have to rely upon the keypad  18 .  
         [0026]     It should be appreciated that the various ways that the data can be inputted and outputted with respect to the digital calendar cannot all be illustrated within this specification; the examples discussed are meant to illustrate ways that can be implemented. Certainly one skilled in the art can provide instruction sets for the operation of the digital calendar  10  that may manage the data in different ways all of which would be considered within the scope and teachings of the present invention. It is also understood that the microprocessor  44  as taught herein is an integrated unit with its own memory capacity, however, it is possible to include separate components for storage of memory and for a central processing unit (CPU) all of which would be within the scope of the teachings herein. The data that is used in the operation of the digital calendar  10  is typically stored within the memory of the integrated microprocessor  44 , although as indicated, this may be augmented by separate components dedicated just to memory storage and retrieval.  
         [0027]     The remote  30  can be detached from the digital calendar  10  as shown in the drawings. The advantage in this is again to facilitate the ease of use of the present invention for those who may have disabilities of one kind or another. For instance, a user may have limited use of his/her arms or may be confined to a wheelchair, in which case the use of a remote  30  that is able to interact with the digital calendar  10  still allows the user to manage his/her own affairs in a conventional manner. The remote  30  will typically have its own power supply (not shown) which can comprise a set of batteries that can be replaced or recharged. When detached from the digital calendar  10 , the remote  30  is able to transmit inputs and received outputs (verbal messages routed through the speaker/microphone  20  located on the remote  30 ) from the digital calendar  10 . The remote  30  is also able to send inputs via the keypad  18  which may include Braille lettering on the individual keys and which the user would use to key in data and information to be used by the digital calendar  10 . Wireless communication of this type is well known in the art, however in the case of the present invention, the wireless communication allows the user the freedom to be physically separated from the digital calendar  10  which can be hung in a place where the user can see the visual indications as he/she uses the remote  30  to interact with the invention. The input/output connections  34  located on the remote  30  match up with the input/output port  46  located in the digital calendar housing  22 . This allows the remote  30  to easily dock with the digital calendar and to maintain operations when the remote  30  is so engaged.  
         [0028]     The digital calendar  10  operation is flexible enough to admit to peripheral functions that may further aid the user. For instance, the digital calendar  10  may be equipped with a motion detector to allow it to remain dormant (thus saving battery power) until it detects motion which typically would be the presence of the user. The digital calendar  10  can then make specified statements about the appointments, events, or reminders for the user. For the security of the user, the digital calendar  10  can be protected by passwording such that the user will input a selected password to activate the digital calendar  20  thus preventing others from accessing the calendared information. In yet another version of the present embodiment, the benefits of the digital calendar  10  can be integrated with telephone communications, either on a hard wired or wireless basis or through a cell-phone connection. It would then be possible for the user to access the digital calendar  10  through telephone contact and to either input a message or to receive messages relating to the user&#39;s schedule and events. Lastly, the user may enter verbal messages relating to an appointment or an event by using the speaker/microphone  20 . This function can be coordinated with the instruction set for the microprocessor  44  to store the voice data and then play it back when the event is pending. In addition, the microprocessor  44  may easily be equipped with a voice generator so that voice messages may be generated automatically by the digital calendar  10  thereby providing announcements upon the happening of a specified occurrence such as a date for which appointments are scheduled, or the approach of a particular time in a day when perhaps medication may be required, and so forth.  
         [0029]     The practice of the present invention is not meant to be limited by the examples and illustrations discussed above, which are used to teach only a few of the ways and methods that the digital calendar  10  can be used. It is understood that the digital calendar  10  may be used with or without the remote  30  and it may be configured in differing sizes or general shapes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.