Patent ID: 6167589
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: E05F,E05Y,Y10T

Abstract:
A magnetically operated positioning apparatus comprising: a housing having first and second ends; a shaft including a shaft portion extending within the housing, the shaft being adapted for axial movement relative to the housing between retracted and extended positions; and a magnet system coupled to the shaft for moving the shaft from one of said positions to the other one of said positions, the magnet system including a plurality of positioning permanent magnets located within the housing and extending in an aligned relationship coaxially with the shaft, each of the permanent magnets having first and second poles of opposite polarities, the permanent magnets being arranged in a repelling configuration with adjacent ones of the permanent magnets having their poles of common polarity located adjacent to one another, whereby repulsion forces produced by adjacent ones of the permanent magnets repel the permanent magnets away from one another, moving the shaft from said one position to said other position, the shaft being movable manually away from said other position, moving the permanent magnets towards one another against the repulsive forces produced by the permanent magnets.