Supports – Brackets – Specially mounted or attached
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-24
2001-10-16
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Specially mounted or attached
C248S309400, C024S303000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302363
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
1. Background of the Invention
This invention is directed to a magnetic device, commonly referred to as a refrigerator magnet, which is used to hold paper memos, notices, notes, photos, and similar thin sheet materials against flat, smooth, usually vertically oriented, metallic surfaces such as refrigerators, stoves, file cabinets and other storage cabinets, automotive bodies and the like. The refrigerator magnet body of the present invention is characterized by its extreme simplicity, its one-piece unitary construction and its user friendliness due to its easy loading and easy release features.
When compared to the typical flat refrigerator magnet the magnet of this invention is more user friendly as it 1) overcomes the difficulty associated with the user's need to get underneath the magnet with one's fingernails or fingertips in order to insert or remove a piece of paper from underneath it and 2) avoids the situation where the user has to hold the magnet in place while trying to insert or remove the paper from underneath it. Previous attempts to create a better refrigerator magnet have been, at best, relatively complicated and cumbersome.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Irie U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,321 is directed to a multi-part magnetic holder having a fixed magnet which is attachable on one side to a surface either magnetically or adhesively. A movable body made of a magnetically attractive material is loosely attached by a pin to the opposite side of the magnet. The movable body is divided into two or more segments separated by bend lines and defining separate planes such that only one segment is attracted to the magnet at any one time. The bends function as fulcrums to shift the magnetic attraction from one segment of the movable body to another. A non-magnetic covering body is attached over the movable body and has clipping parts which extend over the edges of the movable body to engage sheet material to be held by the holder when the movable body segment adjacent to the clipping part is in engagement with the fixed magnet.
Wheatley U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,370 is directed to a multi-part paper holder in the nature of a clipboard having a base of magnetic material. A non-magnetic paper holder body partially encloses one or more magnets each having a clamp face and a rest face joined along a common edge forming a fulcrum or pivot permitting the holder body to be rocked to either of two positions. When the rest faces of the magnets engage the magnetic base the paper holder is held in a paper-receiving rest position. When the holder is rocked on the fulcrum the clamp faces of the magnet may hold paper or similar sheet material against the base.
Woods U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,278 is directed to a refrigerator magnet in the form of a small horseshoe or ponyshoe. A pair of aligned magnets are disposed midway between the ends of the shoe arms to hold the shoe body spaced from a magnetizable surface, such as a refrigerator door, and to serve as a fulcrum or pivot to permit the shoe to be tilted relative to the surface. A frictional holding element such as another magnet is disposed at the toe of the shoe. When manual force is applied to the face end of one of the shoe arms the frictional holding element is lifted from the magnetizable surface to permit a sheet of paper or the like to be slipped under it. Upon release of the manual force the paper is held clamped in place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Broadly stated the invention is directed to a magnetic device for holding thin non-magnetic sheet material against a flat, smooth, magnetically attractive metallic surface. It comprises a one-piece rigid unitary body having a first bottom planar magnetic surface and at least one other adjoining bottom planar magnetic surface. The magnetic surfaces are joined along a common bend line at an obtuse angle. The bend line functions as a fulcrum whereby manual force applied to the top surface of the unitary body causes the bottom magnetic surfaces to be alternately engageable with a magnetically attractive surface, such as a refrigerator door, in direct contact with the door and through non-magnetic sheet material to be attached to the door.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2693370 (1954-11-01), Wheatley
patent: 4830321 (1989-05-01), Irie
patent: 4971278 (1990-11-01), Woods
patent: 5702778 (1997-12-01), Andonian
patent: 5782445 (1998-07-01), Cleck
patent: 5996821 (1999-12-01), Farber et al.
patent: 6106937 (2000-08-01), Hamerski
patent: 6153279 (2000-11-01), Charley
Olson David V.
Olson Lois J.
King Anita
Morrison Naschica S.
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