Prior to about 1980 wallboards were predominantly non-magnetic, for example, corkboards, chalkboards and the like. The introduction of what are commercially referred to as "whiteboards" in the 1980's led to the development of: (a) melamine surfaced boards, which accepted wet or dry markers, and which thus have a write-on/wipe-off capability; and (b) porcelain (or similar material) on steel boards which accept magnetic strips, markers, icons and the like. The primary disadvantage of the present whiteboards, especially the magnet attractant variety, is that they are expensive to manufacture and can be difficult to transport. The transportation difficulties are two fold, the boards are often large and rigid and cannot be reduced to a convenient size and they are heavy due to the materials presently used in their construction. Furthermore, because of their size and weight conventional boards a prone to damage during shipment. While hinged folding boards are known, they do not fully overcome the aforementioned problems.
Additionally, conventional boards need to be installed onto the walls where they are to be used by drilling holes into the wall (often this is prohibited in premises that are leased) and large boards need to be installed by crews of several persons due to their weight and size.
The present invention has significant advantages over the prior art. Unlike the traditional rigid boards, a magnet attractant wall display mat according to the present invention is significantly lower in weight (about on 25% of the weight of the prior art magnetic boards) and is sufficiently flexible that it can be easily rolled and inserted into a tube for transport (occupying only about 30% of the cubic capacity of the prior art magnetic boards).
There are many potential uses for the magnet attractant mats of the present invention which include, but are not limited to, its use as a presentation board, as a grid-or chart-board, as an organizer-scheduler, as an "in/out" board, as a calendar and as a projection screen. Additionally, it may also be used as a replacement "skin" for prior art bulletin boards such as chalkboards and the like.