JP7745874B2 - Magnet mounting fixture - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a magnet mounting device that incorporates a magnet and can be attached to a mating member such as a wall using magnetic force.

Conventionally, there is a bathtub with a magnet attached to its bottom (Patent Document 1). This bathtub is shown in Figure 12. Multiple magnets 103 are attached to the bottom 102 of the bathtub 101, allowing the bathtub 101 to be attached in an upright position to a bathroom wall to which the magnets 103 can be magnetically attracted. Bathroom walls are often designed to be able to attract magnets 103, and by attaching the bathtub 101 to the bathroom wall after bathing, the bathtub 101 can be put away so that it does not get in the way, and moisture adhering to the bathtub 101 can be removed, accelerating drying.

Utility Model Registration No. 3220857

However, the bathtub 101 described above has multiple magnets 103 exposed on its bottom surface 102, and when the bathtub 101 is slid across the bathroom floor during use, the magnets 103 rub against the floor and wear down, leaving marks on the floor where the magnets 103 rub against it.

For this reason, it is possible to cover the magnet 103 with a cover to prevent it from rubbing directly against the floor, but simply providing a cover would increase the manufacturing effort and significantly reduce the attachment strength to the bathroom wall.

Furthermore, using a magnet to attach to the surface of the mating component is not limited to the tub 101, but can also be applied to other appliances, and even in such cases, the same problems described above may occur.

The present invention was made to solve this problem, and aims to provide a magnet mounting device that is easy to manufacture and prevents a significant deterioration in the mounting force to the mounting surface, even when a cover is provided to protect the magnet that is used to magnetically mount to the mounting surface, such as a wall.

To achieve the above objective, the magnet mounting device of the present invention incorporates multiple magnets between the device body and a cover fixed to the device body, and the magnetic force of the magnets allows the mounting surface of the cover to be attached to the surface to be mounted on the mating member. The mounting surface of the cover has multiple protrusions, and at least some of the multiple magnets are positioned so as to overlap at least some of the multiple protrusions when viewed from the front of the mounting surface of the cover.

The magnet is therefore covered by the cover, preventing contact with external components. Because multiple magnets are provided inside the cover, the cover's mounting surface can be attached to the mounting surface of a magnetically attractable mating component. In other words, the appliance body can be attached to the mating component.

The cover's mounting surface has multiple protrusions, which create gaps between the mounting surface and the sides of the protrusions. Therefore, even if the mounting surface of the cover or the mounting surface of the mating component is wet, water droplets can escape through the gaps, allowing the mounting surface and mounting surface to adhere tightly together.

Furthermore, since at least a portion of the multiple magnets are positioned so that they overlap at least a portion of the multiple protrusions when viewed from the front of the mounting surface of the cover, even if the cover is attached to the device body without regard for orientation during manufacturing of the magnet mounting device, at least a portion of the protrusions can always be positioned between the magnet and the mounting surface of the mating member.

Furthermore, the magnet mounting device of the present invention may have multiple magnets arranged in a circular pattern on the cover surface of the device body, and multiple protrusions arranged concentrically with the multiple magnets on the mounting surface of the cover. In this case, it is easy to arrange the multiple magnets and multiple protrusions.

Furthermore, in the magnet mounting device of the present invention, the plurality of magnets and the plurality of protrusions may be arranged at equal intervals, which also makes it easy to arrange the plurality of magnets and the plurality of protrusions.
Furthermore, the magnet mounting device of the present invention may be provided with more protrusions than magnets, and the circumferential width of the magnets may be wider than the circumferential distance between adjacent protrusions.

Furthermore, the magnet mounting device of the present invention may be configured so that the number of magnets provided is greater than the number of protrusions, and the circumferential width of the protrusions is greater than the circumferential distance between adjacent magnets.
In addition, the magnet mounting device of the present invention may be provided with the same number of magnets and protrusions, the circumferential width of the magnets being wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent protrusions, and the circumferential width of the protrusions being wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent magnets.

According to the present invention, the cover can be attached to the fixture body without having to worry about the orientation during manufacturing, which makes it easier to manufacture the magnet mounting fixture and prevents a significant increase in manufacturing costs.
Furthermore, since the magnet can be positioned inside the protrusion that contacts the mounting surface of the mating member, a significant decrease in mounting force can be prevented.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the first embodiment of the magnet mounting device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the magnet mounting fixture of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the magnet mounting fixture of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2 is a side view showing the magnet mounting device of FIG. 1 mounted on a mating member. FIG. FIG. The figures show the positional relationship between the magnet and the protrusion on the mounting surface of the cover, with (A) being a diagram showing the state when the cover is oriented in the reference position, (B) being a diagram showing the state when the cover has been oriented 15 degrees clockwise from the reference position, (C) being a diagram showing the state when the cover has been oriented 30 degrees clockwise from the reference position, and (D) being a diagram showing the state when the cover has been oriented 45 degrees clockwise from the reference position. 10A shows a second embodiment of the magnet mounting device of the present invention, illustrating the positional relationship between the magnet and the protrusion on the mounting surface of the cover, in which (A) is a diagram showing the state in which the orientation of the cover is in the reference position, (B) is a diagram showing the state in which the orientation of the cover has been changed 15 degrees clockwise from the reference position, (C) is a diagram showing the state in which the orientation of the cover has been changed 30 degrees clockwise from the reference position, and (D) is a diagram showing the state in which the orientation of the cover has been changed 45 degrees clockwise from the reference position. 10A and 10B show a third embodiment of the magnet mounting device of the present invention, illustrating the positional relationship between the magnet and the protrusion on the mounting surface of the cover, in which (A) shows the state in which the orientation of the cover is in the reference position, and (B) shows the state in which the orientation of the cover has been changed 45 degrees clockwise from the reference position. FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a fourth embodiment of the magnet mounting device of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a magnet mounting device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, attached to a mating member. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional water bucket.

Next, an example of an embodiment of the magnet mounting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a water bucket is used as an example of the magnet mounting device, but it is not limited to water buckets.

Figures 1 to 7 show a magnet-mounted tub (magnet mounting device) 1 according to the present invention. The magnet-mounted tub (hereinafter simply referred to as tub) 1 has multiple magnets 4 built in between the tub body (device body) 2 and a cover 3 fixed to the tub body 2, and the magnetic force of the magnets 4 enables the mounting surface 3a of the cover 3 to be attached to the mounting surface 5a of a mating member 5 (not shown). The mating member 5 to which the tub 1 is attached is not particularly limited as long as the magnets 4 can be attached by magnetic force, but could be the wall of a bathroom, for example.

The cover 3 is fixed to the bottom surface (covered surface) 2a of the tub body 2. A circular recess 2b is provided in the center of the bottom surface 2a of the tub body 2, and this recess 2b has a recess 2c for positioning the magnet 4. After the magnet 4 is placed in this recess 2c, the entire recess 2b is covered and fixed with the cover 3, thereby forming a tub 1 with a magnet 4 built into the bottom surface 2a of the tub body 2. In this embodiment, four recesses 2c are formed in the recess 2b, and four magnets 4 are built into it. However, the number of built-in magnets 4 is not limited to four. Furthermore, the recesses 2c are formed to match the shape of the magnet 4. Since the magnet 4 in this embodiment has a circular planar shape, the recesses 2c are also circular.

The four magnets 4 are arranged in a circular pattern. That is, four recesses 2c are formed on a circumference CF centered on the center of the recess 2b, and one magnet 4 is placed in each recess 2c. The four recesses 2c are formed at equal intervals, and therefore the four magnets 4 are also arranged at equal intervals. Inside the four recesses 2c, recesses 2d are provided that are shallower than the recesses 2c.

The mounting surface 3a of the cover 3 has multiple protrusions 3b arranged concentrically with the multiple magnets 4. In this embodiment, six protrusions 3b are provided. The six protrusions 3b are arranged at equal intervals. By arranging the six protrusions 3b in a circle, the spaces between adjacent protrusions 3b form recesses 3c, and the six protrusions 3b and six recesses 3c are arranged alternately in a circle. The circumferential width of the recesses 3c, or in other words the circumferential spacing between adjacent protrusions 3b, is the same as the circumferential width of the protrusions 3b.

In this embodiment, the boundary between the convex portion 3b and the concave portion 2c is a step to clearly distinguish between the two, but the boundary between the two may be a smoothly curved surface to make the boundary between the two unclear. In other words, the transition from the convex portion 3b to the concave portion 2c and from the concave portion 2c to the convex portion 3b may be smooth and wavy.

In the bathtub 1, regardless of the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the bathtub body 2, i.e., the circumferential orientation of the bathtub body 2, at least a portion of the four magnets 4 are arranged so that they overlap at least a portion of the six protrusions 3b when viewed from the front of the mounting surface 3a of the cover 3. Figure 7 shows the positional relationship between the magnets 4 and the protrusions 3b when the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the bathtub body 2 is changed. The magnets 4 are shown as circles, and the protrusions 3b are shown as rectangles. The four magnets 4 are arranged at 90-degree intervals, and the six protrusions 3b are arranged at 60-degree intervals.

The state in Figure 7(A) is the reference position, and the state in which the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated 15 degrees clockwise from the reference position is shown in Figure 7(B), the state in which it is rotated 30 degrees clockwise is shown in Figure 7(C), and the state in which it is rotated 45 degrees is shown in Figure 7(D). Note that, because the protrusions 3b are provided at 60-degree intervals, the state in which the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated 60 degrees clockwise from the reference position is the same as the state in Figure 7(A). Therefore, a description of states in which the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated more significantly will be omitted.

As is clear from these figures, in either state, when viewing the mounting surface 3a from the front, there will be an overlapping area 6 between the convex portion 3b and the magnet 4. In this way, the size, shape, and positional relationship of the convex portion 3b and the magnet 4 have been determined so that there will always be an overlapping area 6 between the convex portion 3b and the magnet 4, regardless of the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the tub body 2. In other words, the size, shape, and positional relationship of the convex portion 3b and the magnet 4 have been determined so that there will always be an overlapping area 6 between the convex portion 3b and the magnet 4.

In this embodiment, there are four magnets 4 and six protrusions 3b. In other words, there are more protrusions 3b than magnets 4. In this case, by making the circumferential width of the magnets 4 wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent protrusions 3b, it is possible to ensure that there is an overlapping portion 6 between the protrusions 3b and the magnets 4, regardless of the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the tub body 2.

The cover 3 is formed and fixed to the tub body 2 as follows. First, the tub body 2 is molded by pouring the resin material into a mold. Magnets 4 are placed in the recesses 2c of the tub body 2 formed in this way. After one magnet 4 has been placed in each recess 2c, a cover molding mold is placed over the bottom surface 2a of the tub body 2, and the resin material is poured in. This molds the cover 3 fixed to the bottom surface 2a of the tub body 2, and forms the tub 1 with four magnets 4 built in between the tub body 2 and the cover 3. The cover 3 is molded from a magnetically conductive resin, such as polypropylene or rubber.

In the case of the bathtub 1, regardless of the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the bathtub body 2, the overlapping portion 6 between the protrusion 3b and the magnet 4 can always be created, so the bathtub 1 can be manufactured without worrying about the orientation of the cover 3. In other words, when placing the mold for molding the cover over the bottom surface 2a of the bathtub body 2, there is no need to align the orientation of the mold, making manufacturing easier. Therefore, even if a new cover 3, which is a member for protecting the magnet 4, is added, a significant increase in the manufacturing cost of the bathtub 1 can be prevented.

In addition, since the magnet 4 of the bathtub 1 is covered by the cover 3, even if the bathtub 1 is slid across the bathroom floor during use, the magnet 4 will not be scraped off by the floor and will not stain the floor. This means that it can be used hygienically.

Furthermore, the mounting surface 3a of the cover 3 has multiple protrusions 3b, which create gaps between the mounting surface 5a and the sides of the protrusions 3b. In other words, the recesses 3c form the gaps. Therefore, even if the mounting surface 3a of the cover 3 or the mounting surface 5a of the mating member 5 is wet, water droplets can escape through the gaps, allowing the mounting surface 3a and the mounting surface 5a to be tightly attached, and the magnetic force of the magnet 4 allows for a secure attachment.

In other words, water droplets adhering to the convex portion 3b can be removed by allowing them to escape into the concave portion 3c. The convex portion 3b from which the water droplets have been removed becomes less likely to slip on the mating member 5. Since the less-slippery convex portion 3b and the magnet 4 always create an overlapping portion 6, all or part of the magnet 4 always creates a non-slip portion, and the mounting surface 3a can be firmly attached to the mating member 5 by the magnetic force of the magnet 4.

The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above description, there are more protrusions 3b than magnets 4, but this is not limiting. For example, there may be more magnets 4 than protrusions 3b. An embodiment in this case is shown in Figure 8. The magnets 4 are shown as rectangles and the protrusions 3b are shown as circles. In this embodiment, there are six magnets 4 and four protrusions 3b. The six magnets 4 are arranged at 60-degree intervals, and the four protrusions 3b are arranged at 90-degree intervals.

The state in Figure 8(A) is the reference position, and the state in which the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated 15 degrees clockwise from the reference position is shown in Figure 8(B), the state in which it is rotated 30 degrees clockwise is shown in Figure 8(C), and the state in which it is rotated 45 degrees is shown in Figure 8(D). Note that, because the protrusions 3b are provided at 60-degree intervals, the state in which the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated 60 degrees clockwise from the reference position is essentially the same as the state in Figure 8(A). Therefore, a description of states in which the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated more significantly will be omitted.

In this way, when there are more magnets 4 than protrusions 3b, by making the circumferential width of the protrusions 3b wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent magnets 4, it is possible to ensure that there is an overlapping area 6 between the protrusions 3b and the magnets 4, regardless of the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the tub body 2.

Therefore, even in this case, the tub 1 can be manufactured without having to worry about the orientation of the cover 3, and even if a new cover 3 is added to protect the magnet 4, a significant increase in the manufacturing cost of the tub 1 can be prevented.

Alternatively, the number of magnets 4 and protrusions 3b may be the same. An embodiment in this case is shown in Figure 9. The magnets 4 are shown as circles, and the protrusions 3b are shown as rectangles. In this embodiment, there are four magnets 4 and four protrusions 3b. The magnets 4 and protrusions 3b are arranged at 90-degree intervals.

The state in Figure 9(A) is the reference position, and Figure 9(B) shows the state when the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated 45 degrees clockwise from the reference position. Note that, because the protrusions 3b are provided at 90-degree intervals, the state when the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the reference position is essentially the same as the state in Figure 9(A). Therefore, a description of the state when the orientation of the cover 3 is rotated more significantly will be omitted.

In this way, when there are the same number of magnets 4 and protrusions 3b, by making the circumferential width of the magnets 4 wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent protrusions 3b and by making the circumferential width of the protrusions 3b wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent magnets 4, it is possible to ensure that there is an overlapping area 6 between the protrusions 3b and the magnets 4, regardless of the orientation of the cover 3 relative to the tub body 2.

Therefore, even in this case, the tub 1 can be manufactured without having to worry about the orientation of the cover 3, and even if a new cover 3 is added to protect the magnet 4, a significant increase in the manufacturing cost of the tub 1 can be prevented.

In addition, in the above description, the planar shape of the tub body 2 (the shape when viewed from directly above or directly below) and the frontal shape of the cover 3 (the shape when viewed from the front of the mounting surface 3a) are both circular, but this is not limited to this. For example, the planar shape of the tub body 2 may be a shape other than circular, such as a square, polygon such as a hexagon, octagon, or decagon, an ellipse, or a gourd shape. Alternatively, the frontal shape of the cover 3 may be a shape other than circular, such as a square, polygon such as a hexagon, octagon, or decagon, an ellipse, or a gourd shape. In other words, either or both of the planar shape of the tub body 2 and the frontal shape of the cover 3 may be a shape other than circular.

In addition, in the above explanation, the shape of the tub body 2 in a plan view and the shape of the cover 3 in a front view are the same (circular), but they may also be different shapes (e.g., circular and rectangular). For example, as shown in Figure 10, the shape of the tub body 2 in a plan view may be rectangular and the shape of the cover 3 in a front view may be circular, or the shape of the tub body 2 in a plan view may be polygonal and the shape of the cover 3 in a front view may be circular.

In the above description, six protrusions 3b and six recesses 3c are formed on the mounting surface 3a of the cover 3, but this is not limited to this. For example, the circumferential width of the protrusions 3b and recesses 3c may be narrowed, and the recesses 3c may be formed as grooves extending radially from the center of the cover 3. Water droplets adhering to the mounting surface 3a are removed into the grooves that overlap the magnets 4, making the mounting surface 3a less likely to slip against the mating member 5. The grooves may be provided only in the portions that overlap the magnets 4. Even in this case, the mounting surface 3a can be made less likely to slip against the mating member 5.

In the above explanation, the multiple magnets 4 were arranged in a circle on the bottom surface 2a of the tub body 2, but this is not limited to this. For example, they may be arranged in an oval, square, double or triple circle, star shape, etc. Furthermore, the multiple magnets 4 may be arranged in a straight or curved line. In this case, the multiple protrusions 3b may be arranged in a straight or curved line.

In addition, in the above explanation, the magnet 4 is provided on the bottom surface 2a of the tub body 2, but the location of the magnet 4 is not limited to the bottom surface 2a. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the magnet 4 may be provided on the side surface 2e. Furthermore, the magnet 4 may be provided on both the bottom surface 2a and the side surface 2e of the tub body 2. In other words, the magnet 4 may be provided in multiple positions. In this case, the degree of freedom in selecting the installation position of the tub body 2 can be increased.

Furthermore, although the above description has been given using the tub 1 as an example, the magnet mounting device is not limited to this. For example, the magnet mounting device can also be applied to the following devices.
(Bathroom) Hooks, shelves, containers, shower heads, slippers, body towels, dispensers, etc. (Kitchen) Hooks, shelves, containers, scissors, kitchen tools (ladles, chopsticks, spatulas, etc.), knives, pot lids, bowls, dispensers, etc. used on walls and in refrigerators. (Washroom) Hooks, shelves, containers, hangers, scissors, laundry brushes, etc. used. (Living room) Hooks, shelves, containers, etc. used in interior design. (Outdoors) Hooks, shelves, containers, slippers, etc. used. (Office) Whiteboard hooks and shelves, pens, cleaners, etc. used.

1. Magnetic mounting tub (magnetic mounting tool)
2. Water bucket body (appliance body)
2a Bottom of the tub body (covered surface)
3 Cover 3a Mounting surface 3b of cover Convex portion 4 Magnet 5 Counterpart member 5a Mounting surface of counterpart member 6 Portion where convex portion of mounting surface of cover and magnet overlap

Claims (6)

A magnet mounting device that has a plurality of magnets built in between a device body and a cover fixed to the device body, and that can mount an attachment surface of the cover to an attachment surface of a mating member by the magnetic force of the magnets,
A plurality of protrusions are provided on the mounting surface of the cover,
A magnet mounting device characterized in that at least a portion of the plurality of magnets is arranged so as to overlap at least a portion of the plurality of protrusions when viewed from the front of the mounting surface of the cover. The plurality of magnets are arranged in a circle on the cover surface of the appliance body,
2. The magnet mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged concentrically with the plurality of magnets on the mounting surface of the cover. A magnet mounting device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the multiple magnets and the multiple protrusions are arranged at equal intervals. A magnet mounting device as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that there are more of the protrusions than there are magnets, and the circumferential width of the magnet is wider than the circumferential distance between adjacent protrusions. A magnet mounting device as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the number of magnets is greater than the number of protrusions, and the circumferential width of the protrusions is greater than the circumferential spacing between adjacent magnets. A magnet mounting device as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the magnets and protrusions are provided in equal numbers, the circumferential width of the magnets is wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent protrusions, and the circumferential width of the protrusions is wider than the circumferential spacing between adjacent magnets.