Patent Publication Number: US-9428939-B2

Title: Locking/unlocking system for superimposable elements

Description:
The present invention relates to a locking/unlocking system for superimposable elements, and in particular it refers to a magnetic locking/unlocking system for superimposable elements, which exploits the interaction of magnetic elements, ferromagnetic elements or elements that are magnetically inert each other. 
     In the following description will be directed specifically to an embodiment in the field of locks, either directly as a lock or as a protection of the same, but it is well evident that the patent application should not be regarded as limited to this specific area of use. 
     In the field of locks, an important issue is security: the easy accessibility of the keyhole of a lock makes any lock or locking system vulnerable to vandalism, violations and/or tampering by unauthorized parties. 
     A known solution that has been implemented is the one described in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,161, in the name of the same applicants, which is a magnetic system for the unlocking of padlocks and locks comprising a lock-cover element which alternatively permits or prevents access to the lock keyhole and to a device, and an operating element that alternatively blocks and unblocks the lock-cover element; the lock cover element has one or more pin elements so as to allow the lock-cover element to be rotated with respect to a plate element; the lock-cover element and the plate element provide each one the same number of a plurality of holes, inside which there are one or more magnetic pin elements, having two possible measurements, one longer and one shorter, being attracted towards the device by the metal of the same device or by a platelet inside the plate element; the operating element has grasping means, that allow its positioning and its rotating, and an arrangement of elements is housed inside the holes, the elements being made up of ferromagnetic material or magnetically inert material, suitable for attract or not, the magnetic elements, depending on their length, that are housed within the plurality of holes provided on the element plate, so that they line up all on the same plane, so they can rotate. 
     The latter system has the limit in that it can be realized in a number of combinations corresponding to the number of possible alternative configurations into the holes on the plate element, in other words two, raised to the number of said holes. 
     It is then object of the present invention to overcome the above drawbacks, providing a locking/unlocking system for superimposable elements, that allows to obtain more combinations, with the same number of holes on the plate element. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to completely eliminate the need for the presence of a key-hole of a lock, the operating element being an element of the lock being a plate element and superimposable to the device itself. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to be easy to achieve. 
     It is therefore the specific subject-matter of the present invention a locking/unlocking system of superimposable elements, comprising a first element or upper element, and a second element, or lower element, to be locked and unlocked, superimposed each other along a plane of relative motion, and an operating device, said system being characterized in that said first element and said second element provide each one the same number of a plurality of housings, and reciprocally positioned so as to form pairs of housings, each one providing inside centering means, said system being further characterized in that it provides a plurality of first magnetic elements having a first length, a plurality of second magnetic elements having a second length, lower than the length of said plurality of first magnetic elements, and a plurality of third magnetic elements, having a third length equal to the half of the sum of said first and second lengths, the total height of said pairs of housings having the measure equal to or bigger than the double of said first length, inside each one of said pairs of housings being provided a pair of magnets, consisting of one of said first magnetic elements and of one of said second magnetic elements, or a pair of said third magnetic elements, the position each other and the orientation of their polarity being combined randomly, so that their faced ends correspond to, or are offset with respect to, said plane, said operating device providing a plurality of interference elements, comprised of magnetic material, ferromagnetic material or magnetically inert material, oriented and combined so as to attract, reject or leave unaltered said pairs of magnets so as, bringing said operating device close to one of said two elements, said pairs of magnets are all aligned along said plane, permitting the relative motion of the two elements. 
     Furthermore, according to the invention, said operating device provides a plurality of interference elements in a corresponding position and in the same number of the ones in said plurality of housings of said first and second element. 
     Preferably, according to the invention, said operating device further comprises a screening element of said plurality of interference elements, comprised of a magnetically inert material. 
     Furthermore, according to the invention, said pairs of magnets consist of magnets having pairwise identical sections. 
     Preferably, according to the invention, said plane is the symmetry plane of said housings and of said centering means. 
     Preferably, according to the invention, said relative motion between said first and second element is a rotation. 
     Preferably, according to the invention, said relative motion between said first and second element is a linear sliding. 
     Preferably, said system is applied to a lock system of moveable structures. 
     Preferably said system is applied to a protection system for a lock. 
     Preferably, according to the invention, said centering means consist each one of pairs of tubular elements comprised of ferromagnetic material, inside which there are said pairs of magnets. 
     Still according to the invention, said centering means consist each one of two hollow plates in ferromagnetic material, inside which there are said pairs of magnets. 
     Still according to the invention, said centering means consist each one of two magnetic elements positioned at the sides of each one of said housings, inside which there are said pairs of magnets. 
     Still according to the invention, said centering means consist each one of magnetically inert springs at the free ends of said pairs of magnets. 
     Still according to the invention, said operating device further has grasping means. 
     Always according to the invention, said operating device has first means of engagement and in that said first element has second means of engagement, said first and second means of engagement being shaped so as said operating device, positioned on said first element, couples with the latter, integrally moving with the same. 
     Finally, said first and second means of engagement consist of a projecting part and of a hollow, shaped such as to be reciprocally engaged, provided, respectively on said operating device and on said first element, or vice versa. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is schematic drawing of a locking/unlocking system according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing of a locking/unlocking system according to the present invention which uses a magnetically inert spring between two magnets and grasping means. 
     
    
    
     The present invention will be now describe, for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiment, with particular reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  of the drawings, wherein the operation of the device according to the invention is schematically shown. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the system according to the invention provides an operating device  1 , a first element  2  and a second element  3 . The operating device  1  provides a plurality of operating elements  110 ,  120 ,  130 , which can be comprised of a magnet  120 ,  130 , or of a magnetically inert element  110 . In case it is a magnet  120 ,  130 , it can be oriented with its negative polarity  120 , or positive polarity  130 , facing the first element  2 . 
     The first element  2  and the second element  3  provide a plane  4  of relative motion, and a plurality of pairs of cylindrical housings  210 ,  310 , the housings of each pair having the same position and dimension, and being in the same number of the operating elements provided on the operating device  1 . Within each pair of housings  210 ,  310  there is a centering means  220 ,  320 , in this case consisting of a pair of tubular elements comprised of ferromagnetic material, the tubular elements of each pair having the same position and dimension, inside which there is a pair of cylindrical magnets  230 ′,  230 ″ or  230 ′″,  230 ′″, the magnets  230  of which pair have the same section and can present three different lengths, m 1 , m 2 , m 3 . The pairs of housings  210 ,  310  and the relative pairs of tubular elements  220 ,  320  are all aligned with the facing ends placed along the plane  4 . The total height I of each pair of housings  210 ,  310  is bigger than the total length m of the pair of magnets  230 ′,  230 ″ or  230 ′″,  230 ′″, with m=m 3 +m 3 =m 1 +m 2  and 1=2 m 1 . 
     Each pair of magnets  230 ′,  230 ″ or  230 ′″,  230 ′″, once made up, acts as a single magnet, having their facing polarities oriented so as to be attracted, tending to be positioned exactly at the center of the pair of ferromagnetic tubular elements  220 ,  320 , in absence of interferences. 
     The term “tubular” has to be understood here in its broadest meaning, in other word in the meaning of a hollow element, not necessarily with a round cross section. It is evident that such pair of tubular elements  220 ,  320  described here, comprised of ferromagnetic material, has the function to keep—in absence of interferences—the center of gravity of the pair of magnets on the plane  4 , a function that can be carried out in many other ways, i.e. using only two hollow plates placed at the same distance from the plane  4 , or putting two magnets at the sides of each pair of housings  230 ′,  230 ″ or  230 ′″,  230 ′″, or further putting a magnetically inert spring  240  (as shown in  FIG. 2  at each of the free ends of the pair of magnets. 
     When the pair of magnets is made up of a magnet  230 ′ with a length m 1  and a magnet  230 ″ with a length m 2  smaller than the length m 1 , the two facing ends are offset to the plane  4 , avoiding the relative motion between the first element  2  and the second element  3  along the sliding plane  4 . More precisely, in case the magnet  230 ′ with the length m 1  is within the first element  2 , it is necessary, to make the facing ends to align along the plane  4 , that the operating device  1  provide, in the position corresponding to the position of that hole, a magnetic operating element  120 ,  130 , with the polarity facing to the first element  2  contrary to the polarity of the magnet facing to the operating device  1 , so as it attracts the pair of magnets  230 ′,  230 ″. 
     In case the magnet  230 ′ with the length m 1  is in the second element  3 , it is necessary, to make the facing ends to align along the plane  4 , that the operating device  1  provide, in the position corresponding to the position of that hole, a magnetic operating element  120 ,  130 , with the polarity facing to the first element  2  that is the same polarity of the magnet facing to the operating device  1 , so as it rejects the pair of magnets  230 ′,  230 ″. 
     When the pair of magnets is comprised of two magnets  230 ′″, each having a length m 3 , the facing ends are placed along the plane  4 . To keep the facing ends along the plane  4 , it is necessary that the operating device  1  provides, in the position corresponding of the position of that hole, a magnetically inert operating element  110 . 
     Since the operating device  1  provides a combination of operating elements  110 ,  120 ,  130 , suitable for aligning all the facing ends of each pair of magnets  230 ′,  230 ″ or  230 ′″,  230 ′″ along the plane  4 , a relative motion between the first element  2  and the second element  3  is possible, the operating device  1  acting as a key. In such a way, the number of possible combination is equal to the number of the possible alternative configurations within the pair of housings  210 ,  310  provided in the first element  2  and in the second element  3 , in this case three, raised to the number of the pairs of housings  210 ,  310 . 
     According to a favourite embodiment, not shown in  FIG. 2 , the operating device  1  comprises grasping means  140 , i.e. a handle, and first means of engagement  150 , i.e. a projecting part or a hollow. The first element  2  further comprises second means of engagement  250 , i.e. a hollow or a projecting part, shaped such as the operating device  1 , coupled to the first element  2  is engaged to the latter, by means of the coupling of the first and the second means of engagement, so as, moving the operating device  1 , the corresponding movement of the first element  2  is obtained. 
     Advantageously, the relative motion between the first element  1  and the second element  2 , which may be for example a linear slide or a rotation, is connected to a locking device, such as a lock, or it constitutes a protection system for an already existing known lock. 
     Obviously, banal expedients allow the creation of further possible alternative configurations inside the housings  210 ,  310 , to increase the number of power to which the number of pairs of housings  210 ,  310  has to be raised, to obtain, as a result, the number of possible combinations. 
     Advantageously, the system according to the invention can be applied in systems of opening/closing of rooms, in the absence of shown mechanisms, as required by the modern requirements for design and attention to architectural details. 
     The present invention has been described to illustrate and not for limiting purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that modifications and/or changes can be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the relevant scope as defined in the appended claims.