Magnetic holding system with enhanced magnetic strength

Abstract

A magnetic holding system for securely affixing an object to a wall surface including a first magnetic sheet layer having specific polarity line spacing, a second layer having magnetic receptive properties, and finally an object with a mounting surface designed to abut the second layer, the mounting surface including a magnetic material having specific polarity line spacing that is substantially the same as the specific polarity line spacing of the first layer and a sheet of steel, such that, when the object polarity line spacing is aligned with the first layer polarity line spacing, the object is securely held to the wall.

Claims

1. A magnetic holding system on a wall comprising a first layer of magnetic sheet with a specific polarity line spacing, said first layer overlaid onto a wall surface; a second layer of material having magnetic receptive properties, said second layer overlaid on the first layer; and an object having a substantially smooth mounting surface, the mounting surface comprising a magnetic material having specific polarity line spacing that is substantially the same as the specific polarity line spacing of said first layer and a magnetically permeable material so that said object comprises the magnetically permeable material in addition to the magnetic material; wherein when the polarity line spacing of the magnetic material applied to the mounting surface is aligned with the polarity line spacing of said first layer, said object is securely held against the wall.

2. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein said magnetically permeable material comprises steel.

3. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein said object comprises steel.

4. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein the object comprises a shelf.

5. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein said object comprises an L bracket such that a flat portion of the L shaped bracket extends outwards from the wall in a horizontal direction.

6. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein said object comprises at least two objects, each object may be freely removed from the wall surface and reattached to the wall surface at substantially any location along the wall surface.

7. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein the polarity line spacing for the first layer and the magnetic material applied to the mounting surface is selected to be between 2 and 20 lines per inch.

8. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein the holding force between the said layer and the magnetic material of the mounting surface comprises at least 10 lbs/SF.

9. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 further comprising a third layer of magnetic receptive coating applied to the wall surface, wherein said first layer comprises a double sided magnet and adheres to said wall by magnetic interaction with said third layer.

10. The magnetic holding system of claim 1 wherein said first layer comprises an adhesive backing that is applied to the wall such that said first layer adheres to said wall.

11. A magnetic holding system on a wall comprising a first layer of magnetic sheet with a specific polarity line spacing, said first layer overlaid onto a wall surface; a second layer of material having magnetic receptive properties, said second layer overlaid on the first layer; and an object having a substantially smooth mounting surface, the mounting surface comprising a magnetic material having specific polarity line spacing that is substantially the same as the specific polarity line spacing of said first layer and a magnetically permeable material; wherein when the polarity line spacing of the magnetic material applied to the mounting surface is aligned with the polarity line spacing of said first layer, said object is securely held against the wall; wherein the magnetic material on the mounting surface comprises a sheet of removable double-sided magnetic material that is overlain onto the mounting surface that includes the magnetically permeable material.

12. A method for holding an object to a wall comprising the steps of: overlaying a first layer of magnetic sheet with a specific polarity line spacing onto a wall surface; overlaying a second layer of material having magnetic receptive properties onto the first layer; providing an object with a substantially smooth mounting surface and comprising a magnetic material that has a polarity line spacing and a magnetically permeable material; positioning the mounting surface against the second layer; and orienting the object such that the polarity line spacing of the magnetically permeable material of the mounting surface aligns with the polarity line spacing of the first layer such that, when the polarity line spacings are aligned, the object is securely held against the wall.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the magnetically permeable material comprises steel or the object comprises steel.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the polarity line spacing for the first layer and the magnetically permeable of the mounting surface is selected to be between 2 and 20 lines per inch.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein a holding force between the said layer and the magnetic material of the mounting surface comprises at least 10 lbs/SF.

16. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of applying a third layer of magnetic receptive coating to a surface of the wall, wherein the first layer comprises a double sided magnet and adheres to the wall by magnetic interaction with said third layer.

17. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of providing the first layer with an adhesive backing such that the first layer may be adhered to the wall with the adhesive backing.

18. The method according to claim 12 wherein the magnetic material on the mounting surface comprises a sheet of removable double-sided magnetic material that is overlain onto the mounting surface that includes the magnetically permeable material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a magnetic holding system including three layers that may be affixed to a wall surface along with an object that may be affixed to the surface of the third layer.

(2) FIG. 2 is a side view of the magnetic holding system including layers affixed to a wall surface along with an object that is affixed to the surface of the third layer according to FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the magnetic holding system including three layers according to FIG. 1 and illustrating magnetic polarity line spacing of the second layer.

(4) FIG. 4 is a front view of the magnetic holding system according to FIG. 1 affixed to a wall and illustrating the connecting of the object to the surface of the third layer.

(5) FIG. 5 is a front view of the magnetic holding system according to FIG. 1 affixed to a wall and illustrating the object affixed to the surface of the third layer.

(6) FIG. 6 is a side view of the magnetic holding system according to FIG. 2 including multiple objects affixed to the surface of the third layer.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the magnetic holding system according to FIG. 6 including multiple objects affixed to the surface of the third layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views.

(9) FIG. 1 is an illustration showing an exploded view of various layers according to the invention. A magnetic holding system is provided including at least three elements, two of which are layers (with an optional third layer in some configurations). In one configuration, a third layer 12 comprises a magnetic receptive primer coating(s) painted over a wall surface 10. In another configuration, the third layer 12 is not utilized, which is why it is illustrated in dashed line as an optional feature.

(10) A first layer 14 is a magnetic sheet with a specific polarity line spacing, which is layered onto or overlain onto the primer painted wall. As an example, the first layer 14 could comprise a magnetic sheet comprising a range from 15 to 40 mil and in a preferred embodiment, comprising a 28 mil rubber extruded sheet magnet. Functionally, a magnetic force generated by the magnetic sheet works to hold the first layer to the magnetic receptive primer coating(s), which in turn, functions to hold the first layer 14 to the wall surface 10. In this configuration, the first layer 14 is provided as a double sided sheet of magnetic material. In particular, the first layer 14 is provided as a ferrite-based magnetic system, which unlike stronger rare-earth permanent magnets, the multipole nature of ferrite magnets does not emit a strong magnetic field into its environment. Alternatively, the back side of the first layer 14 could comprise an adhesive backing to secure the first layer 14 to the wall surface.

(11) It is contemplated that a typical color coating (i.e., a white color) may be applied over the magnetic receptive primer coating(s) to provide a natural and/or a colorful look to the wall surface 10. In this manner, the wall surface 10 would look normal when it is not layered with the magnet sheet 14. In the event that the third layer is used, such magnetic receptive primer treated wall surface, may also be referred to as an activated wall surface.

(12) The second layer 16 of the magnetic holding system is a relatively thin (e.g. 11 mil) sheet material and may (or may not) include a printed or decorative image page. This second layer 16 includes a magnetic receptive material on the back side thereof. In practice, the second layer 16 is positioned over top of the first layer 14 of magnetic sheet material, which will provide for displaying a printed or decorative image 18 on a surface thereof. Preferably, the image completely covers the magnet sheet and creates an artistic image of the wall. The second printed or decorative image layer 16 can be made of paper, plastic, fiber, etc. The magnetic receptive coating on the back of the second printed or decorative image layer 16 is provided to be in direct contact with the first magnetic sheet layer 14. The magnetic forces therebetween pull the second printed or decorative image layer 16 to the wall, forming a smooth, image surface on the wall.

(13) A object 20 is also illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, which in this example, comprises a three-dimensional object (e.g., a shelf). On the one hand, the object 20 includes a smooth mounting surface 22 having magnetic properties for pulling and holding the object to the wall surface 10. On the other hand, the object provides a space or platform 24 that may be used to hold an article 26 for display. In one embodiment, the mounting surface 22 of the object 20 is equipped with or made of a sheet of magnetically permeable material, such as steel. In another embodiment, the entire object is made of a magnetically permeable material. In addition to steel, those of skill in the art will understand that different types of metals having magnetic properties or materials that can be imparted with magnetic properties would be suitable for use in the present invention. A sheet of magnetic material is then overlain on the magnetically permeable material comprising the mounting surface 22.

(14) Turning now to FIGS. 3-5, the specific polarity line spacing of the second layer 14 are illustrated. While solid lines are shown in FIG. 3, it will be understood that each line may represent a plurality of magnetic forces that are aligned generally with the specific polarity line spacing indicated. In one configuration, the plurality of magnetic lines can be provided as alternating between North and South polarities. In other words, the polarity lines in the magnetic material could be provided having alternating polarities. While generally the polarity of the lines are indicated in the drawings, one of skill in the art will understand that numerous polarity arraignments can effectively be used and the drawings are not intended to exhaust all the arraignments nor are they intended to be limiting.

(15) Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, magnetic forces between the mounting surface 22 of the object 20 and the first layer 12, pull the object 20 tightly to the wall surface 10. It was discovered that when the polarity line spacing of the mounting surface 22 with the magnetically permeable material and that of the first magnetic sheet layer 14 are the essentially the same (e.g., aligned), a synergistic, enhanced, magnetic pulling force is created. The pulling force is greater than the sum of the pulling force of the first magnetic sheet 14 and the pulling force of the magnetic material applied to the mounting surface 22 due to the application of the sheet of magnetically permeable material (e.g., the steel). This enhanced holding effect is also achieved when the object 20 is provided comprising steel. In one configuration the polarity line spacing is selected to be between 2 and 20 lines per inch. Preferably the polarity line spacing is selected to be in the range from 10 to 15 lines per inch.

(16) Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the mounting surface 22 is placed at an angle relative to the magnetic structure attached to the wall surface 10 including the first layer 14. In this configuration, the object 20 will be attracted to the wall due to the interaction of the mounting surface 22 with the first layer 14. However, as the magnetic polarity line spacings are not fully aligned (the mounting surface 22 is diagonal to the first layer 14), the holding power will only be moderate. When, however, the object is rotated to a vertical position as shown in FIG. 5, all the polarity line spacing fully matches up, which functions to dramatically increase the holding power such that the object 20 is firmly held against the wall surface 10. This is understood to be due to the fact that in permanent magnets, magnetic forces are the strongest at the poles such that aligning the maximum number of magnetic poles between the mounting surface 22 and the first layer 14 functions to impart the maximum holding power for the object 20 and is enhanced by the magnetically permeable material provided as a sheet of steel or providing the object itself completely made of steel.

(17) In one configuration, the Gauss reading at 0.25 gap or greater is less than 1.0 and at 7 ft the Gauss level is not recordable. As stated, this is due to the multipole nature of ferrite materials.

(18) Additionally, it was observed that the holding force developed between the first layer and the object when no magnetically permeable material is used, achieves a holding strength of up to 4 lb/sq ft, whereas when the sheet of magnetically permeable material is used, a holding strength of up to 10 lbs/sq ft is achieved.

(19) Rotating the object 20 from the vertical position shown in FIG. 5 to the diagonal position shown in FIG. 4 will allow the object to be more easily removed from the wall surface 10 as the rotation effectively breaks some of the stronger magnetic bonds due to the alignment of the polarity spacings.

(20) It is contemplated that the object 20 may comprise any dimension or shape, and preferably, is provided to hold an article 26. For instance, the object 20 can be provided as an L-shape, with one side of the L-shape being a mounting surface 22 (steel) for vertically attaching to the wall by magnetic forces, and with the other side of the L-shape being a horizontal platform for holding and displaying an article 26. As disclosed previously, by using the two matching magnetic layers (i.e., the L-shape steel surface and the second layer of magnet sheet), the overall holding strength of the platform is greatly enhanced. As such, the magnetic system provides a sturdy means to display articles on the wall shelves (i.e. the objects). While elongates shelves are depicted, virtually any shape or size of shelf may be used.

(21) One advantage of configuration is that no holes need to be drilled into the wall in order to install the wall shelves (i.e. the objects). Another advantage of the invention is that the wall shelves (i.e. the objects) can be easily placed at or relocated to different positions on the wall as illustrated in FIG. 7. More than one shelf can be placed on the wall at the same time. Together with a background wall paper, the magnetic system provides a dynamic and creative display of articles in a commercial or retail setting. For example, a wall background can be a mountain climbing image (provided by an image of the third layer). The L-shaped object can be provided with a shoe shaped magnet for holding the object onto the wall, and the platform of the L-shaped object can display a pair of mountain climbing shoes.

(22) Alternatively, instead of shoes as in the example, the magnetic system could be used to display plants or other items for sales or decoration. Moreover, the L-shaped object may have hinges for folding any sections of the object when not in use.

(23) While the magnetic system is contemplated for commercial application, it is contemplated that the system could be used in a residential environment or in an office environment. For example, in a residential environment, the decorative image 18 on the second layer 16 may comprise a variety of wall paper that would be used in a residence. The objects 20 may comprise various shelves for that a person could position on the wall surface to hold any items they wish, including, for example, a TV. As was previously discussed, because the first layer 14 is provided as a ferrite-based magnetic system, the multipole nature of ferrite magnets does not emit a strong magnetic field into the surrounding environment, which functions to allow the use of electronics in the vicinity of the magnetic system.

(24) Additionally, for office space environments, the decorative image 18 on the second layer 16 may also comprise a variety of wall paper that would be used in an office space. Additionally, a variety of shelves and configurations will be apparent to those of skill in the art, even for the application of holding electronic equipment.

(25) Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.