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Provided is a magnet mounting assembly including a ferromagnetic support plate having a periphery, two opposite faces, and a ferromagnetic plate extension depending from the periphery, and a permanent magnet disposed on the support plate, in which the plate extension has a plurality of heights formi

Provided is a magnet mounting assembly including a ferromagnetic support plate having a periphery, two opposite faces, and a ferromagnetic plate extension depending from the periphery, and a permanent magnet disposed on the support plate, in which the plate extension has a plurality of heights forming a plurality of legs. A terminal edge of the legs is engagable with a rounded magnetic surface at four non-contiguous locations thereon. The plate extension may form a V-block. Also provided are methods of utilizing such a magnet mounting assembly to securely and stably attach a device, such as a measurement device, to a rounded ferromagnetic surface, such as the exterior surface of a storage tank. A measurement device/storage tank assembly including such a magnet mounting assembly is also provided.

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What is claimed is: 1. A magnet mounting assembly for use in detachably mounting a device to a rounded ferromagnetic surface of a liquid storage tank, said assembly comprising: a ferromagnetic support plate including a central axis, and an interior face; a ferromagnetic plate extension depending fr

What is claimed is: 1. A magnet mounting assembly for use in detachably mounting a device to a rounded ferromagnetic surface of a liquid storage tank, said assembly comprising: a ferromagnetic support plate including a central axis, and an interior face; a ferromagnetic plate extension depending from said interior face; a permanent magnet disposed on said interior face; and said plate extension being sized and shaped with a plurality of axial heights relative to said plate, to form a plurality of legs having terminal edges, said edges being configured to engage the rounded ferromagnetic surface at a plurality of non-contiguous locations thereon; said legs depending immovably from said support plate, wherein said support plate and said plate extension comprise a solid state device; wherein said legs are spaced from one another to provide clearance therebetween; said legs being substantially equidistantly spaced from one another; and said legs collectively forming less than or equal to 50% of a notional periphery of the assembly. 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said support plate is substantially flat. 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said plate extension extends substantially orthogonally relative to said interior face of said support plate. 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said edges define a geometry having a transverse dimension d disposed orthogonally to said axis, said edges are disposed at an oblique angle α relative to said transverse dimension, and a ratio of said transverse dimension d (in inches) to said angle α (in degrees) is within a range of about 1:0. 5 to 1:2. 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said periphery of said support plate is rounded in a transverse plane orthogonal to said axial direction. 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said periphery of said support plate is substantially circular in said transverse plane. 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said rounded ferromagnetic surface is an exterior surface of a storage tank. 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said rounded ferromagnetic surface is cylindrical. 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said rounded magnetic surface is spherical. 10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said magnet is bonded to said interior face of said support plate with an adhesive. 11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said magnet is a ceramic disc magnet. 12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said support plate comprises a mounting aperture. 13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said support plate comprises an alignment aperture. 14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said support plate and said plate extension comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of iron and nickel. 15. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said support plate and said plate extension are sized and shaped to direct the flux from said magnet to said terminal edges. 16. A method of detachably mounting a device to a rounded magnetic surface, said method comprising: providing a magnet mounting assembly of the type set forth in claim 1; providing a device; disposing the device on an exterior face of the support plate to form a magnetic mounting device; and engaging said magnetic mounting assembly with a rounded magnetic surface, wherein the terminal edges of the legs contact the rounded magnetic surface in a plurality of non-contiguous locations thereon. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the flux from said magnet is directed to the terminal edges of said legs. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein said plate extension comprises a V-block including one or more V-grooves, wherein the one or more V-grooves engage the rounded magnetic surface tangentially at a plurality of non-contiguous locations thereon. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein said device is a measurement device. 20. The method of claim 16, wherein said support plate includes an aperture, and said disposing comprises disposing the device to the exterior face of the support plate with a fastener extending through the aperture. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein said support plate includes an alignment aperture, and said disposing comprises aligning a portion of the device with the alignment aperture. 22. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said support plate and said plate extension comprise a non-sparking surface layer. 23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein said non-sparking surface layer is selected from the group consisting of brass and stainless steel. 24. The assembly of claim 1, comprising a V-block, wherein said edges of said legs define at least a pair of mutually intersecting planes forming a V-groove. 25. The assembly of claim 24, comprising one or more V-grooves configured to contact said rounded ferromagnetic surface tangentially in four non-contiguous locations on said rounded magnetic surface. 26. The assembly of claim 24, wherein said planes of said one or more V-grooves are disposed at an angle α of from 1 to 4 degrees relative to a plane orthogonal to said axis. 27. The assembly of claim 26, wherein said angle is from 2 to 3 degrees. 28. The assembly of claim 24, comprising two legs. 29. The assembly of claim 28, comprising four legs. 30. The assembly of claim 28, wherein said plate extension extends continuously about said periphery. 31. The assembly of claim 24, wherein axial heights of said planes are greater than an axial height of said magnet. 32. The assembly of claim 31, wherein said magnet is free of said mutually intersecting planes. 33. A magnet mounting assembly for use in detachably mounting a device to a rounded ferromagnetic surface of a liquid storage tank, said assembly comprising: a ferromagnetic support plate having a central axis, a perimeter, an exterior face, an interior face, and a ferromagnetic plate extension depending from said perimeter, said plate extension being on the same side of said support plate as said interior face and having a plurality of heights; a permanent magnet disposed on said interior face; and said plate extension including tank-engagable leg portions having axial heights greater than the axial heights of the remainder of said plate extension, wherein said tank-engagable leg portions are spaced from one another to provide clearance there between; said tank-engagable leg portions being substantially equidistantly spaced from one another, said tank-engagable leg portions collectively forming less than or equal to 50% of a notional periphery of the assembly; and said plate extension and said legs depending immovable from said support plate, to form a solid state device.