Improvements in and relating to Calendars or Diaries.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 9th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Calendars or Diaries.
I, JOHN SOMERVILLE, of 2 Dalkeith Street, Joppa, in the County of Midlothian,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object al comprises the constructing or forming of
calendars or diaries in a new or improved manner which shall make yearly diaries
accurately serve for any number or endless term of years, and thus dispense with
the necessity of requiring to be renewed each year as heretofore.
The new or improved calendar or diary under one arrangement as suitable for a
wall hanging calendar or a stand would be made of pasteboard, suitably mounted
and varnished or of other suitable material, and have the spaces for the months and
numerical dates arranged in a similar manner to that in ordizary annual calendars,
that is the spaces say for the first four months of the year would be arranged at
convenient intervals or parallel side by side with the names of the months above,
and the numerical dates for each month below, arranged in parallel seven day rows,
leaving a space between the top row of dates and the names of the months for the
names of six or seven days of the week to be shown in the new manner hereinafter
described. And corresponding columns would be arranged below these for the
remaining eight months of the year. The spaces at top, bottom and sides, or
intervening parts of the calendar may have useful information printed on same,
such as postal and telegraphic information, stamp duties, term days, advertisements
and the like.
By my improvements the week day letters for each parallel row of months, or
for one parallel row only, but serving also for other rows parallel thereto under it,
are mounted on a movable or travelling surface, preferably a paper faced tape or
band with overlapped front edges which is placed in the aforesaid space between or
it might be above the names of the months and numerical dates, exactly over the
columns of dates, or by arranging the mumerical dates from the side, these bands
or rollers might be placed to work vertically instead of horizontally, and so that by
shifting these letter bands one day or date at end of each year, makes these
calendars suit for any year. But in leap years the band would also require to be
shifted a date at the end of February. Various means may be adopted for shifting
these bands such as by supporting them by a series of vertical strips and passing
them through slits and shifting them transversely at the back, or winding them on
spindles or small rollers at the ends, or by making them endless; or by mounting
these letters in successive rows seven round the circle on a movable roller or band
attached to rollers placed behind the calendar, and these rollers or bands may be
moved by hand or be fitted with spiral or other springs the recoil of which would
make them self-winding at the end of each period, and have a catch for holding the
band or roller at each change or shift. A movable band is placed, over the above
mentioned or other roller or rollers at the centre of calendar or other convenient
place and so arranged as to move simultaneously with the week day letters, and be
also mounted with figures to show the year the calendar was used for.
A daily calendar to a larger scale may also be attached to or combined with the
perpetual calendar, and its roller be fitted with a self-winding spring; and these
calendars, arranged for any required size or position, may be mounted in a frame,
case or ornamental stand of wood, metal, or other material, and have a glass cover
in front, so as to stand on a table, mantle-shelf, or other convenient rest in the room,
apartment or place where it is to be used; or they might be exposed outside in the
street or public places for advertising or other purposes.
These calendars would by an alternative arrangement be printed on paper and

page_text: fixed by cement or otherwise to the inside surface of a glass front, and in the case
of week day or daily calendars the travelling band would show the dates through
a glass front.
Dated the 8th Sontambar 1800.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co..
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Calendars or Diaries.
1, Joux SOMERVILLE, of 2 Dalkeith Street, Joppa, in the County of Midlothian,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, that is to say:
This invention has for its object and comprises the constructing or forming cf
calendars or diaries in a new or improved manner which shall make yearly diaries
accurately serve for any number or endless term of years, and thus dispense with
the necessity of requiring to be renewed each year as heretofore.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood i have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings in which Sheet I represents a hanging
wall calendar as made to form a perpetual calendar in accordance with my
improvements.
Referring to these drawings ;—The new or improved calendar or diary under
one arrangement shown on Sheet 1 as suitable for a wall hanging calendar or it
might be a stand, is made of pasteboard, suitably mounted amil varnished, or of
enamelled sheet metal or other suitable material, and has the spaces for the months
and numerical dates arranged in a similar manner to that in ordinary annual
calendars, that is, the spaces, say, for the first four months of the year are arranged
at convenient intervals or parallel side by side with the names of the months above
as January, February, March and Apríl, and the numerical dates for each month
below, arranged in parallel seven day rows or columns leaving a space between the
top row of dates and the names of the months for the initial letters of the names of
six or seven days of the week to be shown over the top of these columnns of dates
as indicated in the space line A, B, in the new manner hereinafter described. And
corresponding columns are arranged below these for the remaining eight months of
the year in two sets of four. The spaces at top, bottom and sides or intervening
parts of the calendar may have useful information printed on same, such as law
terms, and differences of Greenwich time for various parts of the globe as shown,
or it might be postal and telegraphic informacion, stamp duties, term days, advertise-
ments and the like.
By my improvements the week day initial letters for each parallel row of months,
or for one parallel row only, but serving also for other rows parallel thereto under
it, as shown, are mounted on a movable or travelling surface, preferably a paper faced
tape or band with overlapped front edges which is placed in the aforesaid space A, B,
between (or it might be above) the names of the months and numerical dates,
exactly over the columns of dates: or otherwise by arranging the numerical dates
in horizontal columnus from the side these bands or rollers would be placed to work
vertically instead of horizontally all so that by shifting these letter bands one day
or date at end of each year, makes these calendars suit for another year. But in
leap years the band would also require to be shifted a date at the end of February.
Various means may be adopted for shifting these bands such as by supporting them
by a series of vertical strips, passing them through slots, and shifting them
transversely at the back, or winding them on spindles or small rollers at the ends,
or by making them endless, to work horizontally passing through slits in the card
at A and Bover clips or rollers at ab, as in the arrangement shown; or by mounting
:

page_text: these letters in successive rows seven round the circle circumferentially and
longitudinally on a movable long roller or it may be ou bands attached to rollers
placed behind the calendar, and these rollers or bands may be moved by hand or be
fitted with spiral or other springs the recoil of which would make them self winding
at the end of each period, and have a catch for holding the band or roller at each
change or shift. A moveable band is placed over the above mentioned or other
roller or rollers at the centre of calendar or other convenient place and so arranged as
to move simultaneously with the week day letters, and be also mounted with figures
to show the year the calendar was used for. And reference tables are preferably
printed in the centre below the date columns of perpetual calendar, calculated to
indicate the first days of the year from 1800 to 1900, and from 1900 to 2000 A.D.
respectively opposite the days of the week indicated by initial letters in the first
column.
A daily calendar to a larger scale may also be attached to or combined with the
perpetual calendar, and its roller be fitted with a self winding spring; and these
perpetual calendars, arranged for any required size or position, may be mounted in
a frame, case, or ornamental stand, of wood, metal, or other material, and have a
glass cover in front, so as to stand on a table, mantle-shelf, or other convenient rest
in the room, apartment, or place where it is to be used; or they might be exposed
outside in the street or public places for advertising or other purposes.
The cards of these calendars may be printed on paper and fixed by cement or
otherwise to the inside surface of a glass front, and in the case of week day or daily
calendars the travelling band would show the dates through recesses in the paper
and a glass front; or the whole card may be made as an enamelled metal sheet with
recesses through it for showing the days of the week and months as described.
Figure 2 on Sheet 2 represents a front view of a perpetual monthly calendar as
formed in accordance with my improvements. And Figure 3 is corresponding
sectional front view of the same through a frame F, for hanging on the wall, or it
might be a stand frame with the glass and front card removed, to show the internal
fittings within the frame more clearly. In this arrangement the days of the
month 1 to 31 are arranged in seven vertical columns, similar to those on the front
card in Sheet 1 to suit for any month in the year, with a longitudinal recess at A, B,
above the whole of the seven columns for the days of the week or initial letters
or contractions indicating such, mounted on an endless horizontal band passed round
two small vertical rollers a, b, within the frame F the foriner a being a short roller
turned loose in its journal bearings, and the latter a long roller with a projecting
finger turning knob & below, for being turned at the end or first day of each month,
to set the day on which the month begins over its proper numeral date column.
But instead of mounting the week days on a longitudinal band they might be
mounted on a longitudinal roller, with the seven days of the weck in the
circumference as well as in sequence in the longitudinal direction to be turned by a
knob at the one side of the frame, in the same manner as the roller r, shown above
on the left hand side of this figure, which has contractions for the seven days of
the week formed on the circumference, with a knob c outside to show these days
through a recess and to be shifted each day to show the day of the week. While
on the right hand side a larger roller dd' is shown with the names or contractions of
the twelve months of the year formed round the circumference, and showing through
a recess in the card indicated at d, and turned by the finger knob d' outside, on the
first day of each month, to indicate the particular month, and besides the month the
number of days in the month may be indicated as 30 for June, although 31 days
are shown on the card calendar to suit for the months thai have such. For showing
the dates daily in large figures to be shifted also every day, these are here shown
on a broad endless vertical band E in the centre, with 31 dates on it, mounted on a
loose roller e at top, and on a hand moving roller, el, at bottom, and turned by
the finger knob e¹ outside, each day to show the figures out through a recesse ent
in the centre top part of the card. Or the day and date rollers e, e, may be mounted
in line and be turned separately or have engaging couplings to be turned

page_text: simultaneously. It will be seen that the three last figure dates 29, 30 and 31 are
shown on the perpetual monthly card, and would require to be noted by the memory
for the particular month shown upon the roller d, as 28 for February but in leap
year 29.
But these three latter days 29, 30, and 31, may be mounted circum-
ferentially on one roller, that is, 29 on one portion, 29 and 30 on another, and 29,
30 and 31 on another portion of roller, and a blank on another portion, and this
roller may be turned in the same manner as the roller d,, is described as turned
ench month, to give any of these positions and numerals to suit the particular
month.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The arrangement and use of a perpetual calendar substantially as herein
described, in reference to and by way of application shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Second. In a calendar, or device serving as a calendar or date indicator the use
of a traversed or rotated band, roller, or surface, with the initial letters or con-
tracted names of the week days on it over or in line with the monthly columns of
dates so as to make same serve as a perpetual calendar, substantially as and in the
manner herein described, in reference to and by way of application shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Data thin ook T. 1901
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.