Abstract:
A clock face that creatively displays the current time includes an analog clock face having hour markers arranged in a counter-clockwise numerical sequence. An hour hand and a minute hand travel in a counter-clockwise direction around the dial, corresponding to the counter-clockwise hour markers. The dial moves in a clockwise direction to display an hour marker corresponding to the current month at the top of the clock face. The hour hand and the minute hand both move counter-clockwise corresponding to the hour markers while the dial moves in a clockwise direction, enabling the clock face to show the current time and current month at the same time.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to clocks. More specifically, the present invention relates to clock faces with time displayed in an unconventional manner. 
     2. Related Art 
     Clocks having analog-type clock faces are popular among consumers, and are a traditional method of displaying time. The standard clock face, including twelve numbered hours evenly spaced around the dial to reflect hours in five minute increments, has remained virtually unchanged since clocks were originally developed. 
     To provide an interesting and novel time keeping experience, and for variety and entertainment, various clocks have been developed to provide analog-type faces with alternative indicia such as fanciful numbers, objects that slide over the numbers, or even clocks with missing numbers and missing hour indicators. While these clocks provide an interesting clock face design, displaying the time is still conducted in the same manner with an hour hand pointing at the current hour and a minute hand indicating the minute within the hour. 
     To provide a more interesting time keeping experience alternatives, including modified digital clocks, have also been developed. These apparatus represent time in different configurations of images or objects, creating a challenge to determining the time, which can be interesting. While these clocks may attract and hold a person&#39;s interest, they are unrelated to the traditional analog clock face design, and decouple an alternative method of time keeping and display from a traditional clock face design. 
     Hence, what is needed is an analog clock face that displays the time, but that does so in an alternative, interesting, and attention-getting manner without the limitations of existing time displaying techniques. 
     SUMMARY 
     A clock face for creatively displaying the current time is disclosed. The clock face includes an analog-type, circular clock face having a dial, with the dial including hour markers that display twelve hours. The hour markers on the dial typically correspond to the twelve hours (a.m. or p.m.) and are evenly arranged around the dial. Notably, the hour markers are arranged in a counter-clockwise numerical sequence. 
     An hour hand and a minute hand are configured to travel in a counter-clockwise direction around the dial, corresponding to the counter-clockwise sequence of hour markers. The position of the hour hand reflects the current time proximate each hour marker, and the position of the minute hand reflects the minute of the hour. 
     The dial is also movable, but in a clockwise direction to display different hour markers. In particular, the dial displays an hour marker corresponding to the current month at the top of the clock face. The dial may also include a non-chronologically related indicia, such as a message or graphic. The indicia preferably has an orientation, such that it can be aligned with a predetermined hour marker, thereby displaying the indicia in a particular orientation during a particular month. The hour hand and the minute hand both move in a counter-clockwise direction corresponding to the hour markers, while the dial spins in a clockwise direction to show the current time and current month at the top of the clock face. 
     The clock face may include a second hand, also traveling in a counter-clockwise direction to display the current time to the second. It may also include added functionality, such as having a marker to display a particular day of the week. In one embodiment, the dial changes a different color for each day of the week. In another embodiment, the hour marker corresponding to the day (i.e., 1 through 7) is circled. 
     According to preference, the clock face may be incorporated into a mechanical clock, or may comprise an animated graphic on a screen of an electronic device. In one alternative embodiment, the dial may be preset to display a predetermined hour marker other than twelve in order to correspond to a single particular month over time. In a further embodiment, the dial may be permanently set at the predetermined hour marker. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional prior art clock face with hands traveling in a clockwise direction; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a clock face of the current invention wherein the numbers are ascending counterclockwise; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the clock face rotating in a counterclockwise direction; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the clock face rotated to show the current hour; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the clock face oriented to show a predetermined month; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates the clock face showing a predetermined month and image; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the clock face showing a day of the week. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided n the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a prior art clock face  10  is shown having features common to the present invention, including a circular dial  12 , having twelve equally spaced hour markers  14 , the dial  12  divided into sixty equally spaced minute markers  16 , with four minute markers  16  per hour marker  14 . Time is told by an hour hand  18  pointing at the space between appropriate hour markers  14 , and a minute hand  20  pointing at an appropriate minute marker  16 . A second hand  22  shows the number of seconds remaining in the minute, rotating in a clockwise direction, wherein seconds also correspond to the minute markers  16 . For purposes of clarity, all clock faces  10 ,  100 ,  200  ( FIGS. 1-7 ) will be shown reflecting a time of 4:45 (a.m. or p.m.) 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a backward-running clock face  100  is shown. The clock face  100  is in all respects similar to the prior art, with elements contained in circular dial  102 , except that the hour markers  104  are arranged in reverse order, such that their numeric values ascend in a counterclockwise direction. The hour markers  104  and the minute markers  106  have the same ratios as the prior art shown in  FIG. 1 . Since the hour markers  104  are reversed, the hour hand  108 , minute hand  110 , and second hand  112  all run in a corresponding counterclockwise direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , an alternative embodiment backward-running clock face  200  is shown. The clock face  200  includes a dial  202 , hour markers  204 , and minute markers  206  similar to the other illustrated embodiments. The dial  202  also has an hour hand  208 , minute hand  210 , and second hand  212  that move according to the arrangement of the hour markers  204  and minute markers  206 . This clock face  200 , however, shows an additional movement of the dial  202  itself, which re-orients the hour markers  204  according to a particular time. As shown in the illustration, the clock face  200  is turning the dial  202  in a clockwise direction to compensate for the counter-clockwise arrangement of the hour markers  204 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the alternative embodiment clock face  200  is shown as it would appear at the illustrated time of 4:45. When the 4 o&#39;clock hour occurs, the dial  202  rotates to position the hour marker  204  marked “4” at the top of the clock face  200  (i.e., normally where the hour marker  204  marked “12” would be). The dial  202  remains in this position as the 4 o&#39;clock hour passes, including the illustrated time of 4:45, until 5:00 o&#39;clock, when the dial  202  once again rotates to position the hour marker  204  marked “5” at the top of the clock face  200 . In various alternative embodiments, the dial  202  movement may be continuous, such that the hour hand  208  remains in an upward position as the dial  202  rotates, from hour marker  204  to hour marker  204 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , an alternative arrangement is shown, wherein the dial  202  is set so that a particular hour marker  204 , in the illustrated embodiment, the hour marker  204  marked “8” is at the top of the clock face  200 . In this arrangement, the dial  202  still moves, but instead of corresponding to an hour marker  204 , the dial  202  corresponds to one of the twelve months of the year. In the illustrated example, the hour marker  204  shows “8” at the top of the dial  202  reflecting that it is currently 4:45 o&#39;clock, on a day in the month of August. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a preferred embodiment of the alternative embodiment clock face is shown wherein the dial  202  reflects the current month. This embodiment presumes a clock face  200  dedicated as a birthday gift. In such an embodiment, an indicia  214 , such as a birthday message as illustrated is placed on the dial  202 . Since the clock face  200  is dedicated for a specific purpose, the dial  202  may be immovable, remaining with the recipient&#39;s birth month at the primary hour marker  204 . Alternatively, the dial  202  may rotate with each month, causing the indicia  214  to align correctly when the recipient&#39;s birth month arrives. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the alternative embodiment clock face  200  is shown with the hour hand  208  and minute hand  210  reflecting 4:45 o&#39;clock and the dial  202  reflecting the month of August. In this embodiment the day of the week is also shown, with the hour markers “1” through “7” reflecting Sunday through Saturday, respectively. In countries using calendars with weeks beginning on a Monday, the hour markers “I” through “7” would represent the days Monday through Sunday, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the hour marker  204  corresponding to the present day is surrounded by a circle  216 . The illustrated clock face  200  therefore shows that it is 4:45 o&#39;clock on a Tuesday in August. In an alternative embodiment, circles may be omitted, and the dial  202  may change color to reflect the day of the week. The circles and colors can also be combined, so that when an hour marker  204  is circled, a corresponding color is shown. 
     In the color-changing embodiment, it is anticipated that the colors will be arranged along the color spectrum, so that they appear to go through the colors of a rainbow. For example, on Sunday the dial may be red and the hour marker  204  “1” circled. Proceeding through the days of the week; on Monday the “2” will be circled and the dial will be orange, on Tuesday the “3” will be circled and the dial will be yellow, on Wednesday the “4” will be circled and the dial will be green, on Thursday the “5” will be circled and the dial will be baby blue, on Friday the “6” will be circled and the dial will be blue, and on Saturday, the “7” will be circled and the dial will be violet. This arrangement can be calibrated according to U.S. and European calendar models (i.e., beginning on a Sunday or beginning on a Monday, respectively). With these options in mind, the following tables show respective hour markers  204 , days and colors: 
     
       
         
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. 
                 European 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Sunday 
                 Red 
                 1 
                 Monday 
                 Orange 
               
               
                 2 
                 Monday 
                 Orange 
                 2 
                 Tuesday 
                 Yellow 
               
               
                 3 
                 Tuesday 
                 Yellow 
                 3 
                 Wednesday  
                 Green 
               
               
                 4 
                 Wednesday 
                 Green 
                 4 
                 Thursday 
                 Baby Blue 
               
               
                 5 
                 Thursday 
                 Baby Blue 
                 5 
                 Friday 
                 Blue 
               
               
                 6 
                 Friday 
                 Blue 
                 6 
                 Saturday 
                 Violet/Purple 
               
               
                 7 
                 Saturday 
                 Violet/Purple 
                 7 
                 Sunday 
                 Red 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Importantly, while the present invention requires an analog-type, conventional clock face, the clock face may be mechanical, incorporated into a physical clock, or may be a graphical representation on a screen on an electronic device. When incorporated into a physical clock, the movement of the clock face  200  create an interesting motion that attracts the attention of a viewer, and draws the viewer&#39;s attention to the indicia present on the dial  202 . When incorporated into an electronic device, the clock face  200  may be programmed with multiple settings, so that a user can set the clock face  200  to have a turning dial  202 , display a message on the dial  202 , set the dial  202  to a predetermined month, and turn on and off day of the week circles  216  or colors. 
     The foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been presented only for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Additionally, the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.