The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 02, 2020
Filed:
Nov. 28, 2017
Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc, Redmond, WA (US);
Nishant Srinivasan, Seattle, WA (US);
Daniel Clark Park, Woodinville, WA (US);
Karsten Aagaard, Monroe, WA (US);
Colin Tiyani Anderson, Redmond, WA (US);
Michael Robert Schweers, Seattle, WA (US);
Benoit Guillaume Henri Rouger, Bellevue, WA (US);
Anthony Christian Reed, Redmond, WA (US);
Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus having a fast drop-off in attraction force between magnets is provided. The apparatus includes a first magnet array having a plurality of magnets with different magnetic field orientations fixedly positioned in a first housing. The apparatus also includes an adjacent magnet assembly relative to the first magnet array and provided in a second housing that includes second and third magnet arrays, each having a plurality of magnets with different magnetic field orientations. The apparatus includes an activation mechanism configured to move the adjacent magnet assembly from at least a first relative position to a second relative position. The adjacent magnet assembly in the second relative position has a second magnetic attraction force with the first magnet array that is substantially reduced as compared to a first magnetic attraction force with the first magnet array in the first relative position. The magnet arrays may define a magnetic fastener controlling opening and/or closing of portions of a device.