Patent ID: 8510920

Claim:
A method for converting a closure structure from a mechanical mode of engagement to an exclusively magnetic mode of engagement, comprising: providing an article of manufacture having a containment space, wherein the article of manufacture has an access control portion for enabling an item to be selectively contained within and removed from the containment space, wherein the access control portion has an interlock structure of a first configuration and an interlock structure of a second configuration, wherein the interlock structure of the first configuration is engagable with the interlock structure of the second configuration for enabling the access control portion to be selectively secured in a closed configuration through engagement of the interlock structure of the first configuration with the interlock structure of the second configuration and for enabling the access control portion to be selectively transitioned to an open configuration through disengagement of the interlock structure of the first configuration from the interlock structure of the second configuration; and engaging a magnetic interface system between said first configuration interlock structure of the access control portion and said second configuration interlock structure of the access control portion, wherein the magnetic interface system includes a first interface body and a second interface body, wherein an interlock structure of the first interface body that is of the second configuration is engaged with said first configuration interlock structure of the access control portion and an interlock structure of the second interface body that is of the first configuration is engaged with said second configuration interlock structure of the access control portion, wherein a magnetic element of the first interface body and a magnetic element of the second interface body jointly enable the access control portion to be selectively secured in the closed configuration through magnetic attraction between the magnetic element of the first interface body and the magnetic element of the second interface body thereof and for enabling the access control portion to be selectively transitioned to the open configuration by manually acting on access control portion to overcome the magnetic attraction between the magnetic element of the first interface body and the magnetic element of the second interface body, and wherein faces of said first and second interface bodies that face each other when said first and second interface bodies are engaged with the respective engagement structure of the access control portion are devoid of said first and second configurations of interlock structures.