US Patent 7637543 Reversible magnetic door stop/latch

A magnetic door stop/latch contains a first magnet mounted on or within a door and a second magnet mounted on or within a structure opposing the door, such as a wall, door jamb, door frame or baseboard. When the door is moving towards the opposing structure, the magnetic door stop may used to prevent the door from slamming into the opposing structure by virtue of the repulsive forces of the magnets. The magnetic door stop may be switched from repulsive configuration to an attractive configuration that holds the door in position.