MagnaLocs:

Assuming one can say my "claim-to-fame" was the creation of mail-order in the tablepad industry (which really never made me famous nor ever will), I got a second one for you. It came about 5 years ago. I was trying to figure out a better way to latch tablepad pieces together so as to prevent them from separating from one another while in use. Up to that point, I was using strips of velcro. Although they worked fine, their biggest disadvantage was the fact that they were exposed. From time to time a customer might accidentally scrape the rough male velcro against the tabletop surface by removing the tablepad from the table.

My competitors would either use a pivotal swing-out type device, that when activated, would latch itself to the opposing piece, or a male and female plastic clip. Just like my velcro method, these locks are exposed and could potentially cause table surface damage. But the biggest disadvantage of my competitors' methods was the time and effort it would take for the customer to engage the swing or clip locks together. And, then if he or she would forget to disengage the locks when ready to remove the tablepad, the locks could easily break off due to the pressure of pulling one piece from the other.

ADVANTAGES:

• Eliminates pad separation and sliding

• Unlike other fastening systems, the magnets are completely concealed, whether they are in use or not.

• Will not come loose, fall off, or break

• Eliminates damage frequently caused by other locking devices

• Saves time and energy (nothing to think about-nothing to do)

• Fully functional up to 100 years

Patent# 6,165,577