GB2387954A

GB2387954A - A magnetic vehicle number plate display

Info

Publication number: GB2387954A
Application number: GB0301500A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Colin Thomas White; Michael Curtis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-01-22
Filing date: 2003-01-22
Publication date: 2003-10-29
Also published as: GB0301500D0; GB0201381D0; IES20030032A2

Abstract

A number plate assembly comprises a mounting plate 4, a display plate 1 and a carrier plate 2. The mounting plate is mounted on either a vehicle 11 or a vehicle trailer 10, and has an outward projection 8 which engages the bottom edge of the display plate. The display plate having alphanumeric characters on one side, is attached to the mounting plate by magnets, which may either be in sheet form (5 figure 5a) or as a permanent magnet 3, the magnets may be mounted on either the mounting plate or the display plate. Alternatively the carrier plate may be mounted between the mounting plate and the display plate.

Description

1 2387954

NUMBER PLATE ASSEMBLIES

This invention has to do with number plate assemblies, particularly adapted to provide a detachable 5 number plate. These are useful particularly on vehicle trailers, such as those used with articulated trucks.

These trailers are normally required to show the registration number of the towing vehicle, so that they must be readily attachable and removable.

10 The conventional arrangement for providing a detachable number plate has a set of fixing bolts or screws on the back of the trailer, adjacent a standard number plate light (which is generally legally required).

These bolts fit through holes in the plate and are 15 secured e.g. by wing-nuts. Other systems are known. A problem is that the fastenings may partly obscure the symbols on the plate. Another problem is the use of small detachable parts which may become lost or be difficult to use, particularly in cold or wet conditions.

20 It has also been proposed to use a magnetic number plate which will hold itself onto the metal of a lorry trailer. This is described in GB 2299195, but no particulars are given. DE 1221568 and GB 968487 describe a structure for a flexible magnetic number plate suitable 25 for vehicles. It includes a flexible sheet layer impregnated with magnetic particles.

CH 602378 (1978) describes a removable vehicle number plate using snap catches; magnetic locating sockets are also suggested in a rather complex 30 construction. JP-A-2000/132111 shows a temporary magnetic plate fixing for a vehicle, but this is for use in a sale room and is not robust.

The aim here is to provide a new and useful number plate assembly enabling releasable attachment e.g. to the rear of a vehicle trailer, in a convenient but secure manner. 5 What we now propose is the use of a mounting plate to which a detachable number plate can be attached magnetically. Preferably the mounting plate is a simple metal plate and the number plate has a magnet, although it can be done the other way round. The mounting plate 10 has an outward support surface or area, preferably flat, against which the number plate is held magnetically. So that the plate is not shaken out of place by sudden shocks or ongoing vibrations during travel, the mounting plate has one or more outward projections (i.e. rearward, 15 if the mounting is on the rear of a vehicle/trailer) engageable with the number plate to support it, at least upwardly. An outward projection can be provided at or along a lower portion, e.g. along a lower edge, of the mounting 20 sheet to engage a bottom edge of the number plate when it is fixed in position by the magnet.

The mounting plate may have fastening means, e.g. one or more openings to take fastener elements, adapted to secure to a conventional number plate mounting 25 location on the back of a vehicle or trailer. Such openings may be recessed so that fasteners do not project and interfere with the attachment of the plate.

The number plate itself needs to be magnetically attractable to the mounting plate. So, it will need to 30 be metal and/or comprise a magnet, preferably the latter.

The number plate may be a simple display plate, carrying numbers, letters or other usual symbols, with one or more magnets attached to its rear surface. Or, and more

preferably, a carrier plate is provided to which the magnet or magnets is/are attached. A separate display plate (carrying the symbols etc.) is then attached to an outer face of the carrier plate. The benefit of this is 5 that ordinary display plates may be attached by a variety of conventional means to the carrier plate, without needing to be specially adapted by attachment of a magnet to the display plate. The carrier plate therefore provides a magnetic entity usable with a range of 10 different display plates; at the same time it may provide reinforcement for the display plate. The carrier plate may be a metal or tough plastics plate. It may have means for securing to a display plate e.g. one or more fastener holes, and/or adhesive attachments (or the 15 latter may be provided separately or on the display plate itself). The preferred form of the magnet is a sheet or layer form, extending over a substantial part e.g. at least 25% of the area of the display plate, if it is attached to 20 that, or of a carrier plate, if it is attached to that.

Where the carrier plate and display plate are separate, they are preferably substantially the same size. A sheet-form magnet enables a thin number plate assembly and provides a large bonding force over a wide area.

25 Also, sheet-formed magnets are available in relatively flexible materials meaning that the magnetic component is -

less vulnerable to damage. It also becomes easier to remove the number plate from its mounting, because it can be bent up at the edge rather than needing to be slid.

30 The outward projection of the backing plate is preferably provided as an integral bent portion of the plate along its lower edge. This is simple to form in

metal e.g. by conventional stamping procedures which may also form fastener holes for it.

One aspect of the invention is the mounting plate itself. Another aspect of the invention is the mounting 5 plate plus a number plate adapted to be joined to it magnetically, preferably the number plate having the magnet. "Number plate" in this context is used to mean either a display plate adapted for magnetic attachment, a carrier/reinforcing plate adapted for magnetic 10 attachment, or a combination of the latter with a display plate which may or may not be suitable for magnetic attachment. Embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying 15 drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a trailer with a number plate attached.

Fig. 2 shows components of a first number plate assembly. 20 Fig. 3(a) shows the number plate before attachment to a mounting plate.

Fig. 3(b) shows the number plate attached to the mounting plate.

Fig. 4(a) shows the components of a second number 25 plate assembly prior to attachment to a mounting plate.

Fig. 4(b) shows the components of a number plate which is attached to a mounting plate.

Figs. 5(a) and 5(b) show a further embodiment.

Fig. 1 illustrates a towing or tractor vehicle (11) 30 which is attached at its king pin to an articulated trailer (10). The mounting plate (4) of the number plate assembly is mounted on the trailer cross-beam (10'), for example the mounting plate may be welded to the cross

beam. Or, the mounting plate is bolted or screwed on at a place on the rear wall or door of a trailer, intended for a removable number plate and having a light fitting for it.

5 Fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which number display plate (1) is attached by fixing means which pass through holes (1'), (2'), and into a metal reinforcing or carrier plate (2). The reinforcing plate (2) is attached to a permanent magnet (3) of 10 circular cross section or generally cylindrical shape, the circular end face of which abuts the reinforcing plate (2). The reinforcing plate and the permanent magnet are attached to each other by a screw which passes through a hole (2') in the reinforcing plate and into a 15 threaded bore (3') in the permanent magnet (3). The three elements (1- 3) together constitute a number plate which is capable of being attached and detached from the mounting plate (4) which is made up of a single steel sheet with holes for fixing bolts and to which the 20 permanent magnet (3) is magnetically attracted. The mounting plate (4) is provided with a rearwardly projecting ledge (8) which projects from the mounting plate for a distance which is greater than the combined width of the number display plate (1), reinforcing or 25 carrier, plate (2) and magnet (3), so that when the number plate is attached to the mounting plate, as illustrated in Fig. 3b, the projecting ledge 8 provides a vertical support to the number plate, so that the permanent magnet predominantly has to deal with 30 longitudinal forces (in the direction of travel), and forces tending to cause sideways and upwards movement relative to the backing plate, arising from movement of the trailer. These forces are modest and/or against

gravity. This enables the size and/or strength of the permanent magnet to be reduced in comparison with what would have been necessary had there been no projecting ledge (8) on the mounting plate (4).

5 Fig. 4a and 4b illustrate an embodiment of the invention where a flexible magnetic sheet (5) is bonded on one of its surfaces to the rear surface of a number carrier plate (1), which may be of metallic or synthetic material. This results in a number plate which does not 10 require fixing means other than bonding adhesive, such as screws, nuts, bolts and such like due to the relatively flat large bonding surface area which is available for the application of bonding adhesive. The use of such a flexible magnetic sheet of ferrite material, results in a 15 number plate which does not require the use of a reinforcing plate and which has a comparatively low overall width.; This in turn means that the projecting ledge of the mounting plate can be sized accordingly and it therefore 20 is not required to project as far as would be the case for a thicker plate. Alternatively the projecting ledge may be formed from part of the cross-beam (10') e.g. its top surface, to which the mounting plate (4) is secured -

e.g. welded or such like.

25 Fig. 4a illustrates the number plate (1), (5) prior to attachment to the mounting plate (4) whereas Fig. 4b illustrates the number plate (1), (5) after attachment to the mounting plate (4).

Fig. 5 shows a preferred embodiment. Here the 30 number display plate 1 is a plastics number plate of a conventional kind, carrying symbols against a highly reflective light coloured background. On the back of the

plastic plate 1 are strips 11 of double-sided tape

covered with conventional release layers, so that when desired, they can be fixed to the carrier plate 2. The carrier plate 2 is a rectangular steel sheet the same size and shape as the display plate 1, with a sheet 5 ferrite magnet 5 permanently bonded to its rear face. It -

also has screw holes 21 in the event that a number plate needs to be joined to it other than by adhesion. The adhesive strips 11 are just one suitable way of securing -

a display plate 1 to the carrier plate 2. The carrier 10 plate 2 with its attached magnet 5 is supplied as an entity together with a mounting plate 4. As in previous embodiments, this is a single steel sheet bent forward along its lower edge to provide a support for the composite number plate (the carrier plate 2 with the 15 display plate 1 attached to it) against downward displacements. It is possible to provide end support projections at the sides of the plate, but these are; generally found to be unnecessary. The mounting plate has three bolt holes 41 at positions corresponding to the 20 conventional mountings for a trailer number plate. These -

holes 41 are recessed as shown in Fig. 5(b), so that securing bolts do not project. The outer face of the mounting plate 4 is therefore completely flat as presented to the magnet 5, forming a strong and simple -

25 attachment. Fig. 5 also shows in broken lines the -

possibility of forming a number plate light fitting 44 on, e.g. integrally with, the mounting plate 4. Normally the mounting plate 4 can be secured adjacent the existing number plate light of a vehicle/trailer wall or door, but 30 the version with its own light may be useful when for some reason this is not available or not accessible.

As mentioned previously, the purchaser may buy the combination of the magnetic carrier plate 2 and the

mounting plate 4, to which display plates 1 of various kinds can be releasably secured in subsequent use in a variety of ways.

Claims

o CLAIMS:

1. A number plate assembly comprising a number plate which is either a display plate 5 having an outward face displaying one or more numbers, -

letters or other symbols, or is a carrier plate having an outer face adapted for attachment to such a display plate, the number plate having a back face for attachment to a mounting plate, and 10 a mounting plate to be attached to a vehicle or vehicle trailer, the mounting plate having a front support surface against which the back face of the number plate is to be secured; the number plate and mounting plate being securable 15 together magnetically by a magnet on the number plate or mounting plate, and the mounting plate having one or more outward projections to engage the number plate and support it against downward displacements, supplementing the magnetic attraction.

2. A number plate assembly according to claim l in which the outward projection is positioned to engage the bottom edge of the number plate.

25

3. A number plate assembly according to claim l or 2 in which the mounting plate has a horizontal ledge as said outward projection.

4. A number plate assembly according to any one of the 30 proceedings claims in which the magnet is a sheet-form magnet permanently attached to the back face of the number plate.

5. A number plate assembly according to any one of the 35 preceding claims in which the number plate comprises a

said carrier plate, to which a discrete display plate may be releasably attached on its front face.

6. A number plate assembly, or a mounting plate for a 5 number plate assembly, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.