Lockable name plate

A name plate assembly having invisible locking means requiring the use of an externally applied magnet. The name plate assembly includes the use of a base member having one or more dovetailed type rails on one face and a game plate having corresponding dovetail recesses for slidingly engaging with the rails of the base member. Mounted on the base member is a first magnet means which normally engage with the name plate to hold the name plate locked securely on the base member. The magnet means can only be disengaged from the name plate by the application to the assembly of a second magnet means withdrawing the first magnet means from locking engagement with the name plate.

This invention relates to name plate assemblies and particularly 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 others. The unauthorized removal of name 
plates has led to considerable inconvenience and expense in providing 
replacements. 
The invention consists of a name plate mounted on a base together 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 magnets are floatably captive in 
the name plate base and partially drop into engagement in the cavity in 
the name plate only when the 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withdrawn from the base, an external magnet or magnet system must be 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 
assembly in order to raise or unlock the metal dowel or magnet out of the 
cavity in the name plate. While the metal dowel or magnet within the name 
plate assembly is in the raised or unlocked position, the name plate can 
be slid along and out of 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 electrical supply is 
available, such as for illuminating a directory panel board, 
electro-magnets can be employed for locking and unlocking the name plates 
on their base. 
The present invention, therefore, provides a relatively cheap and practical 
means of protecting name plates from unwarrented removal from the base on 
which they are mounted. 
The object of the invention is to provide a lockable name plate assembly in 
which the locking means is not visible and an external magnetic device 
suitably designed must be applied to a predetermined 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. 
A further object of the invention is to provide means for locking a 
multiple of name plates on a base or directory board.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 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 of 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, at 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 lower 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 
FIGS. 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 aligned in its correct 
position on the base 6 and when the base and name plate assembly are 
positioned vertically when mounted on a door or in a directory stand, as 
shown in FIG. 2, the lower end of the magnet 18 drops into the cavity 17 
in the name plate 7 to lock the name plate from horizontal movement 
relative to the base 6. 
An external magnet A, shown in FIG. 4, is applied to the top edge of the 
name plate assembly for the purpose of lifting the rod magnet 18 out of 
engagement with the cavity 17 in the name plate 7 and thus releases the 
name plate from locking engagement with the base member. 
In FIG. 5 there is shown an arrangement of two magnets 19a and 20a located 
parallel with each other in the base member 6, with the magnets having 
opposite polarity requiring an opposite pole magnet to retract the magnets 
19a and 20a from locking engagement with the name plate. 
In FIG. 5a the magnets 19a and 20a are similar to those shown in FIG. 5. In 
order to permit the magnets 19a and 20a to lock with a name plate when the 
assembly is mounted on a flat horizontal surface, an additional magnet 21 
is mounted in a fixed position at right angles and spaced from the inward 
ends of the magnets 19a and 20a. In this arrangement the magnet 21 pulls 
the magnets 19a and 20a into locking engagement with the name plate. 
In FIG. 6 there is shown an arrangement of two magnets 22 and 23 which are 
vertically aligned with each other, one in each of the rails 9. These 
magnets 22 and 23 are of opposite polarity and their adjacent ends 24 
together act to lock the name plate to the base 29 in the manner above 
described. 
In FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 there is shown a variation in which the round-flat 
magnets are used to lock the name plate to the base on which the name 
plate is mounted. 
In FIGS. 7 and 8 the magnet 25 is mounted centrally on the left spring 26 
and the magnet is seated within the aperture 27 in the rail 9a. The left 
spring 26 has its ends anchored at 28 in the longitudinal recess 10a in 
the rear face of the base member 29. The name plate 30 has a circular 
recess 31 formed 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 from the base member. 
FIGS. 9 and 10 are similar to FIGS. 7 and 8, except that two magnets 33 are 
employed, secured to the ends of the leaf spring 34 which is secured 
centrally to the rear face of 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 FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 there is shown an arrangement similar to FIGS. 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 40. 
In FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 there is shown a still further modification in which 
a series of name plates 41 are mounted on a board, such as a directory 
board 42. The means for locking the name plates 41 on the board is shown 
in FIGS. 15 and 16 and consists of 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 48 in the name plates is secured to the 
top end of the gang rod 43. 
When the operative magnet is applied close to the location of the magnet 
48, the magnet or soft iron plate 48 is attracted to move upwards in the 
mating slots 45 and 47 and thereby withdraw the raised surfaces 44 of the 
gang rod 43 upwards out of engagement with the slots 47 in the lower edge 
portion of the name plates. 
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 A in FIG. 
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 FIG. 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 FIGS. 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 
FIG. 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 illustrated having 
dovetailed mating surfaces, the base members could be 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 arrangement can be seen. One 
must have the knowledge that an external magnet must be used to unlock the 
name plate and, in certain instances such as with the arrangements shown 
in FIGS. 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 plate.