Patent ID: 6295702
Filing Date: 2001-10-02
Classification: A45C,Y10T

Abstract:
A locking magnetic fastener including manually separable male and female assemblies,a. said female assembly including a permanent magnet in an interior chamber formed by a housing;b. said male assembly having a projecting male member including ferromagnetic material, the forward end of said male member including a cam surface;c. said female assembly including an exterior aperture for receiving said projecting male member, said exterior aperture communicating with said interior chamber,d. said female assembly further comprising a slide lock member in juxtaposition to the permanent magnet and having a distal end projecting outward from the chamber and a proximal end within the chamber and being movable between a first position and a second position, said slide lock member including a ferromagnetic contact that is adapted to be proximate the permanent magnet in the first position and that is within the range of attraction of the permanent magnet in said second position;e. said slide lock member including a cam follower surface responsive to the cam surface on the male assembly, said cam follower surface extending across at least a portion of the opening defined by and is partially aligned with the exterior aperture of said female assembly in the first position and movable toward the periphery of said exterior aperture in the second position to permit passage of the forward end of the male member; said cam follower surface aligned in the first position to engage the cam surface towards the forward end of said projecting male ferromagnetic member, said cam follower surface operatively configured to laterally move said ferromagnetic contact member on the distal end of the slide lock member away from the permanent magnet in opposition to magnetically induced attractive force as said cam follower surface advances along said cam surface during entry of said projecting male member into said interior chamber;f. lock means adjacent the cam surface to receive the slide lock member in locking engagement with said projecting male member to thereby mechanically retain said projecting male member in said female assembly; andg. lock release means for manually releasing said lock means.