Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to name plate ~ssemblies and par-
ticularly to name plates which are slidably mounted on a base and
have invisible locking means controlled by the use of a magnet or
a system of magnets.
Name plates, particularly those which are mounted on a
base secured to a door or wall and those which are mounted on a
directory board, are readily subjected to unwarranted removal.
This is particularly so with name plates which can readily be used
by othersO The unauthorized removal of name plates has led to con-
siderable inconvenience and expense in providing replacements.
The invention consists of a name plate mounted on a basetogether with magnet means whereby the name plate is secured to the
base and is releasable from the base only when the magnet means is
made operable by an authorized person. In one example, the name
plate base has dovetailed rails on its frame face and the name
plate has dovetailed rails on its rear face, the dovetailed rails
engaging with each other to permit the name plate to be slidably
mounted on the base. One or more metal dowels or magnets are
floatably mounted in cavities, half of which are located on the
front face of the name plate base with the other half being located
on the rear face of the name plate. The two facing halves of the
cavities are aligned with each other when the name plate is in its
proper position on the name plate base~ The metal dowels or mag-
nets are floatably captive in the name plate base and partially
drop into engagement in the cavity in the name plate only when the
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name plate is slidably moved along the base to take up its desired
position. In order to permit the name plate to be withdrawn from
the base, an external magnet or magnet system must be applied to
the upper edge or predetermined area of the base name plate assem-
bly in order to raise or unlock the metal dowel or magnet out ofthe cavity in the name plate. While the metal dowel or magnet
within the name plate assembly is in the raised or unlockedposition,
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the name plate can be slid along and out o~ engagement with the
base. Thus, without the use of an operative magnet, the name
plate remains securely locked on the base.
In some applications of the invention where an elestri-
cal supply is available, such as for illuminating a directory pa-
nel board, electro-magnets can be employed for locking and unlock-
ing the name plates on their base.
The present invention, therefore, provides a relatively
~heap and practical means of protecting name plates from unwar-
rented removal from the base on which they are mounted.
The object of the invention is to provide a lockablename plate assembly in which the locking means is not visible and
an external magnetic device suitably designed must be applied to a
predetermin0d area of the assembly in order to remove the name
plate from its base.
A further object of the invention is to provide a name
plate assembly in which a name plate will automatically lock itself
when repositioned on the base of the name plate assembly.
~ ~urther object o~ the invention is to provide means for
locking a multiple of name plates on a base or directory board.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent
from the following detailed specification and the accompanying
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a part perspective view of a name plate as-
sembly according to the present invention with the name pla-te mov-
ed along the base to show a magnet locking pin captive in the base.
Figure 2 is an end view of the assembly shown in Figure
1, showing in dotted lines the metal dowel or magnet locking pin
in inter-~erence with the name plate.
Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the
line 3-3 of Fi.gure 1, showing the metal ~owel or magnet locking pin
located within a cavity in the base member of the name plate assem-
bly.
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Figure ~ is an enlarged rear view of one encl of ~he name
plate assembly, showing the means to hold the locking magnet cap-
tive and an external magnet to raise the locking dowel or magnet
device out of inter-ference with the name plate,
Figure 5 is a partial front face view of a name plate
base, showing an arrangement using a pair of opposing attraction
locking magnets which require a special magnet to unlock the sli-
ding nam~ plate.
Figure 5a is similar to Figure 5, but shows a third mag-
net for holding the other two magnets in locking position when thename plate assembly is in a flat position.
Figure 6 is a partial front face view of a name plate
base, showing a modified arrangement of the use of two magnets from
that shown in Figure 5 requiring a specially designed magnet to un-
lock the name plate.
Figure 7 is a partial front face view of a name plate
base, showing a spring mounted magnet requiring the use of a repul-
sion magnet applied to the front of the name plate assemblyO
Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 8-8
of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7, but shows two
spring mounted magnets requiring the use of a repulsion magnet as
shown in Figure 7.
Figure 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line 10-lO
of Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 7, but shows a pin
type magnet mounted on the end of a spring.
Figure 12 is a vertical section taken on the line 12-12
of Figure 11,
Figure 13 is an arrangement similar to that shown in Fig-
ure 11, but shows two magnets secured to each end of a spring.
Figure 14 is a partial vertical section of a multiple
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name plate assembly employing a magnet and a gang dowel ~or lock-
ing the name plates.
Figure 15 is a front view of the multiple dowel shown
in Figure 14.
Figure 16 is a side view of the multiple dowel shown in
Figure 15,
Referring to the drawings and particularly to ~igures 1
to 4, Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of one end of a name
plate assembly 5 of typical form which includes a base 6 and a
name plate 7. The base 6 is preferably of extruded form having on
its front face 8 a pair of dovetailed rails 9 and corresponding
but smaller dovetail-shaped recesses 10 on its rear face 11. The
name plate 7 has a flat front face 12 and on its rear face 13 there
is provided a pair of dovetail-shaped recesses 14 adapted to fit
on the rails 9 of the base 6 for sliding movement o-P the name plate
7 on the base 6.
At a distance inwards from one end of the base 6 there
is drilled, or otherwise formed, a vertically disposed cavity 15
centrally disposed between the front face and the rear face of the
base 6, the cavity 15 extending upwards behind the rail 9a and
downwards to be exposed in the dovetail recess 10 located between
the two rails 9.
The name plate 7, a* the same distance inwards from the
end of the name plate as the cavity 15 in the base 6, has a cavity
17 drilled, or otherwise formed, extending downwards from the low-
er edge 14a of the upper recess 14.
A floating magnet 18 is located in the cavity 15 in the
base 6 and is held therein by the plug 19 set in the rear face of
the base 6, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The plug 19 is held in
place by the detents 20.
The cavity 15 in the base 6 and the cavity 17 in the
name plate 7 are aligned with each other when the name plate 7 is
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a ligned in its correct position on the base 6 and when the hase
and name plate assembly are positioned vertically when mounted on
a door or in a directory stand, as shown in Figure 2, the lower
end o~ the magnet 18 drops into the cavity 17 in the name plate 7
to lock the name plate f'rom horizontal movement relative to the
base 6,
An external magnet A, shown in Figure 4, is applied to
the top edge of the name plate assembly f'or the purpose o~ lifting
the rod magnet 18 out o~ engagement with the cavity 17 in the name
plate 7 and thus releases the name plate ~rom locking engagement
with the base member.
In Figure 5 there is shown an arrangement of two magnets
19 and 20 located parallel with each other in the base member 69
with the magnets having opposite polarity requiring an opposite
pole magnet to retract the magnets 19 and 20 ~rom locking engage-
ment with the name plate.
In Figure 5a the magnets l9a and 20a are similar to those
shown in Figure 5. In order to permit the magnets l9a and 20a to
lock with a name plate when the assembly is mounted on a flat ho-
rizontal surface, an additional magnet 21 is mounted in a f`ixedposition at right angles and spaced f'rom the inward ends of the
magnets l9a and 20a, In this arrangement the magnet 21 pulls the
magnets l9a and 20a into locking engagement with the name plate.
In Figure 6 there is shown an arrangement of' two magnets
22 and 23 which are ~ertically aligned with each other, one in
each of' the rails 9. These magnets 22 and 23 are of' opposite po-
larity and their adjacent ends 24 together act to lock the name
plate to the base in the manner abo~e described,
In Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 there is shown a variation in
which the round-f'lat magnets are used to lock the name plate to the
base on which the name plate is mounted.
In Figures 7 and 8 the magnet 25 is mounted centrally on
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the leaf spring 26 and the magnet is seated within the aperture
27 in the rail 9a. The leaf spring 26 has its ends anchored at
28 in the longitudinal recess lOa in the rear face of the base
member 29, The name plate 30 has a circular recess 31 ~ormed in
its rear face 32 in which the magnet 25 is normally seated when
the name plate 30 is positioned on the base member 29, and is
withdrawn from its seated position when the operative magnet is
applied to permit the name plate to be slidingly removed ~rom the
base member.
Figures 9 and lO are similar to Figures 7 and 8, except
that two magnets 33 are employed, secured to the ends o-f the lea~
spring 34 which is secured centrally to the rear face Oe the base
member 35. The magnets 33 seat in the recesses 36 in the name
plate 37 to hold the name plate locked on the base member 35.
In Figures 11, 12 and 13 there is shown an arrangement
similar to Figures 7, 8 and 9 with the exception that round rod
type~magnets 38 and 38a are secured on the ends of the single leaf
spring 39 and the double leaf spring 40O
In Figures 14, 15 and 16 there is shown a still eurther
modieication in which a series o~ name plates 41 are mounted on a
board, such as a directory board 420 The means -eOr locking the
name plates 41 on the board is shown in Figures 15 and 16 and con-
sists o~ a gang rod 43 having raised portions 44 which ride in
slots 45 within the rails 46 mating with corresponding slots 47.
A magnet or soft iron plate 4~ in the name plates is secured to the
top end of the gang rod 430
When the operative magnet is applied close to the loca-
tion o e the magnet 48, the magnet or so~t iron plate ~8 is attrac-
ted to move upwards in the mating slots 45 and 47 and thereby with-
draw the raised sur:eaces 44 o e the gang rod 43 upwards out o~ en-
gagement with the slots 47 in the lower edge portion o e the name
platesO
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In all of the above described arrangements, the metal
dowels or magnets locking the name plates to the base member on
which they are mounted can only be moved out of engagement with
the name plates by the application of the operative magnet, shown
as an external magnet and designated ~ in Figure 4, to the name
plate assembly adjacent to where the locking magnet is located.
For instance, the pin-type metal dowels or magnets 18 such as are
shown in Figure 3 would require the external magnet A to be applied
to the top horizontal edge of' the name plate assembly, and where
the disc-type magnets are employed, the external magnet A would
have to be applied to the outer face of the name plate in order to
repulse the disc magnet out of engagement with the name plate.
In other arrangements such as where two magnets are used
as in Figures 5 and 5a, a double-pole external magnet is employed
to attract the two magnets away from each other to unlock the name
plate from the base member.
Where an electrical supply is available, the external
magnet A shown in Figure 4 can be replaced by electro-magnets built
into the base member and controlled by switches or push buttons
which in turn can be locked against unauthorized use.
While the base members and name plates have been illus-
trated having dovetailed mating surfaces, the base members couldbe
of channel form, having lips at their longitudinal edges to retain
the name plates for sliding movement in the channels.
With the above described arrangements the name plates
cannot be removed from their mounting and no visible locking ar-
rangement can be seen. One must have the knowledge that an exter-
nal magnet must be used to unlock the name plate and, in certain
instances such as with the arrangements shown in Figures 5, 5a and
6, the external magnet must be used in a specific way in order that
the locking magnets will withdraw from locking contact with the
name plateO
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