Patent Application
20100171020
The invention relates to devices for containing and/or localizing objects within the undistracted view of the driver of an automobile and within the driver's easy reach.
Not applicable.
Not applicable
Today, there is an increasing awareness of the necessity for minimizing driver distraction during the driving of an automobile, while at the same time providing accessibility to modern conveniences and driving aids. The quality of driver performance while driving an automobile may be benefited by numerous devices, such as sunglasses, mobile phones, portable music players, access to change, access to a parking pass card, a GPS system, and so forth.
In accordance with the invention, a caddy for containing and/or stabilizing the position of a multiplicity of objects is provided. It may be placed on a car dashboard, center console or other convenient surface on a car or other vehicle or other surface. More particularly, the inventive caddy is configured for dashboard mounting, without the necessity for a permanent adhesive, although the inventive structure may be employed with such adhesive for added structural security. The inventive caddy is constructed in a manner which overcomes the instability associated with putting objects on downwardly oriented and curved dashboards.
In accordance with the invention, apparatus for retaining objects on the dashboard of a vehicle, comprising a planar rubbery base member having a bottom with a high friction surface characteristic is provided. The planar rubbery base member is made of a material which tends to conform to a shape of a curved surface upon which it is placed, such as the dashboard and a plurality of flexible walls extend upwardly from the rubbery base member. The walls define at least one compartment. A combination of high walls and catching and gripping platforms contained within the walls combine to effectively retain objects.
The inventive apparatus may further comprise a plurality of top surface gripper platforms disposed within the compartment. The top surface gripper platforms have an area substantially smaller than the area of the top of the planar rubbery base member.
The top surface gripper platforms may be angularly oriented in a plurality of directions.
The top surface gripper platforms may comprise a plurality of elongated members.
The caddy may further comprise a plurality of bottom surface gripper platforms disposed on the bottom of the planar rubbery base member. The bottom surface gripper platforms have an area substantially smaller than the area of the bottom of the planar rubbery base member.
The top surface gripper platforms may comprise a plurality of elongated members.
The inventive caddy may further comprise a plurality of top surface gripper platforms disposed within the compartment. The top surface gripper platforms may have an area substantially smaller than the area of the top of the planar rubbery base member.
A plurality of bottom surface gripper platforms may be disposed on the bottom of the planar rubbery base member. The bottom surface gripper platforms they have an area substantially smaller than the area of the bottom of the planar rubbery base member.
Gaps may be defined between the plurality of flexible walls.
The flexible walls may be flush with the edges of the planar rubbery base member.
The bottom surface of the planar rubbery base member may be provided with a self adhesive material.
The bottom surface of the planar rubbery base member may be provided with a perimeter wall.
The operation of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
Reference is first made to
A plurality of walls is supported on top surface 18. More particularly, L-shaped walls 20 are positioned at the corner of caddy 10. T-shaped walls 22 are positioned at the forward and rearward ends 24 and 26 of caddy 10.
A plurality of gaps 28 are defined between the ends of adjacent walls. Gaps 28 form catches for engaging objects held within caddy 10. Gaps 28 also allow a user to place an object like a cellular telephone or GPS in caddy 10 with the power cord, for example, passing through a gap 28. These catches are dimensioned to be large enough to engage objects likely to be carried in a car, such as the shank 27 of arms 29 of eyeglasses 31, or the operative and elongated portion of keys. At the same time, but catches must be small enough not to allow objects to through the gaps.
In accordance with the invention, L-shaped walls 20 and T-shaped walls 22 are sufficiently high to anchor objects commonly kept in an automobile. In addition, certain even larger objects, such as gloves will be anchored by the inventive caddy to the extent that they conform or may come to conform to the shape of caddy 10.
Additional stability is provided by angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and by angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34. Angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34 are oriented to substantially transverse to each other. To the extent that angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34 and engage portions of objects in caddy 10 which are positioned below the tops of angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34, they will tend to catch a variety of forms. This will be encouraged by their substantially transverse orientations, which effectively ensures that at least a portion of the gripper platforms will be oriented in a manner more likely to make such engagement.
To the extent that portions of objects in caddy 10 are positioned above the tops of angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34, their smaller area will result in more weight per unit area of gripper platform surface, thus ensuring higher friction and thus a more effective gripping action, increasing the stability with which objects held in caddy 10 are maintained in a position.
Angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34 may have a thickness ranging between 0.1 cm and 0.5 cm.
Similarly, because angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 32 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 34 are oriented substantially transverse to each other, on average they are more likely to effectively grip a variety of objects being subjected to substantially largely up-and-down vibrations and largely forward and rearward as well as leftward and rightward momentum was created by changes in the direction of the vehicle on the dashboard of which the inventive caddy 10 is positioned.
The bottom surface 36 of base 12 is populated with angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 38 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 40. Angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 38 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 40 are oriented substantially transverse to each other. The diversity of orientation of angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 38 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 40 ensures good positional stability during vibrations and during the application of momentum forces. Angularly negatively oriented elevated gripper platforms 38 and angularly positively oriented elevated gripper platforms 40 may have a thickness ranging between 0.1 cm and 0.5 cm.
In accordance with the invention, inventive caddy 10 may be made out of rubber or a similar synthetic material. Materials having relatively high density, flexibility, a high coefficient of friction and compressibility are preferred. Weight ensures that the bottom surface of the inventive caddy 10 is securely gripped by the dashboard. Accordingly, high density material is desirable.
It is contemplated that the inventive caddy may have a width between 8 cm and 24 cm, and a length between 24 cm and 72 cm. Base 12 may have a thickness between 0.1 centimeters and 0.6 cm. L-shaped walls 20 and T-shaped walls 22 may have a thickness between 0.4 cm and 3 cm. Gaps 28 may range between 0.2 and 0.8 cm.
in use, the inventive caddy 10 is placed on the top of a dashboard 41, as illustrated in
In accordance with the invention, objects are placed within the rectangular areas defined between L-shaped walls 20 and T-shaped walls 22. To the extent that the dashboard of the automobile on which the inventive caddy 10 is placed, the combination of vibrations (due to irregularities in the road surface over which a vehicle is driving) and slant may cause migration of objects within caddy toward the forward portions 30 of L-shaped walls 20 and T-shaped walls 22.
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Bottom 136 may be provided with a layer of self-adhesive material 140 in place of the gripper platforms 40 of
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While a number of illustrative embodiments of the inventive caddy have been described above, it is recognized that certain modifications will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the invention which is limited and defined only by the appended claims.
