A NEW OR IMPROVED PERPETUAL CALENDAR, APPLICABLE FOR FANCY WOODWORK AND OTHER USEFUL ARTICLES
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Archibald Brown at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1877.
ARCHIBALD BROWN, of the Town and County of Lanark, North Britain. "A
NEW OR IMPROVED PERPETUAL CALENDAR, APPLICABLE FOR FANCY WOODWORK
AND OTHER USEFUL ARTICLES."
This Invention has for its object the formation of numerous well-known articles
with special means for enabling them to be used as calendars in addition to their
ordinary uses, and irrespective of the material of which they are composed, that is
to say, the calendars may be affixed to wood, paper, glass, or metallic surfaces, but
the Invention is peculiarly applicable for that class of goods known as fancy wood
boxes for holding bobbins of thread, collars, and other useful articles.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention, as applied, for example, to the
lids of fancy wood boxes, consist in printing or otherwise affixing round the upper
surface of the lid of the box in separate rings, the numbers of days of the month,
and the names of the days of the week, and months of the year respectively, it
being immaterial whether the days, weeks, or months are represented by the outer
or inner rings, but by preference I give the figures 1 to 31, representing days of
the month, round the outer part of the surface or non-revolving part of the lid, the
names of the months represented by the innermost ring, and the days of the week
in the intermediate ring; and in order to enable this lid, and series of figures, and
naimes of days and months to be used as a perpetual calendar, it is constructed,
by preference, in two pieces, the central portion containing the week days and
months revolving on a fixed centre, and having a pair of ordinary pointers fixed on
its face like those on the dial of a clock. Then in setting the calendar for, say,
Friday, the 14th of December, the inner revolving part of the lid is turned round
until Friday, the day of the week on the intermediate ring, comes opposite the
figure 14 on the outer circumference, then the long pointer stretching across the
month circle is set to the Friday, thus both indicating the day of the week and the
day of the month in a radial line, and the short hand is set to the name of the
month, and so on, shifting and setting the short hand, and revolving the inner

page_text: part of the lid once a month, and setting the long hand each day until the whole
31 days have expired.
It will be understood that the days of the month might be indicated on the
revolving disc, and have the days of the week on the outer or non-revolving part
thereof; and that instead of the inner disc revolving for the setting of the day of
the month opposite the day of the week, the outer ring may be made to revolve,
with the centre stationary for the like purpose. It will also be obvious that
although a circular-shaped lid has been described, the Invention is equally applicable
to square, oblong, or oval-shaped lids, by having the circular calendar placed in the
central part of the surface.
Under another modification the calendar may be formed and applied to the side
of the box, and its base made in two parts, in which case it is preferred to have the
overlapping part of the lid extended a little down the side of the box so that a
row of figures or names may be printed or affixed round this and the base, the lid
being in this case also movable, with the body of the box stationary, but having a
revolving bottom corresponding nearly to the shape of the lid part. Under this
arrangement the numbers representing the days of the month may be on the
revolving bottom of the box, and the days of the week on the side or body part
thereof; and the pointer is fixed on the side of the box by an eye or loop running
on a wire sunk into and secured in an annular groove cut in the wood, so that the
pointer can readily be moved in either direction round the side of the box to cor-
respond with the particular date desired to be indicated as the bottom or body of
the box is revolved round, thus getting a perpetual calender the same as with the
lid arrangement. And when the months are desired to be represented in this
arrangement they could be on a loose ring above the revolving body part, or on the
projecting down part of the lid before referred to, the months being turned opposite
the hand at the time of shifting and setting this.
It will be obvious that the calendar described under the first modification is
equally suitable for application to the lids or front faces of writing desks, stationery
cases, inkstands, hanging calendars, and similar useful articles, whether made of
paper or other material, and they may be onamented in the centre or round the
margin by colour printing or otherwise, as is common with fancy woodwork, and
varnished or enamelled to protect them or insure their durability.