Facial identification system with releasably engaged components

Claim 1

In an apparatus for the assembly of correlated front and side facial representations based upon recall, in either order, the apparatus being of the type wherein plural components are arranged in an order to permit selection of recalled characteristics and interchange of components, the improvement comprising: respective backing plates for frontal and side facial components, each plate being of a dimension sufficient to accommodate an assembled facial representation on one surface thereof; each plate being formed of magnetic material; a series of non-magnetic facial component bearing strips, including a plurality of eye strips, a plurality of nose strips and a plurality of mouth strips, selected combinations of said strips being alignable on the surface of each backing plate to form a mid-face representaion; a series of lower face bearing components selectively engageable on the frontal facial backing plate, said lower face bearing components having a main section bearing the jowl portion of the face and having side portions bearing facial side representations; said lower face bearing components having magnetic strips on the side facing the plate supporting the same, on those portions overlying said non-magnetic facial component bearing strips, and being adhered magnetically to the plate in partial overlapping relation to the facial component bearing strips; a series of upper face bearing components selectively engageable on said frontal facial plate, the upper face bearing components having an upper portion bearing a forehead and hair or scalp representation, and having depending side portions extendable over said side portions of the lower face bearing component; the upper face bearing components having magnetic strips on the side facing said plate, along said side portions, with the side portions being adhered magnetically to the plate in partially overlapping relation to the facial component bearing strips and the lower face bearing component side portions; and a series of ear representation members, said ear representation members being magnets and being adhered magnetically in selective position on the depending side portions of the upper face bearing component; whereby, said magnetic strips bearing said nonmagnetic facial component bearing strips maintain said strips in proper alignment and in position on said underlying plate, and said ear representation members being held magnetically in position on said depending side portions of the upper face bearing components by magnetic attraction extending therethrough between said magnet ear representation members and said underlying magnetic plate, said side facial plate being likewise formed of magnetic material, and said apparatus further including a series of substantially L-shaped head and neck bearing forms, the head representation being located substantially on a first portion of the form and the neck on a second, perpendicular portion thereof; the forms being magnetic and being magneticallY adhered to the side facial plate selectively, a series of eye representation bearing strips for said side facial backing plate, each having an upper side edge adapted for abutment against the first portion of the form, a slant forward edge, and a lower edge; a series of mid-face and nose bearing forms for said side facial plate, each having a first upper edge abutted against the lower edge of the eye representation strip, a slant mid-edge abutted against the slant forward edge of the eye representation strip, and a lower edge; a series of mouth representation bearing strips for said side facial plate with the upper edges of said mouth representation bearing strips engageable with the lower edges of the mid-face and nose forms, and a lower edge; and a series of lower jowl and neck bearing blocks for said side facial plate, said blocks each having an upper edge adapted for abutment against a lower edge of the mouth representation bearing strips; at least the lower jaw and neck bearing blocks being magnetically adhered to the side facial plate; and a series of ear members selectively magnetically adhered to the plate in a selected position relative to the representation and wherein corresponding frontal and side; chin, lip, eye, ear, mouth and upper and lower face bearing components, respectively, having correlated indicia thereon to permit the instantaneous composition of a side facial representation after completion of a frontal facial representation and vice versa.