CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
SEQUENCE LISTING
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to an adjustable holster for tools, small appliances, or the like. The adjustable holster is particular adapted for holding personal electronic devices, such as cell phones of any size, computer tablets and the like.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART INCLUDING INFORMATION DISCLOSED UNDER 37 C.F.R. 1.97 AND 1.98
Personal electronic devices such as cell phones are made in a great variety of sizes. Finding a safe and quickly accessible place to store them on the user can be a challenge. Many people put them into a pocket, often a rear seat pocket, sometimes a front pants pocket, sometimes a shirt pocket. This practice limits the number of other articles that can be placed into the pocket with the phone, as well as the nature of the other articles, since they may scratch or break the phone's screen. Users will sit down, sometimes cracking or breaking the screen when the device is placed in a pants pocket. When the phone is stored in a shirt pocket, it will often fall out when the user bends over, sometimes cracking or breaking the screen. This problem is so pervasive that many companies sell expensive insurance for these accidents. Another problem is that the user may inadvertently dial and call a phone number from just moving around if the device is stored in a shirt pocket, annoying the recipient of the inadvertent call, increasing the user's phone bill, and perhaps inadvertently communicating confidential information to another.
A holster or case that is attached to a belt or pants waistband is an attractive alternative for many users. A great number of holsters are available for storing a device safely while keeping it readily available to the user. Unfortunately most, if not all of these holsters are made in a fixed configuration and size and can be used only with one size of device. A device that is too large for the fixed size holster simply will not fit, while a device that is too small for the fixed size holster will not be held securely in it and may fall out it.
Some of these holsters have been patented. For example, Hamilton is the inventor of U.S. D744,747 S, U.S. D739,138 S, both for a Portable Article Carrier and U.S. Pat. No. 8,573,458 B21 for an Attachable Carrier for Portable Articles, which are similar and disclose a holster for a cell phones or the like. The holster is formed from straps or belts, with one strap horizontally oriented to embrace the stored device at about the mid-point of the height of the device and a vertically oriented strap that loops from the back of the stored device to the front of the stored device and that fastens to the horizontal strap by sewing or the like. Another strap comes down over the top of the stored device and may be closed against the front vertical strap to prevent the stored device from falling out or being accidentally removed from the holster and can be fastened by hook and loop fasteners or the like. A belt loop allows the user to suspend the holster from belt. A disadvantage of this structure is that a belt or the like must be worn by the user if the holster is to be kept waist-high and then the user must remove at least a portion of the belt from the belt loops of his pants in order to install or remove the holster from the user's belt, that is, the holster cannot be attached to a waistband, from which is easily removed by the user if desired. The horizontal and vertical straps that form the body of this holster are permanently fixed to one another, “by sewing, adhesive-bonding, or heat bonding.” All of these methods add extra steps and cost to the manufacturing process. There is, moreover, no disclosure or suggestion that this holster can be adjusted in an fashion to accommodate different sized devices, requiring the seller to provide different sized devices an requires users to choose the appropriate size holster. This holster does not have any rigid base or backing, making the edges of the stored device vulnerable to damage from doorways or the like.
Therefore, there is a need for an adjustable holster for portable devices that is adjustable to accept devices of substantially different sizes; that helps reduce the exposure of the stored device to damage caused when the user bumps into obstacles; that can be securely and easily attached to a belt, waistband or the like without a belt loop on the holster.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an adjustable holster for portable devices that can be adjusted by the user to accommodate devices of substantially different sizes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable holster for portable devices that helps reduce the exposure of the stored device to damage caused when the user bumps into obstacles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable holster for portable devices that can be securely and easily attached to a belt, waistband or the like without a belt loop on the holster.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the best mode currently known to the inventor for carrying out his invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an adjustable holster for portable devices (holster) according to the present invention shown assembled and empty.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the holster of FIG. 1 shown disassembled.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the holster of FIG. 1 shown assembled and ready to accept a portable device for adjusted fitting.
FIG. 4 is a rear isometric view the holster of FIG. 1 showing an intermediate step in the adjustable fitting of the holster to specific portable device.
FIG. 5 is a is a front right isometric view of the holster of FIG. 1 shown completely assembled and holding portable device.
FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the holster of FIG. 1 in which three separate straps are used.
FIG. 7 is a is an isometric view of the holster of FIG. 6 shown fully assembled an ready for use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, an adjustable holster for portable devices (holster) 10, including base 12 made of rigid plastic or the like having front surface or face 15, a rear face or surface 36, a bottom edge 38, a top edge 11, a right side or edge 13 and a left side or edge 17 and has a generally rectilinear shape. At the top or top edge 11 of the base 12 is a hook fastener portion 14, which includes a sharply curved spring portion 16 at its top and a depending flange portion 18 for fastening the holster to a belt, waistband or the like by simply aligning the hook fastener portion 14 with the waistband or the like and pushing down until the lower surface of the curved spring portion 16 contacts the waistband or the like. The hook fastener portion 18 has spring action tending to retain the flange portion 18 close to the rear face 36 of the base 12, providing firm connection to a belt, waistband or the like. A gripping pad 19 is fixed to the inside surface of the hook fastener portion 14 in such a position that it contacts the belt, waistband or the like that is fastened to. The gripping pad 19 makes placing the holster onto a belt or waistband or removing it harder and therefore provides a more secure connection. The gripping pad 19 may be the hook or loop portion of a hook and loop fastener strip or any material that increases friction without being too abrasive. The gripping pad 19 may be glued onto the hook fastener portion 14 of the base 12 or may have be a peel and press type adhesive already applied to the rear surface of the gripping pad. The hook fastener portion 14 may be replaced by a loop if desired, providing a more secure but more awkward connection to a belt, if desired. A closed loop, a hook with a closure element or the like may also be used either in conjunction with, or a replacement for, the hook fastener portion 14.
The portable device 54 (first appearing in FIG. 3) is held in place against the base 12 by two straps, a horizontally disposed strap 20 and a vertically disposed strap 22. Both straps are made from a flexible webbing material having low profile and small hook fastener elements covering the entire surface of one side of the strap material and having low profile and small loop fastener elements covering the entire surface of the other side of the strap material. These fastener elements are densely packed. As shown in FIG. 1, on both the horizontally oriented strap 20 and the vertically oriented strap 22, the outer surface 31 is covered with hook elements 21 and the inner surface 33 is covered with loop elements 23 of the hook and loop fastener system. The face of each strap 20, 22 that is exposed to view could be either the hook covered side or the loop covered side of the straps 20, 22, but the hook-covered side 31 is preferred because the hook covered side 31 appears smoother than the loop covered side 33, which looks fuzzy and rough. (The same numbering and convention apply to the two horizontal straps 60, 64, discussed in connection to FIGS. 6, 7, below.) Naturally, either the hook covered side or the loop covered side could be either the front or expose side or the rear or largely hidden side of the straps. The important feature is that all of one side be covered with hook elements and all of the other side be covered with loop elements. Such straps or webbing are commercially available. Alternatively, straps having only portions of the straps needed for fastening a portable device 54 into the holster 10 and for necessary fastening of the various straps to one another with the remainder of the straps being the underlying webbing, could be developed. Having one side of the straps 20, 22 covered with the hook portion and the other side covered with the loop portion of hook and loop fastener system results in a strap that can be fastened to itself at any point along its length, or to the corresponding element side of another like strap at any point along either of the two straps. This characteristic of the webbing or strap material gives the holster 10 its adjustability for a specific sized device because it does not matter how long the straps are initially since the user can cut them to the proper length with ordinary scissors. The straps 20, 22 are provided to the user in lengths that are longer than will be needed for any portable device 54 that a particular sized base 12 might accommodate. The user simply installs the straps 20, 22 as shown below and cuts them to a suitable length. The straps should be tight enough to hold the portable device 54 firmly, while still allowing the user to remove the portable device 54 from the holster 10 easily and to put the portable device 54 back into the holster 10 easily. No adjustment or fastening is needed for these steps because the straps 20, 22 (e.g., FIG. 1) or the straps 60, 64, 22 (FIGS. 6-7). The holster 10 is easily serviced because any of the straps can easily be replaced, either individually or all together.
Additional straps or replacement straps may be provided so that the user can use the holster 10 for a larger portable device 54 if one is acquired and the straps cut to hold a smaller portable device 54 are too short for the larger portable device 54 or if the straps show signs of wear or the user wants to install straps of a different color. The design of the holster 10 allows a very small number of different sized bases 12 to securely accommodate practically any sized portable electronic device from very small cell phones to computer tablets. The strap 20 is threaded through a horizontally oriented slot 24 through the base 12, which is more clearly shown in FIG. 2.
The straps 20, 22 may be of any desirable width, but generally and as shown, the horizontally oriented strap 20 is wider than the vertically oriented strap 22 since the horizontally oriented strap 20 provides lateral stability to the portable device 54 and protection from the user bumping into things. The horizontally disposed slot, or slot 24, is formed through the thickness of the base 12, that is, it defines a passageway through the base 12 with an opening to it on both the right side edge 13 and the left side edge 17. The vertically oriented strap 22 is pulled up from the bottom of the base 12, to which it is fixed, and over the front face of the portable device 54, forming a loop 25 having a lowest point, which defines the bottom 27 of the holster 10, with the portable device 54 being seated in the well 29 formed by the closed loop of the horizontally oriented strap 20 and the vertically oriented strap 22.
A narrow strip of a hook or loop fastener material (narrow strip) 28 is fixed to an edge 30 of the base 12 adjacent to and parallel to an opening forming the slot 24, which passes through the entire width of the base 12. The narrow strip of a hook or loop fastener material 28 can be fastened to the base by any permanent adhesive or a peel and stick type material. The outer surface of the narrow strip 28 is either the hook portion or loop portion of a hook and loop fastener system with the surface pressed against the base 12 being flat. Either end of the strap 20 can be inserted into the slot 24 and threaded through it and either end of the strap 20 can be fastened to the narrow strip 28. As shown, the right end 30 of the strap 20 is secured to the narrow strip 28 (with right and left considered by viewing the holster from the front, i.e., the front face 15 of the base 12). The corresponding hook and loop fastener side of the strap 20 must be presented to the narrow strip 28. That is, if the narrow strip 28 is covered with the hook portion of a hook and loop fastener, the face of the strap 20 that is connected to the narrow strip 28 must be the side that is covered by the loop portion and visa versa. The fastening between the strap 20 and the narrow strip 28 allows the strap 20 to be pulled firmly against the portable device 54 and then the left end 32 of the strap 20 is threaded through the slot 24 and is then wrapped around the front face of the portable device 54, resulting in two layers of the strap 20 on the front face of the portable device 54. This structure assures that the strap 20 will fasten to itself because when the two layers of the strap 20 cross along the front of the portable device 54, the mating surfaces will always present a hook covered portion and a loop covered portion to each other. This is the case because when the strap 20 is passed through the slot 24 and wrapped around the portable device 54, the opposite faces or sides of the strap 20 will always meet across the portable device 54 and therefore, they will always fasten to one another. This is the case regardless of which end of the strap 20 is the starting end and regardless of which face, that is, the hook covered side or the loop covered side, is facing the front of the holster 10 as it first crosses the portable device 54. Alternatively, the narrow strop 28 can be omitted and the user can simply hold the end of the strap 20 that is close to the front face of the portable device 54 that the holster 10 is being adjusted to fit.
A flange 37 is formed along the right side 13 of the base 12 and is perpendicular to the front face or surface 15 of the base 12 and projects forward of the front face 15. The strip 28 is fastened to the side of the flange 37. The flange 37 runs the entire length of the height of the slot 24, and somewhat farther above and below the slot 24. The length of the projection of the flange 37 is a matter of deign choice but is generally somewhat less than the thickness of a typical portable device 54 and typically lies in a range of about 4 mm-8 mm ( 3/16″-⅜″). The flange 37 serves as a locator for positioning the portable device 54 onto the base 12 and as a stop that prevents the portable device from slipping off the side of the base 12 during installation. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the flange 37 allows the user to hold the portable device firmly against the flange 37 while cinching the horizontally disposed strap 20 firmly against the portable device 54. In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-7 (below), the flange 37 serves the same purposes and to utilize the stop function of the flange 37 best, the left horizontally disposed strap is fastened first, as shown in FIG. 7. The flange 37 could be formed on either the left or the right side of the base 12 in any embodiment. The flange 37 could be omitted if desired, but its advantages in customizing the holster 10 for a particular size of portable device 54 would be lost.
Still referring to FIG. 2, a bottom strap is needed to form a bottom of the holster 10. This function is provided by the strap 22. The strap 22 is shorter than the strap 20 and forms a bottom to the holster 10 and passes upward until it overlaps and is fastened to the previously installed horizontal strap 20. A keyway 34 is formed into the rear surface 36 of the base 12 adjacent to the bottom edge 38 of the base 12. The keyway 34 is recessed into the base 12 basically rectangular in shape with the width of the keyway 34 being slightly wider than the width of the strap 22. An arched portion 40 at the top of the keyway 34 provides easy access to the keyway 34 with the strap 22 installed in it, allowing the user to remove the strap 22 readily if desired. Along the bottom edge 42 of the keyway 34 is a keyway slot 44, or vertically oriented keyway slot 44, which is vertically oriented in this placement. The keyway slot 44 and all keyway slots discussed here define a passageway through the thickness of the base 12. The top end 46 of the strap 22 includes a stop member 46, which is small strip of material that is permanently fastened to the top end 46 of the strap 22. The thickness of the strap 22 and the stop member 46 together is the same as depth of the keyway 34, so that the stop member is flush with the rear face or surface 36 of the body 12 when the strap 22 is installed. The bottom end 50 of the strap 22 is threaded through the slot 44 as indicated by the arrow 52 and pulled downwardly until the stop member 46 is fully seated in the keyway 34. Then the strap 22 is pulled upwardly over the face of the portable device 54 and is sandwiched between the two layers of the strap 20. The faces of the straps 20, 22 are oriented such that when the strap 22 is sandwiched between the layers of the strap 20, both sides of the vertically oriented strap 22 are gripped by corresponding hook and loop fastener portions.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, the portable device 54, in this case a cell phone, is placed against the front surface 15 of the base 12 as shown by the arrow 56. The right end 24 of the horizontally oriented strap 20 has been attached to the narrow strip 28 and the left end 30 of the strap 20 is being pulled around the portable device 54 and inserted into the slot 24 as indicated by the arrow 58 and then pulled until the portable device 54 is firmly seated against the base 12. Next, the lower end 50 of the vertically oriented strap 22 is pulled up and secured to the horizontally disposed strap 20 along the centerline of the portable device 54 and any excess length is cut off. Next, the horizontally disposed strap 20 is pulled over the portable device 54 and secured to the vertically oriented strap 22 and to itself and any excess length is cut off. The holster 10 is now ready for use, as shown in the completed configuration shown in FIG. 5. The outer surface of the completed holster 10 can be covered with a decorative covering, such as a peel and stick vinyl sheet material in various colors or patterns, including, for example, advertising or promotional material to provide a smooth, attractive appearance. The covering may be easily removed and replaced with a new covering, which will be clean and which may have different designs.
Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the holster 10, in which the single horizontally disposed strap 20 is replaced by two horizontally disposed straps, while the vertically disposed strap 22 remains as described above in the discussion of keyway 34 and the stop member 46 on the strap 22. The two horizontal straps are each mounted identically to the mounting system described above in connection with the vertically disposed strap 22. A right horizontally disposed strap 60, or first strap 60, is mounted in a first keyway, i.e., the right side keyway 62 and a left horizontally disposed strap 64, or second strap 64, is mounted in a second keyway, i.e., a left side keyway 66. The keyways 62, 66 are identical to the keyway 34. Different reference numerals are used for the keyways 62, 66 only to clarify their positions. The narrow strip 28 allows the user to wrap the outer end 68 of the right horizontally disposed strap 60 around the front face 15 of the base 12 and tuck it out of sight on the narrow strip 28 and also strengthening the bonds holding the straps 22, 60, 64 together. There is no horizontally disposed slot through the base 12 in this embodiment, but such a slot could be included, permitting the user to choose whether to use the two-strap embodiment of FIG. 1 or the three strap embodiment of FIGS. 6-7.
In use, the user places the portable device 54 against the front face 15 of the base 12 and brings the side of the portable device 54 against the flange 37 and pulls either of the two horizontally disposed straps 60, 66, but preferably the left horizontally disposed strap 64 firmly against the portable device 54, then pulling the vertically disposed strap 22 up and over the previously manipulated horizontally disposed strap and then pulling the other horizontally disposed strap firmly over the portable device 54 and pressing on the three straps, securing the three straps into the completed holster shown in FIG. 7. Regardless of the order in which the two horizontal straps are installed over the portable device 54, they are each pulled over the portable device 54 after it has been place against the front face 15 of the base 12. The general movements of the horizontal straps 60, 64 are as shown by the arrows 68, 70, with the arrow 68 showing the direction of movement of the right horizontally disposed strap 60 and the arrow 70 showing the general movement of the left horizontally disposed strap 64 during customizing of the holster 10. Any excess length of any of the three straps can be trimmed to the desired length by ordinary scissors, as described above.
While the present invention has been described in accordance with the preferred embodiments thereof, the description is for illustration only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
Patent Application
20160192753
