Magnetic work-holding table

Claim 1

A MAGNETIC WORK-HOLDING DEVICE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF PERMANENT MAGNETS, SAID DEVICE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY EASE OF MOVEMENT OF THE MAGNETS TO AND FROM "RELEASE" AND "HOLD" POSITIONS AND BY GREAT HOLDING POWER WHEN SAID MAGNETS ARE IN THE HOLD POSITION, COMPRISING: AN ARRAY OF FERRO-MAGNETIC WORK-HOLDING POLE STRIPS IN MAGNETICALLY ISOLATED SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP, EACH STRIP HAVING A WORK-HOLDING POLE FACE, SAID FACES LYING IN A COMMON PLANE PROVIDING A WORK-HOLDING SURFACE, AND A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL POLE PIECES EXTENDING IN ONE DIRECTION FROM EACH SAID STRIP, SAID POLE PIECES LYING IN PARALLEL SPACED PLANES TRAVERSE TO SAID STRIPS AND NORMAL TO SAID WORK-HOLDING POLE FACE, SAID POLE PIECES PRESENTING A PLURALITY OF OPPOSED PLANAR FLUX-RECEIVING FACES BETWEEN ADJACENT POLE PIECES ON EACH OF SAID STRIPS; A MOVABLE CARRIER EXTENDING IN SLIDABLE RELATION TO EACH OF SAID STRIPS, SAID CARRIER HAVING PORTIONS THEREOF SLIDABLE BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED FLUX-RECEIVING FACES OF SAID POLE PIECES; AND A PLURALITY OF WAFER-LIKE CERAMIC PERMANENT MAGNETS MAGNETIZED IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THEIR THICKNESS, EACH OF SAID MAGNETS HAVING LARGE OPPOSITELY FACING MAGNETIC POLE SIDE SURFACES AND SMALLER EDGE SURFACES, SAID MAGNETS BEING DISPOSED ON SAID MOVABLE CARRIER WITH SAID SIDE SURFACES PARALLEL TO SAID FLUX-RECEIVING FACES AND SLIDABLE BETWEEN OPPOSED FLUX-RECEIVING FACES WITH SAID MOVABLE CARRIER, SAID MAGNETS BEING FURTHER ORIENTED ON SAID CARRIER TO PRESENT SIDE SURFACES OF SIMILAR POLARITY TOWARD OPPOSED FLUX-RECEIVING FACES OF THE POLE PIECES OF AN INDIVIDUAL WORK-HOLDING POLE STRIP BUT OF OPPOSITE POLARITY AS BETWEEN STRIPS, THE SUCCESSIVE WORK-HOLDING POLE STRIPS BEING OF OPPOSITE POLARITY TO EACH OTHER WHEN SAID CARRIER IS MOVED INTO A HOLD POSITION WHEREIN SAID MAGNETS ARE IN SUBSTANTIAL REGISTRY WITH CORRESPONDING FLUX-RECEIVING FACES.