Astronomical calendar clock
OwnerKeith Wesley Whitteninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved astronomical calendar clock mechanism, integrating a sun-centered planetary dial with an earth-centered celestial ring with a fixed orientation number dial located in the earth's equatorial plane, with the sun on a meridian track fixed at 12 on the number dial, and the meridian track indicates the date on a calendar band which is applied to the outside edge of the celestial ring in a plane parallel to the celestial equator, and an hour hand emerging from the earth globe at the center of the celestial ring indicates the time relative to the fixed orientation number dial framing the earth.
Claims11
An astronomical calendar clock, comprising:
- (a) a sun-centered planetary dial where all of the planets making up the solar system and their orbital pathways are depicted on a round, flat surface representing the invariable plane of the solar system, the planetary dial having a diameter of 2 times the distance from the center of the depicted sun to the most distant depicted planet in the solar system, and all of the depicted planets orbit the depicted sun at the center of the planetary dial on circular, concentric pathways at their proportionate average distances from the actual sun, and the planetary dial passes through the center of the depicted earth and where the planetary dial intersects a celestial ring marks the ecliptic, and
- (b) the celestial ring is modified from a celestial globe, the celestial ring having a diameter of 2 times the distance from the center of the depicted earth to the center of the depicted sun, north and south ends of the celestial globe are removed or made invisible above approximately 40° declination from a celestial equator to make the celestial ring, and a calendar band indicating the months and days of a calendar year with month blocks and day blocks is applied to north and south ends of the celestial ring from approximately 30° to 40° declination from the celestial equator, and
- (c) a fixed orientation 24-hour number dial, with a 12-mark at the top and a 24-mark at the bottom, and an outside edge of the number dial slides along an inside surface of the celestial ring along the celestial equator, and wherein each depicted planet, including the depicted earth at the center of the celestial ring, moves around the depicted sun at a rate reflecting the actual planet's elliptical orbit around the actual sun, and the number dial pivots around the depicted sun, rotating relative to the celestial ring at the same rate the depicted earth orbits the depicted sun such that the 12-mark is fixed at an orientation corresponding to a location of the depicted sun, and
- (d) a meridian track extending from north to south along an outer surface of the celestial ring and passing through the center of the depicted sun located at the center of the planetary dial, two ends of the meridian track serve as indicators which interface with the calendar bands, and a user reads the current month based on which month block the meridian track crosses, and the user reads the current day of the month based on which day block the meridian track crosses, and
- (e) a time of day indicator which emerges from a surface of the depicted earth at the center of the celestial ring, representing the location of the user of the calendar-clock, and wherein the depicted earth is rotated at a rate reflecting the actual earth's rotation relative to the actual sun, and the user tells the approximate time of day by determining which number mark the time of day indicator is pointing at on the number dial.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.