Magnetic kinetic amusement devices

Abstract

Abstract These magnetic kinetic amusement devices have plural magnetically coupled elements that exhibit intermittent, alternating motion as energy is interchanged between the elements. In one embodiment, plural vertically spaced arms are mounted for pivotal motion about a common vertical axis. Each arm has a pair of magnets at its extremities. As it rotates through a partial revolution, its kinetic energy is magnetically coupled to an adjacent arm. As a result, adjacent arms alternately rotate through fractional revolutions, providing quantized motion that is fascinating to watch. In other embodiments the magnetically coupled elements comprise pendulums each having at the pendulum end a design member containing a magnet. The plural pendulums may be disposed in three dimensional array, or may be suspended from a common support with the magnets aligned for mutual repulsion so that the pendulums assume a conical arrangement. Displacement or rotation of any pendulum design member causes energy exchange through magnetic coupling, resulting in an eye-appealing intermittently alternating motion of all design members.

Inventors

• 👤 Sava W Jacobson

Bibliographic Details