Lock

Claim 2

A lock comprising an upper locking unit and a lower locking unit, said upper locking unit having a passage, a plunger disposed within said passage, said passage being so dimensioned as to permit said plunger to be slidably displaced within said passage, said plunger being of such a material that said plunger is caused to be slidably displaced within said passage by a magnetic force being placed in close proximity thereto, said lower locking unit having a passage so dimensioned as to receive said plunger, means retaining the upper portion of said plunger in said upper locking unit when the lower portion of said plunger is disposed in said passage of said lower locking unit, an opaque plate which permits magnEtic lines of force to be transmitted therethrough covering said passage of said upper locking unit having at least two perpendicularly disposed contoured surfaces to permit said plunger to ride up onto the upper surface of said lower locking unit so that said plunger may be aligned with and drop to 2 position partially within said passage in said lower locking unit, whereby said upper locking unit is locked to said lower locking unit when said plunger is disposed within said passages in said upper and lower locking units and whereby said upper locking unit is unlocked from said lower locking unit when a magnetic force is brought into close proximity with said plunger causing said lower portion of said plunger to be removed from within said passage in said lower locking unit.

Claim 3

A lock is accordance with claim 1 wherein said upper locking unit includes means to attach said upper locking unit to a cabinet door and wherein said lower locking unit includes means to attach said lower locking unit to a cabinet door.

Claim 4

A lock in accordance with claim 2 wherein said plunger is comprised of a head of a first diameter and a shaft of a second diameter, said passage of said upper locking unit comprising a first opening having a diameter slightly greater than said first diameter, and a second opening having a diameter slightly greater than said second diameter, said first opening leading into said second opening, said head of said plunger being slidably disposed within said first opening and said shaft of said plunger being slidably disposed within said first and said second openings and within said passage of said lower locking unit.

Claim 5

A lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said upper locking unit is attached to a first cabinet door, said lower locking unit is attached to a second cabinet door, and said first and said second cabinet doors open by pivoting about parallelly disposed axes.

Claim 6

A lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said upper locking unit is attached to a first cabinet door, said lower locking unit is attached to a second cabinet door, and said first and said second cabinet doors open by sliding in parallelly disposed paths.

Claim 7

A lock in accordance with claim 1 wherein said upper locking unit is attached to a first cabinet door and said lower locking unit is attached to the frame of the cabinet.

Claim 8

A lock in accordance with claim 1 further including a magnet which when brought into close proximity with said plunger attracts said plunder causing said plunger to be removed from within said passage in said lower locking unit.

Claim 9

A locking in accordance with claim 7 further including a keeper for said magnet, said keeper comprising a base to which said magnet is attracted, a wall surrounding said base having a height less than the height of said magnet, the inner periphery of said wall having a length slightly greater than the outer periphery of said magnet when disposed within said wall, the height and inner periphery of said wall and the magnetic attraction between said base and said magnet being such that the magnet may not be removed from its keeper by twisting, sliding, or tilting of the magnet but can only be removed by lifting said magnet in a direction substantially perpendicular to said base.

Claim 10

A lock comprising an upper locking unit and a lower locking unit, said upper locking unit having a passage, a plunger disposed within said passage, said passage being so dimensioned as to permit said plunger to be slidably displaced within said passage, said plunger being of such a material that said plunger is caused to be slidably displaced within said passage by a magnetic force being placed in close proximity thereto, said lower locking unit having a passage so dimensioned as to receive said plunger, means retaining the upper portion of said plunger in said upper locking unit when the lower portion of said plunger is disposed in said passage of said lower locking unit, an opaque plate which permits magnetic lines of forcE to be transmitted therethrough covering said passage of said upper locking unit at the upper surface of said upper locking unit, said lower locking unit having two oppositely disposed contoured surfaces to permit said plunger to ride up onto the upper surface of said lower locking unit during relative motion between said upper and lower locking units so that said plunger may be aligned with and drop to a position partially within said passage in said lower locking unit, whereby said upper locking unit is locked to said lower locking unit when said plunger is disposed within said passages in said upper and lower locking units and whereby said upper locking unit is unlocked from said lower locking unit when a magnetic force is brought into close proximity with said plunger causing said lower portion of said plunger to be removed from within said passage in said lower locking unit.

Claim 11

A lock comprising an upper locking unit and a lower locking unit, said upper locking unit having a passage, a plunger disposed within said passage, said passage being so dimensioned as to permit said plunger to be slidably displaced within said passage, said plunger being of such a material that said plunger is caused to be slidably displaced within said passage by a magnetic force being placed in close proximity thereto, said lower locking unit having a passage so dimensioned as to receive said plunger, means retaining the upper portion of said plunger in said upper locking unit when the lower portion of said plunger is disposed in said passage of said lower locking unit, an opaque plate which permits magnetic lines of forcE to be transmitted therethrough covering said passage of said upper locking unit at the upper surface of said upper locking unit, said lower locking unit having two oppositely disposed contoured surfaces to permit said plunger to ride up onto the upper surface of said lower locking unit during relative motion between said upper and lower locking units so that said plunger may be aligned with and drop to a position partially within said passage in said lower locking unit, whereby said upper locking unit is locked to said lower locking unit when said plunger is disposed within said passages in said upper and lower locking units and whereby said upper locking unit is unlocked from said lower locking unit when a magnetic force is brought into close proximity with said plunger causing said lower portion of said plunger to be removed from within said passage in said lower locking unit.

Claim 12

A lock comprising an upper locking unit and a lower locking unit, said upper locking unit having a passage, a plunger disposed within said passage, said passage being so dimensioned as to permit said plunger to be slidably displaced within said passage, said plunger being of such a material that said plunger is caused to be slidably displaced within said passage by a magnetic force being placed in close proximity thereto, said lower locking unit having a passage so dimensioned as to receive said plunger, means retaining the upper portion of said plunger in said upper locking unit when the lower portion of said plunger is disposed in said passage of said lower locking unit, an opaque plate which permits magnetic lines of force to be transmitted therethrough covering said passage of said upper locking unit at the upper surface of said upper locking unit, said lower locking unit having at least two contoured surfaces disposed so as to permit said plunger to ride up onto the upper surface of said lower locking unit irrespective of the direction in which said upper locking unit is moved relative to said lower locking unit so that said plunger may be aligned with and drop to a position partially within said passage in said lower locking unit, whereby said upper locking unit is locked to said lower locking unit when said plunger is disposed within said passages in said upper and lower locking units and whereby said upper locking unit is unlocked from said lower locking unit when a magnetic force is brought into close proximity with said plunger causing said lower portion of said plunger to be removed from within said passage in said lower locking unit.

Claim 13

A lock comprising an upper locking unit and a lower locking unit, said upper locking unit having a passage, a plunger disposed within said passage, said passage being so dimensioned as to permit said plunger to be slidably displaced within said passage, said plunger being of such a material that said plunger is caused to be slidably displaced within said passage by a magnetic force being placed in close proximity thereto, said lower locking unit having a passage so dimensioned as to receive said plunger, means retaining the upper portion of said plunger in said upper locking unit when the lower portion of said plunger is disposed in said passage of said lower locking unit, an opaque plate which permits magnetic lines of force to be transmitted therethrough covering said passage of said upper locking unit at the upper surface of said upper locking unit, said lower locking unit having at least two contoured surfaces disposed so as to permit said plunger to ride up onto the upper surface of said lower locking unit irrespective of the direction in which said upper locking unit is moved relative to said lower locking unit so that said plunger may be aligned with and drop to a position partially within said passage in said lower locking unit, whereby said upper locking unit is locked to said lower locking unit when said plunger is disposed within said passages in said upper and lower locking units and whereby said upper locking unit is unlocked from said lower locking unit when a magnetic force is brought into close proximity with said plunger causing said lower portion of said plunger to be removed from within said passage in said lower locking unit.

Claim 14

A lock in accordance with claim 10, wherein said at least two contoured surfaces includes a third contoured surface which permits either of said upper and lower locking units to be moved to a locking position followed by the other of said locking units into said locking position without interference by the plunger.