초록

A countdown or advent type calendar for a selected time interval includes the concurrent provision of a text message and completion or modification of a pictorial design during the sequential indication of the date during the countdown.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A theme calendar having a front and comprising substrate support means, date locations on said substrate support means corresponding with time periods of a countdown time interval, a plurality of separately mountable marker elements, each marker element being removably mounte

What is claimed is: 1. A theme calendar having a front and comprising substrate support means, date locations on said substrate support means corresponding with time periods of a countdown time interval, a plurality of separately mountable marker elements, each marker element being removably mounted to said substrate support means at said date location, a pictorial design carried on said substrate means, said pictorial design including a plurality of separate target locations, each having a distinguishing designation for removably mounting an associated one of said marker elements having a corresponding designation, said marker elements being movable from said date locations and mountable to said associated target locations in accordance with the expiration of said time periods, each of said marker elements including design features that are visible from the front of said theme calendar when said marker element is mounted to said substrate support means at said associated target location, movement of said marker elements from said date locations to said associated target locations revealing a first text message at said date locations and completing or modifying said pictorial design or forming a second text message at said target locations with said marker elements mounted in said associated separate target locations. 2. The calendar of claim 1, wherein said time interval corresponds to a recognized holiday or an event having personal or familial significance. 3. The calendar of claim 2, wherein be event having personal or familial significance is a birthday, an anniversary, a vacation, an upcoming trip, a wedding, a religious occasion, a graduation, or a recognized holiday. 4. The calendar of claim 2, wherein said recognized holiday is Halloween, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Easter, Independence Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day or Labor Day. 5. The calendar of claim 1, wherein said pictorial design comprises one or more design elements that are suggestive of an event associated with said time interval. 6. The calendar of claim 1, wherein said pictorial design comprises one or more design elements that are suggestive of an event associated with said time interval and a text message formed by said marker elements in their target locations. 7. The calendar of claim 1, wherein said substrate is formed of a non-woven fabric, cardboard, plastic, wood or a similar material that may be printed or otherwise marked on a front or display surface with said text message and/or pictorial design. 8. The calendar of claim 1, wherein said marker elements are temporarily mounted or removably secured to said substrate by magnets, hook and loop fasteners, pressure-sensitive adhesive, mechanical interfit with said substrate, or interlocking members or snap connectors. 9. The calendar of claim 1, said substrate is formed of a non-woven fabric, cardboard, plastic, wood or a similar material that may be printed or otherwise marked on a front or display surface with said pictorial design, and said marker elements are temporarily mounted or removably secured to said substrate by one of magnets, hook and loop fasteners, pressure-sensitive adhesive, interlocking members or snap connectors. 10. The calendar of claim 1, wherein said marker elements are three-dimensional bodies having a plurality of marker faces bearing text, pictorial designs, or combinations thereof, and said marker elements are removably mounted in recesses at said date and target locations with a selected one of said marker faces exposed. 11. The calendar of claim 10, wherein said three dimensional bodies and recesses are shaped so that each of said three dimensional bodies fits in only one of said recesses at said date location and only one of said recesses at said target location. 12. The calendar of claim 10, wherein said three dimensional bodies and recesses have peripheral side configurations, and said peripheral side configurations are selected so that each of said three dimensional bodies fits in only one of said recesses at said date location and only one of said recesses at said target location. 13. The theme calendar of claim 1, wherein said separate target locations comprise numbered distinct areas of said pictorial design and said associated marker elements are correspondingly numbered. 14. The theme calendar of claim 13, wherein said date locations are separate date areas arranged in an array on said substrate support and said array is visible from the front of said theme calendar with said marker elements being removably mounted to said separate date areas. 15. The theme calendar of claim 1, wherein said marker elements complete or modify said pictorial design and form a second text message at said target locations. 16. A theme calendar having a front and comprising substrate support means, date locations on said substrate support means corresponding with time periods of a countdown time interval, a plurality of separately mountable coded marker elements, said marker elements being removably mounted to said substrate support means at said date locations, a pictorial design carried on said substrate means, said pictorial design including a plurality of disjunct and coded target locations for removably mounting an associated one of said marker elements correspondingly coded, said marker elements being movable from said date locations and mountable to said associated target locations in accordance with the expiration of said time periods, said marker elements including design features that are visible from the front of said theme calendar when said marker elements are mounted to said substrate support means at said associated target locations, movement of said marker elements from said date locations to said associated target locations revealing a first text message at said date locations and completing or modifying said pictorial design or forming a second text message at said target locations with said marker elements mounted in said associated disjunct and coded target locations. 17. The calendar of claim 16, wherein said disjunct and coded target locations comprise separate numbered areas of said pictorial design and said associated marker elements are correspondingly numbered. 18. The theme calendar of claim 17, wherein said date locations are separate date areas arranged in an array on said substrate support and said array is visible from the front of said theme calendar with said marker elements being removably mounted to said separate date areas. 19. The theme calendar of claim 16, wherein said marker elements complete or modify said pictorial design and form a second text message at said target locations.