GB2324119A

GB2324119A - Hinged plastic letter plate

Info

Publication number: GB2324119A
Application number: GB9707229A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Davies
Original assignee: PLUS PLAN
Current assignee: PLUS PLAN
Priority date: 1997-04-09
Filing date: 1997-04-09
Publication date: 1998-10-14
Also published as: GB9707229D0

Abstract

A letter plate assembly comprises a support (4a,4b) and a hinged (8,9) plastics letter plate (2), movable between open and closed positions. The support (4a,4b) and the letter plate (2) are provided with magnetic means to hold the letter plate (2) in the closed position. The magnetic means may comprise two members (16,18) of ferromagnetic material, one (16) affixed to the free edge of the letter plate (2), and the other (18) to a part of the support (4a,4b) adjacent thereto when the letter plate (2) is in the closed position. One member (16,18) may be magnetic and the other non-magnetised, or both may be magnetic, but arranged so as to abut at poles of opposite polarity. The support (4a,4b) may have a sleeve portion (4a) adapted to be received in a hole (10) in a door (12) or door surround. The letter plate assembly may be moulded in plastics material and have a metallic surface finish.

Description

Title - Letter Plate This invention relates to a letter plate, in particular to a letter plate of plastics material.

Letter plates are used to cover openings, commonly in a door or door surround, through which mail and the like is delivered. Commonly, such a letter plate is hingedly mounted such that it can be lifted from the outside (for example by a postman) to expose the opening and to enable the mail to be delivered.

Letter plates are conventionally formed of metals such as brass, or base metals to which a brass or brass-like coating has been applied. Even in the latter case, such letter plates are relatively expensive, however, and less costly letter plates are therefore manufactured from plastics material. Plastics letter plates suffer from the disadvantage that they are relatix ely light in weight and can therefore be lifted by wind, leading to draughts, loss of heat from within the building etc.

Plastics letter plates also have a cheap, low-quality feel.

There has now been devised a novel form of plastics letter plate which overcomes or substantially mitigates the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the invention, a letter plate assembly comprises a plastics letter plate hingedly mounted on a support for movement between closed and open positions, the support and the letter plate being provided with magnetically attracting members arranged to hold the letter plate in the closed position.

The letter plate assembly according to the invention is advantageous primarily in that the magnetic attraction of the juxtaposed magnetically attracting members acts to maintain the letter plate in the closed position, and also in that those members cause the letter plate to close with a metallic-like sound and feel, thereby imitating the feel and quality of a metal(eg brass) letter plate.

The magnetic ally attracting members are preferably pieces, most preferably strips, of ferromagnetic material affixed to the free edge of the letter plate and a part of the support which is adjacent thereto when the letter plate is in the closed position. One of the magnetically attracting members may be magnetic and the other simply a non-magnetised ferromagnetic member, or both may be magnets, arranged such that they abut at poles of opposite polarity.

The support for the letter plate may simply be the door or door surround on which the letter plate is mounted. Preferably, however, the support is a separate component which is itself mounted on the door or door surround and which incorporates means for hinged mounting of the letter plate. Most preferably, the support comprises a sleeve member which, in use, is received within the opening and has a peripheral flange for abutment with the external surface of the door or door surround. The peripheral flange preferably incorporates hinge formations which cooperate with suitable formations on the letter plate.

The letter plate (and the support) may be moulded using any suitable plastics material, and may be given a metallic surface finish, eg a brass finish, by known plastics coating techniques.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of a first embodiment of a letter plate assembly according to the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view of the assembly of Figure 1, installed in a door, and Figure 3 is an exploded view of part of a second embodiment of a letter plate assembly according to the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, a letter plate assembly (generally designated 1) comprises a letter plate 2, a support 4 and a rear member 6. All three components are moulded from plastics material, the letter plate 2 being coated with a metallic imitation brass finish.

The support 4 comprises a sleeve portion 4a of rectangular section which is dimensioned to fit within a correspondingly shaped opening 10 in a door 12 (see Figure 2). Peripheral flange portions 4b of the support 4 abut the door when the sleeve portion 4a is inserted into the opening 10. The flange portions 4b at either side of the support 4 are provided with fixing holes (not visible in the drawings) for screws.

The upper flange portion 4b is formed with two integral hinge formations 8. The hinge formations 8 define channels within which horizontally disposed pins 9 formed integrally with the letter plate 2 are received such that the letter plate 2 can be pivoted from the closed position (as shown in the drawings) in which it covers the opening 1 to an open position shown by the broken lines in Figure 2.

The lower rear portion of the letter plate 2 is formed with a channel 14 within which an elongate magnetic strip 16 is received. A corresponding strip 18 of ferromagnetic material is fixed to the lower flange portion 4b of the support 4 such that when the letter plate 2 is in the closed position the magnetic strip 16 and the corresponding strip 18 are in abutment. The magnetic attraction between them holds the letter plate 2 in the closed position, against the influence of small forces applied to the letter plate 2, eg due to windy weather. However, the letter plate 2 can nonetheless be easily lifted by manual force to enable mail etc to be delivered through the opening 10. After opening, the letter plate 2 returns to the closed position under the influence of gravity. When the letter plate 2 returns to the closed position, the impact of the magnetic strip 16 on the corresponding strip 18 gives the assembly the sound and feel of a metallic letter plate assembly.

The rear member 6 is also formed with a sleeve portion 6a, which is inserted into the opening 10, and a peripheral flange 6b which abuts the internal surface of the door 12. The peripheral flange 6b is also provided with fixing holes 19, one of which is visible in Figure 1. The sleeve portion 6a is of slightly greater dimension than the sleeve portion 4a of the support 4, so that the latter is received within the former when the letter plate assembly 1 is installed (as shown in Figure 2). This enables the assembly 1 to be fitted to doors or door surrounds of varying thickness.

Turning now to Figure 3, this shows a second form of letter plate 22 and support 24. As in the embodiment described above, the support 24 comprises a sleeve portion 24a of rectangular section and a peripheral flange portion 24b. The upper edge of the support 24 is formed with three male hinge members 26 which engage corresponding female hinge formations 28 formed integrally with the letter plate 22. The arrangement is such that, when the support 24 is inserted into a door opening, the letter plate 22 is captivated between the male hinge members 26 and the surface of the door.

Also formed integrally at the top edge of the support 24 are a pair of resilient spring formations 30. When the letter plate 22 is raised it is against the action of the spring formations 30 which are thereby compressed and urge the letter plate 22 back to the lowered (closed) position.

The front face of the support 24 is provided with a peripheral groove 32 which may accommodate a sealing gasket. Of course, the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 may be provided with a similar feature, and also with one or more resilient spring formations similar to the spring formations 30 (eg positioned between the hinge formations 8).

Claims

1. A letter plate assembly comprising a plastics letter plate hingedly mounted on a support for movement between closed and open positions, the support and the letter plate being provided with magnetically attracting members arranged to hold the letter plate in the closed position.

2. A letter plate assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetically attracting members are pieces of ferromagnetic material affixed to the free edge of the letter plate and a part of the support which is adjacent thereto when the letter plate is in the closed position.

3. A letter plate assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of the magnetically attracting members is magnetic and the other is non-magnetised.

4. A letter plate assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein both magnetically attracting members are magnetic and are arranged, when the letter plate is in the closed position, to abut at poles of opposite polarity.

5. A letter plate assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a support to be mounted about an opening in a door or door surround, which support incorporates means for hinged mounting of the letter plate.

6. A letter plate assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support comprises a sleeve member which, in use, is received within the opening and has a peripheral flange for abutment with the external surface of the door or door surround.

7. A letter plate assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the peripheral flange incorporates hinge formations which co-operate with suitable formations on the letter plate.

8. A letter plate assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, which is moulded in plastics material, and has a metallic surface finish.

9. A letter plate assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A letter plate assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 3.