Modular personal storage system and related modular components

Abstract

A modular personal storage system can include a personal storage container that can include a first outer wall including a paramagnetic metal or a diamagnetic metal, a second outer wall including the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal, where the second outer wall is positioned opposite to and spaced apart from the first outer wall to define a container volume between the first outer wall and the second outer wall. At least two permanent magnetic elements can be spaced apart from one another and at least partially located within the container volume.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A modular personal storage system comprising:
 a personal storage container including:
 a first outer wall including a paramagnetic metal or a diamagnetic metal; 
 a second outer wall including the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal, the second outer wall positioned opposite to and spaced apart from the first outer wall to define a container volume between the first outer wall and the second outer wall; and 
 at least two permanent magnetic elements spaced apart from one another and at least partially located within the container volume. 
   
     
     
         2 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal includes aluminum. 
     
     
         3 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal allows a magnetic field to pass through the second outer wall into the container volume without being substantially reduced. 
     
     
         4 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein a total distance from an outer surface of the first outer wall to an outer surface of the second outer wall is in a range between about 3.8 mm to about 5.5 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the at least two permanent magnetic elements include first and second opposite poles, positioned in the container volume with the first poles facing the first outer wall and the second poles facing the second outer wall. 
     
     
         6 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 5  wherein surfaces of the first and second poles are located about equal distances from the first and second outer walls, respectively. 
     
     
         7 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the first outer wall includes a first alignment opening that exposes the container volume. 
     
     
         8 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 7  wherein the second outer wall includes a second alignment opening that exposes the container volume, the second alignment opening being aligned to the first alignment opening in two dimensions. 
     
     
         9 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an outer side wall that extends from an edge of the first outer wall to an edge of the second outer wall and to define an access opening to inside the container volume; 
 an interior side wall that extends from the first outer wall to the second outer wall inside the container volume; and 
 first and second deformable bumpers protruding from opposing portions of the interior side wall toward one another and configured to securely store a plurality of payment cards inside the container volume. 
 
     
     
         10 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 9  further comprising:
 a lever extending from inside the container volume through the outer side wall to outside the container volume; 
 a hinge, inside the container volume and coupled to the lever; and 
 a finger, inside the container volume and coupled to the hinge. 
 
     
     
         11 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 10  wherein the finger includes a staircase shaped edge configured to contact edges of the plurality of payment cards when the lever is moved about the hinge to rotate the finger toward the access opening so that the staircase shaped edge pushes the payment cards between the first and second deformable bumpers through the access opening in the container volume. 
     
     
         12 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 11  wherein the staircase shaped edge includes a number of steps each configured to separately contact a respective card in the container volume. 
     
     
         13 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the personal storage container is configured for inclusion in a stack of a plurality of personal storage containers having contacting ones of the personal storage containers in the stack magnetically coupled together via contacting ones of the first and second outer walls of first and second personal storage containers. 
     
     
         14 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the personal storage container comprises a first personal storage container, the modular personal storage system further comprising:
 a second personal storage container, configured to magnetically coupled to the first personal storage container, the second personal storage container including:
 a first outer wall that is spaced apart from a second outer wall to define a second container volume between the first outer wall and the second outer wall of the second personal storage container; and 
 at least two permanent magnetic elements at least partially located within the second container volume adjacent to the first outer wall of the second personal storage container, wherein first poles of the at least two permanent magnet elements in the second personal storage container face the second outer wall of the first personal storage container and are configured to generate a magnetic field that extends through the first outer wall of the second personal storage container through the second outer wall of the first personal storage container to magnetically couple to the at least two permanent magnetic elements of the first personal storage container. 
 
 
     
     
         15 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a first pair of separator bumpers each protruding from a surface of the first outer wall by a first amount of about 0.15 mm; and 
 a second pair of separator bumpers each protruding from a surface of the second outer wall by a second amount of about 0.15 mm. 
 
     
     
         16 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal includes copper, titanium, or magnesium. 
     
     
         17 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 8  wherein the first opening and the second opening define first and second stadium shapes, respectively, each having a strait portion length of about 16.5 mm and a curved portion radius of about 0.9 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The modular personal storage system of  claim 1  wherein the at least two permanent magnetic elements comprise at least six permanent magnetic elements spaced apart along three contiguous outer side walls of an outer perimeter of the container volume. 
     
     
         19 . A modular personal storage kit comprising:
 a personal storage container including:
 a first outer wall including a paramagnetic metal or a diamagnetic metal; 
 a second outer wall including the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal, the second outer wall positioned opposite to and spaced apart from the first outer wall to define a container volume between the first outer wall and the second outer wall; and 
 at least two permanent magnetic elements spaced apart from one another and at least partially located within the container volume; and 
   a removeable cover for the personal storage container, configured to magnetically couple to the personal storage container, the removeable cover including:
 a cover inner surface configured to face the second outer wall of the personal storage container when the removeable cover is removably coupled to the personal storage container; 
 a cover outer surface, opposite the cover inner surface, the cover outer surface configured to be exposed when the removeable cover is removably coupled to the personal storage container; and 
 a ferromagnetic pattern located between the cover inner surface and the cover outer surface, the ferromagnetic pattern configured to magnetically couple the removeable cover to the personal storage container via the at least two permanent magnetic elements. 
   
     
     
         20 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 19  further comprising:
 a stadium shaped opening in the second outer wall of the personal storage container that exposes the container volume; and 
 a stadium shaped alignment protrusion protruding from a location on cover inner surface corresponding to that of the stadium shaped opening of the personal storage container configured to securely fit into the stadium shaped opening when the removeable cover is removably coupled to the personal storage container. 
 
     
     
         21 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 20  wherein dimensions of the stadium shaped opening are about 0.3 mm greater than dimensions of the stadium shaped alignment protrusion. 
     
     
         22 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 19  wherein the ferromagnetic pattern between the cover inner surface and the cover outer surface is positioned to overlap the least two permanent magnetic elements. 
     
     
         23 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 19  wherein the ferromagnetic pattern forms first and second open facing U-shaped patterns at opposite ends of the removeable cover. 
     
     
         24 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 23  wherein the removeable cover further includes:
 first and second notches in opposing sides of the removeable cover; and 
 an elastic member extending across the cover outer surface to the cover inner surface through the first and second notches. 
 
     
     
         25 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 19  wherein the removeable cover further comprises:
 a recessed tray in the cover outer surface the recessed tray having a payment card shape and having a bottom surface; 
 a tray edge extending along a perimeter of the recessed tray above the bottom surface; and 
 a tray lip extending from an upper surface of the tray edge opposite the bottom surface of the recessed tray. 
 
     
     
         26 . The modular personal storage kit of  claim 25  further including:
 first and second elongated tray skids protruding from the bottom surface of the recessed tray and extending along a major dimension of the recessed tray spaced apart. 
 
     
     
         27 . A handheld personal storage container for releasably storing a set of payment cards and for magnetically removably coupling to a portable mobile device and other similar personal storage containers, the container including:
 a first outer wall including a paramagnetic metal or a diamagnetic metal;   a second outer wall including the paramagnetic metal or the diamagnetic metal, the second outer wall positioned opposite to and spaced apart from the first outer wall;   an outer side wall coupled to an edge of the first outer wall and an edge of the second outer wall and extending around a perimeter of the first outer wall and the second outer wall to form an opening in the outer side wall;   a container volume defined to be between the first outer wall and the second outer wall within the perimeter;   at least six permanent magnetic elements located separated from one another along the perimeter;   first and second deformable bumpers located on opposing sides of the container volume;   a lever extending from inside the container volume through the outer side wall to outside the container volume;   a hinge, inside the container volume and coupled to the lever;   a finger, inside the container volume and coupled to the hinge; and   a staircase shaped edge on the finger configured to contact edges set of payment cards when the lever is moved about the hinge to rotate the finger toward the opening so that the staircase shaped edge pushes the set of payment cards between the first and second deformable bumpers through the opening in the container volume.