Magnetic latching mechanism

• US 7,775,567 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Degner, Brett, Ligtenberg, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Lugo; Carlos
• Application Number:
  US11/302,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20070138806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 292/251.5, 292/251.1, 292/DIG.37
• US Class Current: 292/251.5
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 19/16 Devices holding the wing by magnetic or electromagnetic attraction E05C17/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0221 Locks; Latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/37 Push button operators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0999 Spring retracted
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/11 Magnetic

Abstract

A magnetic latch for a display of a laptop computer uses magnetic attraction to maintain the display closed and uses magnetic repelling forces to pop-up the display when opened. The latch includes one or more magnetic elements in the body of the laptop and at least one magnetic element in the display. When the display is closed, the magnet element in the display is positioned adjacent the magnet element in the body having an opposite polarity so that the magnet elements are attracted to one another. To pop-up the display, the user moves the magnetic element in the display so that it meets the magnetic pole in the body having the same polarity. When these meet, the repelling force between them causes the display to open slightly so that a user can then readily open the display.

Claims

1. A latching apparatus for first and second bodies hingedly connected together, comprising:

a first component positioned on the first body and comprising

first permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another in a first line, separated by a first distance from one another, and arranged with alternating first and second polarities, and

a first ferromagnetic element positioned at a first end of the first line; and

a second component positioned on the second body and being movable between an open state and a close state, the second component movable from the close state to the open state with an actuator, the second component comprising

second permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another in a second line parallel to the first line, separated by a second distance from one another, and arranged with alternating first and second polarities, and

a second ferromagnetic element positioned at a second end of the second line, the second end being opposite of the first end,

wherein to maintain the second body closed against the first body, the first and second components are magnetically attractable to one another when the second component has the close state,

wherein to move the second body at least partially open a separation distance from the first body, the first and second components are magnetically repellable from one another when the second magnetic component is moved from the close state to the open state with the actuator, and

wherein the magnetic attraction between the first ferromagnetic element and one of the second permanent magnets on one end of the second line and the magnetic attraction between the second ferromagnetic element and one of the first permanent magnets on one end of the first line automatically move the second component from the open state to the close state when the second body is brought within the separation distance from the first body.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second component is moveable along the second line.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first distance along the first line is the same as the second distance along the second line.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation distance overcomes the magnetic attraction between the first and second components when the second component has the close state.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first permanent magnets each comprise a first strength, and wherein the second permanent magnets each comprises a second strength greater than the first strength.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first permanent magnets each comprises a first dimension orthogonal to the first line, and wherein second permanent magnets each comprises a second dimension orthogonal to the second line, wherein the second dimension is greater than the first dimension.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first permanent magnets has the first and second polarities arranged in a first direction orthogonal to the first line, and wherein each of the second permanent magnets has the first and second polarities arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the second line.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and second directions are orthogonal to the direction of attraction between the first and second components.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and second directions are parallel to the direction of attraction between the first and second components.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the close state

the first ferromagnetic element aligns in attracted relation to the one second permanent magnet on the one end of the second line,

the second ferromagnetic element aligns in attracted relation to the one first permanent magnet on the one end of the first line, and

the remaining first and second permanent magnets align in attracted relation to one another.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein in the open state

the first ferromagnetic element misaligns from the one second permanent magnet on the one end of the second line,

the second ferromagnetic element misaligns from the one first permanent magnet on the one end of the first line, and

each of the first and second permanent magnets align in repellable relation to one another.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the movement of the second component relative to the first magnetic component is mechanically unbiased,

the second component automatically resets from the open state to the close state when the second body is brought within the separation distance from the first body, and

in the automatic resetting, the magnetic attraction between the first and second components automatically realigns the first ferromagnetic element with the one second permanent magnet, the second ferromagnetic element with the one first permanent magnet, and each of the remaining first and second permanent magnets with one another.

13. A latching apparatus for first and second bodies hingedly connected together, comprising:

a first component positioned on the first body, the first component having first permanent magnets arranged in a first polarity configuration and having at least one first ferromagnetic element; and

a second component positioned on the second body and being movable between an open state and a close state, the second component movable from the close state to the open state with an actuator, the second component having second permanent magnets arranged in a second polarity configuration and having at least one second ferromagnetic element,

wherein in the close state

the first ferromagnetic element aligns in attracted relation to one of the second permanent magnets,

the second ferromagnetic element aligns in attracted relation to one of the first permanent magnets, and

the remaining first and second permanent magnets align in attracted relation to one another, and

wherein in the open state

the second component is moved from the close state to the open state with the actuator,

the first ferromagnetic element misaligns from the one second permanent magnet,

the second ferromagnetic element misaligns from the one first permanent magnet,

each of the first and second permanent magnets align in repellable relation to one another, and

the second body moves at least partially open a separation distance from the first body, and

wherein the magnetic attraction between the first ferromagnetic element and the one second permanent magnet and the magnetic attraction between the second ferromagnetic element and the one first permanent magnet automatically move the second component from the open state to the close state when the second body is brought within the separation distance from the first body.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the separation distance overcomes the magnetic attraction between the first and second components when the second component has the close state.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the movement of the second component relative to the first magnetic component is mechanically unbiased,

the second component automatically resets from the open state to the close state when the second body is brought with the separation distance from the first body, and

in the automatic resetting, the magnetic attraction between the first and second components automatically realigns the first ferromagnetic element with the one second permanent magnet, the second ferromagnetic element with the one first permanent magnet, and each of the remaining first and second permanent magnets with one another.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first permanent magnets each comprise a first strength, and wherein the second permanent magnets each comprises a second strength greater than the first strength.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the first permanent magnets are arranged adjacent one another in a first line and separated by a first distance from one another,

the first ferromagnetic element is positioned at a first end of the first line,

the second permanent magnets are arranged adjacent one another in a second line parallel to the first line and separated by a second distance from one another, and

the second ferromagnetic element is positioned at a second end of the second line, the second end being opposite of the first end.

18. A latching apparatus for first and second bodies hingedly connected together, comprising:

a first component positioned on the first body and comprising

first permanent magnet polarities alternatingly arranged along a first line, and

a first ferromagnetic element positioned at a first end of the first line; and

a second component positioned on the second body and being movable between an open state and a close state, the second component movable from the close state to the open state with an actuator, the second component comprising

second permanent magnet polarities alternatingly arranged along a second line, and

a second ferromagnetic element positioned at a second end of the second line, the second end being opposite of the first end,

wherein to maintain the second body closed against the first body, the first permanent magnet polarity on a second end of the first line is magnetically attractable to the second ferromagnetic element at the second end of the second line, the second permanent magnet polarity on a first end of the second line is magnetically attractable to the first ferromagnetic element on the first end of the first line, and each of the remaining first and second permanent magnet polarities are magnetically attractable to one another when the second component has the close state,

wherein to move the second body at least partially open a separation distance from the first body, each of the first and second permanent magnet polarities are magnetically repellable from one another when the second magnetic component is moved from the close state to the open state with the actuator, and

wherein the magnetic attraction between the first ferromagnetic element and the second permanent magnet polarity on the first end of the second line and the magnetic attraction between the second ferromagnetic element and the first permanent magnet polarity on the second end of the first line automatically move the second component from the open state to the close state when the second body is brought within the separation distance from the first body.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second component is moveable along the second line.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the separation distance overcomes the magnetic attraction between the first and second components when the second component has the close state.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first permanent magnet polarities each comprise a first strength, and wherein the second permanent magnet polarities each comprises a second strength greater than the first strength.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein first permanent magnets having the first permanent magnet polarities each comprises a first dimension orthogonal to the first line, and wherein second permanent magnets having the second permanent magnet polarities each comprises a second dimension orthogonal to the second line, wherein the second dimension is greater than the first dimension.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein first permanent magnets having the first permanent magnet polarities are arranged in a first direction orthogonal to the first line, and wherein second permanent magnets having the second permanent magnet polarities are arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the second line.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first and second directions are orthogonal to the direction of attraction between the first and second components.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first and second directions are parallel to the direction of attraction between the first and second components.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein

the movement of the second component relative to the first magnetic component is mechanically unbiased,

the second component automatically resets from the open state to the close state when the second body is brought within the separation distance from the first body, and

in the automatic resetting, the magnetic attraction between the first and second components automatically realigns the first ferromagnetic element with the second permanent magnet polarity on the first end of the second line, the second ferromagnetic element with the first permanent magnet polarity on the second end of the first line, and each of the remaining first and second permanent magnet polarities with one another.