US Patent Issued to Microsoft Technology Licensing on Jan. 20 for "Magnetically latching connector" (Washington Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 20 -- United States Patent no. 12,531,360, issued on Jan. 20, was assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Redmond, Wash.).

"Magnetically latching connector" was invented by Ryan Alain Laprise (Redmond, Wash.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The presently disclosed technology adopts magnets to provide an over-centre effect to a turn-lock fastener. This can provide smoother fastening/unfastening action and a simplified design to achieve a similar over-centre effect to traditional turn-lock fasteners. Further, a turn-lock connector may be made by incorporating aspects of a turn-lock fastener into matching second and first connector parts that may be selectively latche...