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US 7,012,495 B2Granted
Switchable permanent magnetic device
AssigneeThe Aussie Kids Toy Company Pty Ltd.
InventorsPerry J Underwood, Franz Kocijan
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AssigneeThe Aussie Kids Toy Company Pty Ltd.
InventorsPerry J Underwood, Franz Kocijan
Estimating the term…
A switchable magnetic device includes a first magnet and a second magnet, both of which are essentially cylindrical. Magnets are housed in a housing made from pole pieces. Pole pieces are ferromagnetic. Lower magnet is fixedly mounted in the housing while upper magnet can rotate within the housing. Upper magnet is formed with notches or grooves along its vertical side walls. These notches or grooves receive downwardly depending arms of bar. Bar is received inside a groove formed on boss. Boss is connected to a short bar that, in turn, is fixedly connected to a handle or lever. By this means, rotation of handle or lever causes rotation of second magnet. When the upper magnet is positioned such that its north pole substantially overlies the south pole of lower magnet and the south pole of upper magnet substantially overlies the north pole of lower magnet, the first and second magnets act as an internal active magnetic shunt and as a result the external magnetic field strength from the device is quite low. Rotating the upper magnet 180° about its axis of rotation brings the magnets into alignment such that the respective north and south poles of the upper magnet substantially overlie respective north and south poles of lower magnet. In this alignment, the external magnet field from the device is quite strong and the device can be affixed to surfaces or objects.
A switchable magnetic device, comprising a housing having a low magnetic reluctance path, a first permanent magnet, a second permanent magnet, and actuation means for causing relative rotation of the first and second permanent magnets, said first and second permanent magnets being diametrically polarised, to define a north and south pole regions of each permanent magnet extending throughout the length of each permanent magnet, said first and second permanent magnets being mounted within the housing such that the first and second permanent magnets are rotatable relative to each other to provide an active shunting arrangement, wherein said device presents a relatively strong external magnetic field when said first and second permanent magnets are positioned relative to each other such that a north and south poles of the first magnet are in substantial alignment with respective north and south poles of the second magnet, and the device presents a relatively weak external magnetic field when the first and second magnets are positioned relative to each other such that the north pole of the first magnet is in substantial alignment with the south pole of the second magnet and vice versa.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.