Patent Publication Number: US-2007120356-A1

Title: Planner booklet

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a planner booklet.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Monthly or weekly planners are well known in the art. These planners contain a set of pages where a user may write in entries corresponding to a day of the week or to a month of the year. The set of pages are usually bound together and attached to a central spine located between a front cover and a back cover. One problem of the known planners is that, when the booklet is closed, the user has to search for the right page corresponding to the current date. One way of solving this problem has been to provide a bottom corner portion that a user may tear to keep up with the current date. However, the user has to remember to tear out the corner portion regularly to keep it up to date.  
      There is therefore need for an improved planner booklet that addresses the above-identified problem.  
      Also known in the art, there are EP Patent Application No. 0,567,714 (RAGOSTA), U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,146 (SCHULZ et al.) and US Patent Publication No. 2003/0209903 (MORRIS), which do not address the above-identified problem.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to the present invention, there is provided a planner booklet, comprising: 
          a set of pages including a plurality of note pages bearing date indicia and a solid page;     a binding means for binding together the set of pages;     a front cover having a first side and a second side;     a back cover having a first side and a second side, the first side of the back cover being flexibly connected to the second side of the front cover; and     an extension flap having a first side and a second side, the first side of the flap being flexibly connected to the second side of the back cover, the second side of the flap having a receiving pocket for receiving the solid page of the set of pages, the flap being movable between an extended position where the flap is positioned away from the back cover and a retracted position where the flap is positioned against the back cover, whereby, when the solid page is inserted in the receiving pocket of the flap, a user is able to flip the note pages underneath the solid page by moving the flap between the extended and retracted positions.        

      According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a planner booklet, comprising: 
          a set of pages including a plurality of note pages bearing date indicia;     a front cover having a first side and a second side;     a back cover having a first side and a second side, the first side of the back cover being flexibly connected to the second side of the front cover; and     an extension flap having a first side and a second side, the first side of the flap being flexibly connected to the second side of the back cover, the second side of the flap having a binding means for binding together the set of pages, the flap being movable between an extended position where the flap is positioned away from the back cover and a retracted position where the flap is positioned against the back cover, whereby, in use, a user is able to flip the note pages underneath the flap by moving the flap between the extended and retracted positions.        

      Preferably, the front cover includes a transparent strip or clear window portion for allowing a user to reference the set of pages when the front cover is closed. This feature is particularly advantageous in a planner booklet that includes an identification of the current date or month which is in register with the clear window portion. In this way, a user may fold the pages underneath the other pages, and view the newly weekly or monthly reference through the clear window portion when the front cover is closed.  
      The invention, as well as its numerous advantages will be better understood by reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments made in reference to the appended drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a monthly planner booklet in a generally closed position with a front cover thereof being slightly lifted by a user, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the monthly planner booklet shown in  FIG. 1 , in an open position.  
       FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of a weekly planner booklet similar to the monthly planner booklet shown in  FIG. 2 , with one note page thereof being turned left by a user.  
       FIG. 3   b  is a perspective view of the monthly planner booklet shown in  FIG. 2 , with one page thereof being turned left by a user.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the monthly planner booklet shown in  FIG. 2 , with a set of pages flexibly connected to a flap that is flexibly connected to a back cover of the planner booklet, the flap and set of pages being lifted by a user and one page of a telephone directory page being lifted by the user.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the monthly planner booklet shown in  FIG. 2 , with a first series of pages being separated from a second series of pages by a user.  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the monthly planner booklet shown in  FIG. 5 , with the first series of pages being flipped to the left underneath the second series of pages by a user.  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the monthly planner shown in  FIG. 5 , with the flap that holds the pages being positioned in an extended position.  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the monthly planner shown in  FIG. 5 , with the flap that holds the pages being positioned in a retracted position.  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the monthly planner shown in  FIG. 5 , with the flap being in the extended position and having a receiving pocked for removably inserting a solid page of a set pages of the planner booklet bound together by annular rings.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to FIGS.  1  to  9 , there is shown a planner booklet  10  according to preferred embodiments of the present invention. The planner booklet  10  may be a monthly planner as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3   b , or a weekly planner as shown in  FIG. 3   a . Other variations of date indicia on the planner booklet may also be used as persons skilled in the art will understand.  
      According to one aspect of the present invention, the planner booklet  10  has a set of pages  12  including a plurality of note pages  14  bearing date indicia  16  and a solid page  18 . The planner booklet  10  has a binding device, such as annular rings  20 , for binding together the set of pages  12 . The planner booklet  10  has a front cover  22  having a first side  24  and a second side  26 . The planner booklet  10  has a back cover  28  having a first side  30  and a second side  32 . The first side  30  of the back cover  28  is flexibly connected to the second side  26  of the front cover  22 . As best shown in  FIG. 9 , the planner booklet  10  has an extension flap  34  having a first side  36  and a second side  38 . The first side  36  of the flap  34  is flexibly connected to the second side  32  of the back cover  28 . The second side  38  of the flap  34  has a receiving pocket  40  for receiving the solid page  18  of the set of pages  12 . The flap  34  is movable between an extended position  42 , which is best shown in  FIGS. 7 and 9 , where the flap  34  is positioned away from the back cover  28  and a retracted position  44 , which is best shown in  FIG. 8 , where the flap  34  is positioned against the back cover  28 . Thereby, when the solid page  18  is inserted in the receiving pocket  40  of the flap  34 , a user is able to flip the note pages  14  underneath the solid page  18  by moving the flap  34  between the extended and retracted positions  42 ,  44 .  
      The above-described planner booklet  10  configuration is advantageous because a user may close the planner booklet  10  on a particular date of the week or month of the year, without having to flip the pages to go to the current date or month as is needed in known planners with tear out portions.  
      The above-described planner booklet  10  configuration is also advantageous because it may be assembled as two main separate parts, as best shown in  FIG. 9 . The first part includes the front cover  22 , the back cover  28  and the flap  34 . The second part includes the set of pages  12  with the note pages  14  and solid page  18  bound together by the binding device  20 . Thereby, the first and second parts may be manufactured separately and assembled together at a later stage, increasing its production efficiency.  
      Preferably, the front cover  22  includes a transparent strip  46  or clear window portion extending along the first side  24  of the front cover  22  for allowing a user to reference the note pages  14  when the front cover  22  is closed. This feature is particularly advantageous when the note pages  14  have the date indicia  16 , such as an identification of the current date or month, being positioned in register with the transparent strip  46  when the front cover  22  is positioned against one of the note pages  14 . In this way a user may view a week of a month as best shown in  FIG. 3   a  or several months of a year as best shown in  FIG. 3   b . In use, a user may fold the pages underneath the other pages, and view the newly weekly or monthly reference through the transparent strip  46  or clear window portion when the front cover  22  is closed.  
      The solid page  18  may be made of cardboard material. Of course, any other suitable solid material such as plastic may be used as those skilled in the art will understand. The annular rings  20  used as the binding device may also be a continuous spiral ring or any other suitable binding device achieving the same function, as those persons skilled in the art will understand.  
      Preferably, the front cover  22  includes a pocket  48  for receiving an annual calendar page  50  that is insertable along the second side  26  of the front cover  22 .  
      Preferably, the back cover  28  includes a pocket  52 , which is best shown in  FIG. 7 , for receiving a telephone directory  54  that is insertable along the first side  30  of the back cover  28 .  
      Preferably, the front cover  22 , the back cover  28  and the flap  34  are made of a flexible plastic material.  
      According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the planner booklet  10  shown in FIGS.  1  to  9  is slightly modified from the version disclosed above by removing the solid page  18  and integrating the binding device  20  directly into the second side  38  of the flap  34 . In this embodiment, the planner booklet  10  also has a set of pages  12  including a plurality of note pages  14  bearing date indicia  16 . The planner booklet  10  also has a front cover  22  having a first side  24  and a second side  26 . The planner booklet  10  also has a back cover  28  having a first side  30  and a second side  32 . The first side  30  of the back cover  28  is flexibly connected to the second side  26  of the front cover  22 . The planner booklet  10  also has an extension flap  34  having a first side  36  and a second side  38 . The first side  36  of the flap  34  is flexibly connected to the second side  32  of the back cover  28 . The second side  38  of the flap  34  has a binding device for binding together the set of pages  12 . The flap  34  is movable between an extended position  42  where the flap  34  is positioned away from the back cover  28  and a retracted position  44  where the flap  34  is positioned against the back cover  28 . Thereby, in use, a user is able to flip the note pages  12  underneath the flap  34  by moving the flap  34  between the extended and retracted positions  42 ,  44 .  
      With the planner booklet of the present invention, it is much easier and faster for a user to search for the right page corresponding to the current date. In use, the left hand pages fold under the right hand pages and allow a view of the current week or of the current month.  
      Although preferred embodiments of the present invention has been described in detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.