Retaining stop for retaining a metal element attached to a moving surface

Abstract

A retaining stop (1) for retaining a metallic element (12) associated with a movable surface (100) to be retained, said retaining stop (1) comprising (a) a housing (2) delimiting an inner chamber (4) and comprising (ai) a through hole (6) connecting said inner chamber (4) to the outside of said retaining stop (1), on a front surface (8), and (aii) fastening means (10) to a fastening surface (102), on a lower surface (36) of said retaining stop (1), said retaining stop (1) further comprising (b) an elastic damping element (14), disposed in said inner chamber (4), and (c) a magnet (16) mounted on said elastic damping element (14), said magnet (16) protruding through said through hole (6), such that said magnet (16) can be moved between (ci) a release position in which said metallic element (12) is located away from said magnet (16) and (cii) a retention position of said metallic element (12) in which said metallic element (12) is retained by said magnet (16) in a damped manner by said elastic element (14), characterized in that (d) said damping elastic element (14) is formed directly in the housing (2).

Description

RETAINING STOP FOR HOLDING A METAL ELEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH A MOVABLE SURFACE Field of invention The invention relates to a retaining stop for retaining a metallic element associated with a movable surface that must be retained, said retaining stop comprising a housing that delimits an inner chamber and comprising a through-hole that connects said inner chamber with the outside of said retaining stop, on a front surface, and means for fixing to a fixing surface, on a lower surface of said retaining stop, said retaining stop further comprising an elastic damping element, disposed in said inner chamber, and a magnet mounted on said elastic damping element, said magnet protruding through said through-hole, such that said magnet,It can move between a release position where said metal element is away from said magnet and a retention position of said metal element where said metal element is held by said magnet in a cushioned manner by said elastic element. State of the art Door stops for securing moving surfaces, such as hinged doors or windows, are known in the prior art. These stops consist of a magnet and a metal element that work together to perform the holding function. The metal element, usually a metal plate, is placed on the underside of the door, facing the magnet of the door stop. When the door is opened and touches the door stop, the magnet attracts the metal plate and holds the door in position. These types of devices are sold in hardware stores and, due to their characteristics, their price must be very reasonable, as this is a very competitive market. Furthermore, functionality isn't the only important factor for these products. Users also want the countertop to be aesthetically pleasing and, once installed, to be as unobtrusive as possible or at least blend seamlessly into the surroundings. Summary of the invention The invention aims to provide a retaining stop of the type described above, which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble without requiring high precision, yet has good damping and retention capacity for the retained surface. Furthermore, it is desirable that the retaining stop have a discreet appearance. This purpose is achieved by means of a retaining stop of the type indicated at the beginning, characterized in that said elastic damping element is formed directly in the casing itself. Indeed, this design eliminates the need to mount the elastic element directly onto the retaining stop, and unlike other solutions, all mechanical components are concealed. Finally, as will be explained later, the retaining stop offers excellent adaptability when adopting the magnet's retention position, as the elastic element provides some cushioning against misalignment between the door or window and the stop. Furthermore, the invention encompasses a number of preferred features that are the subject of the dependent claims and whose usefulness will be highlighted later in the detailed description of an embodiment of the invention. Preferably, to further reduce assembly operations, whether manual or automatic, said casing, together with said elastic damping element, are formed from a plastic material, and said magnet is overmolded into said elastic damping element. In an implementation designed to address the challenge of seamlessly integrating the retaining stop into its surroundings—so that once installed it is either invisible or at least concealed—the plastic material is translucent or transparent. This allows the retaining stop to blend into the surface on which it is mounted. Preferably, said casing comprises a housing and a lid coupled together, said elastic damping element protruding into said inner chamber, from said housing or from said lid. Preferably, the retaining stop comprises interlocking means between the housing and the cover that work together to join the housing and the cover. This again eliminates the need for additional fasteners when assembling the retaining stop. In a preferred embodiment that aims to combine simplicity with concealing the elastic element as much as possible within the casing, this damping elastic element forms a straight spring. From a manufacturing perspective, this greatly simplifies the spring's production. For example, if the housing or cover is made of plastic, the mold is significantly simplified and tooling costs are reduced. In another embodiment, the elastic damping element is positioned adjacent to the wall containing the through-hole, and the magnet is mounted on a seat of the elastic damping element. In the retained position, this seat abuts the side of the through-hole located within the inner chamber. This abutment prevents unnecessary stress on the elastic element that could damage it and cause it to lose its elastic properties. Especially when the retainer is made of a transparent material, it is more important to conceal the internal components as much as possible. Therefore, the elastic separating element is preferably separated from the outer casing by at least 1 mm. This allows the elastic element to blend in with the casing wall, making it appear as if the retainer does not use any elastic components. The retaining stop works particularly effectively when the moving surface is preferably a hinged door or window leaf. In another embodiment that aims for versatility of use and simplicity of assembly of the retaining stop in its final position, said metal element comprises a first face, a second face and an adhesive layer that is disposed on said second face, so that said metal element can be attached to said movable surface through said adhesive layer so that, in said retaining position, said magnet retains said metal element through said first face. Another problem the invention aims to solve is to provide a retaining device that can properly hold heavy doors or windows. For this purpose, the magnet is preferably a neodymium magnet, which, with its reduced dimensions, significantly increases the holding power. In another embodiment, the magnet is surrounded by a metal protrusion that extends beyond the magnet itself, so that in the retained position, the magnet does not touch the metal element. This configuration offers two synergistic advantages. First, it reinforces the action of the neodymium magnet, and second, it protects it from impacts that could damage it. Among the improvements to the invention, it has also been observed that fixing the retainer stop can be problematic and difficult to conceal. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the retainer stop comprises transparent fixing means, said fixing means being adhered to a lower surface of said retainer stop to fix said retainer stop to a fixing surface. This achieves a synergistic effect of concealing all the elements of the retainer stop. Finally, in a form of implementation that seeks to combine simple assembly with reduced costs, transparent fixing means are one of the group consisting of a layer of adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape. Furthermore, the invention also encompasses other detailed features illustrated in the detailed description of one embodiment of the invention and in the accompanying figures. Description of the drawings Other advantages and features of the invention are apparent from the following description, which, without any limitation, describes a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The figures show: Fig. 1, a perspective view of a retaining stop according to the invention. Fig. 2, an exploded view of the retaining stop of figure 1. Fig. 3, a cutaway view of the retaining stop according to the invention, in the release position. Fig. 4, a cutaway view of the retaining stop according to the invention, in the retention position. Detailed description of a form of embodiment of the invention Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the retaining stop 1 for retaining a metal element 12 suitable for connection to a movable surface 100 that is to be retained. Preferably, the movable surface 100 is a hinged door or window leaf, as shown in Figure 3, which schematically depicts the lower part of a door. As shown in detail in figures 3 or 4, the retaining stop 1 comprises a casing 2 that delimits an inner chamber 4. The casing 2 comprises a through hole 6 that connects the inner chamber 4 with the outside of the retaining stop 1. This through hole 6 is located on a front surface 8 of the retaining stop 1, which is the one facing the movable surface 100 that is to be retained. Figures 3 or 4 show that the retaining stop 1 according to the invention also comprises fastening means 10, preferably transparent. These fastening means 10 are attached to a lower surface 36 of the retaining stop 1 to fix the retaining stop 1 to the fixing surface 102. In this case, the fixing surface 102 is a floor on which the retaining stop 1 has been mounted. Also, for greater ease of assembly and cost reduction, it is particularly preferable that the transparent fastening means 10 be, for example, a layer of adhesive or double-sided tape, so that the retaining stop 1 can have a very low cost. However, other possible options would be elements such as fixing screws or similar. The retaining stop 1 further comprises an elastic damping element 14, arranged in the inner chamber 4, and a magnet 16 mounted on the elastic damping element 14 such that the magnet 16 is mounted in a damped manner. The magnet 16 protrudes through the through hole 6 of the sheath 2, so that it can be moved between two extreme positions: a release position (Figure 3) in which the metal element 12 is away from the magnet 16, i.e., the door or window is away and can be moved freely, and a retention position (Figure 4) of the metal element 12, in which the metal element 12 is retained by the magnet 16. It should be noted that before the magnet permanently holds the door or window in the final holding position, the retaining stop 1 passes through a series of intermediate positions, which can be called damping positions. In these intermediate damping positions, the metal element 12 is magnetically attached to the magnet, and the door or window pushes the magnet inward. During this process, before reaching the final holding position, the elastic element 14 exerts a resisting force that helps to gently slow the door or window. At the same time, this elastic element 14 adjusts its relative position to achieve a smooth stop.From the point of maximum deflection of the elastic element 14, i.e., when the magnet 16 is completely depressed without protruding and the metal element 12 comes to rest against the front surface 8, the assembly returns to adopt a final position in which the retention position of the magnet 16 shown in Figure 4 is reached. It is important to note that the movable surface 100, for example, a door, does not necessarily have to be tiltable. Alternatively, the movable surface can slide longitudinally. Finally, with the aim of making the retaining stop 1 according to the invention economical to manufacture and easy to assemble without the need for high adjustment precision, but having good damping and retention capacity of the retained surface, the elastic damping element 14 is formed directly in the casing 2 itself. Although not essential to the invention, in this embodiment, the housing 2 comprises a casing 18, which in this case has a toroidal cross-section, and a cap 20, which are coupled together. In this embodiment, the elastic element 14 is formed as a single piece from the cap 20 and protrudes from it into the inner chamber 4. Alternatively, the damping elastic element 14 may protrude into the inner chamber 4 from the casing 18. The figures also show that the envelope 2, together with the elastic damping element 14, are made of a plastic material and, in addition, in this embodiment the magnet 16 is overmolded into the elastic damping element 14, which also eliminates magnet assembly steps and therefore reduces handling costs. Furthermore, in this case the plastic material of this embodiment is opaque, but especially preferably it can be translucent or even more preferably transparent. Figure 2 also shows that the retaining stop 1 comprises locking means 34 between the housing 18 and the cover 20, which work together to join the two parts. More specifically, Figure 2 shows only the protrusions on the cover 20 that form part of the locking means 34, while the inner walls of the housing have corresponding recesses to accommodate these protrusions on the cover 20. To facilitate manufacturing, the damping spring element 14 is a straight spring, i.e., a parallelepiped. In the assembled state of the retaining stop 1, this damping spring element 14 is positioned adjacent to the wall 22, which has the through-hole 6. Especially when the housing 18 is transparent, the spring element 14 is virtually invisible inside the device. This configuration is particularly preferable because, in addition to the advantages already mentioned, it offers great ease of assembly. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is not essential that the retaining stop 1 be perfectly parallel to the door or window to be retained, since the elastic element 14 itself, in addition to its damping function, provides a certain mounting tolerance and adapts to the relative position between the retaining stop 1 and the door or window. Figure 1 shows, via arrows A and B, the relative movements that the elastic element 14 provides to the magnet 16 in relation to the metal element 12 to facilitate their mutual engagement. Thus, when the door is positioned so that the magnet of the retaining stop 1 is in the holding position, the elastic element 14 pivots not only backward but can also adapt laterally in the direction of arrow B to fully adjust to the relative position of the door or window. The magnet 16 of this embodiment is mounted in a seat 24 of the elastic damping element 14 that abuts the side 26 of the through hole 6 located in the inner chamber 4, when the magnet adopts the final retention position. To ensure smooth movement of the retaining stop 1, the elastic separating element 14 is separated from said casing 2 by at least 1 mm and preferably less than 5 mm. The metal element 12 can be part of the door, for example, if the door is made of a ferromagnetic metallic material. However, it can also be a separate plate that is placed on the desired door or window. Thus, the figures show how, in a preferred embodiment, the metal element 12 comprises a first face 28, a second face 30, and an adhesive layer 32 disposed on the second face 30, such that the metal element 12 can be attached to the movable surface 100 via the adhesive layer 32. In the magnet 16's retention position, the metal element 12 is retained by means of said first face 28. Finally, to improve the holding properties of the retaining stop 1, the magnet 16 is a neodymium magnet. It has been found that this type of magnet, despite having a strong attractive force, is fragile and very sensitive to impacts. To prevent accidental breakage, the magnet 16 is surrounded by a metal protrusion 38, which is shown in detail in Figure 2, and which protrudes further than the magnet 16 itself. This ensures that, in the holding position, the magnet 16 does not directly contact the metal element 12. Furthermore, this has the synergistic effect of reinforcing the attractive force of the neodymium magnet 16, thereby improving the holding power of the door or window.

Claims

1. A retaining stop (1) for retaining a metallic element (12) associated with a movable surface (100) to be retained, said retaining stop (1) comprising (a) a casing (2) delimiting an inner chamber (4) and comprising (ai) a through hole (6) connecting said inner chamber (4) to the outside of said retaining stop (1), on a front surface (8) and (aii) fastening means (10) to a fastening surface (102), on a lower surface (36) of said retaining stop (1), said retaining stop (1) further comprising (b) an elastic damping element (14), disposed in said inner chamber (4), and (c) a magnet (16) mounted on said elastic damping element (14), said magnet (16) protruding through said through hole (6), such that said magnet (16),It can be moved between (ci) a release position in which said metal element (12) is away from said magnet (16) and (cii) a retention position of said metal element (12) in which said metal element (12) is retained by said magnet (16) in a damped manner by said elastic element (14), characterized in that (d) said damping elastic element (14) is formed directly in the housing (2).

2. Retaining stop (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said housing (2), together with said damping elastic element (14), are formed of a plastic material, and in that said magnet (16) is overmolded in said damping elastic element (14).

3. Retaining stop (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said plastic material is translucent or transparent.

4. Retaining stop (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3,characterized in that said housing (2) comprises a casing (18) and a lid (20) coupled together, said elastic damping element (14) protruding into said inner chamber (4), from said casing (18) or from said lid (20).

5. Retaining stop (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises interlocking means (34) between said casing (18) and said lid (20) that mutually cooperate to join said casing (18) and said lid (20).

6. Retaining stop (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said elastic damping element (14) forms a straight spring.

7. Retaining stop (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said elastic damping element (14) is arranged adjacent to the wall (22) having said through hole (6), and in that said magnet (16) is mounted in a seat (24) of said elastic damping element (14) which, in said retaining position,It abuts against the side (26) of said through-hole (6) located in said inner chamber (4).

8. Retaining stop (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that said elastic separating element (14) is separated from said casing (2) by at least 1 mm.

9. Retaining stop (1) according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said movable surface (100) is a hinged door or window leaf.

10. Retaining stop (1) according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said metal element (12) comprises (a) a first face (28), (b) a second face (30), and (c) an adhesive layer (32) disposed on said second face, such that said metal element (12) can be attached to said movable surface (100) via said adhesive layer so that,In said retention position, said magnet (16) retains said metallic element (12) through said first face.

11. Retaining stop (1) according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said magnet (16) is a neodymium magnet (16).

12. Retaining stop (1) according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that said magnet (16) is surrounded by a metallic projection that protrudes further than said magnet (16), so that in said retention position said magnet (16) does not touch said metallic element (12).

13. Retaining stop (1) according to any of claims 3 to 12, characterized in that it comprises transparent fastening means (10), said fastening means (10) being adhered to a lower surface (36) of said retaining stop (1) for fixing said retaining stop (1) to a fixing surface (102).

14. Retaining stop (1) according to claim 13,characterized in that said transparent fixing means (10) are one of the group consisting of an adhesive layer or a double-sided adhesive tape.