Patent Publication Number: US-2002000058-A1

Title: Frame calendar

Description:
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/360,386, filed Jul. 23, 1999 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/962,095, filed Oct. 31, 1997 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/929,193, filed Sept. 8, 1997 now abandoned which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/270,008, filed Jul. 1, 1994 now abandoned. The portion of the term of this application subsequent to Jul. 1, 2014 has been disclaimed. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] This invention relates in general to vertically positionable calendars. Such calendars can either be vertically mountable on a wall or nearly vertically positionable on a table. This invention also relates to frames in general, and more specifically relates to frames for mounting calendars.  
       [0003] Most conventional calendars consist of a stack of calendar sheets in either loose or book forms. Each of these calendar sheets typically contains a calendar date table illustration and a calendar picture illustration. It is often desirable to display the calendar picture illustration in a suitable frame to enhance its aesthetic value. However, framing of a vertically positionable calendar is not generally done because there is no desirable way to frame the calendar picture illustration while exposing the calendar date table illustration for memorandum writing and date checking.  
       [0004] For a typical calendar, the calendar picture to be displayed are limited by the pictures selected by the calendar manufacturer. It is sometimes desirable that the displayed calendar picture be temporarily replaced by a custom picture. There is no calendar system in the prior art that can alternately display a calendar picture and a custom picture in a desirable manner.  
       [0005] U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,038,666 and 2,179,857 describe a calendar pad attached to a conventional picture frame. In this prior art the calendar pad does not have calendar pictures displayable in the picture frame. The picture frame serves as nothing more than a holder for the calendar pad.  
       [0006] For a large wall-mounted calendar the frame assembly to be chosen for the display of the calendar is unavoidably large and heavy. It is desirable for such frame calendars that the change of the calendar display can be achieved without taking down the frame from the mounting wall. No frame assembly known in the prior art can be adapted for such use without the need of taking down the frame during the calendar display changes.  
       [0007] It is desirable that the appearance of a calendar frame or picture frame be changeable to complement the picture on display. No frame system in the prior art is capable of changing the appearance of its frame in easy and desirable manner.  
       [0008] Display cases are generally known in the prior art for the display of collectable articles such as coins, sea shells, etc. It is often desirable that a background picture or narrative sheet be displayed along with the articles on display. This is difficult for most display cases since they are generally incapable of removably mounting a picture sheet. On the other hand, no picture frame known in the prior art is equipped with desirable support structure for the simultaneous display of the collectable articles and background pictures.  
       [0009] Most conventional picture frames basically allow a picture to be displayed as it is. It would be desirable to provide a picture frame that could add some 3D effect to a mounted picture. This 3D effect is absent if the picture is viewed by itself without the frame.  
       [0010] It would also be desirable to provide a picture frame which, in addition to displaying a main picture, could also display one or more complementary pictures that would create a 3D feeling toward the main picture in the mind of a viewer. Such 3D feeling is absent if the main picture is viewed by itself without the frame, with or without said complementary pictures placed on the side of the main picture.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011] In the present invention a frame calendar is disclosed in which the frame is an integral part of the calendar. The calendar also includes a stack of calendar sheets with each one having a calendar picture illustration and a calendar date table illustration. All calendar sheets are mounted on the frame with one calendar picture illustration in view through the window of the frame and one calendar date table illustration exposed outside the frame.  
       [0012] Therefore, the first object of the present invention is to provide a frame calendar which elegantly displays each calendar picture in a frame. It greatly enhances the aesthetic value of the calendar picture on display. In the mean time the calendar date table on display is exposed outside of the frame to facilitate memorandum writing and calendar date checking without disassembling the frame.  
       [0013] In the present frame calendar system a custom picture can be placed in the frame and be displayed in lieu of the calendar picture. One is no longer limited by the pictures selected by the calendar manufacturer. The picture chosen for display can also be changed as frequently as desired.  
       [0014] After the end of the calendar year with the removal of the calendar sheets the present system is readily converted to a picture frame/storage device and used indefinitely for storing and displaying custom pictures. The calendar pictures can also be separated from the calendar date tables and stored in the frame for future display if desired.  
       [0015] In the present invention an one-piece molded back member with resilient arms is disclosed. It greatly eases the effort in loading and unloading the calendar sheets and custom pictures. Two insertion tabs and a spring clip on the back member allow each loading or unloading to be achieved in two simple steps. After each loading the resilient arms of the back member are in engagement with the comers of the stack of the calendar sheets/custom pictures. It allows the calendar sheets/custom pictures to be properly stored and displayed regardless of the number of sheets mounted up to the capacity of the frame.  
       [0016] The frame of the present invention can have a frame border which is molded to form some carved art pattern with many openings. A stack of border sheets with different contrasting colors can be loaded behind the frame border. The first border sheet of the stack will be partially visible through the openings. This allows the appearance of the frame to be easily changed. The top border sheet on display can therefore be chosen to complement the calendar picture or custom picture on display.  
       [0017] Alternatively, the frame border of the present invention can also have a border window. A stack of border sheets with different printed graphic patterns can therefore be loaded with the top sheet displayed through the border window. More variation of the appearance of the frame can be achieved in this design. A border mat with an intricate laser-cut pattern coupled with one or more matching border sheets as disclosed in the present invention would make the appearance of the frame and its variation even more interesting.  
       [0018] In addition to a stationary window glass a second window glass is also provided in the frame of the present invention. Unsymmetrical tabs on the sides of this second window glass are engageable with many grooves having different depths on the inner side wall of the frame. This allows the second window glass to be stopped at four different depths while mounted, depending on the orientation of the entry of the second window glass. Consequently, a void space with adjustable depth is created between the stationary window glass and the second window glass.  
       [0019] The newly created space will allow dried flowers, reinforced laser-cut pictures, etc., to be installed and displayed. In the mean time, a complementary calendar sheet or custom picture is also mounted behind the second window glass and displayed. This creates a vivid and interesting three dimensional display. The changing of the calendar sheet/custom picture for display can be achieved without affecting the articles mounted in the front of the second window glass.  
       [0020] Small collectable articles such as coins, sea shells, etc., can also be mounted in the space between the stationary window glass and the second window glass. This is achieved with support members of the present invention. Support building blocks, support building plates and other support members can be assembled into support assemblies with different shapes and complexities for the support and display of small collectable articles. One other novel support member with a magnetic plate is also disclosed. This support member is designed to be individually mounted in the frame assembly for supporting an article on display. This support member is magnetically held in place and will not easily slide down under load.  
       [0021] A frame assembly of the present invention can also be equipped with a support base for the support of assembled toy building blocks. This allows the display of the assembled toy building blocks to be accompanied by a complementary custom picture or calendar picture. Paper toy figures with novel attachment members of the present invention can also be added to make the overall display much more interesting.  
       [0022] A large wall-mounted frame calendar is unavoidably bulky and heavy. Several embodiments of the frame calendar of the present invention enable such large calendar/custom pictures to be loaded and unloaded without taking down the frame assembly from the wall. The frame body of the frame assembly swings open horizontally. It requires no lifting or holding of the heavy frame body during the loading or unloading operation.  
       [0023] Also disclosed in the present invention is a frame system for holding a normally flat picture and bending it into an one dimensional concavo-convex shape for adding a three dimensional effect and/or eye movement effect to its display. This one dimensional concavo-convex shape can be created by either urging the picture toward a pre-curved transparent plate or placing the picture in a pre-curved holder. In this frame system an arch-shaped void space is provided for housing a complementary three dimensional article and/or reinforced picture supported by magnetic means. A top edge glass and bottom edge glass are placed in the present frame system perpendicular to the pre-curved transparent plate. A top edge picture sheet and bottom edge picture sheet can be displayed through said top edge glass and bottom edge glass, respectively, for complementing the main picture on display, and for creating a 3D feeling toward the main picture in the mind of the viewer. Pre-curved backing plate with adhesive and pre-curved mat sheet provide 3D space needed for the display of fabric art, relief arts or any 3D object in the present frame system.  
       [0024] Also disclosed in the present invention is a calendar frame system which comprises a frame assembly having a frame window. A portion of this frame window is covered by a transparent plate. A stack of calendar sheets each having a calendar date table and a calendar picture can be loaded into this frame assembly. The calendar picture is shielded and displayed behind the transparent plate while the calendar date table is exposed to facilitate memorandum writing and page turning without opening the frame assembly. A custom picture can also be loaded and displayed in lieu of the calendar picture. A spring clamp and magnets are disclosed for allowing a calendar sheet having only the calendar date table to be mounted on and removed from the frame without opening the frame assembly.  
       [0025] Other objects and advantages of this invention reside in the construction of parts and the combination thereof, the mode of operation and use, as will become more apparent from the following description. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0026]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a frame calendar system of the present invention, with parts broken away. The frame calendar is shown disassembled to reveal the details of each component.  
     [0027]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention, with parts broken away.  
     [0028]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a spring plate used in the frame calendar system of FIG. 2.  
     [0029]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention, with parts broken away.  
     [0030]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the frame calendar system of FIG. 4 after assembling, taken substantially on a horizontal plane containing the line  5 - 5  of FIG. 4.  
     [0031]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention, with parts broken away.  
     [0032]FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fifth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention, with parts broken away.  
     [0033]FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an inner side wall of the frame calendar system of FIG. 7, shown in section and drawn on a larger scale than FIG. 7. This view shows the engagement of a second window glass with the inner side wall of the frame body of FIG. 7.  
     [0034]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one variation of the frame body of FIG. 7.  
     [0035]FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view showing another variation of the frame body of FIG. 7.  
     [0036]FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a border glass of the frame body of FIG. 10.  
     [0037]FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view showing yet another variation of the frame body of FIG. 7.  
     [0038]FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a sixth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention, with parts broken away. A support base shown in this figure is drawn on a larger scale than the rest of the frame calendar system.  
     [0039]FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a portion of a frame assembly of FIG. 13, drawn on a larger scale than FIG. 13, illustrating the use of a support base for supporting a dried flower for display in the frame assembly.  
     [0040]FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a portion of a frame assembly of the present invention, illustrating the use of a support base for supporting a reinforced laser-cut picture mounted in the frame assembly.  
     [0041]FIG. 16 is an elevational view illustrating another embodiment of the support base of the present invention, for the support and display of an assembled toy horse.  
     [0042]FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a portion of the support base of FIG. 16, with two mounted toy building blocks.  
     [0043]FIGS. 18 and 19 are perspective views showing the two toy building blocks of FIG. 17.  
     [0044]FIG. 20 is an elevational view showing a paper toy figure supported on the toy horse of FIG. 16.  
     [0045]FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a portion of an attachment member of the paper toy figure of FIG. 20, to be engaged with a toy building block of the toy horse of FIG. 20.  
     [0046]FIG. 22 is an elevational view showing a seventh embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. Also shown in this figure is a support assembly of the present invention for the support of small articles in the frame assembly of the present frame calendar system.  
     [0047]FIG. 23 is a top view showing a portion of a support building plate of the support assembly of FIG. 22.  
     [0048]FIGS. 24 and 25 are sectional views of the support building plate of FIG. 23, taken substantially on lines  24 - 24  and  25 - 25  of FIG. 23, respectively.  
     [0049]FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing an eighth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention.  
     [0050]FIG. 27 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the frame calendar system of FIG. 26 after assembling, taken substantially on a vertical plane containing the line  27 - 27  of FIG. 26.  
     [0051]FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a small figurine, drawn on enlarged scale, resembling an eagle.  
     [0052]FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing a support member with six suction cups for the support of small articles to be displayed in the frame assembly of the present invention.  
     [0053]FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing a ninth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention.  
     [0054]FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing the back side of a frame of the frame calendar system of FIG. 30, in the open position.  
     [0055]FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing a calendar sheet assembly of the frame calendar system of FIG. 30.  
     [0056]FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing the calendar sheet assembly of FIG. 32, disassembled to show its details.  
     [0057]FIG. 34 is a perspective view showing a border backing plate of the present invention.  
     [0058]FIG. 35 is a perspective view showing a tenth embodiment of the frame system of the present invention.  
     [0059]FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing a front body that can be hinged on the frame system in FIG. 35.  
     [0060]FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing a new reinforcement sheet.  
     [0061]FIG. 38 shows an assembled frame system of the present invention.  
     [0062]FIG. 39 shows another assembled frame system of the present invention.  
     [0063]FIG. 40 is a schematic drawing explaining an eye movement effect of the present frame system.  
     [0064]FIG. 41 is a perspective view showing a novel holder of the present invention.  
     [0065]FIG. 42 is a perspective view showing another novel holder of the present invention.  
     [0066]FIG. 43 is a perspective view showing edge glasses and edge sheets of the present invention.  
     [0067]FIG. 44 shows a picture sheet and two edge sheets for display in the 3D frame of the present invention.  
     [0068]FIGS. 45 a  and  45   b  show two examples indicating that both edge sheets and the main picture can be taken from a single original picture to produce a wrap-around effect.  
     [0069]FIG. 46 shows a 3-piece mat set mountable in the 3D frame of the present invention.  
     [0070]FIG. 47 shows a 3D frame with a pre-curved mat plate for holding a three dimensional article.  
     [0071]FIG. 48 shows a pre-curved backing plate with double sided adhesive for holding a fabric art.  
     [0072]FIG. 49 shows a pre-curved backing plate with double sided adhesive for holding a mesh screen.  
     [0073]FIG. 50 shows the schematics of a 3D frame for the explanation of the curvature radius (R), curve height (CH), and minimum depth (Dmin) of the frame rabbet as a function of the frame width (W).  
     [0074]FIG. 51 is a perspective view, showing a fastening means for the 3D Frame of the present invention.  
     [0075]FIGS. 52 a  and  52   b  are schematic drawings showing a flexible pre-curved glass and the adjustment of its curvature radius (R).  
     [0076]FIG. 53 is a perspective view, showing a preview frame which allows a picture to be viewed for its eye movement effect and 3D effect.  
     [0077]FIG. 54 is a perspective view, showing the back side of a 3D frame with internal lighting system. FIG. 55 shows the schematics of an improved heat forming unit for making the pre-curved glasses and backing plates of the present invention.  
     [0078]FIG. 56 is a perspective view, showing the disassembled frame calendar system previously shown in FIGS.  30 - 34 . Several improvements are incorporated to enable a calendar sheet containing only the calendar date table to be mounted without opening the frame.  
     [0079]FIG. 57 is a perspective view, showing the details of a spring clamp.  
     [0080]FIG. 58 is an elevational view, showing a horizontal custom calendar sheet and a vertical custom calendar sheet.  
                                                       50   frame body    52   glass            54   calendar sheet    56   calendar sheet            58   calendar sheet    60   calendar sheet            62   back member    64   elastic band            65   frame assembly    66   custom picture sheet            68   custom picture sheet    70   custom picture sheet            72   frame window    74   back surface            76   rabbet    80   top wall            82   side wall    84   side wall            86   top studs    90   side studs            92   bottom studs    96   calendar picture illustration            98   calendar date table illustration    100   perforation line            102   holes    104   holes            106   bottom edge            120   calendar sheet    122   calendar sheet            124   calendar sheet    126   frame assembly            128   back casing    130   frame body            132   mounting holes    134   hinges            136   latch    138   catch            139   frame window    140   glass            142   side studs    144   bottom studs            146   custom picture sheet    148   custom picture sheet            150   back member    152   holes            154   wire guard    156   catch            157   dash line    158   spring plate            160   horizontal arms    162   vertical arms            164   groove    166   breakaway section            168   second window    170   tray            172   thumb notch    174   notch            176   light adhesive            200   frame assembly    202   back casing            204   frame body    206   frame window            208   mounting hole    210   hinges            212   latch    214   catch            216   back member    218   calendar sheet            220   custom picture sheet    222   custom picture sheet            224   glass    226   spring wire            227   wire legs    228   fasteners            230   fasteners    232   top stud            234   side studs    236   bottom studs            238   top slot    240   side slots            242   bottom slots    244   rail guard            246   horizontal section    248   side section            250   end elbow    252   leg            254   dash line    256   stops            258   dash line    260   breakaway section            262   indentation line            302   frame assembly    304   frame body            306   back casing    307   frame window            308   glass    310   top wall            312   side walls    314   hinges            316   spring leaf    318   steps            320   custom picture sheet    321   bottom edge            322   breakaway section    324   second window            326   bottom plate    327   notch            328   calendar sheet    329   bottom edge            330   clamp    332   bars            334   clearance opening    336   mounting hole            338   calendar sheet    340   calendar book            342   back board    344   tabs            401   frame assembly    402   frame body            404   border sheet    406   border sheet            408   first window glass    410   second window glass            411   back member    412   custom picture sheet            414   calendar    417   frame window            418   outer wall    419   top wall            420   side walls    422   bottom walls            423   inner partitioning wall    424   inner top wall            426   inner side wall    427   inner side wall            428   inner bottom wall    430   slot hole on bottom wall            432   slot hole on top wall    434   counter recess            440   calendar page    442   calendar page            443   upper stack    444   lower stack            445   binding loops    446   holes            448   lips    449   steps            450   outer portion    452   center portion            454   top wall    456   side walls            457   mounting hole    458   arms            459   end portion    461   tabs            462   spring clip    464   tooth            466   bent end    468   opening gap            469   opening gap    470   tab            471   tab    472   tab            473   tab on second window glass    410            475   counter step    477   groove            478   groove    479   groove            480   groove    481   groove            482   groove    483   groove            484   groove    485   groove            486   groove    487   groove            488   groove    489   groove            490   groove    491   groove            492   groove    494   frame border            495   openings (miniature border windows)            502   frame body    504   outer wall            506   inner partitioning wall    508   frame border            510   frame window    512   top border window            514   side border windows    516   bottom border window            520   frame body    522   outer frame            524   inner frame    526   outer wall            528   outer frame flange    530   studs            532   inner partitioning wall    534   inner frame flange            536   studs    538   frame window            540   border glass    542   holes            550   frame body    552   center display glass            554   border display glass    556   partitioning wall            600   frame assembly    602   frame body            604   glass    606   border sheet            607   border mat    608   back member            610   support base    612   custom picture sheet            614   calendar sheet    616   outer frame            618   inner frame            620   combined window/border glass    622   holes            624   top outer wall    626   side outer walls            628   stud    630   stud            632   stud    634   stud            636   frame window    638   frame window glass portion            640   border glass portion    642   connection portions            644   tabs    646   mat openings            648   calendar openings    650   perforation line            652   border section    654   calendar picture section            656   perforation lines    660   resilient arm            661   resilient arm    662   resilient arm            663   resilient arm    664   tabs            666   slot openings    668   spring clip            670   tooth    672   bent end            674   slot hole    676   mounting holes            678   sprint leaf    680   easel plate            682   easel arms    684   slots            686   narrow sections    688   horizontal grooves            689   end insert    690   slot            692   holes    694   opening            696   runners    698   opening recess            700   dried flower    710   frame assembly            712   front window glass    714   back window glass            716   reinforced picture    718   reinforcement board            720   photograph    722   support base            724   slot            730   support base    731   frame body, not shown            732   toy building block assembly    734   first toy building block            735   second toy building block    736   top wall            738   side walls    740   cylinder studs            742   internal stud    744   cylinder studs            748   top wall    750   side walls            752   cylinder studs    754   internal stud            756   bottom toy building block    760   paper toy figure            762   first half    764   second half            765   crease line    766   attachment member            768   attachment member    770   boy&#39;s hand            772   coat    774   holes            776   toy building block    778   cylinder studs            782   cylinder studs    784   block            800   frame assembly    802   frame body            804   frame border    806   frame window            808   top border window    810   side border window            812   bottom border window    814   corner border windows            816   outer wall, not shown            818   inner partitioning wall, not shown            820   border glass            822   border sheet    824   first window glass            826   second window glass    828   counter step, not shown            830   inner bottom walls, not shown    832   horizontal groove, not shown            834   support base, not shown    836   cylinder studs, not shown            838   support assembly    840   rigid support members            842   support building blocks    844   support building plates            846   miniature table    848   cylinder studs, not shown            850   internal stud, not shown    851   top wall            852   side wall    854   top cylinder studs            856   bottom cylinder stud    858   feed through hole            860   cross slots    862   sea shell            864   sea shell    866   sea shell            868   table legs    870   leg stud            872   sea shell    874   sea horse            876   flexible wire or string            900   frame assembly    902   frame body            903   first window glass    904   middle section            906   back casing    908   second window glass            910   back member    912   calendar            914   mounting hole    916   top wall            918   side wall    920   side wall            922   bottom wall    924   bottom wall            926   frame window    928   sixteen grooves            930   tabs    932   horizontal grooves            933   resilient arms    934   support base            935   opening    936   runners            937   opening recess    938   spiral ring            940   lip    942   steps            944   back member walls    946   resilient pad            950   support member    952   molded support piece            954   magnetic plate    956   magnet block            958   marked stop position    960   top calendar sheet            962   bottom calendar sheets            970   figurine    972   magnetic plate            980   support member    982   suction cups            984   sea shell           1010   frame   1012   calendar sheet assembly           1014   frame body   1015   window           1016   back door   1018   spring plate           1020   inner spring leaf   1022   outer spring leaf           1024   calendar sheets   1026   window glass           1028   slot holes   1030   inner frame           1032   L-shaped stud walls   1034   spring clips           1036   calendar picture section   1038   calendar date table section           1040   border section   1042   L-shaped slot holes           1044   border backing plate   1046   picture backing plate           1047   step           1048   opening   1050   bent section           1060   border backing plate   1062   opening           1064   bent section   1066   raised section           1100   frame system   1102   frame body           1104   backboard   1106   first transparent plate           1108   second transparent plate   1110   backing plate           1112   magnet   1114   magnet           1116   picture   1118   rabbet           1120   frame window   1122   easel           1124   magnetic strip   1126   vinyl tape           1128   magnetic sheet   1130   lamination layer           1132   protective sheet           1140   front body   1142   flat transparent plate           1144   front body window           1150   reinforcement sheet   1152   Mylar sheet           1154   protective sheet   1156   picture           1160   frame system   1162   scenery picture           1164   eagle reinforced picture   1166   animal figurines           1170   frame system   1172   bridal picture           1174   reinforced picture           1180   holder   1182   bolts           1184   stud   1186   channels           1188   transparent sheet   1190   magnetic sheet           1192   holder   1193   vertical portion           1194   horizontal portion   1195   elbow           1196   channels           1202   pre-curved glass   1204   custom picture           1206   pre-curved backing plate   1208   top edge glass           1210   bottom edge glass   1214   top edge sheet           1216   bottom edge sheet   1222   main picture           1224   3D picture frame   1226   top edge sheet           1228   bottom edge sheet   1230   picture sheet           1231   dancers   1232   floor           1233   wall   1234   top edge sheet           1235   bottom edge sheet   1236   main picture           1237   picture sheet   1238   top edge sheet           1239   bottom edge sheet   1240   main picture           1241   3-piece mat set   1242   center mat           1244   top edge mat   1246   bottom edge mat           1250   3D frame system   1252   frame body           1254   flat glass   1256   backing plate, not shown           1258   pre-curved mat plate   1260   center opening           1262   lead glass angel   1264   blue paper sheet           1270   cross stitching fabric art   1272   pre-curved backing plate           1274   double-sided adhesive   1280   mesh screen           1282   pre-curved backing plate   1284   double-sided adhesive           1290   pre-curved glass   1292   picture sheet           1294   pre-curved backing plate   1296   3D frame body           1298   backboard           1300   pre-curved glass   1302   picture           1304   pre-curved backing plate   1306   3D frame body           1308   strap   1310   Velcro ribbon male           1312   Velcro ribbon female           1320   3D frame body   1322   strap, not shown           1330   card board strip           1340   pre-view frame   1342   base plate           1344   grooves   1346   grooves           1348   poles   1350   top plate           1352   grooves   1354   grooves           1360   3D frame   1362   light fixture           1364   fluorescent lamps   1366   pre-curved backing plate           1370   heat forming unit   1372   convex mold           1374   concave mold   1376   holder           1378   side plate   1380   bottom plate           1382   threaded rods   1384   top plate           1386   compression spring   1388   washers           1390   nuts   1392   glass sheets           1394   backing plates   1396   flexible steel sheets           1010   frame   1014   frame body           1015   window   1016   back door           1018   spring plate   1020   inner spring leaf           1022   outer spring leaf   1024   calendar sheet           1026   window glass   1032   L-shaped stud walls           1036   calendar picture section   1038   calendar date table section           1040   border section   1046   picture backing plate           1400   spacer   1404   perforation lines           1406   perforation line   1408   border backing plate           1410   calendar date table backing plate           1412   spring clamp   1414   magnet blocks           1416   magnet blocks   1418   magnet blocks (not shown)           1420   dash line rectangles   1422   horizontal custom calendar sheet           1424   vertical custom calendar sheet   1426   boundary line           1432   clamp base   1434   clamp plunger           1436   base handle   1438   straight hole           1440   base plate   1442   plunger handle           1444   plunger stem   1446   compression spring           1448   disk   1450   dash line           1452   boundary line   1454   dash line           1456   rectangle dash lines   1458   rectangle dash lines                  
 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0081]FIG. 1 
     [0082]FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It consists of a frame body  50 , glass  52 , calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60 , a back member  62  and an elastic band  64 . The frame body  50 , glass  52 , back member  62  and the elastic band  64  can be grouped together and referred to as a frame assembly  65 . Custom picture sheets  66 ,  68  and  70  are also shown in the figure. These custom picture sheets can be personal photo prints, documents, etc., that do not contain calendar date information. They can be optionally added for display if desired.  
     [0083] The front side of the frame body  50  is not shown but can be of any suitable design. Formed within the frame body  50  is a frame window  72  through which all pictures are to be displayed. The frame body  50  has a back surface  74 . Also shown on the frame body  50  is a rabbet  76  in which the glass  52  is to be placed. The depth of the rabbet  76  is about the same as the thickness of the glass  52  so that the glass  52 , once place into the rabbet  76 , will be flush with the back surface  74  of the frame body  50 .  
     [0084] A top wall  80  and two side walls  82  and  84  are provided which are largely perpendicular with respect to the back surface  74 . No bottom wall is provided which will be clear from the following description. An eyelet, not shown, can be provided on the top wall  80  for hanging the frame body  50  on a vertical wall.  
     [0085] Also located on the back surface  74  of the frame body  50  are two top studs  86 , two side studs  90  and two bottom studs  92 . All of these studs are small rods projecting outward from the back surface  74 . They are preferably integral part of the frame body  50  and positioned around the frame window  72  largely as shown. The length of each of these studs is approximately the same as or slightly less than the depth of each of the top wall  80  and the side walls  82  and  84 .  
     [0086] Four calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58 , and  60  are shown in FIG. 1, but more sheets can be provided. The front side of each of these calendar sheets contains a calendar picture illustration  96  and a calendar date table illustration  98 . These two illustrations are separated by a perforation line  100 .  
     [0087] On each calendar sheet there are six holes  102  located near the outer perimeter of the calendar picture illustration  96 . These holes  102  have hole diameters slightly larger than the diameters of the studs  86 ,  90  and  92  and are engageable with these studs for the mounting of the calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  on the frame body  50 .  
     [0088] The back member  62  serves as a backing for the calendar. It has a size similar to that of the calendar picture illustration  96 . It also has six hole openings  104  to be engaged with the studs  86 ,  90  and  92  of the frame body  50 .  
     [0089] For mounting the calendar sheets on the frame body  50  the frame body  50  is placed on a table with the back surface  74  facing up. The glass  52  is first loaded into the rabbet  76 . The entire stack of the calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  is then loaded face down into the frame body  50  as guided by the top wall  80  and the side walls  82  and  84 . The back member  62  is next loaded on the top of the calendar sheets. After these loading the six studs  86 ,  90  and  92  of the frame body  50  will be inserted through the holes  102  of the calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  and the holes  104  of the back member  62 .  
     [0090] The elastic band  64  is then installed to secure the assembled calendar assembly. The elastic band  64  is stretched and wrapped around the exposed portion of the six studs  86 ,  90  and  92 . The friction between the elastic band  64  and the studs will firmly retain the elastic band  64  in place. As a result the calendar sheets will be secured by the elastic band  64  and will not slip off the studs during normal use.  
     [0091] There are many ways to wrap the elastic band  64  around the studs  86 ,  90  and  92 . A loop can be formed around one or more studs to further secure the mounting of the calendar sheets on the frame body  50 . A cross can also be formed to provide some support to the center portion of the calendar sheets and the back member  62 .  
     [0092] The use of the elastic band  64  makes the assembly and disassembly of the frame assembly  65  extremely easy. Such band can be made at low cost and easily replaced when worn out.  
     [0093] After the calendar system is assembled it can be hung on a vertical wall for display. The calendar picture illustration  96  of the calendar sheet  54  is properly framed and displayed through the frame window  72 . The calendar date table illustration  98  of the same calendar sheet  54  is also on display, but is exposed below the frame window  72 .  
     [0094] It is clear that the calendar system as described provides an important advantage over most conventional calendars in that it allows the picture portion of the calendar sheets to be framed. It greatly enhances the aesthetic value of the calendar picture on display. In the mean time the calendar date table portion of the calendar sheets on display is exposed beyond the frame window. This arrangement will facilitate the calendar date checking and memorandum writing on the calendar sheet without disassembling the frame assembly.  
     [0095] At the end of each calendar date table period the expired calendar sheet is removed. This is done by disassembling the frame calendar in reverse order as the frame assembling procedure described above. The expired calendar sheet can be either discarded or placed on the back of the calendar sheet stack for record keeping.  
     [0096] It is also possible to renew the calendar date table without disassembling the frame assembly  65 . In the assembled and hanging position the perforation line  100  of each calendar sheet is positioned nearly at the same level as the bottom edge of the frame body  50 . Thus the lower half of the calendar sheet containing the expired calendar date table illustration  98  can be torn off along the perforation line  100 . This will expose the calendar date table illustration  98  of the next calendar sheet. Of course in this way the calendar picture illustration  96  of the expired calendar sheet is still to be continuously displayed.  
     [0097] Any time during the calendar year a custom picture sheet  66  can be loaded in front of the calendar sheet  54  and be displayed. For example, the frame body  50  can be designed for framing a photo print of popular size of 8″×10″ (203 mm×254 mm). This is achieved by providing the studs  86 ,  90  and  92  to enclose a rectangular area slightly larger than 8″×10″ (203 mm ×254 mm).  
     [0098] To mount the custom picture sheet  66  into the frame body  50  the frame calendar system is first disassembled. The custom picture sheet  66  is loaded face down into the area enclosed by the studs  86 ,  90  and  92 . The calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  and the back member  62  are then loaded into the frame in the manner previously described. This is followed by placing the elastic band  64  as described before.  
     [0099] The custom picture sheets  68  and  70  can also be loaded in the frame body  50  for storage. They can be loaded either in the order as shown in FIG. 1 or be placed anywhere between the calendar sheet  54  and the back member  62 .  
     [0100] The ability to display a custom picture in lieu of the calendar picture adds a very important feature to the present calendar system. One is no longer limited by the pictures selected by the calendar manufacturer. A custom picture with proper size can be displayed any time in place of the provided calendar picture. This display can also be changed as frequently as one would wish.  
     [0101] One other important feature to be pointed out is that the calendar system of the present invention provides a convenient way for storing the custom pictures. A stack of varying number of custom picture sheets can be stored in the frame body  50 . The maximum number allowable is only limited by the design of the frame body  50  which requires that after all calendar sheets and custom picture sheets are mounted an exposed length of the studs  86 ,  90  and  92  be available to be engaged by the elastic band  64 .  
     [0102] After the calendar year with all the expired calendar sheets removed, the frame assembly  65  can be converted to a picture frame. Here a picture frame is commonly referred to as a frame with a largely centered frame window for removably holding a custom picture and displaying the custom picture through the frame window. For a picture frame made of transparent materials such as glass the frame window is no longer necessary and a glass display area can be provided instead.  
     [0103] Of course the converted picture frame of the present invention also serves as a picture storage device for storing varying number of pictures. With all calendar sheets removed after the conversion even more custom pictures can now be stored in the converted picture frame.  
     [0104] Obviously, after the calendar year it is also possible that only the bottom portion of all calendar sheets containing the calendar date table illustration  98  be torn off along the perforation line  100 . Some or all of the upper portion containing the calendar picture illustrations  96  can still be stored and displayed in the frame body  50 , just like the custom picture sheets  66 ,  68  and  70 .  
     [0105] The primary function of the frame assembly  65  is to serve as a support and display means for a calendar. Once the frame assembly  65  is converted to a picture frame it is no longer a part of calendar system. In the present embodiment there is no physical change required when the frame assembly  65  is converted to a picture frame. But this may not be the case for frame assemblies to be described in the later section.  
     [0106] One of the critical elements in the present calendar system is a plurality of studs around the frame window. These studs are sheet supporting means for supporting and mounting the calendar sheets and the custom picture sheets on the frame body.  
     [0107] The support of the custom picture sheets and the calendar sheets by the studs with the frame assembly vertically mounted are achieved through two different mechanisms. As is clear from FIG. 1 the support of the custom picture sheets  66 ,  68  and  70  is achieved by allowing a bottom edge  106  of each of these custom picture sheets rest on the studs  92 . The studs  86  and  90  serve to guide the custom pictures in place.  
     [0108] On the other hand the support of the calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  is achieved due to the presence of the holes  102  which are in hanging engagement with the studs  86 ,  90  and  92 . In this regard the holes  102  can be termed as hanging receiving means while the studs as hanging means. The engagement between the hanging means and the hanging receiving means of the present invention allows the upper half of the calendar sheet containing the calendar picture illustration to be displayed through the frame window and allows the lower half of the calendar sheets containing the calendar date table illustration to be supported by suspension and on display below the frame window.  
     [0109] In FIG. 1 the holes  102  are circular while the studs  86 ,  90 , and  92  are in the form of round rods. Certainly, there are many variations on the shape and form of the hanging means and hanging receiving means of the present invention. In addition to studs, other commonly known hanging devices that can also serve as the hanging means for the present application may include nails, walls, recess and clamps. In addition to holes, other means such as notches, slots, steps can also be provided on the calendar for serving as the hanging receiving means for the present application.  
     [0110] It is clear from the above description a novel calendar system is disclosed. This calendar system consists of a plurality of calendar sheets and a frame assembly with a frame window. One or more custom picture sheets can be optionally added to this calendar system. Each said calendar sheet contains a calendar date table illustration and a calendar picture illustration. The frame assembly has sheet supporting means for removable supporting and mounting each said calendar sheet and custom picture sheet in the frame assembly, and for simultaneously displaying one said calendar picture illustration through said frame window and displaying one said calendar date table illustration below said frame window, and alternatively for simultaneously displaying one said custom picture sheet through said frame window and displaying one said calendar date table illustration below said frame window. After the calendar year the frame assembly can be converted to and continuously used as a picture frame.  
     [0111] FIGS.  2 - 3   
     [0112]FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It consists of a plurality of calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124 , and a frame assembly  126  which has a back casing  128  and a frame body  130 . There are two mounting holes  132  on the back casing  128  for the mounting of the back casing  128  on a vertical wall. The frame body  130  is pivotally mounted with hinges  134  on the back casing  128  for horizontal rotation therewith. Latch  136  and catch  138  are provided for securing the frame body  130  when the frame body  130  is in closed position.  
     [0113] A frame window  139  is located on the frame body  130 . Mounted over this frame window  139  is a glass  140 . Two side studs  142  and two bottom studs  144  are located on the back side of the frame body  130  as shown. Two custom picture sheets  146  and  148  are optionally included which have bottom edges engageable with the bottom studs  144  for mounting the custom picture sheets  146  and  148  on the frame body  130 .  
     [0114] The calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  are similar to the calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  shown in FIG. 1. The top half of each calendar sheet has a calendar picture illustration while the lower half has a calendar date table illustration. Four mounting holes, not shown, are provided on each calendar sheet and are engageable with the studs  142  and  144  for mounting the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  on the frame body  130 .  
     [0115] A back member  150  is also shown which has four holes  152  engageable with the studs  142  and  144 .  
     [0116] A wire guard  154  is shown rotatably mounted on the back side of the frame body  130 . A catch  156  is provided for removable holding the wire guard  154  in a closed position. This wire guard  154  can be rotated to an open position as illustrated by the dash line  157  for loading or unloading the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  and the custom picture sheets  146  and  148 .  
     [0117] When the wire guard  154  is in the closed position as shown in the figure, all the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  and the back member  150  can be pulled back and stopped by the wire guard  154 . This allows ample room immediately in front of the calendar sheet  120  to facilitate mounting, removing or examining the custom picture sheets for display and storage. A new custom picture sheet can be added for display or storage by simply inserting it from the top into the space between the calendar sheet  120  and the glass  140 . This is achieved without taking down the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  and the back member  150  from the frame body  130 .  
     [0118] Shown in FIG. 3 is a spring plate  158  which is made of resilient materials. It has two horizontal arms  160  and two vertical arms  162  joined together in the shape of a cross. Each of the vertical arms  162  has a groove  164  engageable with the wire guard  154 . The spring plate  158  can be snapped onto and firmly retained by the wire guard  154  by momentarily pressing the ends of the vertical arms  162  toward each other while pushing the spring plate  158  toward the wire guard  154 . The spring plate  158  can be removed from the wire guard  154  by simply pulling it out while momentarily pressing the ends of the vertical arms  162  toward each other.  
     [0119] To move all the custom picture sheets and calendar sheets from the loosely held position as shown in FIG. 2 into their final mounted position one simply pushes the custom picture sheets and the calendar sheets along with the back member  150  toward the frame window  139 . The spring plate  158  is next mounted on the wire guard  154 . In this mounted position the horizontal arms  160  of the spring plate  158  will be partially deformed and in contact with the back member  150 . The spring force in the horizontal arms  160  will continuously urge the custom picture sheets and the calendar sheets toward the frame window  139  and enable the first sheet in the stack of custom picture sheets and calendar sheets to be properly displayed through the glass  140 .  
     [0120] It is also to be noted that the wire guard  154  can be turned to the open or closed position without removing the spring plate  158  from the wire guard  154 . The loading and unloading of the calendar sheets and custom picture sheets can all be done with the wire guard  154  in its open position. After loading, the wire guard  154  is simply closed with the mounted spring plate  158  pushing all custom pictures/calendar sheets into their final position for display.  
     [0121] The lower half of the frame body  130  is termed breakaway or removable section  166 . This section  166  is engageable with the lower portion of the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  that contains the calendar date table illustrations.  
     [0122] The breakaway section  166  has a second window  168  through which the calendar date table illustration is to be displayed. This window  168  elegantly frames the calendar date table illustration display and significantly enhances the aesthetic value of the entire calendar system.  
     [0123] The lower end of the breakaway section  166  is a tray  170 . When mounted the lower end of the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124  are tucked in this tray  170  so that the bottom of the calendar sheets will not be curled with frequent use.  
     [0124] The width of the second window  168  is slightly wider than the width of the calendar sheets  120 ,  122  and  124 . A thumb notch  172  is located on the bottom of each calendar sheet. It is possible to engage the thumb notch  172  of the calendar sheet  120  by a finger and pull out and lift the calendar sheet  120 . This allows the calendar date table illustration of the calendar sheet  122  to be revealed for examination without disassembling the calendar. After the examination the calendar sheet  120  can be pushed to the back of the second window  168  and tucked in the tray  170 .  
     [0125] As seen in FIG. 2 a notch  174  is provided on each side between the breakaway section  166  and the upper section of the frame body  130 . This makes it easy to break away the breakaway section  166  when it is no longer needed.  
     [0126] During the calendar year the frame assembly  126  mainly serves as a component of the calendar system of the present invention. The frame window  139  is located on the upper portion and not in the center of the frame body  130 . After the end of the calendar year with all the calendar sheets removed the breakaway section  166  is no longer needed and can be removed as just described. This effectively converts the frame assembly  126  to a picture frame which has a frame window  139  located in the center of this picture frame. From now on this picture frame will be solely used for holding custom picture sheets and displaying a custom picture sheet through the centered frame window  139 .  
     [0127] It is to be noted that the principle of the breakaway section  166  is also applicable to the other embodiments of calendar systems of the present invention. For example, a breakaway section, similar to the breakaway section  166  can also be provided and be part of the frame body  50  of FIG. 1.  
     [0128] Also shown in FIG. 2 is a thin layer of light adhesive  176  applied to the back side of the calendar sheet  122 . This light adhesive is readily available commercially which when applied as shown, can hold a sheet of calendar or custom picture sheet pressed to it. Further more, due to its low adhesiveness, it allows the attached calendar sheet or custom picture to be easily peeled off without damaging the surface of the removed sheet.  
     [0129] It is preferable that a small area on the back of each calendar sheet be applied with a thin layer of the light adhesive material just described. This allows the calendar sheets to be neatly formed as a pad which greatly eases the mounting and removal of the calendar sheets at the end of each calendar date table period.  
     [0130] After the expiration of the calendar date table period and with the lower half of the calendar sheet torn off, the upper half with the light adhesive can be turned over and serve as a mat for holding and displaying a small custom picture which otherwise is too small to be mounted in the frame assembly  126 . With the light adhesive the custom picture to be displayed can be adhered to the back of the upper half of the calendar sheet. This calendar sheet is then loaded in the frame assembly  126  with the adhered custom picture facing the glass  140 . Depending on the size of the custom picture and the coated light adhesive area, it is possible that more than one custom picture can be placed on a calendar sheet and displayed. The calendar sheet with light adhesive coating is also suitable for storing such custom pictures when not on display.  
     [0131] Obviously, the calendar sheets  54 ,  56 ,  58  and  60  of FIG. 1 can also be applied with a layer of light adhesive in the same manner just described. As a matter of fact, any sheet mountable in the frame body of the present invention can be coated with a layer of light adhesive to serve as a picture mat.  
     [0132] In comparison with the previous embodiment, the present calendar system as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is most suitable for framing calendar sheets or custom picture sheets of larger size. It enables the change of the display of the calendar sheets or custom picture sheets without taking down the frame from its hanging position. The frame body  130  swings horizontally which does not require holding the frame body  130  during such change. With the present design, the loading and unloading of custom picture sheets are easily achieved without removing the calendar sheets. The use of the spring plate  158  will assure all calendar sheets and/or custom picture sheets properly mounted regardless of the number of sheets mounted up to the capacity of the frame assembly  126 . The picture on display will also be properly urged against the glass  140  and the frame window  139 .  
     [0133] FIGS.  4 - 5   
     [0134]FIGS. 4 and 5 show a third embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. This embodiment has the most complicated frame structure among all frames disclosed so far. It is mainly designed for the storage and display of very large calendar sheets and custom picture sheets. The primary goal is to ease the effort in loading and unloading the calendar sheets and custom picture sheets.  
     [0135] Shown in FIG. 4 is a frame assembly  200  for the present calendar system. It has a back casing  202  and a frame body  204  with a frame window  206 . One or more mounting holes  208  are provided on the back casing  202  for mounting the back casing  202  on a vertical wall and making the back casing  202  stationary. The frame body  204  is mounted on the back casing  202  with hinges  210  and is horizontally rotatable with respect to the back casing  202 . Latch  212  and catch  214  are provided for securing the frame body  204  when in closed position.  
     [0136] A back member  216  serves as the sheet supporting means. A calendar sheet  218  (shown in FIG. 5), custom picture sheets  220 ,  222  and a glass  224  can all be mounted on and supported by the back member  216 . The back member  216  in turn is mounted on the back casing  202  using a long spring wire  226 . Only one half of the spring wire is shown in FIG. 4 for the sake of clarity since the other half is merely a mirror image of the first half. The spring wire  226  has two legs  227  which are fastened to the back casing  202  by fasteners  228 . The middle section of the spring wire  226  has a shape of a “U” and is attached to the back side of the back member  216  by several fasteners  230 .  
     [0137] The spring wire  226  is shaped to support the back member  216  in a bottom tilted position when the frame body  204  is open as shown in FIG. 4. In this bottom tilted position the back member  216  is tilted with the bottom portion of the back member  216  positioned farther away from the back casing  202  than the upper portion of the back member  216 . This bottom tilted position is very desirable which greatly facilitates the loading and unloading of the calendar sheets and custom picture sheets.  
     [0138] A top stud  232 , two side studs  234 , and two bottom studs  236  are located on the upper section of the back member  216 . The top stud  232  and the side studs  234  can simply be rods extending outward from the back member  216 . However, the bottom studs  236  are preferably in the form of plates with wide base for providing better support of the custom picture sheets  220  and  222 .  
     [0139] The glass  224  is preferably made of clear plastics such as acrylics. It is formed with a top slot  238 , two side slots  240  and two bottom slots  242  to be engageable with the top stud  232 , side studs  234  and the bottom studs  236 , respectively, for the support of the glass  224 . It is noted that the front end of the bottom stud  236  is wider than the slot  242  and will prevent the glass  224  from slipping off the bottom studs  236  accidentally.  
     [0140] Also shown in FIG. 4 is a rail guard  244 . This rail guard  244  can be made of metal rod which is bent to form a horizontal section  246 , a side section  248  and a end elbow  250 . A leg  252  is also provided, and one end of which is welded to and perpendicular to the side section  248 . The other end of the leg  252  is inserted into and rotatably mounted on one side wall of the back casing  202 . When the rail guard  244  in not needed it is rotated to a recessed position inside the back casing  202  as indicated by the dash line  254 .  
     [0141] The frame body  204  can be rotated horizontally to an open position after the latch  212  is separated from the catch  214  of the back casing  202 . Once the frame body  204  is open the back member  216  will be automatically extended forward to the bottom tilted position just described. At this time the glass  224  and the custom pictures  220  and  222  are also tilted and rest on the back member  216 .  
     [0142] The rail guard  244  can be next rotated to a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 4 with the end elbow  250  stopped by the back casing  202 . After this the glass  224  can be pulled away from the back member  216  and leaned against the horizontal section  246  of the rail guard  244  in a top tilted position as shown in FIG. 4. One can now easily flip through the stack of the custom picture sheets for examining the installed custom picture sheets. A new custom picture sheet can also be inserted into the stack through the clearance between the glass  224  and the back member  216 .  
     [0143] For mounting a very large custom picture on the back member  216  it is preferable that the rail guard  244  be remained at the recessed position and not to be used. The loading or unloading of custom pictures is achieved by first taking down the glass  224 . A custom picture sheet to be displayed is then simply placed on top of the stack of the custom picture sheets already in place. This mounting method will assure best protection of the custom picture sheets during loading and unloading of the custom picture sheets. After the custom picture sheet is loaded the glass  224  is then reinstalled on the back member  216 .  
     [0144] For the sake of clarity the calendar sheet  218  is not shown in FIG. 4 but is shown in FIG. 5. This calendar sheet  218  and more sheets like it can be made similar to the calendar sheet  54  of FIG. 1. Five mounting holes can be provided on the calendar sheet  218  to engage with the studs  232 ,  234  and  236  for the support of the calendar sheet  218  on the back member  216 . Obviously the glass  224  must first be taken down before the loading and unloading of the calendar sheet  218 .  
     [0145] Once the glass  224 , custom picture sheets  220  and  222 , and the calendar sheet  218  are properly mounted on the back member  216 , the frame body  204  can be rotated to its closed position as shown in FIG. 5. This is achieved by turning the frame body  204  with the right hand while the left hand goes through the frame window  206  and pushes back the glass  224  to its vertical position. The latch  212  is next latched into the catch  214  which locks the frame body  204  in the closed position.  
     [0146] With the frame body  204  in the closed position the spring wire  226  will be deformed as partially shown in FIG. 5. The stored spring force in the deformed spring wire  226  will constantly urge the back member  216  toward the frame window  206  with the glass  224  in firm contact with the frame body  204 .  
     [0147] As shown in FIG. 4 a set of four rotatable stops  256  are mounted on four corners of the back casing  202 . These stops  256  can alternatively allow the closing of the frame body  204  to be achieved in two easy steps. In the first step one hand will push the glass  224  to its vertical position and the other hand will rotate each of the four stops  256  into positions as indicated by the dash lines  258 . This will allow the glass  224  to be held in the upright position by these stops  256  after the holding hand is removed from the glass  224 . In the second step the frame body  204  is closed and latched. As seen in FIG. 5, with the frame body  204  in the latch closed position the glass  224  is further pushed inward slightly and separated from the stops  256 .  
     [0148] The lower half of the back member  216  is a breakaway section  260  which is separated from the upper half of the back member  216  by an indentation line  262 . The breakaway section  260  is engageable with and in support of the lower half of the calendar sheet  218  containing the calendar date table illustration. At the end of the calendar year the breakaway section  260  can be easily broken away from the upper section of the back member  216  along the indentation line  262  for converting the present frame assembly  200  into a picture frame.  
     [0149] One major difference between the frame calendar system shown is FIGS. 4 and 5 and the first two frame calendar systems shown in FIGS.  1  to  3  is in the design of the sheet supporting means. In the first two frame calendar systems the studs used for the support of the calendar sheets and custom pictures are located on the frame bodies. On the other hand, such studs are instead located on the back member of the frame assembly shown in FIG. 4 and  5 .  
     [0150]FIG. 6 
     [0151]FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. In this embodiment a frame assembly is disclosed which has two or more distinctively different supporting means. One of these supporting means is exclusively for supporting and mounting the calendar while the second supporting means is exclusively for supporting and mounting the custom picture sheets.  
     [0152] The major component in the present calendar system is a frame assembly  302  which consists of a frame body  304  and a back casing  306 . The frame body  304  has a frame window  307  which is covered by a glass  308 . A top wall  310  and two side walls  312  are provided in the frame body  304  as shown in the figure.  
     [0153] The back casing  306  is pivotally mounted with hinges  314  on the frame body  304  for rotation thereof. Latch and catch, not shown, are provided on the back casing  306  and frame body  304 , respectively, for securing the back casing  306  when it is in the closed position. A spring leaf  316  is attached to the back casing  306  for urging any mounted calendar or custom picture sheets toward the frame window  307  when the back member  306  is secured in the closed position.  
     [0154] As seen in FIG. 6 the bottom of each of the side wall  312  is formed into a step  318 . These steps  318  are custom picture supporting means to be described below.  
     [0155] Also shown in FIG. 6 is a custom picture sheet  320  optionally provided for display in the present frame assembly  302 . This custom picture sheet  320  has a width slightly narrower than the inside width of the frame body  304  but is wider than the clearance between the two steps  318 . This enables the custom picture sheet  320  to be mounted in the frame body  304  by simply resting the bottom edge  321  of the custom picture sheet  320  on the steps  318 .  
     [0156] The lower half of the frame body  304  is a breakaway section  322 . It has a second window  324  and a bottom plate  326 . A notch  327  on each side of the frame body  304  is provided between the breakaway section  322  and the upper section of the frame body  304 .  
     [0157] A calendar sheet  328  is shown in FIG. 6. This calendar sheet  328  is made of relatively firm paper materials. It has a calendar picture illustration and a calendar date table illustration on its front side. The width of this calendar sheet  328  is narrower than the clearance between the two steps  318 . This will allow the calendar sheet  328  to be mounted in the frame assembly  302  with the bottom edge  329  of the calendar sheet  328  resting on the bottom plate  326 , which in this case is a calendar supporting means.  
     [0158] Once the calendar sheet  328  and/or the custom picture sheet  320  are properly mounted the back casing  306  is closed. In this mounted position the calendar picture illustration of the calendar sheet  328  is displayed through the frame window  307  while the calendar date table illustration of the calendar sheet  328  is simultaneously displayed through the second window  324 . Obviously, if the custom picture sheet  320  is also mounted in front of the calendar sheet  328 , the present calendar system will display the custom picture sheet  320  through the frame window  307  while simultaneously display the calendar date table illustration of the calendar sheet  328  through the second window  324 .  
     [0159] A clamp  330  is also shown in FIG. 6. It is slidably mounted on a pair of bars  332  rigidly attached to the underside of the top wall  310 . The handle portion of the clamp  330  is extended above the top wall  310  through a clearance openings  334  on the top wall  310 . A mounting hole  336  is shown on the clamp  330  for vertically mounting the frame assembly  302 .  
     [0160] Instead of the calendar sheet  328  and the likes, a calendar sheet  338  of different design can also be alternatively mounted in the present frame assembly  302 . Here the clamp  330  is used to hold the calendar sheet  338  by clamping the top portion of the calendar sheet  338 . With the calendar sheet  338  clamped in place, it can be pushed forward until the clamped calendar sheet  338  is stopped at its display position. The back casing  306  is then closed to complete the assembly.  
     [0161] Instead of the calendar sheets  328  and  338  a calendar book  340  can also be alternatively mounted and displayed in the frame assembly  302  of the present invention. This calendar book  340  has a back board  342  which is slightly longer than the individual calendar sheets in the calendar book  340 . This calendar book  340  can be mounted in the frame assembly  302  by resting the bottom edge of the back board  342  on the bottom plate  326 . Alternatively, the calendar book  340  can also be mounted in suspension by clamping the top portion of the back board  342  by the clamp  330 .  
     [0162] It is clear from the above description that the clamp  330  serves as a calendar supporting means for removably supporting the calendar sheet  338  or the calendar book  340  by suspension, and for displaying one calendar picture illustration through the frame window  307  and simultaneously displaying one calendar date table illustration through the second window  324 .  
     [0163] The width of the second window  324  is slightly wider than the width of each calendar sheet of the calendar book  340 . This will allow the page containing the displayed calendar date table illustration to be lifted for checking the calendar date table on the next page without disassembling the present calendar system. Two tabs  344  are provided for holding down the sheets of the calendar book  340  in it assembled position.  
     [0164] After the end of the calendar year with all the calendar sheets removed the breakaway section  322  can be removed along the notches  328 . This effectively converts the frame assembly  302  into a picture frame.  
     [0165] FIGS.  7 - 12   
     [0166]FIG. 7 shows an fifth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It consists of a frame assembly  401  which may include a frame body  402 , border sheets  404  and  406 , first window glass  408 , second window glass  410  and a back member  411 . One custom picture sheet  412  can be optionally mounted on the present frame calendar system. A calendar  414  which is in a book form is also included in the present system.  
     [0167] The frame body  402  can be made from molded plastics or other moldable materials including metals, glass, etc. It has a frame window  417  on which the first window glass  408  is firmly attached. An outer wall  418  which may include a top wall  419 , two side walls  420  and two coplanar bottom walls  422  is provided in the frame body  402 . An inner partitioning wall  423  consisting of an inner top wall  424 , two inner side walls  426  and  427 , and two coplanar inner bottom walls  428  is also provided which surrounds the frame window  417  as shown in the figure.  
     [0168] A slot hole  430  is provided on each of the bottom walls  422 . A slot hole  432  is also shown on the top wall  419 . A counter recess  434  can be provided if desired. This recess  434  and the slot holes  430  and  432  are to be engaged with the back member  411  to be described below.  
     [0169] The calendar  414  is shown in the form of a book which is openable to expose a page  440  containing a calendar picture illustration and a page  442  containing a calendar date table illustration. In this open position the calendar  414  is divided into an upper stack  443  which includes the page  440  and a lower stack  444  which includes the page  442 . Two binding loops  445  are provided which can be simply two ribbons going through two holes  446  of each sheet of the calendar  614 .  
     [0170] As seen in the figure each sheet in the calendar book  414  is formed to have a lip  448  and two steps  449  one on each side of the lip  448 . This lip  448  provides the space for the binding holes  446  so that when the calendar  414  is mounted on the frame body  402  all these binding holes  446  of the upper stack  443  will be covered and not visible through the frame window  417 . The two steps  449  of the upper stack  443  are provided to be rest on the inner bottom walls  428  when the calendar  414  is mounted on the frame body  402 .  
     [0171] The back member  411  is preferably made of molded plastics which can be mass produced at low cost. It has an overall shape that fits the back side of the frame body  402 . An outer portion  450  of the back member  411  is flat while a center portion  452  is raised which joins the outer portion  450  through a top wall  454  and two side walls  456 . A mounting hole  457  is provided on the center portion  452  for mounting the assembled frame calendar on a vertical wall.  
     [0172] As seen in the figure there are four resilient arms  458  integrally formed on the back member  411 . These arms  458  are projecting outward from the center of the center portion  452 . Each of these arms  458  is formed at an angle away from the plane of the center portion  452 . Each arm  458  has an end portion  459  which is slightly curved as shown. When not pressed the end portions  459  of the four resilient arms  459  are preferably located on a plane slightly beyond the plane of the outer portion  450 .  
     [0173] A tab  461  is located on the bottom of the back member  411  on each side of the outer portion  450 . A spring clip  462  is integrally formed on the top of the center portion  452 . It has a shape of an inverted “7” as viewed in the figure. A tooth  464  with a slant surface and a bent end  466  are located on the top of the spring clip  462 .  
     [0174] The calendar  414  can be mounted on the frame body  402  by simply placing the top stack  443  of the calendar  414  into the space enclosed by the inner partitioning wall  423  of the frame body  402  against the frame window  417 . The back member  411  is subsequently mounted to hold the calendar  414  in place.  
     [0175] The back member  411  is mounted by first inserting the two tabs  461  of the back member  411  into the slot holes  430  of the frame body  402 . As the back member  411  is pushed toward the frame window  417  the tooth  464  of the spring clip  462  will be initially stopped at the counter recess  434  of the frame body  402 . A further push of the back member  411  toward the frame window  417  will cause the spring clip  462  to yield downward and the slant surface of the tooth  464  to slide along the lower edge of the recess  434  until the upper tip of the tooth  464  clears the recess  434 . The tooth  464  will continue move forward under the push force until it drops into the slot hole  432  and locks the back member  411  to the frame body  402 . To release this lock one can simply push down the bent end  466  to move the tooth  464  out of the slot hole  432  and at the same time pull back the whole back member  411  away from the frame body  402 .  
     [0176] As the back member  411  is installed on the frame body  402  the end portions  459  of the resilient arms  458  are in contact with the calendar  414  and are pushed back against the spring force of each resilient arm  458 . This spring force will continuously urge the upper stack  443  against the frame window  417  and allow the upper stack  443  to be properly mounted and the page  440  containing the calendar picture illustration properly displayed regardless of the number of sheets in the stack up to the capacity of the frame body  402 .  
     [0177] There are three critical elements in the back member  411  of the present invention. These three elements, namely, the tabs  461 , the spring clip  462 , and the resilient arms  458 , are worked in combination for the mounting of the calendar  414 . During the mounting of the calendar  414  the tabs  461  of the back member  411  is first engaged with the frame body  402 . The spring clip  462  is next engaged with the frame body  402 , during which the resilient arms  458  are deformed against its spring force and thus urging the mounted upper stack  443  of the calendar  414  toward the frame window  417 .  
     [0178] The removal of the back member  411  is achieved by first pressing down the bent end  466  of the spring clip  462  to release the tooth  464  from the slot hole  432  of the frame body  402 . At this time the stored spring force in the resilient arms  458  will automatically push the back member  411  away from the frame body  402  thus facilitating the disengagement of the spring clip  462  from the frame body  402 . The back member  411  is next lifted to remove the tabs  461  away from the slot holes  430 .  
     [0179] In comparison with the prior arts, the back member  411  of the present invention provides following three advantages: 1. Both the installation and removal of the back member  411  are achieved in a simple insert-and-push or press-and-lift step; 2. The installed back member  411  will allow a stack of calendar sheets/custom picture sheets to be properly mounted regardless of the number of sheets in the stack up to the capacity of the frame body  402 ; 3. The one-piece molded back member  411  can be mass production at low cost.  
     [0180] Once the back member  411  is properly mounted on the frame body  402  the frame assembly  401  is ready to be mounted on a vertical wall. In this mounted position the steps  449  of the upper stack  443  of the calendar  414  is rest on the inner bottom walls  428  while the lower stack  444  of the calendar  414  is hung in free suspension. The calendar picture illustration on the page  440  will be displayed through the frame window  417  and the calendar date table illustration on the page  442  will be in full view beneath the frame body  402 .  
     [0181] The custom picture sheet  412  can also be loaded in front of the upper stack  443  and be displayed through the frame window  417  if desired. More custom pictures, not shown, can also be stored in the frame body  402 .  
     [0182] After the end of the calendar year the calendar  414  can be removed and the frame assembly  401  is converted to a picture frame/storage device. Obviously more custom pictures can be stored at this time.  
     [0183] Upon closer examination, it can be seen that the inner partitioning wall  423  virtually performs the same function as the studs  86 ,  90  and  92  of the frame body  50  shown in FIG. 1. The inner bottom walls  428  are engageable with the bottom edge of the custom picture sheet  412  for the support of the custom picture sheet  412  in a manner similar to the engagement between the studs  92  and the custom picture sheets  66 ,  68  and  70  shown in FIG. 1.  
     [0184] At the same time, these inner bottom walls  428  are also engageable with the calendar  414  for the hanging support of the calendar  414 . In this case the steps  449  of the upper stack  443  can be viewed as hanging receiving means while the inner bottom walls  428  as the hanging means. The engagement between the hanging means and the hanging receiving means allows the upper stack  443  to be supported and mounted in the frame body  402  and the page  440  containing a calendar picture illustration to be displayed through the frame window  417 . This same engagement also allows the lower stack  444  to be supported by suspension with the page  442  containing a calendar date table illustration to be displayed below the frame window  417 .  
     [0185] It is also to be noted that an opening gap  468  exists between the two coplanar bottom walls  422  and another opening gap  469  exists between the two coplanar inner bottom walls  428 . These gaps are provided to accommodate for the lips  448  and the binding loops  445  of the calendar  414 . Obviously the size of these gaps will vary depending on the design of the lips and/or the book binding means.  
     [0186] The first window glass  408  is preferably mounted on the frame body  402  by friction or other suitable means so that the glass  408  can be made self supporting in place. On the other hand, the second window glass  410  is structured to be mountable on the frame body  402  at various positions depending on the orientation of the entry of the second window glass  410  into the frame body  402 .  
     [0187] Shown in FIG. 8 is the enlarged elevational view showing a portion of the second window glass  410  as viewed in FIG. 7. This glass  410  is preferably molded from transparent materials such as acrylics. There are two tabs  470  and  471  on the right side of the glass  410  and two tables  472  and  473  on the left side of the glass  410  as viewed in FIG. 8. It is noted that these four tabs are unsymmetrically located on the sides of the glass  410 .  
     [0188] Also shown in FIG. 8 is the enlarged perspective view of the inner side walls  426  and  427  as they are cut off from the rest of the frame body  402 . Each wall is truncated to form a counter step  475  as shown in the figure. These counter steps can be used for holding a custom relief picture as to be described below.  
     [0189] There are a total of sixteen grooves molded on the inner side walls  426  and  427 . As seen in the figure grooves  477 ,  478 ,  479  and  480  are located on the upper portion of the wall  427  while grooves  481 ,  482 ,  483  and  484  are located on the lower portion of the wall  427 . Similarly, grooves  485 ,  486 ,  487  and  488  are located on the upper portion of the wall  426  while grooves  489 ,  490 ,  491  and  492  are located on the lower portion of the wall  426 . All these grooves are of the same size except for their depths. The grooves  477 ,  481 ,  486  and  490  extend throughout the inner side walls  426  and  427  to a depth marked by “A”. The grooves  478 ,  482 ,  485  and  489  extend to a depth marked by “B”. The grooves  480 ,  484 ,  487  and  491  extend to a depth marked by “C”. The grooves  479 ,  483 ,  488  and  492  have the shortest depth as they extend only to a depth marked by “D”. The position marked by “E” is the depth of the counter step  475  and is also the starting point of all the grooves.  
     [0190] The width of the second window glass  410  is designed such that when the glass  410  is mounted in the frame body  402  the tabs  470 ,  471 ,  472  and  473  of the glass  410  must be seated within the grooves of the inner side walls  426  and  427 . When the glass  410  enters the frame body  402  in the orientation as shown in FIG. 8, the tabs  470 ,  471 ,  472  and  473  will be seated within the grooves  477 ,  481 ,  486  and  490 , respectively. Since these four grooves extend throughout the inner side walls  426  and  427  to the depth “A”, the glass  610  can enter all the way until it is stopped and in contact with the first window glass  408 .  
     [0191] The loading of the second window glass  610  in the frame body  602  to the depth “A” above-described is suitable for a two-layer display application. For example, a transparent sheet with graphic pattern can be mounted between the first window glass  408  and the second window glass  410  while a custom picture or calendar picture is mounted behind the second window glass  410 . In this case the mounted custom picture or calendar picture is still largely visible except for the portion covered by the graphic pattern on the transparent sheet. The graphic pattern serves to complement and enhance the aesthetical value of the custom picture or calendar picture on display.  
     [0192] On the other hand, if the glass  410  is rotated to a new orientation different from that shown in FIG. 8 before it enters the frame body  402  the glass  410  will be stopped at different depths depending on the exact orientation of the glass  410  during its entry. For example, the glass  410  can be rotated horizontally by 180 degree from its original orientation as shown in FIG. 8. Referring to the figure, after this rotation the right side of the glass  610  will go to the left, the front side will go to the back and the top side still stays at the top. When the glass enters the frame body  402  after this horizontal rotation the tabs  470 ,  471 ,  472  and  473  will be seated in the grooves  485 ,  489 ,  478  and  482 , respectively. In this orientation the glass  410  will be stopped at the depth marked by “B”. This creates a space between the first window glass  408  and the second window glass  410  when the glass  410  is properly mounted. This created space between the point “A” and the point “B” is useful for the mounting and display of a three dimensional object as will be further described below.  
     [0193] The window glass  410  can also be rotated 180 degree vertically from its FIG. 8 orientation before its entry. Again referring to FIG. 8, after this rotation the top side of the glass  410  will go to the bottom, the front side goes to the back, and the right side still stays at the right. In this case the tabs  470 ,  471 ,  472  and  473  will be seated in the grooves  484 ,  480 ,  491  and  487 , respectively. The glass  410 , once properly mounted, will be stopped at the depth marked by “C”.  
     [0194] The last possible 180 degree rotation of the glass  410  is a rotation of 180 degree within the plane of the glass  410 . With this rotation the top side of the glass goes to the bottom, the right side goes to the left, and the front side still stays at the front. In this orientation, the tabs  470 ,  471 ,  472  and  473  will be seated within the grooves  492 ,  488 ,  483  and  479 , respectively, during the entry of the glass  410 . After mounting, the glass will be stopped at the depth marked by “D” which creates a large space between the point “A” and the point “D”.  
     [0195] In the above three orientations a space of varying depth is created between the first window glass  408  and the second window glass  410  when the second window glass is mounted on the frame body  402 . This allows the frame assembly  401  to serve as a display case for displaying one or several three-dimensional objects within the created space. At the same time, a custom picture or calendar picture is also displayed behind the second window glass  410 . The displayed custom picture may contain a narrative describing the object on display or a background picture complementing the displayed objects. Objects of different size can be accommodated by varying the depth of the space between the glasses  408  and  410 .  
     [0196] In the present embodiment, all the grooves are located on the inner side walls  426  and  427 . It is also possible to provide grooves on the inner top wall  424  and the inner bottom walls  428  to support the mounting of a glass with different tab design at four different depths. Furthermore, if the inner wall  423  and the matching window glass  410  can be made circular instead of rectangular as shown in FIG. 8, more variations in the mounting depth can be achieved with proper design of the grooves and the matching tabs.  
     [0197] In FIG. 7 the part of the frame body  402  surrounding the frame window  417  and joined the outer wall  418  and the inner partitioning wall  423  is termed frame border  494 . This frame border  494  can be molded to form some carved art pattern. A small portion of the frame border  494  with such a carved art pattern is shown in FIG. 7. In addition to the aesthetic value contributed by this carved pattern, the frame border with this pattern is also required to achieve two additional purposes. First, there must be adequate solid branches joining the outer wall  418  and the inner partitioning wall  423  to provide adequate strength to the frame body  402 . Secondary, it is desirable that many openings  495  be formed in this frame border  494 . These openings  495  can have different sizes and shapes. They are essentially many miniature border windows  495 , the purpose of which will be clear from the description below.  
     [0198] The border sheet  404  is shown placed behind the frame border  494  and between the outer wall  418  and the inner partitioning wall  423 . The color of this border sheet  404  can be in sharp contrast with that of the frame border  494 . When placed behind the frame border  494 , a portion of this border sheet  404  is visible through the many openings or miniature border windows  495  of the frame border  494 .  
     [0199]FIG. 7 also shows the second border sheet  406  which has the same size as that of the border sheet  404  but of different color. As a matter of fact, even more border sheets are desirable so that one border sheet with a desirable color can be chosen for display to complement the calendar picture illustration or the custom picture on display. As the calendar sheet or custom picture sheet on display is replaced by a new one the border sheet on display can also be replaced if desired. This is an interesting and convenient way to change the appearance of the frame assembly  401  to complement the picture on display.  
     [0200] A stack of border sheets including the border sheets  404  and  406  can be easily loaded in the frame body  402  and held in place by the back member  411 . It can also be removed by first taking down the back member  411 . The calendar  414  must also be removed before the loading and unloading of the border sheets.  
     [0201] FIGS.  9  to  12  show some variations on the design of the frame body for providing different border appearance. FIG. 9 shows one corner of a frame body  502  which can be similar to the frame body  402  and can be used for the mounting and displaying of the calendar  414  and/or custom picture sheet  412 . This frame body  502  can be formed by molding. It consists of an outer wall  504 , an inner partitioning wall  506  and a frame border  508 . A frame window  510  is formed within the inner partitioning wall  506  for the display of the calendar  414  and the custom picture sheet  412 . Formed in the frame border  508  are one top border window  512 , two side border windows  514 , and one bottom border window  516 , not shown. A border sheet similar to the border sheets  404  and  406  can be mounted behind the frame border  508  and be displayed through the border windows  512 ,  514  and  516 . This border sheet can be printed with graphic pattern to enhance the appearance of the frame body  502 . Of course more border sheets can be provided to quickly and easily change the appearance of the frame body  502  by changing the border sheet on display.  
     [0202]FIG. 10 shows one corner of a frame body  520  which consists of an outer frame  522  and an inner frame  524  individually formed. The outer frame  522  has an outer wall  526  and an outer frame flange  528  on which a series of studs  530  are located. Similarly, the inner frame  524  has an inner partitioning wall  532  and an inner frame flange  524  on which a series of studs  536  are located. Formed within the inner frame  524  is a frame window  538  through which a calendar picture or a custom picture can be displayed.  
     [0203]FIG. 11 shows one portion of a border glass  540  of the frame body  520 . This border glass  540  is preferably molded from a transparent plastics such as acrylics. It has a series of holes  542  of identical sizes located near its outer edge and inner edge.  
     [0204] The frame body  520  is assembled by placing the border glass  540  on the outer frame flange  528  and the inner frame flange  534  and pressing all studs  530  and  536  into the holes  442  of the border glass  540 . The press fitting between the studs  530  and  536  and the holes  542  will hold the three pieces into an assembled unit.  
     [0205] Once assembled, one or more border sheets, such as the border sheets  404  and  406  shown in FIG. 7, but printed with graphic pattern, can be mounted on the frame body  520 . Again, the appearance of the frame body  520  can be quickly changed by changing the border sheet on display.  
     [0206]FIG. 12 shows one corner of a frame body  550  which is molded entirely from transparent materials such as glass. This frame body  550  has a center display glass  552  and a border display glass  554  separated by a partitioning wall  556 . In spite of the fact that no window is provided in this frame body  550 , it can be used for displaying custom picture or calendar picture through the center display glass  552  and displaying a border sheet through the border display glass  554  in a similar manner as the frame body  402  of FIG. 7.  
     [0207]FIG. 13 
     [0208]FIG. 13 shows a sixth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It consists of a frame assembly  600  which may include a frame body  602 , glass  604 , border sheet  606 , border mat  607 , back member  608 , and support base  610 . One custom picture sheet  612  can be optionally mounted. A calendar sheet  614  is also shown as part of the present frame calendar system.  
     [0209] In construction the frame body  602  is similar to the frame body  520  shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. It is assembled by joining an outer frame  616  and an inner frame  618  by a combined window/border glass  620 . Small holes  622  are shown on the combined window/border glass  620  into which studs of the outer frame  616  and inner frame  618 , not shown, but similar to the studs  530  in FIG. 10, are inserted for the assembly of the frame body  602 .  
     [0210] The outer frame  616  consists of a top outer wall  624  and two side outer wall  626 . The inner frame  618  has four L-shaped studs  628 ,  630 ,  632 , and  634  at four corners on the back side of the inner frame  618 . Enclosed within these four studs is a frame window  636  through which a custom picture or calendar picture can be displayed. There are four grooves of different depths on each of these studs. These grooves are similar to and serve the same function as the grooves  477  to  492  shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.  
     [0211] The combined window/border glass  620  is a one-piece plate molded from transparent plastics. It consists of a frame window glass portion  638  and a border glass portion  640  interconnected by four connection portions  642 . The frame window glass portion  638  is mounted over the frame window  636 . Since the border glass portion  640  is firmly attached to the outer frame  616  and the inner frame  618 , the frame window glass portion  638  will always remain mounted over the frame window  636 .  
     [0212] The mounting of the glass  604  with four unsymmetrical tabs  644  on the frame body  602  at four possible depths is virtually identical to the mounting of the second window glass  410  on the frame body  402  as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The supporting of the custom picture sheet  612  on the frame body  602  is achieved simply by resting the bottom edge of the custom picture sheet  612  on the studs  632  and  634 .  
     [0213] The border sheet  606  is basically similar to the border sheets  404  and  406  shown in FIG. 7. The border mat  607  is also a kind of border sheet with its size same as that of the border sheet  606 . The border mat  607  is made of non-transparent sheets but with many openings  646 . These openings  646  are shown in the shape of cross randomly located on the border mat  607 . These openings are preferably achieved by laser cutting which is known to make very intricate cut patterns on frame mats.  
     [0214] The border mat  607  and border sheet  606  are mounted together on the frame body  602  and supported by the studs  628 ,  630 ,  632  and  634 . The border mat  607  is readily visible through the border glass portion  640  of the combined window/border glass  620 . The border sheet  606  is mounted behind the border mat  607  and is partially visible through the openings  646  of the border mat  607 .  
     [0215] The frame assembly  600  of the present invention may have several border mats with a variety of cut patterns and many border sheets with different contrasting colors. The appearance of the frame assembly  600  can thus be easily changed by the judicious choice of one border mat-border sheet pair to be displayed in complementing the displayed custom picture or calendar picture.  
     [0216] The calendar sheet  614 , which is partially shown, has four L-shaped openings  648 . It can be mounted on the frame body  602  by inserting the studs  628 ,  630 ,  632  and  634  through these openings  648  for the hanging support of the calendar sheet  614 . Located on the middle section of the calendar sheet  614  is a perforation line  650 . A calendar date table illustration is printed on the calendar sheet  614  beneath this perforation line  650  and is displayed below the frame body  602  when the calendar sheet  614  is properly mounted on the vertically positioned frame body  602 .  
     [0217] The calendar sheet  614  above the perforation line  650  is further divided into a border section  652  and a calendar picture section  654  which two are separated by the four openings  648  and four perforation lines  656 . A calendar picture illustration is printed on the calendar picture section  654  and can be displayed through the frame window  636  and the frame window glass portion  638  when the calendar sheet  614  is mounted on the frame body  602 .  
     [0218] The border section  652  of the calendar sheet  614  is mounted directly behind the border glass portion  640 . This border section  652  can have a printed border art pattern which can be displayed to complement the calendar picture on display. After the end of each calendar date table period with a new calendar sheet displayed, not only the calendar picture illustration is changed, the appearance of the frame body  602  will also be changed due to the change of the order section  652  on display.  
     [0219] At the end of the calendar year all the border sections  652  can be saved by tearing it apart from the rest of the calendar sheet  614  along the perforation lines  650  and  656 . The saved border sections  652  can be continuously used for display to enhance the appearance of the picture frame and complement the custom picture on display.  
     [0220] The back member  608  is similar to the back member  411  shown in FIG. 7 but with several improvements. It is preferably made of a one-piece molded plastics for reasons to be disclosed below.  
     [0221] Located near the center of the back member  608  are four resilient arms  660 ,  661 ,  662  and  663 . These resilient arms serve the same purpose as the resilient arms  458  shown in FIG. 7, although somewhat different in their shape.  
     [0222] A tab  664  is located near the bottom of each side of the back member  608 . These two tabs  664  are to be engaged with two slot openings  666  on the two side outer walls  626  of the frame body  602 .  
     [0223] A spring clip  668  is integrally formed as part of the back member  608 . A tooth  670  and a bent end  672  are located on the top of the spring clip  668 . This tooth is to be engaged with a slot hole  674  located on the top outer wall  624  of the frame boy  602 . A mounting hole  676  is also provided for hanging support of the assembled frame assembly  600 .  
     [0224] The spring clip  668  will yield against its spring force when a outside force is applied on the back member  608  during the mounting of the back member  608 . It is to be noted that in the present embodiment the yield movement of the spring clip  668  is within a plane in parallel with the plane of the back member  608 . In this way, the spring clip  668  will not cause the overall thickness of the back member  608  to be significantly increased.  
     [0225] Also integrally formed on the back member  608  are two spring leaves  678 . The centers of these spring leaves  678  are anchored near the sides of the back member  608 . Each arm of the spring leaves  678  is projecting away from the front side of the back member  608 . The end of each arm is curved backward to form a smooth contacting surface.  
     [0226] After placing all the calendar sheets  614 , custom pictures sheet  612  and the associated components the back member  608  can then be installed on the frame body  602 . This is achieved by first inserting the two tabs  664  of the back member  608  into the two slot openings  666  of the frame body  602 . As the back member  608  is pushed toward the frame window  636  the tooth  676  of the spring clip  668  will be initially stopped at the top outer wall  624 . A further push of the back member  608  will cause the spring clip  668  to yield downward and the slant surface of the tooth  670  to slide along the lower back edge of the top outer wall  624  until the upper edge of the tooth  670  clears this edge. The tooth  670  will continue move forward until it drops into the slot hole  674  and locks the back member  608  to the frame body  602 .  
     [0227] As the back member  608  is installed in the frame body  602  the resilient arms  660 ,  661 ,  662  and  663  will be in contact with the custom picture sheet  612  or the calendar sheet  614 . The spring leaves  678  will also be in contact with either the border section  652  of the calendar sheet  614  or the border sheet  606 . Depending on the number of sheets installed in the frame body  602  both the resilient arms  660 ,  661 ,  662 ,  663  and the spring leaves  678  will be deformed to a various degree. The spring force in the deformed resilient arms  660 ,  661 ,  662  and  663  will continuously urge the custom picture sheet  612  and/or the calendar picture section  654  of the calendar sheet  614  against the frame window  636 . At the same time the spring force in the deformed spring leaves  678  will continuously urge the border mat  607 , border sheet  606  and/or border section  652  against the border glass portion  640  of the combined window/border glass  620 . All the calendar sheets  614  and custom picture sheet  612  will be properly mounted regardless of the number of sheets installed up to the capacity of the frame body  602 .  
     [0228] It is interesting to point out that the resilient arms  660 ,  661 ,  662  and  663  are operated independent from the spring leaves  678 . This is important since the four resilient arms must be able to yield in responses to the changing position of the glass  604  without affecting the operation of the spring leaves  678 .  
     [0229] The removal of the back member  608  is achieved by first pressing down the bent end  672  of the spring clip  668  to release the tooth  670  from the slot hole  674  of the frame body  602 . At this time the stored spring force in the resilient arms  660 ,  661 ,  662 ,  663  and the spring leaves  678  will automatically push back the back member  602  away from the frame body  602  thus facilitating the disengagement of the spring clip  668 . The back member  608  is next lifted to remove the tabs  664  away from the slot holes  666 .  
     [0230] Also molded on the back member  608  are a easel plate  680  and two easel arms  682 . One end of each of the easel plate  680  and the easel arms  682  is pivotally connected to the rest of the back member  608 . When the frame assembly  600  is supported in a vertical hanging position the easel plate  680  and the easel arms  682  are not needed and remain in its natural position within the plane of the back member  608 .  
     [0231] After the calendar year when the frame assembly  600  is converted to a picture frame it is sometimes desirable to position the picture frame on a table in an upright position supported by the easel plate  680 . This can be easily achieved by pulling one end of the easel plate  680  away from the plane of the back member  608  thus forming one additional leg for the support of the picture frame in a upright and somewhat tilted position.  
     [0232] The easel arms  682  can also be optionally used to lock the easel plate  680  in an extended position. As seen in FIG. 13 the easel plate  680  has two slots  684  with their shape as shown in the figure. Each of the easel arms  682  has a narrow section  686  which can be momentarily twisted to make entry into the slots  684 . After both narrow sections  686  of the easel arms  682  become engaged with the slots  684  the easel plate  680  will be held in the extended position indefinitely.  
     [0233] When the easel plate  680  is not needed for the support of the frame assembly  600  the easel arms  682  can be disengaged from the easel plate  680  by removing the narrow sections  686  out of the slots  684 . The easel plate  680  and the easel arms  682  are then restored to their original positions with the plane of the back member  608 .  
     [0234] For most conventional picture frames the easel is a piece attached to the back of the back member. This makes the overall thickness of the combined back member/easel uneven. When a picture frame with such combined back member/easel is hung on a vertical wall the frame very often can not be evenly positioned.  
     [0235] On the other hand, in the present invention in which the easel is made part of the back member as a one-piece molded plastics, no such unevenness due to the presence of the easel plate  680  and the easel arms  682 . The frame assembly  600  will always be hung evenly without the interference of the easel. Of course, by making the back member-easel a one-piece molded plastics considerable cost saving can also be achieved over the conventional approach.  
     [0236] Also shown in FIG. 13 is the support base  610  which is drawn in enlarged scale to show its details. It can be mounted on the frame body  602  for the support and display of a three dimensional object in the space between the frame window glass portion  638  and the glass  604  when the glass  604  is mounted in a spaced apart position.  
     [0237] As shown in FIG. 13 a horizontal groove  688  is provided at the bottom edge of each of the studs  632  and  634 . An end insert  689  is shown on each end of the support base  610 . The support base  610  can be mounted by sliding the end inserts  689  into the horizontal grooves  688  and be positioned between the frame window glass portion  638  and the glass  604 .  
     [0238] A slot  690  nearly running the entire length of the support base  610  is provided on the support base  610 . A total of six holes  692  are also shown in the support base  610 . Both the slot  690  and the holes  692  can be used for the support of a three-dimensional article to be displayed.  
     [0239] The ability of spaced apart mounting of the glass  604  and the provision of the support base  610  opens up a new use for the frame assembly  600  of the present invention. It allows a three-dimensional article to be displayed along with the display of a custom picture or calendar picture. The custom picture or calendar picture can be a narrative or background picture complementary of the three-dimensional article on display. Several example illustrating the use of the support base  610  will be described below.  
     [0240] In the present invention the support base  610  is made part of the back member  608 . In the plastic molding process the support base  610  is molded within an opening  694  and separated from the rest of the back member  608  except for two runners  696  located on the two opposite ends of the opening  694 . The support base  610  is carried by the back member  608  when not in use.  
     [0241] The support base  610  can be easily broken away from the rest of the back member  608  by breaking the two runners  696 . Once removed the support base  610  can be readily slid into the horizontal grooves  688  and be used for the support of a three-dimensional article to be displayed in the frame assembly  600 .  
     [0242] As shown in FIG. 13 an opening recess  698  is also formed in the back member  608 . This opening recess  698  is an rectangular opening. The width of this rectangular opening is slightly wider than the width of the support base  610 . The length of this rectangular opening is about the same as that of the support base  610  not including the two end inserts  689 .  
     [0243] At a later date when the support base  610  is no longer needed and is removed from the horizontal groves  688  the support base  610  can be stored in the back member  608 . This is achieved by pushing the support base  610  into the opening recess  698 . The upper part of the support base  610  will be lodged into the opening recess  698  and held in place by friction between the support base  610  and the  698 .  
     [0244] By making the support base  610  part of back member  608  and providing a storage place in the back member  608  achieve one important advantage. The support base  610  is always securely stored when not in need and is readily available when needed. Of course by making it part of the back member  608  will also greatly reduce the production cost over making one support base separately.  
     [0245] FIGS.  14 - 15   
     [0246]FIG. 14 shows, in enlarged scale, a portion of the frame assembly  600  of FIG. 13 for illustrating the use of the support base  610  for supporting a three-dimensional article to be displayed in the frame assembly  600  along with a custom picture or calendar picture. It is seen in FIG. 14 that the support base  610  is removably mounted on the stud  634  of the frame body  602 . Its position in the frame body  602  can be adjusted by sliding the base insert  610  along the horizontal grooves  688  of the studs  634  and  632 .  
     [0247] Also shown in FIG. 14 is a dried flower  700  with its stem inserted into one hole  692  of the support base  610 . A custom picture sheet or calendar picture sheet portraying a garden scene, not shown, can be mounted in a manner previously described. This picture of garden will then be displayed along with the dried flower  700  through the frame window  630  and the frame window glass portion  638  of the combined window/border glass  620 .  
     [0248]FIG. 15 shows a portion of a frame assembly  710  which may be similar to the frame assembly  401  of FIG. 7 or the frame assembly  600  of FIG. 13. This frame assembly  710  may include a front window glass  712  and a back window glass  714  mounted in a spaced apart relationship.  
     [0249] Also shown in FIG. 15 is a reinforced picture  716  which is placed in the space between the front window glass  712  and the back window glass  714 . This reinforced picture  716  is made by adhering a reinforcement board  718  to a photograph  720  or any other suitable means. The cutting of the reinforced picture  716  to an intricate shape is typically achieved by laser cutting known in the prior art.  
     [0250] The next item to be described is a support base  722  which is similar to the support base  610  of FIG. 13 and is removably mounted as part of the assembled frame assembly  710 . This support base  722  has a slot  724  which is specially designed for holding the reinforced picture  716  in an upright position as shown by firmly inserting the reinforced picture  716  into the slot  724 .  
     [0251] A calendar sheet containing a scenery calendar picture illustration, not shown, may be removably mounted behind the back window glass  714  in a manner previously described. In the present arrangement the scenery calendar picture suddenly becomes the background scene to the reinforced picture  716  which is also on display. This is an interesting way to add a personal touch to a commodity calendar supplied by the manufacturer.  
     [0252] It is noted that the reinforced picture  716  is displayed in front of the scenery calendar picture and separated from it by the back window glass  714 . This creates a three-dimensional effect which considerably enhances the aesthetic value of the calendar presentation.  
     [0253] At the end of the calendar date table period when a new calendar sheet is displayed, the scenery calendar picture illustration on this new calendar sheet again becomes the background scene to the same reinforced picture  716 .  
     [0254] Many interesting three-dimensional picture frame presentation can also be made by displaying a custom picture behind the back window glass  714  along with a reinforced picture displayed on the foreground. For example, the reinforced picture may show a father playing ball with his little boy while the custom picture shows a home backyard with mother sitting and watching.  
     [0255] In the presentation shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 a three-dimensional article is displayed along with a calendar sheet or custom picture sheet which is placed behind and separated from the article by the glass  604  or  714 . With the frame assembly of the present invention it is also possible to display a three-dimensional article and a custom picture in a new way described below. In this way the three-dimensional article is “blended” in the custom picture thus producing an interesting three-dimensional effect.  
     [0256] Before installing the three-dimensional article and the custom picture in the frame assembly  600 , the first step to be taken is to decide the depth of the field desired. Here the depth of the field is defined as the distance between the combined window/border glass  620  and the glass  604 . The desired depth of the field can be chosen by properly orienting the glass  604  during its entry into the frame body  602  as discussed above and shown in FIG. 8.  
     [0257] The picture to be displayed is cut to a size with its width and height larger than the width and height of the frame window  636  by approximately twice the depth of the field, respectively. A square is cut off from each of the four comers of the picture. The length of each side of this square approximately equals to the depth of the field. This will produce a picture with four flaps. These four flaps can be folded up loosely while allowing the printing on the picture including all four flaps visible.  
     [0258] A three dimensional article can be glued to the bottom flap. Now the custom picture with the article can be installed in the frame body  602 . The glass  604  is next installed. This is followed by the installation of the calendar sheet  614 , if needed, and the back member  608 .  
     [0259] After the installation, the custom picture and the article are firmly held between the combined window/border glass  620  and the glass  604  in the frame body  602 . Both the article and the custom picture are displayed through the frame window  636 . Since the article is glued to the bottom flap which is also part of the custom picture a three-dimensional effect is thus created.  
     [0260] For article not readily supportable by the custom picture the support base  610  can also be used for the support of such article. Obviously, a feed through hole or clearance is required on the bottom flap for such installation.  
     [0261] FIGS.  16 - 21   
     [0262]FIG. 16 to  19  disclose another type of support base for supporting a toy building block assembly and for displaying the toy building block assembly along with a custom picture or calendar picture.  
     [0263] Toy building blocks are widely known prior arts. Once the assembling of the toy building blocks is completed it is often desirable that the toy building block assembly be placed in a display case for later viewing. It is also desirable that the display of the toy building block assembly be accompanied by the display of a picture complementary to the toy building block assembly. The frame calendar system of the present invention along with the support base shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 elegantly accomplishes all these goals at low cost.  
     [0264] Shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is a support base  730  which can be removably installed in a frame body  731 , not shown, but can be similar to the frame body  602  of FIG. 13. Also shown in FIG. 16 is a toy building block assembly  732  resembling a horse.  
     [0265] Shown in FIGS. 17, 18, and  19  are two commonly known toy building blocks  734  and  735 . The first toy building block  734  generally has a shape of a rectangular block with a top wall  736  and four side walls  738 . Two cylinder studs  740  are integrally formed on the outside surface of the top wall  736 . An internal stud  742  is integrally formed on the inside surface of the top wall  736 .  
     [0266] As seen in FIG. 17 numerous cylinder studs  744  are integrally formed on the top side of the support base  730 . The size of each cylinder stud  744  are the same as that of the cylinder studs  740 . The spacing between any two adjacent cylinder studs  744  are the same and equal to the spacing between the two cylinder studs  740  of the block  734 .  
     [0267] The second toy building block  735  is twice as large as the first building block  734 . It has a square top wall  748  and four identical side walls  750 . Four cylinder studs  752  are integrally formed on the outside surface of the top wall  748 . One internal stud  754  is integrally formed on the inside surface of the top wall  748 .  
     [0268] As shown in FIG. 17 the first toy building block  734  can be mounted on the support base  730  with two adjacent cylinder studs  744  of the support base  730  inserted into the cavity formed by the side walls  738  and the internal stud  742  of the toy building block  734 . Similarly, the second toy building block  735  can be mounted on the support base  730  with four adjacent cylinder studs  744  of the support base  730  inserted into the cavity formed by the side walls  750  and the internal stud  754  of the toy building block  735 .  
     [0269] Toy building blocks with sizes multiples of that of the toy building block  735  can also be similarly constructed as known in the prior arts. These blocks and the toy building blocks  734  and  735  can be assembled into a toy building block assembly  732  as shown in FIG. 16 or many other interesting figures.  
     [0270] The mounting of the toy building block assembly  732  on the support base  730  is achieved by simply engaging all toy building blocks  756  at the bottom of the toy building block assembly  732  with the corresponding cylinder studs  744  of the support base  730 .  
     [0271] Once mounted, the support base  730  with the installed toy building block assembly  732  can be placed in the frame body  731  in a manner similar to the placement of the support base  610  in the frame body  602  of FIG. 13. A glass similar to the glass  604  of FIG. 13 can then be loaded. This is followed by the mounting of a complementary custom picture sheet or calendar sheet.  
     [0272] For a frame calendar having  12  monthly calendar picture illustration, one unique toy building block assembly can be designed for each calendar sheet. For example, in one month an instruction is given for making an toy building block assembly resembling a sport car, the calendar picture to be displayed can be a computer graphics-generated scene showing a desert road loading the toy sport car to a distant magic kingdom. In another month when the assembled toy building block is to be a dinosaur the accompanied background calendar picture can show a jungle with many contemporary animals.  
     [0273] In the above description, a novel frame calendar system with support base is disclosed for serving as a display case for a well-known toy, toy building block assembly. Furthermore, this frame calendar system allows a calendar picture complementary to the toy building block assembly to be displayed each month along with the toy building block assembly. Both the calendar picture and the toy building block assembly are displayed simultaneously through a frame window of the frame calendar system. At the same time a calendar date table illustration is exposed outside the frame window to facilitate calendar date checking and memorandum writing.  
     [0274] After the calendar year with all the calendar sheets removed, the frame body  731  can be converted for storing and displaying custom picture sheets. A new toy building block assembly can be constructed and displayed along with a custom picture sheet. As taught in the present disclosure this custom picture sheet can also be displayed during the calendar year if desired.  
     [0275]FIG. 20 shows the same toy building block assembly (toy horse)  732  mounted on the support base  730  as in FIG. 16. This figure also shows a paper figure toy  760  resembling a boy riding on the toy horse  732 . The addition of this paper figure toy  760  will undoubtedly make the overall display much more interesting.  
     [0276] The paper figure toy  760  can be made of paper or any suitable sheet materials printed with desired image. It is folded into two halves  762  and  764 , not shown, along a crease line  765 . Each of these halves bears an image of a boy riding on the toy horse  732 .  
     [0277] There are two attachment members  766  and  768  on each of the halves  762  and  764 . These attachment members are engageable with the toy building block assembly  732  to allow the paper figure toy  760  to be firmly mounted on the toy horse  732 .  
     [0278] The two attachment members  766  and  768  of the first half  762  are located near the boy&#39;s hand  770  and the lower corner of the boy&#39;s coat  772 , respectively. The two attachment members  766  and  768  of the second half  764  are also similarly located.  
     [0279] The details of the attachment member  768  is shown in FIG. 21. This attachment member  768  is a flap adjacent the coat  772 . It is folded at right angle to the coat  772  as shown. There are two holes  774  on this attachment member  768 .  
     [0280] It is assumed that the construction of the toy horse  732  starts at the bottom. The mounting of the attachment member  768  will take place after a toy building block  776 , which is to be placed with the attachment member  768 , is just assembled. As shown in FIG. 21 the mounting of the attachment member  768  is done simply by inserting two cylinder studs  778  of the block  776  through the holes  774  of the attachment member  768 . The attachment member  768  of the second half  764  is also similarly mounted at this time by engaging it with two cylinder studs  782  of the block  776 . Another block  784  to be assembled on the top of the block  776  is then mounted. This will firmly hold the two attachment members in place between the two adjacent blocks  776  and  784 .  
     [0281] The two attachment members  766  are later mounted similarly as the assembling of the toy horse  734  progresses. Once the entire assembling is completed the paper figure toy  760  will be solidly built into the toy horse  732  and not separable until the toy horse  732  is disassembled.  
     [0282] In order to enhance the appearance of an toy building block assembly some plastic figures can be made and added to the assembled toy building block as known in the prior arts. In these prior arts, such plastic figures normally can only be added to the assembled toy building blocks after the assembling process is completed. It do not have attachment members of the present invention which can be sandwiched between two adjacent toy building blocks during the assembling of the toy building blocks.  
     [0283] The incorporation of one or more attachment members of the present invention in a paper figure toy or any paper ornaments allows a paper ornament to be easily assembled into the toy building block assemblies. Such paper ornaments can be mass produced at low cost. The use of paper ornaments with attachment members is most beneficial when the final assembly is to be installed in the frame assembly of the present invention. In this case the paper ornament, in spite of its fragile nature, is well protected and less prone to damage during the display.  
     [0284] FIGS.  22 - 25   
     [0285] FIGS.  22  to  25  disclose a novel support assembly that can be installed in a frame assembly of the present invention for the support and display of small articles such as rare coins, sea shells, jewelry, etc. This support assembly is assembled by linking three or more rigid support members. Each of these rigid support members has at least one insertion element and one receiver element. The insertion element of a first rigid support member is removably engageable with the receiver element of a second rigid support member. At the same time the receiver element of the first rigid support member is also removably engageable with the insertion element of a third rigid support member. In this way the three rigid support member are joined together to form a rigid support assembly.  
     [0286] Each rigid support member also has support surface for the support and display of small articles. It is also desirable that specially designed support means be provided on the rigid support members for securing the small articles in place.  
     [0287] When three or more rigid support members are joined together to form the support assembly this support assembly will be capable of supporting and displaying many small articles in the frame assembly in which a calendar picture or custom picture is also to be displayed. The size and shape of the support assembly can be varied at will to allow each displayed article to be positioned at any chosen location adjacent the scene or narrative in the displayed calendar picture or custom picture that complements the article.  
     [0288] For purpose of illustration FIG. 22 shows a seventh embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It includes a frame assembly  800  which initially serves to support a calendar of the present invention. After the calendar year this frame assembly  800  can be converted to a picture frame and picture storage device. Furthermore, this frame assembly  800  will also serve as a display case for the mounting of the support assembly of the present invention.  
     [0289] The first element of the frame assembly  800  is a frame body  802 . The front portion of this frame body  802  is similar to the frame body  502  of FIG. 9. It has a frame border  804  which encloses a frame window  806 . A top border window  808 , two side border windows  810  and a bottom border window  812  are formed in the frame border  804 . Four comer border windows  814  are also provided on the four comers of the frame border  804  to further enhance the appearance of the frame body  802 .  
     [0290] The back side of the frame boy  802  can be constructed largely similar to that of the frame body  402  shown in FIG. 7. This frame body  802  may have an outer wall  816  and an inner partitioning wall  818 , both not shown, but can be similar to the outer wall  418  and inner partitioning wall  423 , respectively, of the frame body  402  as shown in FIG. 7.  
     [0291] A border glass  820  is provided and placed behind the frame body  802  and between the outer wall  816  and the inner partitioning wall  818 . One or more border sheets  822  similar to the border sheets  404  and  406  of FIG. 7 are also provided which can be loaded behind the border glass  820  and be visible through all border windows  808 ,  810 ,  812  and comer border windows  814 .  
     [0292] A first window glass  824  is partially shown in FIG. 22. It is firmly mounted on the frame window  806  by friction or other suitable means. A second window glass  826  is mounted behind and spaced apart from the first window glass  824 . This can be achieved by resting the second window glass  826  against a counter step  828 , not shown, which can be similar to the counter step  475  of the frame body  402  shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Of course, the space between the first window glass  824  and the second window glass  826  can also be made adjustable by providing a plurality of grooves on the inner partitioning wall  818  in a manner similar to what described above. The provided space will serve to accommodate the support assembly to be described below.  
     [0293] The inner partitioning wall  818  may have two coplanar inner bottom walls  830 , not shown, which may be similar to the inner bottom walls  428  of the frame body  402  shown in FIG. 7. A horizontal groove  832 , not shown, is provided on the edge of each inner bottom wall  830 , in the same manner as the horizontal grooves  688  on the studs  632  and  634  shown in FIG. 13.  
     [0294] A support base  834 , not shown, is also provided as part of the frame assembly  800 . Numerous cylinder studs  836 , not shown, are integrally formed on the top side of the support base  834  in the same manner as the cylinder studs  744  on the support base  730  shown in FIG. 17. The support base  834  can be slid into the horizontal grooves  832  and be supported similar to the mounting of the support base  610  in the horizontal grooves  688  of the frame body  602  as shown in FIG. 14.  
     [0295] Also shown in FIG. 22 is a support assembly  838 . This support assembly  838  is assembled from numerous rigid support members  840  which may include support building blocks  842 , support building plates  844 , and a miniature table  846 , all of which are shown in FIG. 22.  
     [0296] As shown in FIG. 22 the support building blocks  842  serve as the foundation to the present support assembly  838 . Each of these support building blocks  842  may have four cylinder studs  848 , not shown, and one internal stud  850 , also not shown, similar to the cylinder studs  752  and the internal stud  754 , respectively, provided in the toy building block  735  shown in FIGS. 17 and 19. This will allow the support building blocks  842  to be anchored to the support base  834  in the same manner as the mounting of the toy building block  735  on the support base  730  shown in FIG. 17. Several such support building blocks  842  can be assembled into a stack of any desired height as shown in FIG. 22.  
     [0297] In the present invention each of the four cylinder studs  848  is considered as an insertion element. These insertion elements are removably engageable with a second support building block above it by inserting the cylinder studs  848  into the cavity around the internal stud  850  of the second support building block. In this case the cavity is considered as a receiver element.  
     [0298]FIGS. 23, 24, and  25  show in detail, a portion of the support building plate  844 . This portion is shown consisting of a top wall  851 , two side walls  852 , four top cylinder studs  854  and one bottom cylinder stud  856 , integrally formed together.  
     [0299] In addition to the above-mentioned components, several more provisions are provided on the support building plate  854 . One such provision is a feed through hole  858  located on the top wall  851 . The other provision is a cross slot  860  on the top of each top cylinder stud  854 .  
     [0300] The mounting of a support building plate  844  on a support building block  842  is achieved by inserting the cylinder studs  848  of the support building block  842  into the space between the side walls  852  and the bottom cylinder stud  856  of the support building plate  844 . In this case the cylinder studs  848  are insertion elements while the space between the side walls  852  and the bottom cylinder stud  856  is the receiver element. Once mounted on the support building block  842 , the support building plate  844  will serve two important functions. The first function is to allow for the mounting of other rigid support members  840 . The second function is for the placement of small articles to be displayed.  
     [0301] As shown in FIG. 22 three sea shells  862 ,  864  and  866  are placed on the three support building plates  844 . For simplicity, these sea shells can be simply laid on the top surface of the support building plates  844 . However, for the sake of security, it is recommended that each sea shell be placed by inserting a portion of the sea shell into the space between two or more adjacent top cylinder studs  854 .  
     [0302] The support building plate  844  of the present invention is also suitable for the support and display of many other collectible articles. A collectible coin can be inserted into a slot of the cross slot  860  of the top cylinder stud  854  and be displayed. A plate type item can be inserted into several such slots on adjacent top cylinder studs  854 . A collectible pen can be inserted into one feed through hole  858  of the support building plate  844 . A pearl can be placed on the center cavity of the cross slot  860 . A gold chain can be hung around one top cylinder stud  854  and displayed.  
     [0303] The cross slot  860  and the feed through hole  858  of the support building plate  844  are specially designed support means for securing the small articles in place. Similar support means can also be provided on the support building blocks  842  and the miniature table  846 .  
     [0304] The miniature table  846  is a one-piece molded plastics or ceramics. It has two or more legs  868 . Integrally formed at the bottom end of each leg  868  is a small stud  870 . These studs  870  can be inserted into the center cavity of the cross slot  860  for the support of the miniature table  846  on the support building plate  844 .  
     [0305] Receiver elements, not shown, can be formed on the top of the miniature table  846 . These receiver elements can be used to receive insertion elements of more support building blocks  842  to expand the present support assembly  838 , if desired. A sea shell  872  is shown rest on the miniature table  846 .  
     [0306] The miniature table  846  is very functional in serving its purpose of supporting a small article for display. But such a support structure can be made into any artistic shape for enhancing the overall appearance of the frame display. For example, a miniature figurine can be made showing a person holding a tray. This figurine can then be installed on the support building plate  984  with the tray holding a small article for display. Of course insertion elements and receiver elements can also be provided on the figurine to make it part of the support assembly.  
     [0307] Also shown in FIG. 22 is a sea horse  874  which is held in suspension by a flexible wire or string  876 . The string  876  is shown tied to the support building plate  844 . This string  876  is not considered as a rigid support member of the present support assembly  838 .  
     [0308] One great virtue of the support assembly  838  of the present invention is its versatility. It can be assembled from only a few pieces of rigid support members  840  for holding just one or two articles. It can also be assembled by as many pieces of rigid support members  840  as possible within the frame body  802 . Its shape can also be varied to adapt to the articles on display.  
     [0309] In summary, a novel support assembly is disclosed which is assembled from several rigid support members for the support and display of small collectible articles. This support assembly is removably mountable in a frame assembly of a frame calendar system. A complementary custom picture or calendar picture can also be mounted in the frame assembly behind the support assembly. This allows both the collectible articles and the complementary custom/calendar picture to be displayed simultaneously through the frame window of the frame assembly.  
     [0310] FIGS.  26 - 29   
     [0311] FIGS.  26  to  29  disclose several other types of novel support members of the resent invention. Each of these support members is not intended to form a support assembly as discussed above, but is individually mountable in a frame assembly of the present invention for the support and display of a small article. This article is also displayed along with a complementary custom picture or calendar picture mounted in the same frame assembly.  
     [0312]FIGS. 26 and 27 show an eighth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It consists of a frame assembly  900  which may include a frame body  902 , first window glass  903 , middle section  904 , back casing  906 , second window glass  908  and back member  910 . A calendar  912  which is in the book from is also included in the present system.  
     [0313] The frame body  902  can be made of any conventional frame materials. The middle section  904  and the back casing  906  are preferably made of molded plastics. As seen in FIG. 26 the frame body  902  and back casing  906  are hinged on and rotatable with respect to the middle section  904 . Latches and catches, not shown, but can be similar to the latch  136  and catch  138  shown in FIG. 2, are provided for individually locking the frame body  902  and back casing  906  to the middle section  904  in closed positions as shown in FIG. 27.  
     [0314] One or more mounting holes  914  are provided on the back casing  906  for mounting the back casing  906  on a vertical wall. When so mounted both the middle section  904  and frame body  902  are each rotatable with respect to the back casing  906 .  
     [0315] The front side of the frame body  902  is not shown but can be of any conventional design as desired. The first window glass  903  is permanently mounted over the frame window of the frame body  902 .  
     [0316] The middle section  904  is similar to the portion of the frame body  402  bounded within the inner partitioning wall  423  as shown in FIG. 7. This middle section  904  consists of a top wall  916 , two side walls  918  and  920 , and two coplanar bottom walls  922  and  924 . Surrounded by all these walls is a frame window  926 .  
     [0317] Just as what shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and described above, there are a total of sixteen grooves  928  of different depths carved on the inside surface of the side walls  918  and  920 . These grooves allow the second window glass  908  with four unsymmetrical tabs  930  to be positioned at four different depths depending on the orientation of the entry of the second window glass  908 . Each of the two coplanar bottom walls  922  and  924  has a horizontal groove  932  which is similar to the horizontal grooves  688  shown in FIG. 13.  
     [0318] There are four resilient arms  933  integrally formed on the back casing  906 . These resilient arms  933  are similar to the resilient arms  458  shown in FIG. 7 and serve to urge the mounted calendar  912  against the frame window  926  when the back casing  906  is locked to the middle section  904  in the closed position.  
     [0319] As shown in FIG. 26, a support base  934  is molded as part of the back casing  906 . This support base  934  is housed within an opening  935  and separated from the rest of the back casing  906  except for two runners  936  located on the two opposite ends of the opening  935 . An opening recess  937  is also shown on the back casing  906  for storing the support base  934  once it is removed from the opening  935  and not in use.  
     [0320] The calendar  912  is bonded into a book with the use of a spiral ring  938 . Except for the covers each calendar sheet is presented with a calendar data table illustration on one side and a calendar picture illustration on the other side. Similar to the calendar book  414  of FIG. 7 each calendar sheet of the calendar  912  is also formed to have a lip  940  to accommodate the spiral ring  938  and two steps  942  for engagement with the bottom walls  922  and  924  when the calendar  912  is mounted on the middle section  904 .  
     [0321] The back member  910  is a molded plastic rectangular plate with four shallow walls  944  on its four sides. A resilient pad  946  is glued to the inside surface of the back member  910  as shown in FIG. 27. This resilient pad  946  can be made of rubber or soft resilient foam that can yield under pressure and restore to its original shape once the pressure is removed.  
     [0322] The frame assembly  900 , in addition to being a calendar frame, picture frame and picture storage device, will also serve as a display case for the support members of the present invention. A support member  950  is shown in FIGS. 26 and 27. This support member  950  includes a molded support piece  952  and a magnetic plate  954 . The molded support piece  952  is preferably molded from plastics. It has a flat top for holding any suitable article to be displayed in the frame assembly  900 . Any support means such as holes, slots, etc. can also be molded on the support piece  952  for securing the article in place.  
     [0323] The magnetic plate  954  is attached to the back of the molded support piece  952 . This magnetic plate  954  can be an iron plate, which is strongly magnetic, or can even be a magnet by itself. A thin coating can be applied to this plate  954  to prevent corrosion of the plate and to reduce scratch on the second window glass  908  during the contact between the glass  908  and the plate  954 .  
     [0324] Also shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 is a small magnet block  956 . This magnet block  956  is to be used for holding the support member  950  as described below.  
     [0325] The frame assembly  900 , calendar  912  and the support member  950  can be assembled by first opening the frame body  902  and the middle section  904  to the position shown in FIG. 26 with the back casing  906  mounted on a vertical wall. The first item to be installed is the second window glass  908 . Prior to installation, this glass  908  needs to be oriented to the position shown in FIG. 26 so that after entry the second window glass  908  will be stopped at the position marked as  958  shown in FIG. 27. In this position a tab  930  of the second window glass  908  is engaged with the lowest grooves  928  of the side wall  920  as partially seen in FIG. 27.  
     [0326] The next item to be installed is the calendar  912 . Prior to installation the calendar  912  is open to expose the calendar date table to be displayed and the calendar picture opposite to this table. The calendar sheet  960  containing this picture shall be the one and the only one calendar sheet to be mounted within the middle section  904 . This calendar sheet  960  is mounted simply by resting the steps  942  of this sheet on the bottom walls  922  and  924  and pushing the sheet  960  to right behind the second window glass  908 . All the other calendar sheets  962  are simply hung in suspension below the middle section  904 .  
     [0327] While temporarily holding the top calendar sheet  960  against the second window glass  908  by the left hand, the right hand can pick up one magnet block  956  and holds it against the calendar sheet  960  at any point on the sheet  960 . The left hand is now free which will go ahead pick up a matching support member  950  and place it in front of the second window glass  908  near the magnet block  956  in the back of the second window glass  908 . The magnet block  956  will exert a strong magnetic force across the calendar sheet  960  and the second window glass  908  and hold the support member  950  in place. This magnetic force will also maintain the calendar sheet in position next to the second window glass  908 .  
     [0328] While still holding the support member  950  and magnet block  956  by the left hand and right hand, respectively, slowly move the support member  950  and magnet block  956  in pair until the support member  950  is rest on the desired location in relation to the scene on the exposed calendar picture. During the above movement the support member  950  and the magnet block  956  should be pulled apart slightly in order to avoid scratching the second window glass  908  or the calendar sheet  960 .  
     [0329] After the placement of the above support member  950  and magnet block  956  pair, move such pairs can be placed in the same manner. Once all placements are completed, the back member  910  is placed behind and next to the calendar sheet  960 . Now the middle section  904  can be rotated toward the back casing  906  and locked together.  
     [0330]FIG. 27 shows what happened when the middle section  904  and the back casing  906  are locked together. Under the pressure from the four resilient arms  933  the back member walls  944  will be firmly pressed against the calendar sheet  960  on its four sides. This will ensure the calendar sheet  960  be firmly mounted with its calendar picture illustration properly displayed through the frame window  926 .  
     [0331] The thickness of the magnet block  956  and the resilient pad  946  are such that when the back member walls  944  are in contact with the calendar sheet  960  as above described, the portion of the resilient pad  946  in contact with the magnet block  956  will be deformed slightly. This deformation of the resilient pad  946  will help trap the magnet block  956  in place against the calendar sheet  960 . Consequently, the support member  950  will also be positioned firmly and will not easily slide down at a later time.  
     [0332] It has been suggested that only one calendar sheet  960  be installed within the middle section  904 . This is to minimize the decrease of the magnetic force across the second window glass  908 . Obviously, more calendar sheets can be allowed as long as the magnetic force applied across the second window glass  908  is still adequate in holding the support member  950  and its load in place.  
     [0333] At this point the frame body  902  is still open and all the installed support members  950  are still exposed. All the articles to be displayed can now be placed on the support members  950 . The frame body  902  is then shut close and locked to the middle section. This completes the entire assembling procedure.  
     [0334] After the assembling described above, the frame assembly  900  becomes a display case displaying the articles placed on the support members  950 . At the same time the calendar  912  is mounted in the frame assembly  900  with one calendar picture illustration complementary to the articles displayed through the frame window  926 . One calendar date table is also displayed but is exposed below the frame assembly  900  to facilitate date checking and memorandum writing.  
     [0335] After the calendar year the calendar  912  can be removed, but any one calendar sheet can still be mounted on the frame assembly  900  to provide a background scenery complementing the articles on display. Obviously any custom picture with proper size can also be mounted to serve the same purpose.  
     [0336] If the frame assembly  900  is not used as a display case it can simply be a picture frame and picture storage device with large storage capacity. In this case the second window glass  908  can be reoriented to enter through the deepest horizontal grooves  928 . Furthermore, the back member  910  may even by temporarily removed to further increase the picture storage capacity.  
     [0337] Instead of the support member  950  the support base  934  can also be used for supporting and displaying three dimensional articles in the frame assembly  900 . The support base  934  is easily broken off from the two runners  936  and can be slid into the horizontal grooves  932 . Articles such as the dried flower  700  and reinforced picture  716  shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, respectively, can all be installed in the support base  934  for display in the frame assembly  900  along with the calendar  912  or a custom picture.  
     [0338] It is interesting to note that when the support base  934  is used, the change of articles for display can be achieved without unlocking the middle section  904  from the back casing  906 . All that is needed is to open the frame body  902  away from the middle section  904  to get access to the front side of the middle section  904  and the support base  934 .  
     [0339] On the other hand, the change of the calendar sheet or custom picture alone for display can be achieved by just opening the middle section  904  away from the back casing  906  without unlocking the frame body  902 . This is desirable in certain situations. For example, a reinforced picture installed on the support base  934  showing a person on the foreground will remain the same when the calendar picture bearing background scenery is changed from month to month.  
     [0340] The frame assembly  900  also provides ample space for installing other type of support bases such as the support base  730  shown in FIG. 16. This support base  730  can be readily slid into the horizontal grooves  932 . It may be necessary that the second window glass  908  be reoriented for its entry in order to provide maximum space for accommodating the support base  730 . A toy building block assembly such as the toy horse  732  shown in FIG. 16 can then be mounted on this support base  730  and displayed in the frame assembly  900  along with a calendar picture or custom picture.  
     [0341] With a support base similar to the support base  730  installed in the frame assembly  900  a support assembly such as the support assembly  838  shown in FIG. 22 can also be mounted. Small articles such as sea shells, pearls, collectable stones, etc. can then be supported on the support assembly and be displayed in the frame assembly  900  along with the complementary custom picture or narrative sheet.  
     [0342]FIG. 28 shows a small figurine  970  resembling an eagle. It is preferably made by molding process. Attached to the back of the figurine  970  is a magnetic plate  97  in size similar to the magnetic plate  954  shown in FIG. 26. This figurine  970 , with the help of the magnet block  956 , will then be able to be mounted on the second window glass  908  in exactly the same manner as the mounting of the support member  950 .  
     [0343] Imagine a picture of American wild west displayed in the frame assembly  900 . Mounted near the top of the picture is the eagle  970  looming in the sky. Near the bottom is a reinforced picture mounted on the support base  934  showing a rodent trying to find a place to hide from the attacking eagle. The choice of combined display involving a calendar picture or custom picture and one or more articles as taught in the present invention is indeed limitless.  
     [0344] Shown in FIG. 29 is a support member  980  having six suction cups  982  on its back side. This support member  980  can be mounted on the second window glass  908  by firmly pressing the support member  980  against the second window glass  908  until most of the air within the cups  982  is expelled. Once the pressing force is removed the vacuum created within the cups  982  will firmly attach the support member  980  to the second window glass  908 .  
     [0345] An article such as a sea shell  984  to be displayed is next placed on the supports member  980 . A custom picture or calendar picture is also mountable in the frame assembly  900  and can be displayed along with the sea shell  984 .  
     [0346] In comparison with the support member  950 , the support member  980  is even easier to install in the frame assembly  900 . However, any slight defect in the suction cups  982  will cause air to leak in after a long display period. Therefore, such support member  980  is best suited for short term display or for articles less likely to break if fall.  
     [0347] FIGS.  30 - 34   
     [0348] FIGS.  30 - 34  show a ninth embodiment of the frame calendar system of the present invention. It comprises a frame  1010  and a calendar sheet assembly  1012 . As seen in FIG. 31, the frame  1010  has a frame body  1014  with a window  1015  and a swing type back door  1016 . Attached to the back door  1016  is a spring plate  1018  which includes four inner spring leaf  1020  and four outer spring leaf  1022 .  
     [0349]FIG. 32 shows the calendar sheet assembly  1012  which is assembled and ready to be mounted in the frame  1010 . FIG. 33 also shows the same calendar sheet assembly, but which is disassembled to illustrate the details of a stack of calendar sheets  1024  and other components.  
     [0350] Referring to FIG. 33, a window glass  1026  with four slot holes  1028  is shown. Also shown is an inner frame  1030  with four L-shaped stud walls  1032  and four spring clips  1034 . This inner frame  1030  can be mounted on the window glass  1026  with the four stud walls  1032  extended through the four slot holes  1028 . The four spring clips  1034  will also engage with the four slot holes and lock the inner frame onto the window glass  1026 .  
     [0351] Placed behind the window glass  1026  is a stack of calendar sheets  1024 . Each of these sheets  1024  has a calendar picture section  1036 , a calendar date table section  1038  and border section  1040 . A perforation line is located between the border section  1040  and the calendar date table section  1038 . Perforation lines are also located between the calendar picture section  1036  and the border section  1040 . All these perforation lines are provided to facilitate the separation of all these sections similar to the perforation lines  656  and  650  shown in FIG. 13.  
     [0352] Each of the calendar sheets  1024  has four L-shaped slot holes  1042 . All these calendar sheets  1024  can be mounted behind the window glass  1026  with the slot holes  1042  engaged with the stud walls  1032  of the frame  1030  for hanging the calendar sheets  1024 .  
     [0353] Placed behind the calendar sheets  1024  are one border backing plate  1044  and one picture backing plate  1046 . It is preferable that these two plates be cut out of a elastic plastic sheet such as polycarbonate.  
     [0354] The first thing to be noticed in the border backing plate  1044  is a large opening  1048  cut out of the border backing plate  1044 . This opening  1048  allows the border backing plate  1044  to clear the four stud walls  1032  of the inner frame  1030  when the border backing plate  1044  is mounted behind the calendar sheets  1024 , as seen in FIG. 32.  
     [0355] As implied by its name, this border backing plate  1044  serves as a backing to the border section  1040  of the calendar sheets  1024 . It will prevent the appearance of unevenness or wrinkle in the border section  1040  when it is mounted behind the window glass  1026  and placed in the frame  1010 .  
     [0356] It is seen in FIG. 32 that the border backing plate  1044  has a length slightly longer than that of the calendar sheets  1024 . Also notice that it has a bent section  1050  at its bottom. More details will be disclosed below in connection with the operation of the border backing plate  1044 .  
     [0357] The picture backing plate  1046  is simply a rectangular plate made of plastic sheet or cardboard. It should have a size slightly smaller than the calendar picture section  1036  and can be fit inside the four studs  1032  of the inner frame  1030  when placed behind the calendar sheets  1024 .  
     [0358] After all the components shown in FIG. 33 are assembled into a calendar sheet assembly  1012  as shown in FIG. 32, they can be placed in the frame body  1014  shown in FIG. 31. The border backing plate  1044  is loosely fit within the rabbet of the frame body  1014 . The back door  1016  can now be closed and locked which produces a assembled frame calendar as shown in FIG. 30.  
     [0359] It is to be noticed that when assembled the four stud walls  1032  of the inner frame  1030  are inserted into the opening  1048  of the border backing plate  1044 . As long as the border backing plate  1044  is held in place in the frame  1010 , the inner frame  1030  is also secured in position. Further more, since the inner frame  1030  is locked into the window glass  1026 , the window glass  1026  will also be held by the border backing plate  1044  when mounted in the frame  1010  vertically. At this point, the calendar sheets  1024  are also properly hung on display due to the engagement between the slot holes  1042  and the stud walls  1032 .  
     [0360] It is clear from the above disclosure that the border backing plate  1044  of the present invention will serve a new function in addition to being a backing to the border section  1040 . When assembled and placed in the frame  1010  the border backing plate  1044  will hold the window glass  1026  and the inner frame  1030  in place without falling. It will also support the calendar sheets  1024  for display in the frame  1010 .  
     [0361] When the back door  1016  is closed the four outer spring leaf  1022  will be in contact with the border backing plate  1044 , while the inner spring leaf  1020  will be in contact with the picture backing plate  1046 . This will allow the border section  1040  and calendar picture section  1036  to be urged toward the window glass  1026 , independent of each other, regardless of the number of sheets in each section, up to the capacity of the frame  1010 .  
     [0362] It is seen in FIG. 32 that the width of the calendar date table section  1038  is narrower than that of the border section  1040 . This is achieved by providing a step  1047  on each side of the calendar sheet  1024 . The width of the calendar date table section should also be slightly narrower than that of the window  1015  of the frame body  1014 . This is to assure that when mounted in the frame  1010  the calendar date table section  1038  can be freely turned without opening the frame  1010 . Obviously, the length of the calendar date table section must also be short enough to clear the bottom rabbet of the frame body  1014 .  
     [0363] The depth of the bent section  1050  of the border backing plate  1044  is about the same as that of the rabbet of the frame body  1014 . When the back door  1016  is closed and locked it will be in contact with this bent section  1050  and force the bottom of the border backing plate  1044  forward toward the rabbet of the frame body  1014 . This will allow the lower half of the border backing plate  1044  to support writing memo on the calendar date table section  1038 .  
     [0364] In FIG. 34, a different border backing plate  1060  is disclosed. Similar to the previous version, this border backing plate  1060  also has a top opening  1062  and a bent section  1064 . The difference is that the lower half of the border backing plate  1060  has a raised section  1066  which is achieved by typical sheet forming process.  
     [0365] As seen in FIG. 34, this raised section  1066  has a raised surface which is more raised toward the bottom of the plate  1060 . It is important that the raised section  1066  must clear the rabbet of the frame body  1014  when the border backing plate  1060  is mounted in the frame  1010 .  
     [0366] There are several new advantages provided by this improved border backing plate  1060 . First of all, the raised section  1066  will add some structure rigidity and thus allow thinner sheet at lower cost to be used. This raised structure will render more support to the writing on the calendar date table section, and will not cave in easily under the pressure exerted during writing.  
     [0367] When mounted the calendar date table section should extend slightly below the bottom of the raised section  1066 . It is to be noticed that this raised section  1066  will push the mounted calendar date table section forward and away from the frame body  1014 . This will facilitate the grabbing of the top calendar sheet by its bottom edge, for turning the page for date checking.  
     [0368] The frame calendar system of the present invention as embodied by FIGS.  30 - 34  allows both the calendar picture  1036  and the date table  1038  to be displayed through the frame window  1015 . The calendar picture  1036  is elegantly frame and protected behind the window glass  1026 . The date table  1038  is also framed but exposed to facilitate memo writing and page turning.  
     [0369] At the end of the month, the expired calendar sheet can be removed after opening the frame  1010 . Alternatively, the date table  1038  can also be torn off along the perforation line to expose the next month&#39;s date table without opening the frame  1010 . In this case, the current calendar picture will be continuously displayed for the new month.  
     [0370] With the present frame calendar system any calendar picture  1036  can be displayed at any time by simply removing the calendar picture  1036  from the calendar sheet along the perforation lines and placing it immediately behind the window glass  1026 . Of course, a custom picture of appropriate size can also be similarly displayed as taught previously.  
     [0371] Upon the expiration of the calendar sheet the border section  1040  can also be separated from the calendar picture  1036  and date table  1038  and stored in the frame  1010 . This allows any one border among the stored borders to be chosen for display to complement the displayed calendar picture or custom picture.  
     [0372] FIGS.  35 - 42   
     [0373] FIGS.  35 - 42  disclose a tenth embodiment of the frame system of the present invention. It embodies a frame system for holding a normally flat picture sheet and bending it into a one dimensional concavo-convex shape for adding a three dimensional effect to its display. It also creates an arch-shaped void space in front of the displayed picture for housing and displaying a three dimensional articles and/or reinforced pictures complementary to said first picture. Magnetic means are also employed for magnetically supporting these three dimensional articles and/or reinforced pictures in the frame system.  
     [0374] The frame system  1100  shown in FIG. 35 includes a frame body  1102 , backboard  1104 , first transparent plate  1106 , second transparent plate  1108 , and a backing plate  1110 . It may also include one or more magnets  1112  and  1114 . Also shown in FIG. 35 is a flat custom picture  1116  to be mounted in the frame system  1100 .  
     [0375] The frame body  1102  has a rabbet  1118  and a largely flat frame window  1120  through which all pictures are to be displayed. The backboard  1104  is hinged on the frame body  1102 . It is horizontally rotatable between an open position as shown in the figure and a closed position. It can be locked in its closed position using means such as latch  136  and catch  138  of FIG. 2 or any conventional clip means. Located on the back side of the backboard  1104  is an easel  1122  for placing the frame system  1100  on a table in a tilted position. This easel  1122  is not shown but can be similar to the easel  680  in FIG. 13.  
     [0376] The first transparent plate  1106  is a flat rectangular plate. The second transparent plate  1108  has a width and height same as that of the first transparent plate  1106  but is curved. It can be made of plastics through conventional molding or plastic thermal curving process. As seen in the figure it has a curvature in the horizontal axis in the shape of an arc and can thus be termed one-dimensional concavo-convex. The backing plate  1110  has a size and curvature largely same as that of the second transparent plate  1108 .  
     [0377] It is a simple matter to mount the picture  1116  in the frame system  1100 . One simply holds the first transparent plate  1106 , the second transparent plate  1108 , the picture  1116  and the backing plate  1110  as a stack in the order and orientation as shown in FIG. 35. The stack is then placed in the frame body  1102 . The backboard  1104  is next closed and locked which completes the picture mounting process.  
     [0378] Once in the closed position the backboard  1104  will press the backing plate  1110  forward which in turn will bend the picture  1116  until the picture  1116  is bent to the same curvature as that of the second transparent plate  1108 . This curvature will add a three dimensional effect to the illustration on the picture  1116 . This is true regardless whether the illustration is a scenery or a close up item such as a bowl of fruits.  
     [0379] In the above discussion it is required that (1) the picture  1116  is a flexible sheet such as a photographic paper; and (2) the thickness of the stack with the picture is about the same as the depth of the rabbet  1118  in the frame body  1102 . The second transparent plate  1108  and the backing plate  1110  are normally rigid, but also can be somewhat flexible as long as the final thickness of the stack can be made to meet the above criteria.  
     [0380] One other interesting effect from the closure of the backboard  1104  is the formation of an arch-shaped void space between the flat first transparent plate  1106  and the curved second transparent plate  1108 . This void space is usable for housing a three dimensional article such as a small figurine complementary to the picture on display. Further discussed in the following is a novel magnetic means for holding such a three dimensional article in the void space.  
     [0381] Referring to FIG. 35, the bottom surface of the rabbet  1118  is covered by a magnetic strip  1124  which in turn covered by a black vinyl adhesive tape  1126 . This magnetic strip  1124  is preferably made of ferromagnetic material such as iron or steel. The adhesive tape  1126  serves to attach the magnetic strip  1124  to the rabbet  1118  and to protect it from rust and to provide a natural black background.  
     [0382] The backing plate  1110  is shown made of a curved magnetic sheet  1128  which is covered on each side by a lamination layer  1130 . The magnetic sheet is preferably a steel sheet with a thickness of 0.010″ (0.25 mm) or less. The lamination layer  1130  can be a conventional adhesive-coated plastic sheet of 0.003″ (0.076 mm) in thickness. The lamination layers  1130  serve to protect the magnetic sheet  1128  from rust. The size of the lamination layer  1130  should be slightly larger than that of the magnetic sheet  1128  so that all edges of the magnetic sheet  1128  are covered by the soft lamination sheets  1130  for easy handling.  
     [0383] As stated above, the magnetic sheet  1128  needs to be made curved. Alternatively, if the magnetic sheet  1128  is a full hard cold rolled low carbon steel of 0.007″ (0.18 mm) or less in thickness it is quite flexible. In this case a curved sheet such as a duplicate second transparent plate  1108  can be placed behind the magnetic sheet  1128  to force such curvature on the backing plate  1110  when mounted.  
     [0384] The magnet  1114  is a commercially available magnet strip typically coated with an adhesive on one side which is covered by a easily removable protective sheet  1132 . This strip can be cut to any length desired with a scissors. The ceramic magnet block  1112  or magnet disc, not shown, are generally stronger magnet for its size and are widely used for craft.  
     [0385] A three dimensional article such as a figurine of suitable size can be displayed in the frame system  1100  by first attaching one or more magnets  1112  or  1114  to the bottom or back of the article. This article can then be placed either on the adhesive tape  1126  or the second transparent plate  1108  and be magnetically held by the magnetic strip  1124  or the magnetic sheet  1128 .  
     [0386] In the frame system of the present invention the first transparent plate  1106  mainly serves to shield and protect the three dimensional article placed behind the first transparent plate  1106 . But on the other hand, there are advantage by not having this first transparent plate  1106  at all. In this case, the second transparent plate  1108 , the picture  1116  and the backing plate  1110  can just be assembled in one stack and placed in the frame body  1102 . The backboard  1104  is next closed and locked. This will bend the picture  1116  and rest the second transparent plate  1108  against the rabbet  1118 . Consequently an arch-shaped void space is again formed between the flat frame window  1120  and the curved transparent plate  1108 . In this way one can access this void space any time through the frame window  1120  for placing and rearranging the three dimensional articles for display along with the displayed picture  1116 .  
     [0387]FIG. 36 discloses a front body  1140  which can be hinged on the frame body  1102  in FIG. 35 and be rotatable horizontally with respect to the frame body  1102  between an open position and a closed position. Carried on this front body  1140  is a flat transparent plate  1142  mounted over a front body window  1144  of the front body  1140 . This flat transparent plate  1142  serves as a substitute for the first transparent plate  1106  shown in FIG. 35. Just as the first transparent plate  1106 , this flat transparent plate  1142  serves to shield and protect the three dimensional article placed in the frame system  1100 . Furthermore, one can also open the front body  1140  any time to place and rearrange the display of the three dimensional articles without disassembling the frame system  1100 . This operation can be achieved even without taking down the frame system  1100  if it is hung on a wall.  
     [0388] Disclosed in FIG. 37 is a new type of reinforced picture that can be easily made for display in the frame system  1100 . In this figure a new reinforcement sheet  1150  is shown which can also be supplied as part of the frame system  1100 . It is a Mylar sheet  1152  with one side coated with a layer of adhesive which is covered by a removable protective sheet  1154 . The Mylar sheet  1152  is chosen for its tough, durable, lay-flat characteristics. Most importantly, it can be easily cut to any intricate shape with a simple household scissors when its thickness is less than 0.015″ (0.38 mm).  
     [0389] Also shown in FIG. 37 is a picture  1156  showing an illustration of an eagle. A reinforced picture of this eagle can be made by first lifting and cutting off one portion of the protective sheet  1154  to expose enough area of the adhesive on the Mylar sheet  1152  for the picture  1156 . The picture sheet  1156  is then laid on the exposed adhesive. The reinforced picture of the eagle can now be made by simply cutting along the outline of the eagle using a scissors. The above-described eagle reinforced picture is ideally mountable on the second transparent plate  1108  of the frame system  1100  with the use of one magnet block  1112  applied with a layer of adhesive. This magnet block  1112  can be attached to the back of the reinforced picture and be oriented vertically for mounting on the curved second transparent plate  1108 . The eagle reinforced picture is now magnetically held and displayed in front of the picture  1116 . Because of the reinforcement sheet  1150  an eagle illustration is shown firmly flat and spaced apart from the picture  1116  which further enhances the three dimensional effect of the presentation.  
     [0390]FIG. 38 shows the first example of an assembled frame system of the present invention. This frame system  1160  includes all components shown in FIG. 35 and described above. Mounted in this frame system  1160  is a scenery picture  1162  which would appear three dimensional if viewed in the actual frame. Also mounted in front of the picture  1162  are an eagle reinforced picture  1164  and several animal figurines  1166 . All animal figurines  1166  are attached with the magnets  1114  and mounted on the vinyl tape  1126  and magnetically held by the magnetic strip  1124 . The eagle reinforced picture  1164  is made exactly as described above and is mounted on the second transparent plate  1108  and magnetically held by the backing plate  1110 .  
     [0391] The frame system  1100  of the present invention as demonstrated in the example shown in FIG. 38 discloses a new three dimensional picture frame display. It allows a user turn an ordinary flat picture into a curved three dimensional display. In the mean time an arch-shaped void space in front of the picture is created for housing one or more figurines and photo sculptures complementary to the picture. The result is an interesting three dimensional show. More importantly, the reinforced picture of the present invention can be easily made. The mounting of such reinforced pictures and three dimensional articles can also be easily achieved.  
     [0392]FIG. 39 shows another example of the assembled system of the present invention. Displayed in this frame system  1170  is a bridal picture which would appear three dimensional if viewed in the actual frame. Also displayed is a reinforced picture  1174  commemorating such an important day in her life. This reinforced picture  1174  is attached with a magnet  1112  on its back. It is mounted on the Vinyl tape  1126  and is magnetically held by the magnetic strip  1124 .  
     [0393] One other interesting effect when the frame assembly is used to display a facial portrait is that the eyes on the portrait appear to follow the viewer as the viewer moves in front of the frame. This effect is explained in FIG. 40. Furthermore, due to the curved display, the image of the person will appear slightly slimmer.  
     [0394] One point needs to be made is that for best eye movement effect the frame should be placed in such a way so that the line of sight between the frame and the viewer&#39;s eyes is perpendicular to the plane of the frame. Since this frame is usually placed on a table at a level lower than that of the viewer&#39;s eyes, it is highly recommended that the frame be tilted which makes the easel  1122  of the frame system  1100  very desirable.  
     [0395]FIG. 41 discloses an improvement on the frame system  1100  of FIG. 35 by providing a novel holder  1180  which can be joined to the backboard  1104  of the frame system  1100  using a pair of bolts  1182  or other suitable means. This holder  1180  is made of a flexible plastic sheet which is curved horizontally to an one dimensional concavo-convex shape as shown in the figure. A small stud  1184  extends downward from the holder  1180  and is bent to a right angle at the end. The ends of two sides of the holder  1180  are curved back to form two vertical and parallel channels  1186 .  
     [0396] Also shown in FIG. 41 are a thin flat and flexible transparent sheet  1188 , picture  1116 , and a flat and flexible magnetic sheet  1190 . All these three sheets are of the same width and length as seen in the figure. The transparent sheet  1188  will replace the second transparent plate  1108  of FIG. 35. The magnetic sheet  1190  can be a low carbon steel sheet and can replace the backing plate  1128  of FIG. 35.  
     [0397] Prior to the mounting of the picture  1116  the backboard  1104  is open to the position as shown in FIG. 35. The first transparent plate  1106  is mounted in the frame body  1102  held against the frame window  1120 . The transparent sheet  1188 , the picture  1116  and the magnetic sheet  1190  are next gathered as a stack in the order as shown in the figure. This stack is slid into the two channels  1186  until it is stopped at the stud  1184 . At this time the picture  1116 , as well as the transparent sheet  1188  and the magnetic sheet  1190  will be bent to a curvature same as that of the holder  1180 .  
     [0398] At this point any three dimensional articles or reinforced picture to be displayed can now be placed either on the vinyl tape  1126  to be magnetically held by the magnetic strip  1124  or on the transparent sheet  1188  to be magnetically held by the magnetic sheet  1190 . After this the backboard  1104  can be closed and locked which completes the mounting process.  
     [0399] Just before the backboard  1104  is fully closed one side of the holder  1180  will first touch and be stopped by the first transparent plate  1106 . Further closing of the backboard  1104  will force the holder  1180  to swivel slightly. The holder  1180  and the installed stack will also be flatten slightly. This will bring both channels  1186  in contact with the transparent plate  1106  after which the backboard  1104  will be completely closed.  
     [0400] After the completion of the mounting process the assembled frame system is ready for display. It will be seen that the installed picture  1116  is curved which imparts a three dimensional effect to the illustration in the picture  1116 . The installed three dimensional articles or reinforced pictures are also displayed in front of the picture  1116 .  
     [0401]FIG. 42 discloses another version of the holder of present invention. This holder  1192  is made of ferromagnetic metal sheet such as iron or steel and is formed by stamping or other suitable means. It has a vertical portion  1193  and a horizontal portion  1194 . A small elbow  1195  integrally joins above two portions. The vertical portion  1193  is structurally similar to the holder  1180  of FIG. 41. It is curved horizontally to an one dimensional concavo-convex shape with two vertical channels  1196  on the two sides. The horizontal portion  1194  is a flat rectangular plate which allows the holder  1192  to stand on a table.  
     [0402] The transparent sheet  1188  and picture  1116  of FIG. 41 are also shown in FIG. 42. The magnetic sheet  1190  of FIG. 41 is no longer needed for the holder  1192  which is itself magnetic.  
     [0403] The picture  1116  is mounted by simply inserting the picture  1116 , together with the transparent sheet  1188 , down the two channels  1196  until they are rest on the horizontal plate  1194 . After installation, both the picture  1116  and the transparent sheet  1188  will be bent to a curvature same as that of the holder  1192 .  
     [0404] At this point any three dimensional articles or reinforced pictures to be displayed can now be placed on the horizontal plate  1194  or the transparent sheet  1188  and be magnetically held by the holder  1192 . The assembled holder  1192  can then be placed in the frame body  1102  after which the backboard  1104  is closed and locked. The finished frame system  1100  shall then be ready for display.  
     [0405] Unlike the holder  1180  which is flexible, the holder  1192  is rigid and fixed in its dimension. In order to fit the holder  1192  snugly in the frame system  1100  the depth of the holder  1192 , plus the thickness of the first transparent plate  1106  if present, shall be equal to the available depth of the rabbet  1118 . The width and height of the holder  1192  should also match that of the rabbet  1118  to assure a good fit.  
     [0406] One other point needs to be made is that the width of the transparent sheet  1188  is also very critical for it to be properly bent into a curvature same as that of the holder  1192 . The horizontal width of the transparent sheet  1188  should be equal to the length of the arc in the holder  1192 , as viewed from the top, extending to the ends of two channels  1196 . Too wide the width will cause the transparent sheet  1188  to bend out of shape, while too short the width will prevent two ends of the transparent sheet  1188  to touch the channels for proper bending.  
     [0407] Naturally, the width of the picture  1116  should not be too wide to fit into the two channels  1196 . However, a narrower picture will still fit and be properly curved as long as it is sandwiched between the curved holder  1192  and the curved transparent sheet  1188 .  
     [0408] FIGS.  43 - 46   
     [0409] FIGS.  43 - 46  disclose one more innovative feature in the 3D picture frame of the present invention. This feature is schematically shown in FIG. 43. In this figure, a pre-curved glass  1202 , a custom picture  1204 , and a pre-curved backing plate  1206  are intended to be mountable in the frame body  1102  of the frame system  1100  of FIG. 35, in the same manner as the second transparent plate  1108 , picture  1116 , and the backing plate  1110 , respectively.  
     [0410] In addition to the pre-curved glass  1202 , there are also two rectangular transparent glass  1208  and  1210  shown in FIG. 43. The glass  1208 , termed top edge glass  1208 , is positioned between the top edge of the pre-curved glass  1202  and the top member of the frame body  1102 . Similarly, the glass  1210 , termed bottom edge glass  1210 , is positioned between the bottom edge of the pre-curved glass  1202  and the bottom member of the frame body  1102  in the mounted position.  
     [0411] The remaining two items in FIG. 43 to be described are a top edge sheet  1214  and a bottom edge sheet  1216 . The top edge sheet  1214  can be inserted between the top edge glass  1208  and the top member of the frame body  1102 . Similarly, the bottom edge sheet  1216  can be inserted between the bottom edge glass  1210  and the bottom member of the frame body  1102 .  
     [0412] It is clear from FIG. 43 and the above description that, once mounted in the frame body  1102 , the top edge sheet  1214  and the bottom edge sheet  1216  are positioned perpendicular with respect to the custom picture  1204 . It is also clear that the top edge sheet  1214 , bottom edge sheet  1216  and the custom picture  1204  are all visible through the glasses  1208 ,  1210  and  1202 , respectively. The significance of these two facts will be clear by the three examples shown in FIGS.  44 - 46  and described in the following discussion.  
     [0413] In FIG. 44 a picture  1222  of a group of children is displayed in a 3D picture frame  1224 . This picture frame  1224  is structurally similar to the frame system  1100  of FIG. 35 and includes the pre-curved glass  1202 , pre-curved backing plate  1206 , and the edge glasses  1208  and  1210  as shown in FIG. 43.  
     [0414] The picture  1222  will be curved when it is sandwiched between the curved glass  1202  and the backing plate  1206 . The very nature of this curvature will impart a 3D effect to the picture  1222  mounted in this frame  1224 .  
     [0415] Composition in a picture may also be employed to enhance its 3D effect. One good way to achieve this 3D effect is to take a picture of a large group of people packed together against a structureless background such as wall, lawn, sky, etc. The image of these people, when curved up in this 3D frame, will appear to “float” above the background—an interesting 3D effect.  
     [0416] Also shown in FIG. 44 are a top edge sheet  1226  and a bottom edge sheet  1228 . The top edge sheet is not visible in the frame  1224 . The “sky” in the top edge sheet  1226  and the “grass” on the bottom edge sheet  1228 , plus the green lawn in the picture  1222  curved around the children, create a natural 3D effect.  
     [0417] Since this grass foreground on the bottom edge sheet  1228  is perpendicular to the children&#39;s image in the picture  1222 , a sense of depth is created which further enhances the 3D feeling in the mind of the viewer.  
     [0418] The contribution of the edge sheets  1226  and  1228  to the overall aesthetic appearance of the picture presentation is also obvious. A foreground covered by natural “grass” is certainly more appealing than the bare frame rabbet.  
     [0419] The concept of the edge sheet opens up a totally new dimension in the concept of picture frame. Users will have total freedom in choosing the two edge sheets to complement the main picture on display.  
     [0420]FIGS. 45 a  and  45   b  disclose another novel concept in the making of the edge sheets. In FIG. 44 the top edge sheet  1226  and the bottom edge sheet  1228  are chosen separately from the main picture  1222 . But in FIGS. 45 a  and  45   b  the edge sheets and the main picture can be taken from a single original picture sheet.  
     [0421] The picture sheet  1230  in FIG. 45 a  shows a group of dancers  1231 , a floor  1232 , and a wall  1233 . A portion of the picture sheet  1230  is shown trimmed off to form a top edge sheet  1234  and a bottom edge sheet  1235 . The remaining portion of the picture sheet  1230  constitutes the main picture  1236 . These edge sheets  1234  and  1235 , as well as the main picture  1236  can be mounted in the 3D picture frame  1224  in the same manner as the top edge sheet  1226 , bottom edge sheet  1228 , and the main picture  1222 , respectively, as shown in FIG. 44.  
     [0422] There are several advantages in the use of one single picture sheet to satisfy all the picture needs in the present 3D frame. The first one is the cost economy and convenience. But most importantly, it will be assured that the obtained edge sheets will more likely match the main picture in color and pattern since they are all obtained from a single picture sheet.  
     [0423] There is one other unique advantage associated with the single sheet concept in the 3D frame of the present invention. Once mounted in the 3D frame  1224 , the dancers  1231  are literally surrounded in three dimension by the same floor  1232  and the same wall  1233  appeared in the edge sheets  1234 ,  1235  and the main picture  1236 . It achieve a wrap-around effect which further strengthens the 3D feeling in the mind of the viewer.  
     [0424] It should be noted that the concepts of the wrap-around effect and depth of the field have been illustrated before in this Application in one embodiment in connection with FIGS.  14 - 15  (p.41, line 19 to p. 42, line 3). But the present approach as shown in FIGS. 45 a  represents a drastic and unobvious improvement over this earlier version. It is clearly more superior in two important aspects. The first one is the curved image which extends to the entire width of the picture and will achieve more pronounced 3D effect. Obviously, a separate edge sheet is more easier to make and install. It also enables an edge glass to be placed between the main picture and the edge sheet and to separate the two from each other. Better protection to the edge sheet by the edge glass is also achieved.  
     [0425] The picture sheet  1237  shown in FIG. 45 b  can also be similarly trimmed to form a top edge sheet  1238 , a bottom edge sheet  1239  and a main picture  1240 . They can also be mounted in the 3D frame  1224  for achieving wrap-around effect and superb 3D effect.  
     [0426] Because of the needs for professional lighting and back drop set up, the picture sheet  1237  is more likely obtained in a studio. Many professional cameras generally yield photographs with square or near square formats. Such photographs will be excellent candidates for making such 3D presentation in a frame of rectangular shape.  
     [0427] Photo matting is widely used in picture framing. A mat with bevel cut opening will enhance the aesthetic appearance of the framed picture. It will also allow a small picture to be mounted in an otherwise large frame. FIG. 46 discloses a novel 3-piece mat set  1241  that are mountable in the 3D frame of the present invention.  
     [0428] The present mat set  1241  includes a center mat  1242  which is just like a conventional mat with a bevel cut opening. It can be sandwiched between a curved glass and backing plate of proper size and be curved when mounted in a 3D frame of the present invention. A picture can be attached to the backside of the center mat  1242  and also be curved to exhibit the desired 3D effect and eye movement effect.  
     [0429] The mat set  1241  in FIG. 46 also includes a top edge mat  1244  and a bottom edge mat  1246 . These two edge mats can be mounted in a 3D frame of present invention in the same manner as the edge sheets  1214  and  1216  of FIG. 43 mounted in the frame body  1102  of FIG. 35. The edge mats  1244  and  1246  are preferably cut from the same mat sheet from which the center mat  1242  is also cut. In this way, the two edge mats  1244  and  1246  will have the same color and texture as that of the center mat  1242 . Once mounted, these two edge mats will blend nicely with the center mat to enhance the overall appearance of the 3D frame system.  
     [0430] FIGS.  47 - 49   
     [0431] One of the major features in the 3D frame of the present invention is the creation of 3D space in the shape of an arch. A three dimensional article such as reinforced pictures  1164  and  1174  and figurines  1166  can be magnetically held in this 3D space and be displayed. In this section several other novel means for holding three dimensional articles of various kind in this 3D space will be disclosed.  
     [0432]FIG. 47 discloses a novel 3D frame system  1250  which is basically the same as the 3D frame system  1100  in FIG. 35 except with some changes for the purpose of holding a three dimensional article. This 3D frame system  1250  comprises a frame body  1252 , flat glass  1254  and pre-curved backing plate  1256 , very much like the frame body  1102 , first transparent plate  1106  and backing plate  1110 , respectively, in FIG. 35.  
     [0433] Also seen in FIG. 47 is a pre-curved mat plate  1258 . This mat plate  1258  has a center opening  1260  similar to the center mat  1242  shown in FIG. 46. But there are two important differences separating the mat plate  1258  and the center mat  1242 . First, the mat plate  1258  is typically made of plastics such as Acrylic which can be pre-curved by thermal forming process. On the other hand, the center mat  1242  is cut from conventional paper mat which can not be pre-curved easily. The second difference is in term of their functions. The center mat  1242  is to be sandwiched between a pre-curved glass and a pre-curved backing plate for displaying a flat sheet held behind the center mat  1242 . On the other hand, the mat plate  1258  does not require a pre-curved glass on its front because the mat plate  1258  is pre-curved by itself for holding a three dimensional article, the details of which is to be described in the following discussion.  
     [0434] Held behind the mat plate  1258  is a three dimensional article which in this case is a lead glass angel  1262  mounted on a blue paper sheet  1264 . Since the blue paper sheet  1264  is pressed between the pre-curved mat plate  1258  and the pre-curved backing plate  1256 , it will also be curved and form a curvature same as that of the mat plate  1258 . The mounted lead glass angel  1262 , because of its physical dimension, will clear and extend beyond the center opening  1260  toward the frame window of the frame body  1252 . In this way, the lead glass angel  1262  will be largely held within the arch-shaped 3D space between the flat glass  1254  and the mat plate  1258 .  
     [0435] The mat plate of the present invention will have broad application for holding sheets with relief arts or supported three dimensional objects. However, in order to operate this mat plate  1258  successfully, several criteria must be observed. First, the sheet held by the mat plate  1258  must be flexible in order to be pushed back for creating the needed 3D space. Obviously, the size of the relief art or three dimensional objects must be small enough to clear the center opening of the mat plate. The depth of the relief art or objects must not exceed that of the created 3D space.  
     [0436] For the present discussion, fabric arts generally refer to any arts employing fabric sheet as its substrate or supporting sheet. This may include commonly known oil or Acrylic paintings on canvas, and cross stitching, needlepoint, or embroidery on cotton or synthetic fabric sheets.  
     [0437] Many such fabric arts will need framing for their proper display. It is difficult to frame such fabric arts due to its softness nature. It is also often required that no intimate contact on its front surface to a glass sheet be allowed.  
     [0438]FIG. 48 discloses one novel means for supporting and displaying such fabric arts in the 3D frame of the present invention. This would enable the 3D effect or eye movement effect to be achieved in such fabric arts. It would also create needed 3D space for the proper display of certain fabric arts.  
     [0439] In FIG. 48 a cross stitching fabric art  1270  is shown adhered to a pre-curved backing plate  1272  with the use of a double-sided adhesive  1274 . This fabric art  1270 , with the backing plate  1272 , can be mounted in the frame body  1102  of FIG. 35 and displayed behind the flat glass  1106 .  
     [0440] The backing plate  1272  is similar to the backing plate  1206  in FIG. 43. It is made of plastic sheet and is thermally formed to a desired curvature. The double-sided adhesive  1274  is preferably a rubber based pressure sensitive adhesive. The adhesive may include a foam layer which adds some softness to the contact and helps smooth out some unevenness typically found on the back side of the cross stitching art sheet  1270 .  
     [0441] One major advantage in the use of the pre-curved backing plate  1272  with double sided adhesive  1274  is to ensure that the entire back surface of the soft fabric art  1270  is adhered to the backing plate  1272  and thus conformed to the curvature of the backing plate  1272 . This is important for achieving the desired 3D effect and eye movement effect.  
     [0442] Since the fabric art  1270  is closely adhered to the backing plate  1272 , a well defined arch-shaped 3D space is created between the fabric art  1270  and the flat glass  1106 . This 3D space is especially desirable for some fabric arts such as ribbon embroidery which needs considerable amount of clearance in front of the art sheet.  
     [0443] The use of rubber based adhesive also has one advantage of allowing most fabrics to be removably adhered to the backing plate  1272 . This is desirable during the initial mounting process for adjusting the positioning of the fabric art  1270 . This fabric art  1270  can also be easily removed later from the backing plate  1272  when it is no longer needed for such display.  
     [0444] For certain fabric arts such as oil canvas painting it is possible to mount the blank canvas sheet on the backing plate  1272  before the painting process. This blank canvas supported by the backing plate  1272  can be readily held steadily on a conventional easel stand for the painting work. This means that the painting is done on a pre-curved canvas sheet. It is desirable since the canvas sheet does not have to be curved again after painting and can be readily mounted in a 3D frame for display.  
     [0445]FIG. 49 shows a sheet of conventional mesh screen  1280  which is referred to as plastic canvas in the trade. It is made of soft plastics and may have ten or less mesh per inch (2.54 cm). It serves as a substrate for yarn needlepoint. But it can also be used for holding any objects such as dried flowers that can be fastened onto the mesh screen  1280  with one or more pieces of twisted wires.  
     [0446] Also seen in FIG. 49 is a novel pre-curved backing plate  1282  with a layer of double-sided adhesive  1284 . This backing plate  1282 , similar to the backing plate  1206  in FIG. 43, is mountable in a 3D frame such as the frame body  1252  in FIG. 47. It is placeable behind the flat glass  1254  for forming an arch-shaped 3D space between the flat glass  1254  and the backing plate  1282 .  
     [0447] Once the mesh screen  1280  is loaded with yarn needlepoint or other art objects it can be attached to the backing plate  1282  with the help of the double-sided adhesive  1284 . The mesh screen  1280  will be conformed to the curvature of the backing plate  1282 . This in turn will yield adequate 3D space to accommodate the installed art objects once the backing plate  1282 , along with the mesh screen  1280 , is mounted behind the flat glass  1252  in the frame body  1252 .  
     [0448] The mesh screen  1280  is a flat and flexible plastic sheet. It is possible with the present teaching, that a mesh screen made of hard plastics such as ABS can be molded with a predetermined curvature for the present application. No pre-curved backing plate would be needed. Once loaded with are objects, this mesh screen can be directly mounted in the 3D frame body  1252  for display.  
     [0449]FIG. 50 
     [0450] In this section a brief discussion on the curvature of the glass  1108  and backing plate  1110  of FIG. 35 will be made. In order to achieve the most ideal 3D effect, and more critically, the eye movement effect, the degree of the curvature of the glass must be carefully chosen. With inadequate glass curvature the eye movement effect may not be easily noticeable. On the other hand, with too much of the glass curvature, the image of the person in the picture may begin to show some distortion.  
     [0451]FIG. 50 shows the schematics of a curved glass  1290 , a picture sheet  1292 , and a curved backing plate  1294  resting on a 3D frame body  1296 . A backboard  1298  is also shown closing off the frame body  1296 . Also marked in the figure are several terms which are defined as follow:  
     [0452] R=Curvature Radius; radius of the inside surface of the glass  1290  or the backing plate  1294 , indicating the curvature of the glass  1290  or backing plate  1294 .  
     [0453] W=Width of the frame body  1296 , or the curved glass  1290 .  
     [0454] CH=Curve Height which is calculated based on the terms R and W.  
     [0455] Dmin=Minimum Depth of the frame rabbet which is equal to the sum of the thickness of the glass  1290 , picture sheet  1292 , and backing plate  1294 , plus the curve height.  
     [0456] AL=Arc Length; the length of the glass before it is curved.  
     [0457] It is found that the ratio of the curvature radius (R) to the frame body width (W) generally stays constant for ideal 3D effect or eye movement effect regardless of the 3D frame size. For a 3D frame with W=8″ (20.3 cm), the ideal curvature radius (R) was experimentally found to be 13″ (33 cm) for achieving satisfactory eye movement effect. Therefore, the curvature radius can be expressed as a function of the frame body width (W) as follow:  
       R =(13/8)  W= 1.625  W  (for eye movement effect)  (1)  
     [0458] Referring to FIG. 50, the curve height (CH) of the glass  1290  is expressible in the following formula:  
     ( R−CH ) 2 +(0.5  W ) 2   =R   2   ( 2 )  
     [0459] Combining the equations (1) and (2) the following equation can be deduced.  
       CH= 0.079  W  (for eye movement effect)  (3)  
     [0460] The arc length (AL) is related to the curvature radius according to the following equation.  
       AL= 0.6255  R  (for eye movement effect)  (4)  
     [0461] For a given frame body width (W), the critical dimensions of the 3D frame (R, CH, AL) for achieving satisfactory eye movement effect can therefore be determined based on the equations (1), (3) and (4). The following table lists such dimensions for three commonly used 3D portrait frames for achieving satisfactory eye movement effect.  
                                           Frame           Arc       Body Width   Curvature Radius   Curve Height   Length       W   R   CH   AL                   8″ (20.32 cm)   13″ (33.02 cm)   0.632″ (1.61 cm)    8.13″                   (20.65 cm)       11″ (27.94 cm)   17.88″ (45.42 cm)     0.869″ (2.21 cm)   11.18″                   (28.41 cm)       16″ (40.64 cm)   26″ (66.04 cm)   1.264″ (3.21 cm)   16.26″                   (41.31 cm)                  
 
     [0462] The curvature radius (R) required for best 3D effect is generally smaller than that for eye movement effect. This means that for a given frame body width (W) the glass must be more curved for achieving desirable 3D effect than that for the eye movement effect.  
     [0463] It was discovered that for a frame body width (W) of 10″ (25.4 cm), the required curvature radius (R) for the pre-curved glass or backing plate is also 13″ for achieving satisfactory 3D effect. Therefore, the required curvature radius (R) can be expressed as a function of the frame body width (W) as follow:  
       R =(13/10) W= 1.3  W  (for 3D effect)  (5)  
     [0464] The equation (2) is also applicable here which, when combined with the equation (5), will yield the following equation.  
       CH= 0.1  W  (for 3D effect)  (6)  
     [0465] The arc length (AL) is also related to the curvature radius (R) by the following equation.  
       AL= 0.79  R  (for 3D effect)  (7)  
     [0466] The equations (5) to (7) will provide a guide for the determination of the critical dimensions (R, CH, AL) of the 3D frame for achieving satisfactory 3D effect. The following table lists such dimensions for three commonly used 3D landscape frames for achieving satisfactory 3D effect.  
                                           Frame       Curve           Body Width   Curvature Radius   Height   Arc Length       W   R   CH   AL                  10″ (25.4 cm)   13″ (33.02 cm)   1.0″   10.26″ (26.06 cm)               (2.54 cm)        14″ (35.56 cm)   18.2″ (46.23 cm)     1.4″   14.37″ (36.5 cm)                (3.56 cm)       20″ (50.8 cm)   26″ (66.04 cm)   2.0″   20.53″ (52.15 cm)               (5.08 cm)                  
 
     [0467] It should be pointed out that the equations (1) and (5) only provide a guideline for the design of 3D frames in achieving satisfactory eye movement effect and 3D effect. The exact choice of most suitable value of R must also be dependent on two other factors which are difficult to generalize.  
     [0468] The first factor of concern is the difference in perception of the eye movement effect and 3D effect by each individual viewer. It is possible that a picture mounted in a 3D frame may show a great eye movement effect or 3D effect to a first viewer, while fails to impress a second viewer under the same condition.  
     [0469] The second factor to be considered is the size of the critical image in the picture in relation to the width of the frame body (W). The critical image refers to the image in the picture to be viewed and judged for its eye movement effect or 3D effect.  
     [0470] For example, the picture in FIG. 39 is to be viewed for its eye movement effect. The critical image will be the lady&#39;s face. In the case of FIG. 45 b  which is to be viewed for its 3D effect. The critical image will be the image of the two persons in the picture.  
     [0471] Generally speaking, for a given 3D frame, the larger the critical image in relation to the width of the frame, the more pronounced the achieved eye movement effect or 3D effect will be. If a person&#39;s image in a picture is too small, it is suggested that the picture be cropped to yield a smaller picture. This smaller picture can then be mounted in a smaller 3D frame which will come with its own set of R and CH values, more suitable for bringing out the desired eye movement effect or 3D effect.  
     [0472] In view of the above-mentioned factors, the preferable curvature radius (R) for eye movement effect or 3D effect in most case would be within the 30% range from the value indicated by the equation (1) or (5), respectively. It can be expressed mathematically by the following two equations.  
     1.14  W&lt;R&lt; 2.11  W  (for eye movement effect)  (8)  
     0.91  W&lt;R&lt; 1.69  W  (for 3D effect)  (9)  
     [0473] It is also preferable that the curvature radius (R) be individually set within this 30% range to fit each viewer&#39;s own circumstance.  
     [0474]FIG. 51 
     [0475]FIG. 51 discloses a novel fastening means for the 3D frame of the present invention. In this figure a stack of pre-curved glass  1300 , picture sheet  1302 , and pre-curved backing plate  1304  is shown placed in a 3D frame body  1306 . Also shown in this figure is a strap  1308  which may include a pair of Velcro ribbons  1310  and  1312  with one ends of said ribbons secured to two opposing inside walls of the 3D frame body  1306 .  
     [0476] It is important that the anchoring ends of each Velcro ribbon be positioned as close as possible to the edge of the backing plate  1304  along its straight side. This will ensure that the strap  1308  will tightly wrap around the curved backing plate  1304  from edge to edge to securely fasten the stack to the 3D frame body  1306 .  
     [0477] Velcro is a trade name of a hook fastener commercially available from Velcro USA, Inc., Manchester, N.H., USA. There are two parts to each Velcro strap. The first part is the male part which consist of a layer of closely packed hook-like fiber. The second part is the female part which has a layer of closely packed loops. When the two parts are pressed together many hooks will enter the loops and thus lock the two parts together. The strap can be untied by simply pulling one part up and away from the other part. With enough length for overlap the two parts can overlap at any point thus allowing the tightness of the strap easily adjustable.  
     [0478] Obviously, with the present teaching many other types of straps can also be adopted. This may include a conventional two-ring buckle that allows a ribbon to be locked between the two rings. Snap-on type buckle is also an acceptable choice.  
     [0479] The unique advantage in the use of strap  1308  as opposed to any conventional clip-type stops for the present 3D frame system is that the soft ribbon in the strap will tightly wrap around the entire length of the curved backing plate from one straight side edge to the other. This will prevent the entire stack from popping loose or out of position during shipping or heavy handling.  
     [0480]FIGS. 52 a  and  52   b    
     [0481] The curved glass of the present invention is preferably made of Acrylic sheet which is available commercially in non-glare grade which would eliminate most glare in the present 3D frame system. At adequate thickness the Acrylic sheet can be heat treated to form a rigid curved glass for the present application. But for the sake of cost economy a thinner thickness at 0.060″ (0.15 cm) or less is preferable. One other reason for this choice is that the formed Acrylic sheet is flexible which has some advantages as will be clear in the following discussion.  
     [0482]FIG. 52 a  shows the same curved glass  1290 , picture sheet  1292 , and backing plate  1294 , rested on a 3D frame body  1320  whose width (W) is slightly wider than that of the 3D frame body  1296  of FIG. 50. It is assumed that the curved glass is made of Acrylic sheet of 0.060″ (0.15 cm) thick or less and is flexible. The picture sheet  1292  is assumed to be flexible. The backing plate  1294  can also be flexible if it is made of Acrylic sheet or other plastic material such as high impact polystyrene (HIPS) of thickness of 0.060″ or less.  
     [0483] Also installed, not shown in the figure, in the frame body  1320  is a strap wrapped around this stack of the curved glass  1290 , picture  1292 , and backing plate  1294 , all of which are considered flexible. An downward force applied by the strap will collapse the stack and cause it to spread out to fill the entire width of the 3D frame body  1320 . This is a convenient way to reduce the curvature of the curved glass  1290  and backing plate  1294 . It also illustrates a new use of the present novel strap means for adjusting the curvature of the curved glass.  
     [0484]FIG. 52 b  again shows the same stack of the curved glass  1290 , picture sheet  1292 , and backing plate  1294 , resting on the same 3D frame  1296  of FIG. 50. This figure also shows a cardboard strip  1310  inserted to each side of the stack. Since this stack is flexible as assumed before, it can be easily squeezed to reduce its width (W) and increase its curve height (CH). This is a convenient way to increase the eye movement effect or 3D effect on the displayed picture  1292 . A strap is not shown, but also can be included to hold down the stack and fasten it to the 3D frame body  1296 .  
     [0485] It should be noted that the above described method for adjusting the curvature of the curved glass  1290  and backing plate  1294  is recommended only for making small adjustment. Such adjustment by bending or depressing the curved glass will mainly change the curvature in the middle section and will cause the curved glass to be out of round. This will consequently distort the observed image in the picture. For making large change of the curvature a new curved glass and backing plate with different curvature radius (R) must be made.  
     [0486] In a rare occasion even a flat but flexible glass and backing plate can be bent to fit into a 3D frame body and fastened by a strap. Referring to FIG. 52 a  the pre-curved glass  1290  and pre-curved backing plate  1294  can be replaced by a normally flat but flexible glass and backing plate, both of which will be bent to fit into the 3D frame body  1320 . This approach is useful but is not recommended in general because such glass and backing plate are very likely out of round and may produce unpleasant distorted image. However, for very large 3D frames with width exceeding several feet this approach may become acceptable as the image distortion problem using 0.060″ Acrylic sheet becomes less severe while the normal approach of making pre-curved glasses is getting more expensive.  
     [0487]FIG. 53 
     [0488]FIG. 53 shows a fixture or preview frame  1340  which allows a picture to be viewed for its eye movement effect and/or 3D effect. It has a base plate  1342  shown with two grooves  1344  and  1346  with different curvatures. Two poles or threaded rods  1348  are mounted on the base plate  1342 . Also shown in the figure is a top plate  1350  which has two holes for the poles to penetrate there through and for the top plate  1350  to slide along the poles  1348 . Means such as nuts or clips, not shown, may also be included for holding the top plate  1350  at a desired height above the base plate. There are also two grooves  1352  and  1354  on the top plate which are mirror images of the two grooves  1344  and  1346 , respectively, on the base plate.  
     [0489] The picture to be viewed can be sandwiched between a glass and a backing plate. The entire stack is inserted into one of the grooves on the base plate  1342 . The top plate  1350  is then lowered to engage with the stack and firmly hold the stack between the top plate  1350  and the base plate  1342  for viewing.  
     [0490] It is interesting to note that the preview frame  1340  can also be used to hold a blank canvas adhered to a pre-cured backing plate. The mounted unit can be used for later painting work. Upon completion, the finished art can be transferred to a 3D frame for display.  
     [0491] A supporting sheet such as the paper sheet  1264  of FIG. 47 and mesh screen  1280  of FIG. 49 can also be similarly mounted between two pre-curved mat plate  1258  of FIG. 47. Double-sided adhesive can be applied to one or both pre-curved mat plates  1258  and bind the supporting sheet into a single unit. This unit is then mounted on the fixture  1340  for relief art work, dried flower arrangement, etc., that may require access to both sides of the supporting sheet. Upon completion, the finished art work, along with the two mat plates  1258 , can be removed from the fixture  1340  and mounted in a 3D frame for display.  
     [0492]FIG. 54 
     [0493]FIG. 54 discloses another innovative improvement in the present 3D frame system. Because of the need of high rabbet depth there is no easy lighting condition that can make the entire display area equally visible. The most difficult area is near the top center of the picture which is often covered in the shadow of the top frame moulding.  
     [0494]FIG. 54 shows the back side of a 3D frame  1360  of the present invention with its backboard removed. Mounted on each of the two inside vertical walls of the 3D frame  1360  is a light fixture  1362  with a fluorescent lamp  1364 . Also shown in the 3D frame  1360  is a pre-curved backing plate  1366  which is preferably made of white translucent material such as Acrylic sheet so that the light from the lamp  1364  will be diffused to cover the entire picture uniformly.  
     [0495] With the present lighting system the picture in the 3D frame  1360  will always be properly lighted regardless of the surrounding light condition. Furthermore, this unique 3D frame may even serves as a room light source under certain condition.  
     [0496]FIG. 55 
     [0497]FIG. 55 discloses the schematics of an improved heat forming unit  1370  for making the curved glasses and curved backing plates of the present invention. In spite of its low cost of manufacturing it is capable of producing large number of curved sheets with good quality.  
     [0498] The central components of the present heat forming unit  1370  is a convex mold  1372  and a matching concave mold  1374 . Both these molds are preferably machined from aluminum block for better heat conductivity. The width of these molds can be slightly less than the width of the 3D Frame (W) while the radius of the curved surface is designated by equation (1) or (5) depending on the type of the effect to be desired.  
     [0499] The convex mold  1372  and concave mold  1374  are shown placed in a holder  1376  which includes two side plates  1378  and a bottom plate  1380  firmly joined together. The distance between the two side plates is set to be the same as the 3D frame&#39;s inside width (W). For best heat conductivity, these plates are also preferably made of aluminum.  
     [0500] Also shown in the figure are two threaded rods one on each side of the molds  1372  and  1374 . These rods are threaded into the two threaded holes on the bottom plate  1380 . A top plate  1384  is also shown which has two clearance holes for inserting the threaded rods  1382  there through. A compression spring  1386 , washer  1388 , and a nut  1390  are engaged with each rods  1382  as shown in the figure.  
     [0501] Before loading, the convex mold is removed from the holder  1376 . The compression spring  1386 , washers  1388  and nuts  1390  are all temporally removed from the threaded rods  1382 . At this time only the concave mold is placed in the holder  1376  and centrally positioned between the two threaded rods  1382 .  
     [0502] The flat glass sheets  1392  and flat backing plates  1394  to be thermal formed must be cut to predetermined size for the 3D frame chosen. They are alternately loaded into the holder  1376  one sheet at a time. This will assure that each matching pair will have the same curvature and to avoid any miss match due to possible variation on the curvature from batch to batch.  
     [0503] It is important that upon loading, each sheet must be individually pressed down and bent to a curvature similar to that of the concave mold  1374 . The sheet will stay curved once the pressing hand is lifted. This is important since it would be very difficult to bend a large stack of flat sheets at a later time due to the friction between adjacent sheets. The side of each loaded sheet must be in touch with both the side plates  1378  and the sheet beneath it. The presence of gap between two adjacent sheets at either side indicates that the liner length of the sheet must be trimmed before further proceeding. On the other hand, the sheet with inadequate linear length will not stay curved It is not unusual that after ten or more pairs are loaded, some small gap may exist in the middle section. This gap will be mostly eliminated later when pressure is applied. Several sheets of flexible steel  1396  are also optionally added to the top and bottom of the loaded pack. These sheets will provide a smooth surface in contact with the glass sheet and backing plate.  
     [0504] Once the sheet loading is completed, the convex mold  1372  can be placed on top of the stack. The top plate  1384 , springs  1386 , washers  1388  can now be slid down along the threaded rods  1382 . The nuts  1390  are then applied and threaded down along the rods  1382 . Further tightening the nuts will compress the compression springs  1386  and close down the gap existed in the middle section.  
     [0505] The completed unit can now be placed in an oven. For Acrylic sheets a temperature set at 200 degree Fahrenheit for 2 hours is adequate but shorter duration is still possible.  
     [0506] As the glass sheets  1392  and backing plate  1394  are heated they become soften and pressed down by the compression springs  1386 . Any previously existed gap will now be closed off. Any stress existed in the glass sheets  1392  and backing plates  1394  will now be relieved. At this point, all the glass sheet  1392  and backing plates  1394  will conform to the curvature of the concave mold  1374 .  
     [0507] After oven heating the heat forming unit  1370  is removed from the oven. Once cooled off the unit  1370  can be disassembled and the glass sheets  1392  and backing plates  1394  are now permanently curved and ready for use.  
     [0508] FIGS.  56 - 58   
     [0509] FIGS.  56 - 58  disclose several further improvements on the frame calendar system of the present invention previously shown in FIGS.  30 - 34 . For the sake of clarity the frame shown in FIGS.  30 - 31  is again shown in FIG. 56. The major components of this frame  1010  including the frame body  1014  with the frame window  1015 , the back door  1016 , and the mounted spring plate  1018  are also identified in FIG. 56.  
     [0510] A new item added to the frame  1010  shown in FIG. 56 is a spacer  1400 . This spacer  1400  can be simply a wood or molded plastic block glued to the back door  1016 . The purpose of this spacer  1400  will be described in the later section below.  
     [0511] Also shown in FIG. 56 is the calendar sheet  1024 , same as the one shown in FIG. 33. Located in front of the calendar sheet  1024  is the window glass  1026 . A custom picture, if to be displayed in lieu of the calendar picture  1036 , can be placed between the calendar sheet  1024  and the window glass  1026 . Mounted on the window glass  1026  is the inner frame  1030  with its four L-shaped stud walls  1032  visible in FIG. 56. Also seen on the calendar sheet  1024  are the perforation lines  1404  separating the calendar picture  1036  and the calendar border section  1040 , and the perforation line  1406  separating the calendar date table section  1038  and the calendar border section  1040 . All these lines have been described previously in connection with FIG. 33.  
     [0512] The picture backing plate  1046  is the same as the one shown in FIG. 33. But the border backing plate  1044  shown previously is now divided into a new border backing plate  1408  and a calendar date table backing plate  1410 . A spring clamp  1412  is shown clamped on the top center edge of the calendar date table backing plate  1410 . More details of this spring clamp  1412  is shown in FIG. 57 and is described in the later section below in connection with its operation.  
     [0513] Also shown in FIG. 56 are two magnet blocks  1414  which are integrally mounted on the back side of calendar date table backing plate  1410  by adhesive or other suitable means. Two more magnet blocks  1416  are also shown in FIG. 56. These two magnet blocks  1416  are disposed on the front side of the calendar date table backing plate  1410  and are attracted magnetically to the two magnet blocks  1414 . This magnetic force will force each magnet block  1416  to rest on the same position shown once it is placed near the magnet block  1414  across the calendar date table backing plate  1410 .  
     [0514] Not shown in FIG. 56, but also mounted behind the calendar date table backing plate  1410  in the similar manner as the magnet blocks  1414 , are two other magnet blocks  1418 . Two dash line rectangles  1420  are shown indicating the position of these two magnet blocks  1418  on the back side of the calendar date table backing plate  1410 .  
     [0515] The spring clamp  1412  and the magnet blocks  1414 ,  1416  and  1418  are two different types of devices for holding calendar sheets of the present invention as will be described in the later section below. Normally either one type of device alone is adequate as long as the total number of paper sheets to be held is not excessive.  
     [0516] To start the assembling, the picture backing plate  1046  is placed behind the calendar picture section  1036 , while the border backing plate  1408  is placed behind the calendar border section  1040 . The assembled calendar sheet assembly is next placed in the frame body  1014 . The back door  1016  can now be closed and locked which produces an assembled frame calendar system ready for displaying.  
     [0517] When this assembled frame calendar system is vertically positioned, the calendar sheet assembly is held in place without slipping because the two bottom stud walls  1032  are held by the two lower outer spring leaf  1022 . Since the calendar date table backing plate  1410  is not installed in this assembled frame calendar system, the calendar date table section  1038  is free hung and touching the spacer  1400 . This spacer  1400  will provide support to the calendar sheet  1024  for memorandum writing.  
     [0518] After the expiration of the present calendar sheet, the calendar date table section can be removed along the perforation line  1408  while the calendar picture and border sections can still be saved for future display. After a year or two, there will be enough of such calendar pictures and borders saved and there is no longer much need to accumulate any more of such calendar pictures and borders. It would be desirable that, for the purpose of reducing the cost, the calendar sheets of future years may be consisting of only the calendar date table section  1038  with no calendar borders and no calendar pictures. This is possible only if the new calendar sheets can be independently mounted on the frame  1010  without attaching to any saved calendar pictures and borders. This is the thrust for the further improvement of the present frame calendar system.  
     [0519] As the Internet is gaining more wide acceptance it will be possible to provide download of such calendar templates for many users at low cost. Different templates to include different holiday and/or religious events for different countries or ethnic groups can also be readily provided for such download. Once downloaded into the user&#39;s computer, the user can add custom memo, personal events, and cliparts to each standard calendar template to make the printed calendar sheet more suitable for each user&#39;s own individual needs.  
     [0520] One other important advantage of such calendar customization is that once the calendar template and date are stored in the computer, it can be revised and printed to include any new memo, events, or graphics. This can be done any time when needed. The revised calendar sheet can then be displayed replacing the current calendar sheet.  
     [0521]FIG. 56 shows two such customized calendar sheets, a horizontal custom calendar sheet  1422  and a vertical custom calendar sheet  1424 , printed from a user&#39;s computer. The front side details of these two calendar sheets are shown in FIG. 58.  
     [0522] The horizontal custom calendar sheet  1422  is very similar to the calendar date table section  1038  shown in FIGS.  32 - 33 , and FIG. 56. The boundary line  1426  shows the size of this calendar sheet which should be about the same as that of the calendar date table section  1038 . A paper cutter or scissors will be needed to trim the paper along this boundary line  1426  for making this calendar sheet.  
     [0523] The calendar date table backing plate  1410  will be needed for mounting and displaying this custom calendar sheet  1422 . Before mounting make sure there is no more old style calendar sheet  1024  with its calendar date table section  1038  still attached to the calendar border section  1040 . If so, just tear them apart along the perforation line  1406 . The removed calendar date table section  1038  can be either discarded or displayed in the same manner as the custom calendar sheet  1422  to be described.  
     [0524] The custom calendar sheet  1422  can be mounted on the calendar date table backing plate  1410  using the spring clamp alone without the magnet blocks  1414 ,  1416 , and  1418 . FIG. 57 shows an enlarged view of this spring clamp  1412 . This spring clamp can be made of cast metal or molded plastics. It includes a clamp base  1432  and a clamp plunger  1434 . The clamp base is in the shape of a rotated “U”. The top portion is a base handle  1436  which provides a straight hole  1438 . The bottom portion of the clamp base is a base plate  1440  with a rectangular foot. The upper part of the clamp plunger  1434  is a plunger handle  1442  which is integrally connected to a plunger stem  1444  inserted through the straight hole  1438  and a compression spring  1446 . The lower end of the plunger stem is threaded and is threaded into a disk  1448 . Due to the compression spring  1436  the clamp plunger  1434  is always rest at its lowest position with the disk  1448  firmly pressed on the base plate  1440 .  
     [0525] The assembling of this improved frame calendar system basically involves three simple steps. The first step is to place the assembled calendar pictures/borders including the window glass  1026 , picture backing plate  1046 , border backing plate  1408 , and custom picture, if any, in the frame body  1014 . The next step is to place the calendar date table backing plate  1410 , in the frame body  1014 , right below the assembled calendar pictures/borders. The back door  1016  can now be closed and locked, thus completing the assembling process.  
     [0526] The thickness of the spacer  1400  and the calendar date table backing plate  1410  are such that when the frame calendar system is assembled, the spacer  1400  will firmly hold the calendar date table backing plate  1410 , but without excessive pressure. In this way, the calendar date table backing plate  1410  will provide a firm support surface for memorandum writing on the custom calendar sheet  1422  to be installed.  
     [0527] Now the custom calendar sheet  1422  is ready to be installed without opening the calendar frame  1010 . This is simply achieved by lifting up the clamp plunger  1434  with one hand while placing the custom calendar sheet  1422  underneath the disk  1448 . The clamp plunger  1434  is then released which will allow the disk  1448  clamped onto the custom calendar sheet  1422 .  
     [0528] Obviously, the custom calendar sheet  1422  must be properly aligned before it is clamped. The dash line  1450  on the top center of the custom calendar sheet  1422  indicates the position of the disk  1448 . A stack of many custom calendar sheets  1422  can also be mounted in the same manner. Make certain the top sheet can be freely lifted for date checking.  
     [0529] The vertical custom calendar sheet  1424  shown in FIG. 58 has a size indicated by the boundary line  1452  which is identical to the size of the horizontal custom calendar sheet  1422 . The display of this custom calendar sheet  1424  will require the frame  1010  as viewed in FIG. 30 to be rotated 90 degree counterclockwise. This is possible since the easel supplied in this frame will support both such orientations. Obviously, a calendar picture or custom picture of vertical format will also be needed for such display.  
     [0530] One or more vertical custom calendar sheets  1424  can also be supported by the spring clamp  1412  alone without the magnet blocks  1414 ,  1416 , and  1418 . This is achieved by lifting the clamp plunger  1434  while sliding the spring clamp  1412  to the upper left comer of the custom calendar sheet  1424 . The clamp plunger  1434  is the released allowing the disk  1448  clamp onto the vertical calendar sheet  1424  at the position indicated by the dash line  1454 .  
     [0531] The ability to display both vertical and horizontal custom calendar sheets will make the present frame calendar system even more useful. A user can switch the display of custom pictures between the vertical and horizontal formats at any time when desired. Obviously, this will require a calendar template of correct format be chosen for making such custom calendar sheet.  
     [0532] Both the horizontal custom calendar sheet  1422  and the vertical custom calendar sheet  1424  can also be supported by the magnet blocks  1414 ,  1416  and  1418  without the spring clamp  1412 . The assembled calendar system without the custom calendar sheets is first lay flat on a table. The two magnet blocks  1416  are temporarily removed. The stack of horizontal custom calendar sheets  1422  and/or vertical custom calendar sheets  1424  are placed on the calendar date table backing plate  1410  properly aligned and oriented. The two magnet blocks  1416  can now be placed on the custom calendar sheet near the two rectangle dash lines  1456  of the horizontal custom calendar sheet  1422  or the two rectangle dash lines  1458  of the vertical custom calendar sheet  1424 . These two magnet blocks  1416  will “jump” to its final positions indicated by the rectangle dash lines  1456  or  1458 . This completes the custom calendar mounting process.  
     [0533] It is clear from the above description that the improved frame calendar system as shown in FIGS.  56 - 58  allows a calendar sheet having only the calendar date table in either horizontal or vertical format to be easily mounted or removed from the frame body without opening the frame assembly. A firm support is provided for memorandum writing on the calendar sheet. Since this calendar sheet is exposed, it can be readily lifted for date checking without opening the frame assembly.  
     [0534] Although the preferred embodiments of the frame calendar systems of the present invention have been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes can be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and the construction thereof, which generally stated, consist in a frame calendar system within the scope of the appended claims.