Magnetic catch

May 26, 1959

Η. O. SCOTT ΕΤ AL

MAGNETIC CATCH

2,888,291

Filed Aug. 10, 1956

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INVENTORS μΜ££ο.£εοττ /WMO/M L. A/£7$CH

BY

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AT TOGA'S

United States Patent Office

2,888,291

Patented May 26, 1959

2,888,291 MAGNETIC CATCH Hayes O. Scott and Raymond L. Pietsch, Flint, Mich., assignors to The Engineered Products Company, Flint, Mich., a corporation of Michigan

Application August 10, 1956, Serial No. 603,299

Claims. (Cl. 292—251.5)

This invention relates to a magnetic catch and more particularly to a magnetic catch of the type commonly used for holding cabinet doors closed.

Experience has shown that a magnetic catch for cabinet doors must be designed so that the magnet is capable of full contact with the strike member even when after installation, the door becomes slightly warped so as to normally produce misalignment. Thus, as a practical matter, a magnetic catch in order to operate effectively must be capable of limited angular movement to permit self-alignment of the magnet with the strike plate. Various magnetic catches have been proposed heretofore wherein the magnet is shiftably retained within a casing to permit this self-adjustment that is necessary. However, such constructions as have been suggested heretofore have, for the most part, proved not to be completely satisfactory either from the standpoint of operation or from the standpoint of cost of manufacture.

It is an object of this invention to provide a magnetic catch that is of very economical construction and which at the same time is designed to compensate for warpage of doors and the like so that the magnet is capable of self-alignment.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the magnetic catch of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of a cabinet construction embodying a catch of the present invention taken along the lines 2—2 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 3—3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 and showing the self-aligning feature of the magnet in connection with a warped cabinet door.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the magnetic catch assembly shown in Fig. 1 includes a casing 10 in which the magnet is housed and a strike plate 12 adapted to be engaged by the magnet. Casing 10 is preferably formed as a one-piece stamping that is fashioned with a top wall 14 turned downwardly along each side to provide side walls 16 that are turned outwardly along their lower edges to provide mounting flanges 18 that are formed with elongated slots 20 through which mounting screws 22 are adapted to be driven to mount the catch on a cabinet structure 24. At its rear edge, wall 14 is bent downwardly to provide a rear wall 26 for the casing. Wall 26 is bent forwardly along its lower edge so as to provide a bottom wall 28.

The magnet structure within housing 10 includes a flat ceramic magnet 30 having pole pieces 32 magnetically adhered to the top and bottom faces thereof. It will be appreciated that in a ceramic magnet of this type, the poles of the magnet comprise the opposite broad flat faces of the magnet. It is necessary, of course, to mount the pole pieces 32 on the opposite faces of magnet 30 so that they will be firmly locked thereon. To this end magnet 30 is molded with a central aperture 34 and pole pieces have central dimples 36 extruded therein to fit nicely within the aperture 34 of magnet 30. This provides a very economical method of securely mounting the pole pieces on the opposite faces of the magnet.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, both the magnet 30 and the pole pieces 32 are generally of rectangular shape. Each pole piece has parallel side edges 38 and a straight forward edge 40 generally perpendicular to the side edges 38. The rear edge 42 of each pole piece 32 is of arcuate shape and is symmetrically disposed. Adjacent the rear edge 42, each pole piece is provided with a pair of lateral, oppositely extending lugs 44. The side walls 16 of casing 1® are fashioned to provide openings 46 at each side of the casing; and adjacent the rear wall 26 thereof, lugs 44 project outwardly through the openings 46. It will be observed that the width of pole pieces 32 is less than the width of casing 10 so that the side edges 38 of the pole pieces are adapted to have a clearance with the side walls 16 of the casing. Likewise, it will be observed that the openings 46 at each side of casing 10 are substantially larger than necessary to accommodate the lugs 44. Thus, the magnet 30 with its pole pieces 32 is arranged to have a limited amount of rotative movement in a horizontal plane withip casing 10. This is necessary to insure full contact between the edges 40 of pole pieces 32 and the flat face of strike plate 12 in an installation where the cabinet door 48 on which the strike plate 12 is mounted becomes warped. This is illustrated in Fig. 4.

Where the cabinet door is warped, the magnet or at least the pole pieces 32 must assume a skewed position in casing 10 if full contact between the forward edges 40 of pole pieces 32 and strike plate 12 is to be obtained. With the magnetic catch construction shown herein, it will be noted that the magnet together with the attached pole pieces is permitted to align itself readily within casing 10 to accommodate for the misalignment of the plane of strike plate 12. Under such circumstances, the arcuate rear edges 42 of the pole pieces 32 rock against the rear wall 26 of the housing to a position wherein the forward edges 40 of the pole pieces align themselves with the plane of strike plate 12. The maximum misalignment permissible with the construction shown is illustrated in Fig. 4 where it will be observed that the lugs 44 at the left are in abutting relation with the rear edges of the side walls 16. At the same time, it will be observed that there is only a slight clearance designated 50 between the arcuate edge 42 of the pole pieces and the rear wall 26 of the casing. Thus, even though the magnet with its pole pieces is mounted so as to allow for considerable shifting within the housing, there is at all times relatively little clearance between the lugs 44 and the rear vertical edges of the side walls 16 and between the rear arcuate edges 42 of the pole pieces and the rear wall 26 of the housing. Thus, in the closed position, the door is held with very little looseness by the catch. If the rear edge 42 of the pole pieces 32 were fashioned as a straight edge rather than as an arcuate edge as illustrated, then it will be appreciated that there would have to be considerably more clearance between the rear edges of the pole pieces and the rear wall 26 of the casing if the catch is to be one of the self-aligning type. It follows, therefore, that if the edges 42 of the pole pieces were straight rather than arcuate as shown, there would be considerable looseness in the door when disposed in the closed position.