Magnetic attachment means of non-magnetic accessories to metal doors

A device for removably holding a non-magnetic object to a selectable location on a magnetic component without penetrating the surface of the magnetic component is disclosed. The device is particularly suited for holding a non-magnetic coat hanger arrangement or a non-magnetic kick plate either or both onto a steel door commonly found in industrial, commercial and domestic applications. The device comprises a magnet and means for varying the intensity of the magnetic field between the magnet and the steel door so that the device is snugly attached thereon, yet removable therefrom in a snap-action manner.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a device for snugly, but removably, 
attaching a non-magnetic object to a magnetic object without physically 
penetrating the surface of the magnetic object and, more particularly, to 
a device having a magnet connected to a non-magnetic, coat hanger, door 
knocker and other decorative apparatus and means for varying the intensity 
of the magnetic field between the magnet and the magnetic object, such as 
a door containing ferrous metal, so that the various apparatus may be 
attached to and removed from the steel door in a snap-action manner. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Doors, formed of a magnetic material, such as steel, that swing or slide 
provide a barrier by which an entry is closed and opened, are becoming 
more popular for both interior and exterior usage in industrial, 
commercial, and, most recently, domestic applications. Domestic use of 
steel doors is increasing so as to provide entrance/exit barriers that are 
less apt to provide thermal leaks and, therefore, provide increased 
environmental integrity for the home. Industrial and commercial usage of 
steel doors have been used over the years so as to provide a barrier to 
serve as a fire door and now their usage is also increasing in these 
applications because of their burglarproof features. 
Steel doors, while having many advantages, do have certain drawbacks as 
compared to wooden doors, especially concerned with the mounting of door 
accessories, such as coat hanger arrangements or kick plates. These 
accessories are relatively easy to attach to a wooden door when compared 
to the effort required for such attachment to steel doors that normally 
necessitates the need for drilling, so that hardware may be connected 
thereto for accepting the accessory. It is especially disadvantageous when 
the accessory is only temporarily attached to the steel door because when 
the accessory is removed it may very well create rust-out and/or water 
leakage problems caused by the remaining holes and screws that were 
necessary for the original mounting of such an accessory to the steel 
door. It is desired that a device be provided that will allow accessories 
to be attached to a steel door on a permanent or temporary basis without 
causing any harm to the door that would eventually lead to creating 
rust-out and/or water leakage problems. 
It is, therefor, a principle object of the present invention to provide a 
device carrying an accessory that is attachable to a steel door, or to any 
magnetic object, without causing any physical penetration into the surface 
of the magnetic object that might otherwise create rust-out or metal 
corrosion water leakage, or other surface integrity problems. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device carrying a 
non-magnetic accessory to be snugly, but removably, attached to a magnetic 
object, such as a ferrous metal door. 
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device that 
easily is attached to and removed from a ferrous metal door so that 
placement positioning and replacement is readily achievable. 
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device 
that is non-invasively attached to a metal door and which absorbs a blow 
or sudden forceful thrust with the foot so as to serve as a kick plate. 
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device 
that allows for various non-magnetic objects to be non-invasively attached 
to a ferrous metal door. 
Further still, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device 
which allows a non-magnetic object to be non-invasively attached to a 
selectable portion of a magnetic object. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a device that removably attaches 
a non-magnetic object to a magnetic object. Specifically, this invention 
relates to a device that non-invasively attaches a non-magnetic object, 
such as a coat hanger arrangement or a kick plate, to a ferrous metal 
door. 
The removable holding device comprises a magnet having two faces, a 
non-magnetic object, means for connecting the non-magnetic object, a 
magnetic object, and means for varying the intensity of a magnetic field. 
The means for connecting provides for the non-magnetic object to be 
connected to one face of the magnet. The magnet and the magnetic object 
comprise a magnetic circuit and the magnet creates a magnetic field having 
a pre-determined intensity. The magnet is positioned so that its other 
face is directed toward the magnetic component and establishes a magnetic 
field therebetween. The means for varying the intensity of the magnetic 
field is interposed between the magnet and the magnetic component and 
allows the magnet and magnetic component to be snugly attached, with its 
position reliably maintained, and disconnected one from the other in a 
snap-action manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The following detailed descriptions are for the best presently contemplated 
modes of carrying out the present invention. These descriptions are not 
intended in any limiting sense, but rather are made solely for the purpose 
of illustrating the general principles of the invention. 
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate 
like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1, a device 10 of the present 
invention for releasably holding a non-magnetic object 12 onto a 
selectable location on a magnetic component 14 without penetrating the 
surface of the magnetic component 14. The device 10 of the present 
invention is particularly suited for holding a non-magnetic object, such 
as a wooden member 12 carrying a coat hanger arrangement comprising a hook 
16, onto a magnetic object, such as a steel door 14 commonly found in 
industrial, commercial, and domestic applications. The device 10 
non-invasively holds the coat hanger arrangement 16 in place on the steel 
door 14 so as to prevent any rust-out and/or water leakage problems, 
discussed above, commonly occurring when the coat hanger arrangement is 
removed from the steel door. Not only may a coat hanger arrangement be 
non-invasively attached for the steel door, but various door accessories 
may be attached by the devices of the present invention in a manner as to 
be more fully described hereinafter. 
The object 12 may have any desired shape, such as its oval shape shown in 
FIG. 1, and is preferably made of wood having at least one hook member 16 
attached thereto so as to form a coat hanger arrangement. However, the 
member 12 may be of any non-magnetic material, such as plastic. The 
present invention accommodates the attachment, permanent or temporary, of 
all types of non-magnetic accessories to the steel door 14. The hook 16, 
shown attached to the oak plaque 12 of FIG. 1, has a first end 16a, a 
second end 16b, and a central portion 16c about which is rigidly affixed a 
barrel member of a first attachment means 18. The first attachment means 
18 is centrally disposed within a second attachment means 20 which, in 
turn, is affixed to the oval plaque 12 by means of screw members 22, only 
one of which is shown in FIG. 1. The first end 16a and second end 16b 
respectively have ceramic members 24 and 26 connected at their respective 
ends. The hook means 16, first attachment means 18, second attachment 
means 20, and screws 22 are all preferably formed of a non-rusting 
material, such as brass. The use of such non-rusting elements is 
particularly advantageous when the face of the steel door 14, to which the 
non-magnetic object 12 is attached, is exposed to the outdoor environment. 
The holding device 10 may be further described with reference to FIG. 2. 
FIG. 2 illustrates the rear of the releasably holding device 10 as seen 
when the device 10 is removed from the steel door 14. FIG. 2 illustrates 
the lower portion of the wooden plaque 12 as having a fastener means 28, 
such as a screw, whereas FIG. 2 illustrates the central region of the 
wooden plaque 12 as housing a magnet 30 having a central aperture 32 (not 
shown in FIG. 2, but shown in FIG. 3), a suction attachment member 34 
having an exposed face 34a, a fastening means 36, a cup member 38, a first 
channel 40 defined by the spacing between the magnet 30 and the cup member 
38, and a second channel 42 defined by the spacing between the cup member 
38 and the outer periphery of the central region of the wooden plaque 12. 
The magnet 30 preferably has a donut shape and has flat, smooth top and 
bottom portions. Further, as used herein, the magnet 30 has an inner face 
directed toward the wooden plaque 12 and an outer face directed toward the 
steel door 14. The suction member 34 is of a non-metallic material and is 
flexible. The cup member 38 is preferably of a ferrous material and is 
positioned between the magnet 30 and the wooden plaque 12 and is proximate 
contact with both the magnet and the wooden plaque. The attachment of the 
metal cup member 38, as well as the magnet 30 and suction member 34, may 
be further described with reference to FIG. 3, which is a view taken along 
line 3--3 of FIG. 2 and which illustrates the releasably holding device 10 
as mating with and attached to the steel door 14. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the magnet 30 is preferably attached to the metal cup 
member 38 by means of a thin adhesive coating of a well known and 
commercially available epoxy, and similarly, the metal cup member 38 is 
also preferably attached to the wooden plaque 12 by a thin epoxy coating. 
To fixedly secure the magnet 30, the metal cup member 38 and the suction 
attachment member 34 is inserted through the suction attachment member 
base 34b and the cup member 38. The flexible base 34b provides additional 
force to retain the cup member 38 in position, against the plaque 12. The 
metal cup member 38 is preferably attached to the wooden plaque 12 by a 
thin coating 46, also being an epoxy. The metal cup member 38 comprises 
the means for connecting the non-magnetic wooden plaque 12 to the face of 
the magnet 30 that is not exposed to the steel door. As is further seen in 
FIG. 3, a major portion of the exposed face 34A of suction member 34 mates 
with and engages the surface of the steel door 14. As shown in the bottom 
portion of FIG. 3, partially cut away, the screw member 28 is inserted 
into and threadedly engages an extension member 18A of the first 
attachment means 18. 
In addition to serving as the means for connecting the non-magnetic object, 
such as the wooden plaque 12, to the inner face of the magnet 30, the 
metal cup member 38 has a peripheral lip 38a which serves as a means to 
provide an air gap between the steel door 14 and the outer face of the 
magnet 30. As shown in the uppermost portion of FIG. 3, the lip 38a 
extends outward from the outer face of the magnet 30 by a fixed distance 
to create an air gap 44. The gap 44 is defined by the space existing 
between the plane 46 of the outer surface of the steel door 14 and the 
plane 46 of the outer face of the magnet 30. This air gap 44 serves as the 
means for varying the intensity of the magnetic field between the magnet 
30 and the magnetic component, such as the steel door 14. 
The magnet 30 and the steel door 14 serve as two components that provide a 
magnetic circuit having a closed path 50, shown in FIG. 3 and 
representative of a magnetic field, The magnetic flux or intensity of the 
magnetic field 50 is established by the selection of the magnetic 
parameters of the magnet 30. However, the intensity of the coupling 
between the magnet 30 and the steel door 14 is varied by the selection of 
the dimensions of the air gap 44. Furthermore, a medium other than air, 
such as that provided by a non-magnetic material, is contemplated by the 
present invention to additionally vary this intensity of coupling. 
The magnet 30 allows the non-magnetic object 12 to be snugly but releasably 
attached to the magnetic object (ferrous metal door 14). The intensity of 
the magnet 30 and the air gap 48 (having a typical dimension ranging 
between 1/32 and 3/32 of an inch, preferably about 1/8 of an inch, for the 
coat hanger arrangement of FIGS. 1-3) are cooperatively selected so that 
once the wooden plaque 12 is non-invasively attached to the steel door 14, 
it maintains its location when typically subjected to a weight of 
approximately 20 pounds, which corresponds to the carrying weight of at 
least one garment, such as a man's winter overcoat for purposes of this 
example. The cooperative selection of both elements 30 and 44 to satisfy 
this 20 pound criterion may be accomplished in a known manner to satisfy 
any criterion that allows the coat hanger arrangement shown in FIGS. 1-3 
to carry as many garments as may be needed to meet particular demands. 
Furthermore, the suction member 34, having its exposed face 34a mating with 
the surface of the steel door 14, assists in the carrying of the weight on 
hook 16 and, more particularly, assists in maintaining the pre-selected 
location of the wooden plaque 12 on the steel door 14. In particular, the 
exposed face 34a extends outward from the wooden plaque 12 by a sufficient 
amount to exert a suction or gripping force by reason of creating reduced 
air pressure over the part of the surface of the steel door 14 with which 
the exposed face 34a mates and engages. The suction device 34 serves a 
dual purpose by holding in position and preventing gravitational slip of 
the device 10. It is preferred that the non-magnetic suction device 34 be 
positioned within the central aperture 32 of the magnet 30, so as not to 
interfere with the magnetic field 50 created by the magnet 30 and the cup 
member 38. 
For the embodiment of FIG. 3, the wooden plaque 12 may be removed from the 
steel door 14 merely by subjecting the hook 16 to a snap-action force. The 
relative ease of removal is provided by the air gap 44 or other 
non-magnetic medium separating the magnet 30 from the steel door 14. 
Without the benefits of the present invention, the magnet 30 may otherwise 
be rigidly engaged with the steel door 14, and any attempt to remove the 
magnet 30 from the steel door 14 may cause the removal of the paint or 
other sealant applied to of the steel door 14 which may adhere to the 
magnet 30 through extended contact. Not only does the air gap 44 formed by 
lip 38a allow for this non-destructive removal, but also because only the 
lip 38a magnetically mates with the steel door 14, the device 10 may be 
rocked away from the steel door 14 in a snap-action manner. 
It should now be appreciated that the practice of the present invention 
provides for a releasable holding device 10 that allows for a non-magnetic 
object to be snugly but releasably attached to a magnetic object. More 
particularly, the present invention provides for a releasable holding 
device 10 that allows for an accessory, such as a wooden plaque 12 having 
a coat hanger 16, to be attached to a steel door 14, while still allowing 
the coat hanger 16 to be removed from the steel door 14 without leaving 
any permanent scars, such as holes through which screws or other fasteners 
would attach the hanger, that might otherwise cause rust-out or water 
leakage problems to occur in the steel door 14. 
The present invention may also include one or more friction pad members 52 
at the top or bottom of the side of the device facing the steel door 14. 
The friction pad members 52 fit into the air gap 44, neither increasing or 
decreasing said spacing, but providing additional frictional contact 
between the door 14 and the device 10 of the present invention. 
A second embodiment of the present invention may be described with 
reference to FIG. 4. This second embodiment (as shown in FIG. 4) 
illustrates a kick plate 60 comprising a protective layer or sheet 62 
formed of a non-magnetic material and having outer 62a and inner 62b 
surfaces, a laminar magnetic strip 64 having outer 64a and inner 64b 
surfaces, and a non-magnetic plate 66 (preferably of brass) and having 
outer 66a and inner 66b surfaces. The surface 62b of the non-magnetic 
protective layer 62 preferably has an adhesive bond or coating (not 
shown), such as an epoxy coating so that it becomes rigidly attached to 
the inner surface 64a of the laminar magnetic strip 64. Similarly, the 
outer surface 64b of the magnetic laminar strip 64 preferably has an 
adhesive bond or coating, such as an epoxy coating, so that it may be 
rigidly attached to the inner surface 66b of the non-magnetic plate 66. 
The brass plate 66 has its outer surface 66b facing outward from the 
magnetic object, such as a ferrous metal door 14, to which the plate 66 is 
attached, whereas the inner surface 62a of the non-magnetic protective 
sheet 62 is facing toward the steel door 14 to which it is attached. The 
kick plate 60 may be further described with reference to FIG. 5 which is a 
view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4 and shows the kick plate 60 as being 
attached to the steel door 14. 
The non-magnetic protective cover or sheet 62 and the laminar magnetic 
strip 64 are dimensioned slightly smaller than the non-magnetic plate 66 
to provide for a fingerhold to apply force to remove the kick plate 60 in 
the manner to be described below. Further the laminar magnetic strip 64 
may alternatively be comprised of several such strips placed in a parallel 
relationship across the inner surface 66b of the non-magnetic plate 66, or 
be positioned in both a parallel and perpendicular relationship across the 
plate 66. If desired, and only for cosmetic purposes, the kick plate 60 
may further comprise decorative screw heads 68 that are affixed to the 
brass plate 66 by means of an adhesive bond or coating, such as an epoxy 
coating. 
The non-invasive attachment of the non-magnetic (brass) object 66 to the 
magnetic object 14, shown in FIG. 5, is accomplished in a similar manner 
as that already described with reference to FIG. 3. More particularly, the 
laminar magnetic strip 64 and the steel door 14 comprise the two 
components of the magnetic circuit having a closed magnetic path 70 
representative of the magnetic field therebetween. The magnetic flux or 
intensity of the magnetic field 70 is established by the selection of the 
magnetic parameters of the laminar magnetic strip 64, but is varied by the 
selection of the thickness of the protective layer or sheet 62. The 
protective sheet 62 operates in a manner similar to that described with 
respect to the air gap 44 of the first embodiment of the present invention 
shown in FIG. 3. The magnetic field intensity provided by the laminar 
magnetic strip 64 and the spacing between the magnetic strip 62 and the 
steel door 14 (magnetic object) provided by the non-magnetic strip 62 are 
cooperatively selected so that the kick plate 60 remains in place on the 
door 14 even when subjected to a sudden forceful thrust of the foot, 
commonly occurring when the steel door 14 is slid or swung to open a 
related entry. The selection of the magnetic parameters of the laminar 
magnetic strip 64 and the thickness of the protective sheet 62 may be 
accomplished in a manner as respectively described for the magnet 30 and 
air gap 44 of FIG. 3. Similarly, the removal of the kick plate 60 from the 
steel door 14 may be accomplished in a snap-action manner along the lines 
described for the removal of the wooden plaque 12 from the steel door 14 
described with reference to FIG. 3. 
It should now be appreciated that the practice of the present invention 
provides a kick plate which includes a non-magnetic material, such as 
brass, that is snugly, yet releasably attached to the steel door 14 
commonly found in industrial, commercial, and domestic applications. 
It should also be appreciated that the kick plate described with reference 
to FIGS. 4 and 5 and the wooden plaque coat hanger arrangement described 
with reference to FIGS. 1-3, may be both attached, permanently or 
temporarily, onto a ferrous metal door. Furthermore, simultaneous 
attachment of a plurality of accessories may be practiced by the present 
invention. 
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without 
departing from the essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, 
reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the 
specification as indicated in the scope of the invention.