Magnetic closure

Claim 2

A closure device for providing access through and closing of an opening of a flexible, non-magnetic panel with equal facility for movement of an object in either direction through the opening, said opening having a boundary defined by a first vertically extending border along the flexible panel and a second vertically extending border along another member, said first and second borders being in abutting relationship and defining a longitudinal, vertically extending slit while the opening is closed, said panel and member being mechanically joined together at a point on the upper end of the slit, said slit being opened in response to insertion of the object through the slit, said closure device comprising: vertically extending magnet means running along one of the borders of the slit for establishing a horizontally extending magnetic force across the slit in planes substantially parallel to and including a plane in which the panel lies while the opening is closed, vertically extending magnetic force attractive means running along the other border responsive to the magnetic force for holding the borders in abutting non-overlapping relationship substantially throughout their length, both said magnetic force establishing means and said magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed and opened as the object moves through the opening, said force establishing means and force attractive means being arranged with said panel, member and slit so that the panel is free to swing in any direction about the point and the panel and member are free to come together solely in response to the force of gravity and the magnetic force, whereby the magnetic force and the force of gravity cause the upper portion of the slit to be initially closed and the lower portion of the slit to be subsequently closed.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein the magnetic means includes a plurality of spaced permanent bAr magnets each having strong opposite polarity magnetic poles on the surface abutting said one border and weak magnetic poles on a surface remote from said one border.

Claim 4

The device of claim 2 wherein the magnetic force attractive means includes a plurality of elements spaced from each other in corresponding locations with the permanent magnets, whereby corresponding ones of the permanent magnets and the elements are in substantial abutting relationship with each other while the opening is closed.

Claim 5

The device of claim 2 wherein each of the elements is a permanent bar magnet having pole faces on the other border and in alignment with corresponding pole faces of opposite polarity of the bar magnets on said one border.

Claim 6

The device of claim 1 wherein said magnet means provides air gaps for magnetic flux causing the magnetic force.

Claim 7

A closure for an opening of a pair of flexible panels of a tent, said panels having first and second mating borders defining a vertically extending slit when the panels are closed, said panels being mechanically joined together at a point on the upper end of the slit, said closure device comprising; vertically extending magnet means running along one of the borders of the slit for establishing a horizontally extending magnetic force across the slit in planes substantially parallel to and including a plane in which the panels lie while the opening is closed, vertically extending magnetic force attractive means running along the other border responsive to the magnetic force for holding the borders in abutting nonoverlapping relationship substantially throughout their length, both said magnetic force establishing means and said magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed, said force establishing means and force attractive means being arranged with said panels, and slit so that the panels are free to swing in any direction about the point and the panels are free to come together solely in response to the force of gravity and the magnetic force, whereby the magnetic force and the force of gravity cause the upper portion of the slit to be initially closed and the lower portion of the slit to be subsequently closed.

Claim 8

A closure for an opening of a pair of flexible panels of a tent, said panels having first and second mating borders defining a vertically extending slit when the panels are closed, said panels being mechanically joined together at a point on the upper end of the slit, said closure device comprising; vertically extending magnet means running along one of the borders of the slit for establishing a horizontally extending magnetic force across the slit in planes substantially parallel to and including a plane in which the panels lie while the opening is closed, vertically extending magnetic force attractive means running along the other border responsive to the magnetic force for holding the borders in abutting nonoverlapping relationship substantially throughout their length, both said magnetic force establishing means and said magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed, said force establishing means and force attractive means being arranged with said panels, and slit so that the panels are free to swing in any direction about the point and the panels are free to come together solely in response to the force of gravity and the magnetic force, whereby the magnetic force and the force of gravity cause the upper portion of the slit to be initially closed and the lower portion of the slit to be subsequently closed.

Claim 9

The device of claim 6 wherein the magnet means includes a plurality of spaced permanent bar magnets each having strong opposite polarity magnetic poles on the surface abutting said one border and weak magnetic poles on a surface remote from said one border.

Claim 10

The device of claim 7 wherein the magnetic force attractive means includes a plurality of elements spaced from each other in corresponding locations with the permanent magnets, whereby corresponding ones of the permanent magnets and the elements are in substantial abutting relationship with each other while the opening is closed.

Claim 11

The device of claim 8 wherein each of the elements is a permanent bar magnet having pole faces on the other border and in alignment with corresponding pole faces of opposite polarity of the bar magnets on said one border.

Claim 12

The device of claim 6 wherein the magnet means includes a permanent magnet having first and second opposite polarity magnetic poles on faces of the magnet adjacent and remote from at least one border.

Claim 13

The device of claim 10 wherein said panel is flexible and the permanent magnetic means provides air gaps for magnetic flux causing the magnetic force and flexibility for said at least one border.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 6 wherein each of the panels has a first horizontally extending border included in a bottom slit for each closed panel, each of the panels being mechanically attached to the remainder of the tent at a location at the end of the bottom slit remote from the vertically extending slit, the tent having a horizontally extending edge defining a second horizontally extending border of the bottom slit, a closure for the bottom slit comprising: horizontally extending Magnet means running along one of the borders of the bottom slit for establishing a vertically extending magnetic force across the bottom slit in planes substantially parallel to and including a plane in which the panels lie while the opening is closed, horizontally extending magnetic force attractive means running along the other border of the bottom slit and responsive to the vertically extending magnetic force for holding the borders of the bottom slit in abutting non-overlapping relationship substantially throughout their length, both said magnetic force establishing means and said magnetic force attractive means of the borders for the bottom slit having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed, said force establishing means and force attractive means on the borders of the bottom slit being arranged with said panels and bottom slit so that the panels are free to swing in any direction about the point and the panels are always free to come together solely in response to the force of gravity and the magnetic force.

Claim 15

A closure device for providing access through and closing of an opening with equal facility for movement of an object in either direction through the opening, said opening having a boundary defined by: first and second borders of a flexible panel member, a third border along a first member, and a fourth border along a second member, said first and third borders being in abutting relationship and defining a first longitudinal vertically extending slit while the opening is closed, said second and fourth borders being in abutting relationship and defining a second, horizontally extending longitudinal slit while the opening is closed, said slits intersecting substantially at right angles, said panel and first member being mechanically joined together at a first point on the first slit remote from and above the intersection of the two slits, said panel and the second member being mechanically joined together at a second point on the second slit remote from and horizontally to the side of the intersection of the two slits, said slit being opened in response to insertion of the object through the slit, comprising vertically extending first magnet means running along at least one of the borders of the first slit for establishing a horizontally extending magnetic force across the first slit in planes substantially parallel to and including a plane in which the panel lies while the opening is closed, vertically extending magnetic force attractive means in the other border of the first slit responsive to the horizontally extending magnetic force for holding the borders of the first slit in abutting non-overlapping relationship substantially throughout their length, second magnet means in one of the borders of the second slit for establishing a second magnetic vertically extending force across the second slit in planes parallel to and including the panel, and magnetic force attractive means in the other border of the second slit responsive to the second magnetic force for bringing the borders of the second slit in abutting non-overlapping relationship while the borders of the first slit are being brought into abutting relationship by the first magnet means, said first magnetic force establishing means and the first magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed and opened as the object moves through the opening, and said second magnetic force establishing means and the second magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed and opened as the object moves through the opening, both said first and second magnetic force establishing means and the first and second magnetic force attractive means being arranged with said panel, members and slits so that the panel is free to swing in any direcTion about the point and the panel and member are free to come together solely in response to the force of gravity and the magnetic force, whereby said panel initially closes the vertically extending slit in proximity to the first point while the second slit is being closed in proximity to the second point and thereafter the first slit is closed by the lower portions of the first slit coming into contact with each other while the portions of the second slit remote from the second point are coming into contact with each other.

Claim 16

A closure device for providing access through and closing of an opening with equal facility for movement of an object in either direction through the opening, said opening having a boundary defined by: first and second borders of a flexible panel member, a third border along a first member, and a fourth border along a second member, said first and third borders being in abutting relationship and defining a first longitudinal vertically extending slit while the opening is closed, said second and fourth borders being in abutting relationship and defining a second, horizontally extending longitudinal slit while the opening is closed, said slits intersecting substantially at right angles, said panel and first member being mechanically joined together at a first point on the first slit remote from and above the intersection of the two slits, said panel and the second member being mechanically joined together at a second point on the second slit remote from and horizontally to the side of the intersection of the two slits, said slit being opened in response to insertion of the object through the slit, comprising vertically extending first magnet means running along at least one of the borders of the first slit for establishing a horizontally extending magnetic force across the first slit in planes substantially parallel to and including a plane in which the panel lies while the opening is closed, vertically extending magnetic force attractive means in the other border of the first slit responsive to the horizontally extending magnetic force for holding the borders of the first slit in abutting non-overlapping relationship substantially throughout their length, second magnet means in one of the borders of the second slit for establishing a second magnetic vertically extending force across the second slit in planes parallel to and including the panel, and magnetic force attractive means in the other border of the second slit responsive to the second magnetic force for bringing the borders of the second slit in abutting non-overlapping relationship while the borders of the first slit are being brought into abutting relationship by the first magnet means, said first magnetic force establishing means and the first magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed and opened as the object moves through the opening, and said second magnetic force establishing means and the second magnetic force attractive means having substantially abutting surfaces that are freely slidable with respect to each other as the opening is being closed and opened as the object moves through the opening, both said first and second magnetic force establishing means and the first and second magnetic force attractive means being arranged with said panel, members and slits so that the panel is free to swing in any direcTion about the point and the panel and member are free to come together solely in response to the force of gravity and the magnetic force, whereby said panel initially closes the vertically extending slit in proximity to the first point while the second slit is being closed in proximity to the second point and thereafter the first slit is closed by the lower portions of the first slit coming into contact with each other while the portions of the second slit remote from the second point are coming into contact with each other.