Patent Application
20130043290
The present disclosure relates to electronic device mounts, and, more particularly, to a double DIN automobile mount for tablet computers.
Tablet computers are quickly becoming popular electronic devices for accessing the World Wide Web, reading news and periodicals, enjoying multimedia entertainments such as music, videos and pictures, and accessing data and other references. For many applications, tablet computers and other portable computing devices significantly facilitate the access to data and programs, especially in mobile applications where access to information on the move is desirable. As a result, such computing devices offer value, not only because of the data that they enable, but also because of the access to data that they offer.
The access to data and programs provided by tablet computers is especially beneficial in application such as automobile computing. For example, it is useful for drivers to access to navigation data and directions while seeking a particular destination, Further, being able to play music and other entertainment while in the car is desirable. However, the mounting of tablet computers pose a challenge as they have a form factor that is not small enough to easily affix in a vehicle. Further, because of concerns with theft, the tablet computer should not be left in an unattended vehicle, Also, it would be desirable for the user to be able to remove the tablet computer and use it outside of the vehicle.
There is a need, therefore, for a tablet computer holding device or docking station stand that allows the tablet computer to be mounted in a vehicle securely and in a convenient location. There is a need for a method and system that permits a user to control the time or circumstances at which a tablet computer may be physically removed from a suitable location in a vehicle.
The disclosed mount is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various aspects of a tablet mount are shown. The disclosed mount, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited by the various aspects of the tablet mount presented herein. The detailed description of the tablet mount is provided below so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
The detailed description may include specific details for illustrating various aspects of a tablet mount. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various aspects of the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known elements may be shown in block diagram form, or omitted, to avoid obscuring the novel and unobvious concepts presented throughout this disclosure. Further, although the various embodiments may be described in terms of use with a mobile device such as a tablet such as the Apple® iPad®, the described tablet mount may be used for a variety of other tablets or other devices, including laptops, portable computers, cameras, flashlights, global positioning systems (GPS), personal digital assistants (PDA's), multimedia players, portable radios and other similar handheld devices.
Various aspects of a tablet mount may be illustrated by describing components that are coupled together. As used herein, the term “coupled” is used to indicate either a direct connection between two components or, where appropriate, an indirect connection to one another through intervening or intermediate components. In contrast, when a component referred to as being “directly coupled” to another component, there are no intervening elements present.
Relative terms such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element illustrated in the drawings. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of a tablet mount in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. B way of example, if a tablet mount in the drawings is turned over, elements described as being on the “bottom” side of the other elements would then be oriented on the “top” side of the other elements. The term “bottom” can therefore encompass both an orientation of “bottom” and “top” depending on the particular orientation of the apparatus.
Various aspects of a tablet mount may be illustrated with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of a tablet mount disclosed herein.
International standard ISO 7736 defines a standard size for car audio head units. The standard was originally established by the German standards body Deutsches Institut für Normung as DIN 75490, and is therefore commonly referred to as the “DIN car radio size”. It was adopted as an international standard in 1984. Bead units generally come in either single DIN (180×50 mm panel) or double DIN (180×100 mm panel) size. The depth is not standardized. The US standard for a DIN radio is 2″×7″ and the Double DIN sized radio is a 4″×7″. The present invention discloses a table mount 100 configured to support a tablet in an automobile interior, The tablet mount 100 is illustrated in
The face plate 106 is mounted to a bracket 130, To secure the tablet mount 100 to the vehicle, a set of fasteners such as screws may be used to fasten the bracket 130. In one embodiment, as the tablet mount 100 is a double-DIN-sized mount, two set of mounting holes are provided. A set of upper mounting holes 152 and a set of lower mounting holes 154 are each respectively matched to another set of screw holes in the double-DIN support. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, the tablet mount 100 replaces a double-DIN-sized car stereo or two separate DIN-sized devices in the dashboard of the vehicle.
Referring to
Referring to
In other aspects, a tablet may be attached to the tablet mount 100 using other holding means that do not require the use of a matching case for the tablet. By way of example and not limitation, and referring to
In other aspects, a hook-and-loop type fastener may be used, which would require a tablet be outfitted with a matching hook-and-loop type fastener.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more,” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
This Application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/524,240, filed Aug. 16, 2011, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61524240 | Aug 2011 | US |
