Abstract: A valve assembly comprises a sealed container connected to a hot water supply line and a cold water supply line. The sealed container has an outlet for supplying at least one of hot water or cold water to a faucet. A valve mechanism is located inside the sealed container comprising a stationary mixing part and a moveable mixing part. A magnetic coupling adapter has a first magnetic structure located outside of a wall of the sealed container. A first magnetic structure is made of a first magnetizable material having a first plurality of first printed maxels having a first polarity pattern. A second magnetic structure located inside the wall of the sealed container is made of a second magnetizable material having a second plurality of second printed maxels having a second polarity pattern that is complementary to the first polarity pattern. The first magnetic structure and second magnetic structure are magnetically coupled across the wall of the sealed container.

Abstract: A magnetizing printer and a method are described herein for printing one or more magnetic sources (maxels) having a first polarity onto a side of a previously magnetized magnet having an opposite polarity.

Abstract: An improved print head for use by a magnetic printer consists of multiple flat metal layers that form a flat metal inductor coil about a hole having a first diameter on a first side of the print head and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter on a second side of the print head.

Abstract: An electrical system includes an electrical adapter and a stackable electrical adapter. The electrical adapter includes at least one of an electrical plug or an Edison screw base configured to receive a primary voltage, a voltage converter circuit configured to convert the primary voltage to the secondary voltage, and a first electrical connector part configured to be detachably coupled to a second electrical connector part of an electrical fixture configured to be powered by the secondary voltage. The stackable electrical adapter is configured to be powered by the secondary voltage, the first stackable electrical adapter having a first side and a second side opposite the first side.

Abstract: A system is described herein for monitoring the movement of one or more magnets located external to a device using the vector data from one or more magnetic vector sensors incorporated in the device to determine a position and/or to communicate information.

Abstract: A system and a method are described herein for demagnetizing a region of a magnetic structure. In one embodiment, the system comprises: (a) a pulsed magnetizer; and (b) at least one magnetizing coil that receives a sequence of discrete current with continually decreasing current values from the pulsed magnetizer and outputs a sequence of discrete magnetizing fields with continually decreasing field strengths to overwrite and at least partly demagnetize the region of the magnetic structure. The at least one magnetizing coil is located adjacent to the region of the magnetic structure.

Abstract: Magnetic structure production may relate, by way of example but not limitation, to methods, systems, etc. for producing magnetic structures by printing magnetic pixels (aka maxels) into a magnetizable material. Disclosed herein is production of magnetic structures having, for example: maxels of varying shapes, maxels with different positioning, individual maxels with different properties, maxel patterns having different magnetic field characteristics, combinations thereof, and so forth. In certain example implementations disclosed herein, a second maxel may be printed such that it partially overwrites a first maxel to produce a magnetic structure having overlapping maxels. In certain example implementations disclosed herein, a magnetic printer may include a print head comprising multiple parts and having various properties. In certain example implementations disclosed herein, various techniques for using a magnetic printer may be employed to produce different magnetic structures.

Abstract: A system and a method are described herein for magnetizing magnetic sources into a magnetizable material. In one embodiment, the method comprises: (a) providing an inductor coil having multiple layers and a hole extending through the multiple layers; (b) positioning the inductor coil next to the magnetizable material; and (c) emitting from the inductor coil a magnetic field that magnetizes an area on a surface of the magnetizable material, wherein the area on the surface of the magnetizable material that is magnetized is in a direction other than perpendicular to the magnetizable material such that there is a magnetic dipole with both a north polarity and a south polarity formed on the surface of the magnetizable material.

Abstract: An improved print head for use by a magnetic printer consists of multiple flat metal layers that form a flat metal inductor coil about a hole having a first diameter on a first side of the print head and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter on a second side of the print head.

Abstract: An improved system for concentrating magnetic flux of a multi-pole magnetic structure at the surface of a ferromagnetic target uses first pole pieces having a magnet-to-pole piece interface with a first area and a pole piece-to-target interface with a second area substantially smaller than the first area for concentrating flux of the multi-pole magnetic structure at each pole piece-to-target interface, where the target can be a ferromagnetic material, complementary pole pieces, or a gap. The improved system may also include a magnetic circuit having second pole pieces located between the first pole pieces and the target that controls the flux directed from the first pole pieces to the target.

Abstract: A magnetic shear force transfer device for transferring shear forces across a non-magnetic gap includes a first magnetic structure comprising concentric circular tracks of magnetic sources magnetically printed into a first magnetizable material a second magnetic structure comprising concentric circular tracks of magnetic sources magnetically printed into a second magnetizable material. Each concentric circular track has an even number of magnetic sources where adjoining magnetic sources alternate in polarity. One or more tracks of the first magnetic structure are rotated relative to one or more tracks of the second magnetic structure such that a maximum torque condition coincides to one angular orientation between the first and second magnetic structures.

Abstract: A magnetic system described herein includes first and second magnetic structures that simultaneously produce repel forces and attract forces that combine to produce a composite force that can be an attract force, a repel force, or a force that transitions from an attract force to a repel force.

Abstract: An improved system and method for moving an object includes a first correlated magnetic structure associated with a first object and a second correlated magnetic structure associated with a second object. The first and second correlated magnetic structures are complementary coded to achieve a peak attractive tensile force and a peak shear force when their code modulos are aligned thereby enabling magnetic attachment of the two objects whereby movement of one object causes movement of the other object as if the two objects were one object. Applying an amount of torque to one correlated magnetic structures greater than a torque threshold causes misalignment and decorrelation of the code modulos enabling detachment of the two objects. The number, location, and coding of the correlated magnetic structures can be selected to achieve specific torque characteristics, tensile force characteristics, and shear force characteristics.

Abstract: An improved system for concentrating magnetic flux of a multi-pole magnetic structure at the surface of a ferromagnetic target uses first pole pieces having a magnet-to-pole piece interface with a first area and a pole piece-to-target interface with a second area substantially smaller than the first area for concentrating flux of the multi-pole magnetic structure at each pole piece-to-target interface, where the target can be a ferromagnetic material, complementary pole pieces, or a gap. The improved system may also include a magnetic circuit having second pole pieces located between the first pole pieces and the target that controls the flux directed from the first pole pieces to the target.

Abstract: A detachment system includes a first piece of ferromagnetic material, a shunt plate, and at least one simple machine. The first piece of ferromagnetic material has a first side and a second side opposite the first side and has magnetically printed field sources that extend from the first side to the second side. The magnetically printed field sources have a first multi-polarity pattern. The first side of the first piece of ferromagnetic material is magnetically attached to a second piece of ferromagnetic material. The shunt plate is disposed on the second side of the first piece of ferromagnetic material. The shunt plate routes magnetic flux through the first piece of ferromagnetic material from the second side to the first side of the first ferromagnetic material. The at least one simple machine is configured to amplify an applied force into a detachment force to create an angled spacing between the first piece of ferromagnetic material and the second piece of ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: An intelligent magnetic system includes a first piece of ferromagnetic material having magnetically printed field sources having a multi-polarity pattern that extend from a first side to a second side that is magnetically attached to a second piece of ferromagnetic material, where a shunt plate disposed on the first side that routes magnetic flux through the first piece of ferromagnetic material from said first side to said second side. The system also includes at least one simple machine for amplifying an applied force into a detachment force that creates an angled spacing between the first piece of ferromagnetic material and the second piece of ferromagnetic material, at least one sensor for producing sensor data; and a control system for monitoring the sensor data and managing the use of the first piece of ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: An improved system and method for producing magnetic structures involves a first magnetizing circuit having a first inductor coil used to magnetically print a first magnetic source onto a magnetizable material and a second magnetizing circuit having a second inductor coil used to magnetically print a second magnetic source onto said magnetizable material.

Abstract: A multilevel magnetic system described herein includes first and second magnetic structures that produce a net force that transitions from an attract force to a repel force as a separation distance between the first and second magnetic structures increases. The multi-level magnetic system is configured to maintain a minimum separation distance between a transition distance where the net force is zero and a separation distance at which a peak repel force is produced.

Abstract: An improved system and method for moving an object includes a first correlated magnetic structure associated with a first object and a second correlated magnetic structure associated with a second object. The first and second correlated magnetic structures are complementary coded to achieve a peak attractive tensile force and a peak shear force when their code modulos are aligned thereby enabling magnetic attachment of the two objects whereby movement of one object causes movement of the other object as if the two objects were one object. Applying an amount of torque to one correlated magnetic structures greater than a torque threshold causes misalignment and decorrelation of the code modulos enabling detachment of the two objects. The number, location, and coding of the correlated magnetic structures can be selected to achieve specific torque characteristics, tensile force characteristics, and shear force characteristics.

Abstract: An improved magnetic attachment system involves a female component that is associated with a first object and a male component that is associated with a second object. The female component includes a hole and a first magnetic structure having a first plurality of magnetic source regions having a first polarity pattern. The male component includes a peg that can be inserted into the hole and a second magnetic structure having a second plurality of magnetic source regions having a second polarity pattern complementary to said first polarity pattern. The male and female component are configured such that when the peg is inserted into the hole the first and second magnetic structures face each other across an interface boundary enabling magnetic attachment of the first object to the second object, where while the peg remains inserted within the hole the male component can be rotated relative to the female component but translational movement of the male component relative to the female component is constrained.