Patent ID: 7823699

Claim:
An assembly, comprising: an electromagnetic elevator door lock actuator including a locking member for locking an elevator door and a moveable portion that moves the locking member from a locked position into an unlocked position responsive to a magnetic flux induced in at least the moveable portion; a first portion associated with the locking member and a second portion supported for movement with an elevator car, and wherein magnetic interaction between the first and second portions is operative to induce the magnetic flux in the moveable portion, wherein the first portion has a stationary portion and the moveable portion is moveable between a first position relative to the stationary portion corresponding to one of the locked position or the unlocked position of the assembly and a second position relative to the stationary portion corresponding to the other of the locked position or the unlocked position of the assembly and wherein the magnetic interaction is operative to move the moveable portion from the first position to the second position, wherein the magnetic interaction comprises the induced magnetic flux in the moveable portion and an induced magnetic flux in the stationary portion, and wherein the second position includes a minimum air gap between the stationary portion and the moveable portion and the first position includes a greater air gap, and wherein the first and second portions each comprises a magnetic core.