Patent Publication Number: US-9406424-B2

Title: System and method for moving an object

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This non-provisional application is a continuation of non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/258,776, titled “System and Method for Moving an Object”, filed Apr. 22, 2014, which is a continuation of non-provisional application Ser. No. 13/104,393, titled “A System and Method for Moving an Object”, filed May 10, 2011, which claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of prior provisional application 61/395,205, titled “A System and Method for Moving an Object”, filed May 10, 2010 by Fullerton et al, which are each incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. 
     This non-provisional application is related to U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,800,471, 7,868,721, 7,961,068, and 8,179,219, which are each incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a system and method for moving an object. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for using a first magnetic structure associated with a first object and a second magnetic structure associated with a second object to cause the second object to move relative to the first object. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Traditionally, permanent magnets have not been a practical means for moving a first object with a second magnetically attached object for applications where the direction of movement of the first object is perpendicular to the direction of magnetization of the magnets unless an electromagnetic field is applied to the permanent magnets to effect their magnetic properties. Because shear forces between two magnets or between a magnet and metal are low compared to tensile forces, the size of the magnet(s) required to achieve shear forces necessary to maintain attachment of two objects during such movement makes them impractical due to size, weight, cost, and safety reasons. For example, magnets strong enough to attach a blade of a blender or food processor would need to be substantially large to maintain attachment of the blade during normal use of the appliance and would therefore be very difficult to remove, expensive, and generally unsafe in a kitchen environment where lots of metal is present such as stove tops, utensils, and even the blade itself. 
     Magnetic drives involving electromagnetic fields and permanent magnets have been used to magnetically attach a magnetic structure to magnetizable material associated with blades in blenders, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,033, to Karkos et al. Such magnetic drives require a rotating electromagnetic field to be produced and maintained to enable attachment of the magnetic structure to the magnetizable material during operation of the blender. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide improved systems and methods for moving an object using magnetic structures that do not require electromagnetic fields to be produced. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the invention includes a method for moving an object comprising the steps of associating a first magnetic structure with a first object, associating a second magnetic structure with a second object, said first magnetic structure and said second magnetic structure having a spatial force function in accordance with a code, achieving complementary alignment and peak correlation of said first magnetic structure with said second magnetic structure to produce a peak tensile force enabling magnetic attachment of said first object to said second object, said first magnetic structure and said second magnetic structure also producing a shear force, and moving said second object by moving said first object, said shear force preventing misalignment and decorrelation of said first magnetic structure and said second magnetic structure until an amount of torque greater than a torque threshold is applied to said first object. 
     The code may correspond to a code modulo of the first magnetic structure and a complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure, the code defines a peak spatial force corresponding to substantial alignment of the code modulo of the first magnetic structure with the complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure, the code also defines a plurality of off peak spatial forces corresponding to a plurality of different misalignments of the code modulo of the first magnetic structure and the complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure, the plurality of off peak spatial forces having a largest off peak spatial force, and the largest off peak spatial force is less than half of the peak spatial force. 
     At least one of the first magnetic structure or the second magnetic structure can be configured to rotate about a pivot point, where a range or rotation can be limited. 
     The method may further comprise the steps of associating a first secondary magnet structure with said first object and associating a second secondary magnet structure with said second object, said first and second secondary magnetic structures providing additional shear force between said first and second object. 
     The first object may comprise a motor. The second object may comprise a blade. 
     The first object and said second object may correspond to one of a blender, food processor, mixer, lawnmower, or bush hog. 
     Under one arrangement, rotating the first object rotates the second object. 
     Under another arrangement, the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure are ring magnetic structures. 
     A second embodiment of the invention includes a system for moving an object comprising a first magnetic structure associated with a first object and 
     a second magnetic structure associated with a second object, the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure having a spatial force function in accordance with a code, the first magnetic structure with the second magnetic structure being in a complementary alignment resulting in a peak correlation and producing a peak tensile force enabling magnetic attachment of the first object to the second object, the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure also producing a shear force that prevents misalignment and decorrelation of the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure until an amount of torque greater than a torque threshold is applied to said first object. 
     The code corresponds to a code modulo of the first magnetic structure and a complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure where the code defines a peak spatial force corresponding to substantial alignment of the code modulo of the first magnetic structure with the complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure, the code also defines a plurality of off peak spatial forces corresponding to a plurality of different misalignments of the code modulo of the first magnetic structure and the complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure, the plurality of off peak spatial forces having a largest off peak spatial force, and the largest off peak spatial force is less than half of the peak spatial force. 
     At least one of the first magnetic structure or the second magnetic structure can be configured to rotate about a pivot point, where a range or rotation is limited. 
     The system may further comprise a first secondary magnet structure associated with the first object and a second secondary magnet structure associated with the second object, the first and second secondary magnetic structures providing additional shear force between the first and second object. 
     The first object may comprise a motor. The second object may comprise a blade. 
     The first object and the second object can correspond to one of a blender, food processor, mixer, lawnmower, or bush hog. 
     Rotating the first object may cause rotation of the second object. 
     The first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure can be ring magnetic structures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. 
         FIGS. 1-9  are various diagrams used to help explain different concepts about correlated magnetic technology which can be utilized in an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  depict first and second objects and complementary magnetic structures associated with the first and second objects; 
         FIG. 11A  depicts an exemplary canister assembly comprising a canister and base unit and complementary coded magnetic structures to enable attachment of the canister and the base; 
         FIG. 11B  depicts exemplary coding of a ring magnetic structure that can be used as one of the complementary magnetic structures of  FIG. 11A ; 
         FIG. 11C  depicts an exemplary blender having a blender jar and blender base; 
         FIG. 12  depicts a blade unit and a motor unit where complementary magnetic structures and secondary magnetic structures enable rapid attachment and detachment while meeting torque requirements; 
         FIG. 13  depicts the blade unit and motor unit of  FIG. 12  in an attached position; 
         FIG. 14  depicts an attachment portion of a base unit configured with multiple magnetic structures and a variety of blade units configured with different numbers of complementary magnetic structures that will attach to the attachment portion of the base unit; 
         FIGS. 15A and 15B  depict an attachment portion of a base unit having multiple magnetic structures configured to pivot over a range of movement controlled by bumpers; 
         FIG. 15C  depicts an attachment portion of a blade unit having fixed magnetic structures; and 
         FIG. 16  depicts an attachment portion of a base unit having exemplary mechanical means for causing magnetic structures to turn so as to correlate or decorrelate with magnetic structures in a corresponding blade unit. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     The present invention provides a system and method for moving an object. It involves coded magnetic structure techniques related to those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/476,952, filed Jun. 2, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/277,214, titled “A System and Method for Contactless Attachment of Two Objects”, filed Sep. 22, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/278,900, titled “A System and Method for Contactless Attachment of Two Objects”, filed Sep. 30, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/278,767 titled “A System and Method for Contactless Attachment of Two Objects”, filed Oct. 9, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/280,094, titled “A System and Method for Producing Multi-level Magnetic Fields”, filed Oct. 16, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/281,160, titled “A System and Method for Producing Multi-level Magnetic Fields”, filed Nov. 13, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/283,780, titled “A System and Method for Producing Multi-level Magnetic Fields”, filed Dec. 9, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/284,385, titled “A System and Method for Producing Multi-level Magnetic Fields”, filed Dec. 17, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application titled “A System and Method for Producing Multi-level Magnetic Fields”, filed Apr. 22, 2010, application No. 61/342,988, which are all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Such systems and methods described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/322,561, filed Feb. 4, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/479,074, 12/478,889, 12/478,939, 12/478,911, 12/478,950, 12/478,969, 12/479,013, 12/479,073, 12/479,106, filed Jun. 5, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/479,818, 12/479,820, 12/479,832, and 12/479,832, file Jun. 7, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/494,064, filed Jun. 29, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/495,462, filed Jun. 30, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/496,463, filed Jul. 1, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/499,039, filed Jul. 7, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/501,425, filed Jul. 11, 2009, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/507,015, filed Jul. 21, 2009 are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     Correlated Magnetics Technology 
     This section is provided to introduce the reader to basic magnets and the new and revolutionary correlated magnetic technology. This section includes subsections relating to basic magnets, correlated magnets, and correlated electromagnetics. It should be understood that this section is provided to assist the reader with understanding the present invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     A. Magnets 
     A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field which is a vector field that has a direction and a magnitude (also called strength). Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated an exemplary magnet  100  which has a South pole  102  and a North pole  104  and magnetic field vectors  106  that represent the direction and magnitude of the magnet&#39;s moment. The magnet&#39;s moment is a vector that characterizes the overall magnetic properties of the magnet  100 . For a bar magnet, the direction of the magnetic moment points from the South pole  102  to the North pole  104 . The North and South poles  104  and  102  are also referred to herein as positive (+) and negative (−) poles, respectively. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , there is a diagram that depicts two magnets  100   a  and  100   b  aligned such that their polarities are opposite in direction resulting in a repelling spatial force  200  which causes the two magnets  100   a  and  100   b  to repel each other. In contrast,  FIG. 2B  is a diagram that depicts two magnets  100   a  and  100   b  aligned such that their polarities are in the same direction resulting in an attracting spatial force  202  which causes the two magnets  100   a  and  100   b  to attract each other. In  FIG. 2B , the magnets  100   a  and  100   b  are shown as being aligned with one another but they can also be partially aligned with one another where they could still “stick” to each other and maintain their positions relative to each other.  FIG. 2C  is a diagram that illustrates how magnets  100   a ,  100   b  and  100   c  will naturally stack on one another such that their poles alternate. 
     B. Correlated Magnets 
     Correlated magnets can be created in a wide variety of ways depending on the particular application as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,800,471 and 7,868,721 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/476,952 by using a unique combination of magnet arrays (referred to herein as magnetic field emission sources or magnetic sources), correlation theory (commonly associated with probability theory and statistics) and coding theory (commonly associated with communication systems). A brief discussion is provided next to explain how these widely diverse technologies are used in a unique and novel way to create correlated magnets. 
     Basically, correlated magnets are made from a combination of magnetic (or electric) field emission sources which have been configured in accordance with a pre-selected code having desirable correlation properties. Thus, when a magnetic field emission structure (or magnetic structure) is brought into alignment with a complementary, or mirror image, magnetic field emission structure the various magnetic field emission sources will all align causing a peak spatial attraction force to be produced, while the misalignment of the magnetic field emission structures cause the various magnetic field emission sources to substantially cancel each other out in a manner that is a function of the particular code used to design the two magnetic field emission structures. In contrast, when a magnetic field emission structure is brought into alignment with a duplicate magnetic field emission structure then the various magnetic field emission sources all align causing a peak spatial repelling force to be produced, while the misalignment of the magnetic field emission structures causes the various magnetic field emission sources to substantially cancel each other out in a manner that is a function of the particular code used to design the two magnetic field emission structures. 
     The aforementioned spatial forces (attraction, repelling) have a magnitude that is a function of the relative alignment of two magnetic field emission structures and their corresponding spatial force (or correlation) function, the spacing (or distance) between the two magnetic field emission structures, and the magnetic field strengths and polarities of the various sources making up the two magnetic field emission structures. The spatial force functions can be used to achieve precision alignment and precision positioning not possible with basic magnets. Moreover, the spatial force functions can enable the precise control of magnetic fields and associated spatial forces thereby enabling new forms of attachment devices for attaching objects with precise alignment and new systems and methods for controlling precision movement of objects. An additional unique characteristic associated with correlated magnets relates to the situation where the various magnetic field sources making-up two magnetic field emission structures can effectively cancel out each other when they are brought out of alignment which is described herein as a release force. This release force is a direct result of the particular correlation coding used to configure the magnetic field emission structures. 
     A person skilled in the art of coding theory will recognize that there are many different types of codes that have different correlation properties which have been used in communications for channelization purposes, energy spreading, modulation, and other purposes. Many of the basic characteristics of such codes make them applicable for use in producing the magnetic field emission structures described herein. For example, Barker codes are known for their autocorrelation properties and can be used to help configure correlated magnets. Although, a Barker code is used in an example below with respect to  FIGS. 3A-3B , other forms of codes which may or may not be well known in the art are also applicable to correlated magnets because of their autocorrelation, cross-correlation, or other properties including, for example, Gold codes, Kasami sequences, hyperbolic congruential codes, quadratic congruential codes, linear congruential codes, Welch-Costas array codes, Golomb-Costas array codes, pseudorandom codes, chaotic codes, Optimal Golomb Ruler codes, deterministic codes, designed codes, one dimensional codes, two dimensional codes, three dimensional codes, or four dimensional codes, combinations thereof, and so forth. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3A , there are diagrams used to explain how a Barker length 7 code  300  can be used to determine polarities and positions of magnets  302   a ,  30211  . . .  302   g  making up a first magnetic field emission structure  304 . Each magnet  302   a ,  302   b  . . .  302   g  has the same or substantially the same magnetic field strength (or amplitude), which for the sake of this example is provided as a unit of 1 (where A=Attract, R=Repel, A=−R, A=1, R=−1). A second magnetic field emission structure  306  (including magnets  308   a ,  308   b  . . .  308   g ) that is identical to the first magnetic field emission structure  304  is shown in 13 different alignments  310 - 1  through  310 - 13  relative to the first magnetic field emission structure  304 . For each relative alignment, the number of magnets that repel plus the number of magnets that attract is calculated, where each alignment has a spatial force in accordance with a spatial force function based upon the correlation function and magnetic field strengths of the magnets  302   a ,  302   b  . . .  302   g  and  308   a ,  308   b  . . .  308   g . With the specific Barker code used, the spatial force varies from −1 to 7, where the peak occurs when the two magnetic field emission structures  304  and  306  are aligned which occurs when their respective codes are aligned. The off peak spatial force, referred to as a side lobe force, varies from 0 to −1. As such, the spatial force function causes the magnetic field emission structures  304  and  306  to generally repel each other unless they are aligned such that each of their magnets are correlated with a complementary magnet (i.e., a magnet&#39;s South pole aligns with another magnet&#39;s North pole, or vice versa). In other words, the two magnetic field emission structures  304  and  306  substantially correlate with one another when they are aligned to substantially mirror each other. 
     In  FIG. 3B , there is a plot that depicts the spatial. force function of the two magnetic field emission structures  304  and  306  which results from the binary autocorrelation function of the Barker length 7 code  300 , where the values at each alignment position  1  through  13  correspond to the spatial force values that were calculated for the thirteen alignment positions  310 - 1  through  310 - 13  between the two magnetic field emission structures  304  and  306  depicted in  FIG. 3A . As the true autocorrelation function for correlated magnet field structures is repulsive, and most of the uses envisioned will have attractive correlation peaks, the usage of the term ‘autocorrelation’ herein will refer to complementary correlation unless otherwise stated. That is, the interacting faces of two such correlated magnetic field emission structures  304  and  306  will be complementary to (i.e., mirror images of) each other. This complementary autocorrelation relationship can be seen in  FIG. 3A  where the bottom face of the first magnetic field emission structure  304  having the pattern ‘S SSNNS N’ is shown interacting with the top face of the second magnetic field emission structure  306  having the pattern ‘N NNSSN S’, which is the mirror image (pattern) of the bottom face of the first magnetic field emission structure  304 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4A , there is a diagram of an array of 19 magnets  400  positioned in accordance with an exemplary code to produce an exemplary magnetic field emission structure  402  and another array of 19 magnets  404  which is used to produce a mirror image magnetic field emission structure  406 . In this example, the exemplary code was intended to produce the first magnetic field emission structure  402  to have a first stronger lock when aligned with its mirror image magnetic field emission structure  406  and a second weaker lock when it is rotated 90° relative to its mirror image magnetic field emission structure  406 .  FIG. 4B  depicts a spatial force function  408  of the magnetic field emission structure  402  interacting with its mirror image magnetic field emission structure  406  to produce the first stronger lock. As can be seen, the spatial force function  408  has a peak which occurs when the two magnetic field emission structures  402  and  406  are substantially aligned.  FIG. 4C  depicts a spatial force function  410  of the magnetic field emission structure  402  interacting with its mirror magnetic field emission structure  406  after being rotated 90°. As can be seen, the spatial force function  410  has a smaller peak which occurs when the two magnetic field emission structures  402  and  406  are substantially aligned but one structure is rotated 90°. If the two magnetic field emission structures  402  and  406  are in other positions then they could be easily separated. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is a diagram depicting a correlating magnet surface  502  being wrapped back on itself on a cylinder  504  (or disc  504 , wheel  504 ) and a conveyor belt/tracked structure  506  having located thereon a mirror image correlating magnet surface  508 . In this case, the cylinder  504  can be turned clockwise or counter-clockwise by some force so as to roll along the conveyor belt/tracked structure  506 . The fixed magnetic field emission structures  502  and  508  provide a traction and gripping (i.e., holding) force as the cylinder  504  is turned by some other mechanism (e.g., a motor). The gripping force would remain substantially constant as the cylinder  504  moved down the conveyor belt/tracked structure  506  independent of friction or gravity and could therefore be used to move an object about a track that moved up a wall, across a ceiling, or in any other desired direction within the limits of the gravitational force (as a function of the weight of the object) overcoming the spatial force of the aligning magnetic field emission structures  502  and  508 . If desired, this cylinder  504  (or other rotary devices) can also be operated against other rotary correlating surfaces to provide a gear-like operation. Since the hold-down force equals the traction force, these gears can be loosely connected and still give positive, non-slipping rotational accuracy. Plus, the magnetic field emission structures  502  and  508  can have surfaces which are perfectly smooth and still provide positive, non-slip traction. In contrast to legacy friction-based wheels, the traction force provided by the magnetic field emission structures  502  and  508  is largely independent of the friction forces between the traction wheel and the traction surface and can be employed with low friction surfaces. Devices moving about based on magnetic traction can be operated independently of gravity for example in weightless conditions including space, underwater, vertical surfaces and even upside down. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , there is a diagram depicting an exemplary cylinder  602  having wrapped thereon a first magnetic field emission structure  604  with a code pattern  606  that is repeated six times around the outside of the cylinder  602 . Beneath the cylinder  602  is an object  608  having a curved surface with a slightly larger curvature than the cylinder  602  and having a second magnetic field emission structure  610  that is also coded using the code pattern  606 . Assume, the cylinder  602  is turned at a rotational rate of 1 rotation per second by shaft  612 . Thus, as the cylinder  602  turns, six times a second the first magnetic field emission structure  604  on the cylinder  602  aligns with the second magnetic field emission structure  610  on the object  608  causing the object  608  to be repelled (i.e., moved downward) by the peak spatial force function of the two magnetic field emission structures  604  and  610 . Similarly, had the second magnetic field emission structure  610  been coded using a code pattern that mirrored code pattern  606 , then 6 times a second the first magnetic field emission structure  604  of the cylinder  602  would align with the second magnetic field emission structure  610  of the object  608  causing the object  608  to be attracted (i.e., moved upward) by the peak spatial force function of the two magnetic field emission structures  604  and  610 . Thus, the movement of the cylinder  602  and the corresponding first magnetic field emission structure  604  can be used to control the movement of the object  608  having its corresponding second magnetic field emission structure  610 . One skilled in the art will recognize that the cylinder  602  may be connected to a shaft  612  which may be turned as a result of wind turning a windmill, a water wheel or turbine, ocean wave movement, and other methods whereby movement of the object  608  can result from some source of energy scavenging. As such, correlated magnets enables the spatial forces between objects to be precisely controlled in accordance with their movement and also enables the movement of objects to be precisely controlled in accordance with such spatial forces. 
     In the above examples, the correlated magnets  304 ,  306 ,  402 ,  406 ,  502 ,  508 ,  604  and  610  overcome the normal ‘magnet orientation’ behavior with the aid of a holding mechanism such as an adhesive, a screw, a bolt &amp; nut, etc. . . . . In other cases, magnets of the same magnetic field emission structure could be sparsely separated from other magnets (e.g., in a sparse array) such that the magnetic forces of the individual magnets do not substantially interact, in which case the polarity of individual magnets can be varied in accordance with a code without requiring a holding mechanism to prevent magnetic forces from ‘flipping’ a magnet. However, magnets are typically close enough to one another such that their magnetic forces would substantially interact to cause at least one of them to ‘flip’ so that their moment vectors align but these magnets can be made to remain in a desired orientation by use of a holding mechanism such as an adhesive, a screw, a bolt &amp; nut, etc. . . . . As such, correlated magnets often utilize some sort of holding mechanism to form different magnetic field emission structures which can be used in a wide-variety of applications like, for example, a turning mechanism, a tool insertion slot, alignment marks, a latch mechanism, a pivot mechanism, a swivel mechanism, a lever, a drill head assembly, a hole cutting tool assembly, a machine press tool, a gripping apparatus, a slip ring mechanism, and a structural assembly. 
     C. Correlated Electromagnetics 
     Correlated magnets can entail the use of electromagnets which is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of an electric current. The polarity of the magnetic field is determined by the direction of the electric current and the magnetic field disappears when the current ceases. Following are a couple of examples in which arrays of electromagnets are used to produce a first magnetic field emission structure that is moved over time relative to a second magnetic field emission structure which is associated with an object thereby causing the object to move. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , there are several diagrams used to explain a 2-D correlated electromagnetics example in which there is a table  700  having a two-dimensional electromagnetic array  702  (first magnetic field emission structure  702 ) beneath its surface and a movement platform  704  having at least one table contact member  706 . In this example, the movement platform  704  is shown having four table contact members  706  each having a magnetic field emission structure  708  (second magnetic field emission structures  708 ) that would be attracted by the electromagnetic array  702 . Computerized control of the states of individual electromagnets of the electromagnet array  702  determines whether they are on or off and determines their polarity. A first example  710  depicts states of the electromagnetic array  702  configured to cause one of the table contact members  706  to attract to a subset  712   a  of the electromagnets within the magnetic field emission structure  702 . A second example  712  depicts different states of the electromagnetic array  702  configured to cause the one table contact member  706  to be attracted (i.e., move) to a different subset  712   b  of the electromagnets within the field emission structure  702 . Per the two examples, one skilled in the art can recognize that the table contact member(s)  706  can be moved about table  700  by varying the states of the electromagnets of the electromagnetic array  702 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , there are several diagrams used to explain a 3-D correlated electromagnetics example where there is a first cylinder  802  which is slightly larger than a second cylinder  804  that is contained inside the first cylinder  802 . A magnetic field emission structure  806  is placed around the first cylinder  802  (or optionally around the second cylinder  804 ). An array of electromagnets (not shown) is associated with the second cylinder  804  (or optionally the first cylinder  802 ) and their states are controlled to create a moving mirror image magnetic field emission structure to which the magnetic field emission structure  806  is attracted so as to cause the first cylinder  802  (or optionally the second cylinder  804 ) to rotate relative to the second cylinder  804  (or optionally the first cylinder  802 ). The magnetic field emission structures  808 ,  810 , and  812  produced by the electromagnetic array on the second cylinder  804  at time t=n, t=n+1, and t=n+2, show a pattern mirroring that of the magnetic field emission structure  806  around the first cylinder  802 . The pattern is shown moving downward in time so as to cause the first cylinder  802  to rotate counterclockwise. As such, the speed and direction of movement of the first cylinder  802  (or the second cylinder  804 ) can be controlled via state changes of the electromagnets making up the electromagnetic array. Also depicted in  FIG. 8  there is an electromagnetic array  814  that corresponds to a track that can be placed on a surface such that a moving mirror image magnetic field emission structure can be used to move the first cylinder  802  backward or forward on the track using the same code shift approach shown with magnetic field emission structures  808 ,  810 , and  812  (compare to  FIG. 5 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , there is illustrated an exemplary valve mechanism  900  based upon a sphere  902  (having a magnetic field emission structure  904  wrapped thereon) which is located in a cylinder  906  (having an electromagnetic field emission structure  908  located thereon). In this example, the electromagnetic field emission structure  908  can be varied to move the sphere  902  upward or downward in the cylinder  906  which has a first opening  910  with a circumference less than or equal to that of the sphere  902  and a second opening  912  having a circumference greater than the sphere  902 . This configuration is desirable since one can control the movement of the sphere  902  within the cylinder  906  to control the flow rate of a gas or liquid through the valve mechanism  900 . Similarly, the valve mechanism  900  can be used as a pressure control valve. Furthermore, the ability to move an object within another object having a decreasing size enables various types of sealing mechanisms that can be used for the sealing of windows, refrigerators, freezers, food storage containers, boat hatches, submarine hatches, etc., where the amount of sealing force can be precisely controlled. One skilled in the art will recognize that many different types of seal mechanisms that include gaskets, o-rings, and the like can be employed with the use of the correlated magnets. Plus, one skilled in the art will recognize that the magnetic field emission structures can have an array of sources including, for example, a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, an electret, a magnetized ferromagnetic material, a portion of a magnetized ferromagnetic material, a soft magnetic material, or a superconductive magnetic material, some combination thereof, and so forth. 
     Moving a Second Object Magnetically Attached to a First Object 
       FIGS. 10A and 10B  depict exemplary first and second objects  1000   a    1000   b  and exemplary first and second complementary magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  associated with the first and second objects  1000   a    1000   b , where the two objects  1000   a    1000   b  are separated in  FIG. 10A  and magnetically attached to each other in  FIG. 10B . As shown, the two complementary magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  associated with the two objects  1000   a    1000   b  are round, but they could be any desired shape as could the two objects  1000   a    1000   b . The two magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  may be attached onto outer surfaces of the two objects  1000   a    1000   b  and/or may be located partially or completely within the two objects  1000   a    1000   b  (as indicated by the dashed lines). When the two magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  are brought into close proximity and aligned in a specific rotational and translational alignment, the two complementary magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  produce a peak attractive force that causes the two magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  to magnetically attach such that by moving the first object  1000   a  (e.g., turning the object) the magnetically attached second object  1000   b  will be caused to move (e.g., turn) and vice versa. In other words, when magnetically attached, the two objects will move together as if they were one object. The two objects  1000   a    1000   b  can be magnetically attached without actually touching depending on how they are configured. For example, they can be constrained physically such that neither object can touch yet they will move together (e.g., turn about an axis). Additionally, multi-level magnetic field techniques can also be employed to achieve contactless attachment behavior. 
     If a force greater than the peak attractive force is applied to cause them to pull apart, the two objects will become detached and move independently as separate objects. Moreover, a torque can be applied to one of the objects to misalign and decorrelate the magnetic structures, which can result in the two magnetic structures repelling each other, there being a lesser attractive force between the two magnetic structures, or there being no force between them depending on how the two structures are coded and their relative alignment to each other while decorrelated. The attract force and repel force characteristics of the two magnetic structures correspond to a spatial force function that is in accordance with a code, where the code corresponds to a code modulo of the first magnetic structure and a complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure. The code defines a peak spatial force corresponding to substantial alignment of the code modulo of the first magnetic structure with the complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure. The code also defines a plurality of off peak spatial forces corresponding to a plurality of different misalignments of the code modulo of the first magnetic structure and the complementary code modulo of the second magnetic structure. Under one arrangement, the plurality of off peak spatial forces have a largest off peak spatial force, where the largest off peak spatial force is less than half of the peak spatial force. 
     As described in relation to  FIGS. 10A and 10B , two complementary coded magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  can be associated with two objects  1000   a    1000   b  to enable them to be attached when in proper alignment.  FIGS. 11A-11C  correspond to an exemplary canister assembly comprising a canister and a base attached with complementary coded ring magnetic structures. 
     Generally, one skilled in the art of the present invention will understand that it can be applied to various types of appliances such as blenders, food processors, mixers, and the like and also other types of equipment involving rotating blades (or other moving objects) such as lawn mowers, bush hogs, and the like. 
       FIG. 11A  depicts the exemplary canister assembly  1100  comprising a first ring magnetic structure  1002   a  associated with a canister  1102  and a second ring magnetic structure  1002   b  associated with a base unit  1104 . The two magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  have complementary coding to enable attachment of the canister  1102  and the base  1104 . Each ring magnetic structure could be a ring of multiple discrete magnetic sources arranged in accordance with a code or be a single magnetizable material having had magnetic sources printed onto it in accordance with a code. Alternatively, multiple pieces of magnetizable material having printed magnetic sources could be combined. If multiple code modulos (i.e., instances of a code) are used when coding the structures, multiple alignments between the two objects can achieve the same or similar peak attractive forces. If desired, different types of codes can be employed so that the two objects will have different amounts of attractive force depending on which of some number of desired alignments are used. When multiple magnetic structures are employed, different numbers of magnetic structures can engage or not depending on the orientation of the two objects. One skilled in the art will also recognize that the number, location, and coding of the magnetic structures can be varied to achieve all sorts of different behaviors regarding torque characteristics, pull (tensile) force characteristics, shear force characteristics, and so on, as further described below. For example, the magnetic structures can be coded to produce a peak pull force (peak tensile force) sufficient to enable magnetic attachment and produce a peak shear force sufficient to overcome a predefined amount of applied torque (a torque threshold), whereby producing an amount of torque between the objects greater than the torque threshold will cause the magnetic structures to decorrelate. 
     Complementary coded ring magnetic structures may have one or more concentric circles of magnetic sources coded in accordance with one or more code modulos of a code. Moreover, portions of ring magnetic structures can be used instead of complete rings.  FIG. 11B  depicts a ring magnetic structure having one circle of magnetic sources comprising four code modulos of a Barker 13 code (+++++−−++−+−+), where the four code modulos are indicated by the dashed lines. One skilled in the art of the invention would understand that each code modulo of a ring magnetic structure complementary to the ring magnetic structure depicted in  FIG. 11B  would have magnetic sources having opposite polarities to those shown in  FIG. 11B  (−−−−−++−−+−+−). 
       FIG. 11A  could correspond to a blender jar that is attached to a blender base unit whereby smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces can be used and there would be a much more easy to use attachment and detachment characteristics than a conventional blender such as depicted in  FIG. 11C . As such, the canister (blender jar)  1102  having a coded ring magnetic structure  1002   a  in its bottom portion can be magnetically attached to the base unit (e.g., blender base unit)  1104  having a coded ring magnetic structure  1002   b  in its top portion that is complementary to the coded ring magnetic structure  1002   a  in the bottom of the canister  1102 . If the two magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  each have 4 code modulos of complementary Barker 13 codes, the canister  1102  could attach to base  1104  in any one of four positions (i.e., every 90 degrees) and achieve a peak attractive force at any of the four positions yet the canister  1102  can be turned relative to the base  1104  to any other position where it can be removed easily. 
       FIG. 12  depicts a blade unit  1202  and a motor unit  1204  where complementary magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  and secondary magnetic structures  1206   a    1206   b  enable rapid attachment and detachment while meeting torque requirements. As depicted, the canister  1102  has had a blade unit  1202  placed into its bottom portion that can magnetically attach to a corresponding motor unit  1204  in a base unit  1104  of a blender. A grip handle  1208  enables easy placement of the blade unit  1202  and enables a person to apply torque to remove the blade unit  1202  when desired. The blade unit  1202  includes one or more blades  1210 . The blade unit  1202  and motor unit  1204  each have complementary coded magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  that when their complementary magnetic sources are aligned will have strong attachment forces but with a certain applied torque will decorrelate and detach. Additionally, one or more pairs of secondary magnetic structures  1206   a    1206   b , which can be coded or non-coded structures, may optionally be used to provide a certain amount of additional attachment (tensile and shear) strength and provide desirable torque characteristics. One skilled in the art will recognize that a torque threshold can be selected above which the blade unit  1202  will detach from the motor unit  1204 , which may be desirable to prevent damage during operation. 
       FIG. 13  depicts the blade unit  1202  and motor unit  1204  of  FIG. 12  in an attached position. The blade unit  1202  and motor unit  1204  as shown are designed to fit in the area within the inside diameter of the two ring magnets of  FIG. 11A . Under one arrangement (not shown), the blade unit  1202  has a hole and fits onto a guide located in the center of canister  1102 . Under another arrangement (not shown), the blade unit  1202  has a guide that fits into a hole located in the bottom of the canister  1102 . Various arrangements are possible for making it easy to install the blade unit  1202  while maintaining a hermetically sealed bottom for easy cleaning. Although, one could practice the invention with different types of objects where such seal characteristics are not required or desirable as might be the case for a blender. 
       FIG. 14  depicts an attachment portion of a base unit  1202  configured with multiple magnetic structures  1206   a  and a variety of blade units  1204  configured with different numbers of complementary magnetic structures  1206   b  that will attach to the attachment portion of the base unit. The base unit  1202  and blade units  1204  could have multiple magnetic structures (primary  1002   a    1002   b  and/or secondary  1206   a    1206   b ). Different blade units  1204  could have different numbers of magnetic structures  1206   b  thereby causing them to have different “release force” characteristics. One skilled in the art will recognize that all sorts of combinations are possible to enable different attachment strengths, different torque characteristics, and the like. Generally, the lesser number of magnetic structures the less cost of the product. So, certain heavy duty grade blade units  1204  might involve more magnetic structures  1206   b  than blade units  1204  intended for lighter duty. 
       FIGS. 15A and 15B  depict an attachment portion of a base unit  1204  having multiple magnetic structures  102   b  configured to rotate about pivot points  1502  over a range of movement controlled by bumpers  1504  and an attachment portion of a blade unit having fixed magnetic structures, where  FIG. 15A  depicts the magnetic structures  1002   b  in their operational position and  FIG. 15B  depicts the magnetic structures  1206   b  having been rotated to detachment positions. As depicted, the magnetic structures  1002   b  within a base unit are each able to rotate about pivot points  1502  enabling them to achieve an attachment position and to also rotate to a detach position, where the bumpers restrict movement of the magnetic structures  1002   b  configured to rotate (or pivot) about an axis. In  FIG. 15C , corresponding magnetic structures  1002   a  associated with the blade unit  1202  are in fixed locations. As shown in  FIG. 12 , fixed secondary magnetic structures  1206   a    1206   b  (coded or non-coded) can also be used to augment the correlated structures  1002   a    1002   b  so as to achieve desirable characteristics. With this design, turning (rotating) the blade unit  1202  one direction will require overcoming the shear forces between the magnetic structures  102   b  in the base and the magnetic structures  102   a  in the blade unit  1202  since they are prevented from pivoting. Turning the blade unit  1202  in the opposite direction will cause the decorrelation of the complementary magnetic structures  1002   a    1002   b  thereby enabling detachment. 
       FIG. 16  depicts an attachment portion of a base unit  1204  having exemplary mechanical means  1602  for causing magnetic structures  1002   b  to turn so as to correlate or decorrelate with magnetic structures  1002   a  in a corresponding blade unit  1202 . By moving a switch  1604  from side to side, the mechanical device  1602  including in the base unit causes the two magnetic structures  1002   b  to rotate from a first correlated position to a second uncorrelated position. One skilled in the art will recognize that all sorts of different types of mechanical devices  1602  could be employed to control correlation and decorrelation of the two structures  1002   a . Moreover, the examples provided herein could be reversed such that a feature included in the first object (e.g., the canister) could instead be included in the second object (e.g., the base unit). 
     One skilled in the art will recognize that the blender base unit and blade unit are just examples of where two objects that can be magnetically attached using correlated magnetic structures designed to have specific tensile and shear forces. In particular, such force can be designed into a product to prevent damage when in a bind while also enabling strong attachment and quick and easy detachment. It is also noted that such magnetic structures can be designed so as to achieve desired precision alignment characteristics. 
     While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings.