Improvements in Calendars.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Calendars.
I, LOUIS PALMERSTEN, residing at Number 735 Smith Street, in the City of
Milwaukee, in the County of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, in the United States
of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The invention has for its object the construction of a calendar, consisting of a series
of cards or plates arranged one upon the other, and of different and diminishing
diameters from the lower to the upper plate, and centrally united to permit of inde-
pendent rotation, whereby the device may be used for ascertaining the day of the
week for any desired date from January first, of the year A.D. I, to January first of
the year A.D). 4000, and secondly, to combine therewith, a calendar adapted to be set
for current monthly use, all as is more particularly set forth, and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan view of my device, partly broken away to better illustrate the
construction.
Figure 2 is a central transverse section thereof.
A is the bottom card or plate, and this is provided with two circles marked
Circle No. 8 is the
respectively No. 8 and No. 9, the latter being the outer circle.
circle of the years, and runs from "01" to "00" embracing a hundred divisions,
corresponding to the two right hand figures of a century of years.
Circle No. 9, I
designate as that of the "ratios" of the years, and comprises also a hundred
divisions, corresponding to the divisions in circle No. 8, each division containing
the proper digit or cipher for the arithmetical calculation to be afterwards.
described.
Resting upon plate A is plate B, circular_in_form, save that it may be provided
with a tag or extension Bas shown, for convenience in turning, said tag heing shown.
as integral with the plate or card B, though it is obvious that any other form of tag.
or attachment may be applied to the several rotating plates for this purpose. Plate B.
has also two circles, marked No. 6, and No. 7, bot. being marked off in divisions
spaced so as to register with any of the division lines of the circles No.'s 8 and 9 of
plate A. The outer circle No. 7 is the circle of the centuries, and the divisions thereof
are numbered consecutively from 0 to 40, while the inner circle (No. 6) is that of the
"ratios of the centuries, and the divisions thereof contain the proper digits or ciphers.
for the before named arithmetical calculation.
Plate C of a diameter just equal to the inner circle of plate B rests on said
plate B, and is provided with but one circle No. 5, called the circle of the dates, which
circle is spaced to register with the division lines of circle No 6, there being thirty-.
one divisions marked off, and numbered consecutively from 1 to 31, to include all the
days of the longest month. Plate C is provided with an integral projecting tag C¹ or
other turning device.
Plate D rests on plate C, its diameter being just within the inner line of the circle
on the latter, and is called the month plate. It is marked with two circles No. 3 and
No. 4, which are marked across with division lines registering with those on circle
No. 5. The outer circle, No. 4, is called the circle of the months and the
first twelve divisions, are marked with the names of the months from January to
December, in regular order, (and preceding these I have marked on this circle No. 4,
the words Months in commion years' to avoid mistakes); then follow eleven blank
divisions (marked "for Leap Years") and then the next two divisions are marked
January" and "February." Circle No. 3 of this plate D contains, and is called
"

page_text: the circle of, the ratios of the months, and in the described fourteen divisions, in
line with the divisions in Circle No. 4 containing the names of the months, are the
proper digits or ciphers for the arithmetical calculation herein before referred to.
Plate D has a tag D or other turning device.
Plate E is that denominated "for monthly use," and is interposed between plate D,
and the upper plate F, which latter has two circles No. 1 and No. 2, while the
plate E has half of its periphery cut away to practically correspond to the diameter of
the said smaller upper plate F, and the other half of its periphery extends to
about the same circumferential line as that of the plate D below it and this part of the
plate E has division lines registering with those of circle No. 5, plate C.
One of
these division spaces is cut away, as shown at E2, so that, when properly turned, the
name of a month may be thereby exposed, and the said plate E has a tag or pro-
jection E', or other turning device.
As stated, the upper plate F has two circles, the outer one, No. 2, being the
circle of the days of the week, and having fifty divisions marked off by lines
which register with the lines of the circles of the other plates, and contain the names
(or initials) of the days of the week from Sunday to Saturday and then beginning
with Sunday, the same repeated, so that the fiftieth and last space is for Sunday, also,
while the inner circle, No. 1, is that of the sum of the Ratios and Dates, and is
similarly divided off, in line with the divisions in circle No. 2, and the divisions in
circle No. 1 are numbered consecutively from 1 to 50, inclusive. This plate F has
also a projecting tag or turning device F' and all the plates, as stated, are held
together with sufficient friction by the pivot pin G, suitably upset, or provided
with washers, heads, or nuts, to keep all compactly together.
I will first describe the manner of using my device in the necessary calculation
for ascertaining any day of the week for a given date, and for illustration, take
the date October 21, 1848. The "Century" plate B is turned until the division 18
in circle No. 7 is in line with division 48 in circle No. 8 of plate A. Then plate C is
turned until division 21 in its circle No. 5 is in line with the foregoing named
divisions. Then turn plate D until the month "October" in circle No. 4 is also in
line. Plate E should then be turned so that its cut away portion will expose all
of the months and ratios on circles 3 and 4 (but as this plate E is shown otherwise
turned for another purpose in Figure 1, the words, digits and ciphers concealed
thereby, as well as those concealed by the turning tags B C D E and F of the
various plates have been shown in dotted lines). Then add the sum of the ratios
in circle No.'s 9, 6 and 3 which are in line with the divisions containing the date
October 21, 1848, in circles 4, 5, 7 and 8, to the day of the month in circle No. 5; in
this instance, the respective ratios are found to be 4, 0, and 3, making 7, which added
to the date number 21, make 28. Then having found this sum, turn plate F until
the division bearing this number in circle No. 1 is in line with the aforenamed
divisions of the said date, and in circle No. 2, also in line therewith, will be found the
name (or initial) of the day of the week, which, in this instance, will be found
to be Saturday.
9
or
If the date wanted happens to fall in either January or February of a leap year,
then, in turning plate D care must be exercised to use the division "January
"February
at the right of the eleven blank divisions in circle No. 4, and it must be
horne in mind, that by the correction of the calendar known as «: new style and in
use at the present time every year exactly divisible by 4 is a leap year, except
the centennial years, which are common years unless divisible by 400, without
remainder.
The hereinbefore named plate E is for convenience in setting the calendar into a
calendar for any month desired. Having ascertained the day of the week of the first
day of said month, by the process hereinbefore named, turn plate E until the
opening E² permits only the name of said month (in circle No. 4 of plate D) to be
exposed, (in line, of course, with the date 1, in the first division of circle No. 5,
plate C) and thereby all the other matter (months, figures and ciphers) on circles
No. 3 and No. 4, will be concealed. Then turn plate F, until the first division which

page_text: contains the thus discovered week-day name or initial will be in line therewith, and
you have the calendar for that particular month. Of course, if it is for the current
year no particular attention need be paid to plates A and B, but if they have been
properly turned, in the first place, as described, in order to find what day of the week
said month began with, their circles No. 7 and No. 8 will show the year date in line
with the month in circle No. 4, and the day 1 of said month in circle No. 5, which
is useful in case the monthly calendar was desired for any other than the current
year, so as to show that the calendar had not been accidentally or purposely turned
by any one since its adjustment.
My calendar will be operative for all other purposes than the monthly arrangement
just described, even if plate E is omitted, but is much more convenient and useful
when said plate is combined therewith, as stated.
Of course, it will be understood, that in circle No. 4, in place of the names of the
months I may substitute their numbers 1 to 12, and in circle No. 2, I may substitute
consecutive series of 1 to 7, for the names of the days Sunday to Saturday, if desired,
this being a matter of convenience or preference, and desirable for such calendars as
are to be used in certain communities, such as societies of "Friends"
or Quakers,"
who substitute numbers for the ordinary names of the days of the week and
month.
I have shown the bottom plate A as of generally rectangular form so as to afford
space for title of calendar, directions and like matter, but this plate may be
circular, with the reading matter in the center of plate F, or on the back of the
bottom-plate.
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 :-
-
1. In a calendar, a base-plate having two annular spaces drawn thereon, with
one hundred subdivisions drawn radially across the said two annular spaces, the
subdivisions in one circle or annular space numbered from "01" to "00" corre-
sponding to the two right hand figures in a century of years, and the corresponding
spaces in the other circle or annular space each containing a digit or cipher, in
combination with a superimposed circular plate of lesser-diameter, also provided with
two circles or annular spaces, with
subdivisions marked off radially across
said circles, so as to register with the radial divisions on the base card, the subdivisions
in one of said circles being numbered consecutively from "0" to "40," and the
corresponding spaces in the other circle or annular space each containing a digit or
cipher, another superimposed circular plate of lesser diameter than the foregoing,
provided with a single circumferential circle or annular space having thirty-one radial
subdivisions marked off registering with the before named radial subdivisions on the
lower plates and numbered from 1 to "31," another superimposed plate of lesser
diameter than the foregoing, provided with two circumferential circles, or annular
spaces, marked across with radial division lines registering with the before named
radial division lines, twelve of the subdivisions thus formed, in one circle, being
marked with the names of the months in regular order, followed by eleven blank
subdivisions succeeded by two marked with the names of the first two months, and
the fourteen subdivisions in the other circle on this plate corresponding to the marked
divisions just named each containing a number or digit, and another superimposed
plate of lesser diameter than the foregoing, also provided with two circumferential
circles or annular spaces, similarly marked across with registering radial division
lines, into fifty subdivisions, those in one circle containing the names, initials or
numbers of the days of the week, regularly repeated, and those in the other circle
numbered from "I" to "50," all of said plates being centrally and pivotally united
to each other.
"
2. In a calendar, the combination of a series of plates centrally united to a bottom
plate to turn one upon the other, independently, said plates being of different
diameters, with their exposed portions provided with series of figures, numbers, or

page_text: other marks for reference and calculation, and having projecting tags or analogous
turning devices.
3. In a calendar, the combination of a series of circular plates centrally united to a
bottom plate to turn one upon the other, the plates above the bottom plate being of
diminishing diameters, with a plate interposed between two of said plates, half of this
interposed plate being of practically the same diameter or circumferential extension
of the plate below it, while its other half corresponds in size and extent to that of
the plate above it, the larger portion being provided with a slot or opening in its
circumference, and all the circular plates having projecting tags or analogous turning
devices.
Dated this 10th dow of June 1800
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.