Patent ID: 8222986

Claim:
The multilevel magnetic system, comprising: a first magnetic structure comprising a first portion that produces a magnetic field and a second portion that produces a magnetic filed; a second magnetic structure comprising a first portion that produces a magnetic field and a second portion that produces a magnetic field, said first portions producing a first force and said second portions producing a second force when said first and second magnetic structures are aligned such that said first portions and said second portions are respectively located across from one another, said first force and said second force combining to produce a composite force that transitions from an attractive force to a repulsive force depending on the separation distance between the first and second magnetic structures, wherein the first portion of the first magnetic structure comprises a first plurality of coded magnetic sources, and the first portion of the second magnetic structure comprises a first plurality of complementary coded magnetic sources, wherein the second portion of the first magnetic structure comprises a second plurality of coded magnetic sources, and the second portion of the second magnetic structure comprises a second plurality of complementary coded magnetic sources.