Patent Application
20130017868
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accessory that secures a decorative item to a hands-free telephone headset.
2. Related Art
Mobile (cellular) phone headsets are most often referred to as hands-free telephone headsets. Most mobile phones come with their own hands-free device in the form of a single earphone with a microphone module connected in the cable. For music-playing mobile phones, manufacturers will bundle stereo earphones with a microphone. High quality mobile headsets come in a range of wearing-styles, including behind-the-neck, over-the-head, over-the-ear, and lightweight earbuds.
Wireless mobile phone headsets are quickly becoming a new trend for both business and consumer communications. As for wireless mobile phone headsets, many of them now use Bluetooth® technology, as a growing number of mobile phones come with a Bluetooth® transceiver. Since more and more mobile phones come equipped with Bluetooth®, this technology has become a common wireless profile for wireless mobile phone headsets.
Standard Bluetooth® headsets are often a single-side monaural earpiece, which access the headset/handsfree profile of Bluetooth®. Depending on the phone's operating system, this type of headset may or may not play music.
Consumers are often interested in personalizing the items that they use on a frequent basis. This is done for several reasons including the ability to quickly identify their item when mixed with other similar items. Additionally, consumers often identify with a specific sport's team, colors, logos, and/or designs and decorate their personal items to show this preference. However, despite the prevalence of wireless mobile phone headsets, little has been done to personalize exterior aspects of the headset.
According to the present disclosure, a removable accessory including a decorative item may be secured to a hands-free telephone headset. The accessory includes an attachment area integrally connected to a split loop strap having a first loop and a second loop of sufficient size to be coupled around the hands-free telephone headset to detachably secure the accessory to the hands-free telephone headset. In a preferred embodiment, the decorative item is also removable from the accessory in order to interchange decorative items.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present disclosure is directed to an accessory having a decorative item that may be used with any hands-free telephone headset. Generally, the accessory permits a user to detachably secure a decorative item to the hands-free telephone headset in a manner that does not impede the ease and comfort associated with the hands-free telephone headset usage. An unlimited range and variety of decorative items may be provided, and such decorative items are preferably interchangeable, thereby providing the user with tremendous freedom in selecting a decorative item consistent with his/her mood and surroundings. Thus, the present disclosure permits customization and/or personalization of a user's hands-free telephone headset in a non-permanent and convenient manner.
The accessory 2 includes an attachment area 4 integral with a split loop strap having a first loop 6 and a second loop 8. In one embodiment, the first loop 6 may be a smaller loop having a small diameter that is less than the diameter of the second loop 8. In one embodiment, the first loop 6 and the second loop 8 are arranged such that they are positioned side-by-side to one another in a plane substantially transverse to a plane of the attachment area 4. In one embodiment, the decorative item may be permanently affixed to the accessory 2 at the attachment area 4. However,
The accessory 2 may be formed from any suitable material. In one embodiment, the accessory is formed from rubber, such as injection molded vulcanized natural polyisoprene rubber having an elongation before break of greater than 400%. The accessory 2 may include an attachment area 4, a first loop 6 and a second loop 8 formed from the same material or the attachment area 4 may be formed from a different material than the first loop 6 and second loop 8. In one embodiment, the attachment area 4 may be fabricated from a rigid material and the first loop 6 and second loop 8 may be formed from flexible material.
The size and dimensions of the attachment area 4, first loop 6, and second loop 8 are of sufficient size such that the first loop 6 and second loop 8 can be coupled around the hands-free telephone headset to detachably secure the accessory 2 to the hands-free telephone headset. In one embodiment, the attachment area 4 is less than one inch, and preferably less than 0.5 inch. In one embodiment, the first loop 6 has a diameter that is less than one inch, and preferably less than 0.5 inch. In one embodiment, the second loop 8 has a diameter that is less than one inch, and preferably less than 0.7 inch. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the precise geometry, dimensional properties, and aesthetic appearance of the accessory 2 is not limited beyond the structural aspects just describe.
The decorative item may be fabricated from a variety of material, e.g., vinyl, plush, fabric, molded plastic, and the like. In one embodiment, the decorative item is fabricated from polycarbonate. Examples of contemplated decorative items include animals, cartoon characters, sports-related items, newsmakers, mechanical items, seasonal items, and abstract items. Decorative items that may be used as part of the accessory may include light, sound and/or interactive features, e.g. blinking lights, voice and/or sound generation functionality, motorized movement, and the like. Such light, sound and/or interactive features may be controlled by manual switches associated with the item, or through remote actuation.
Although, the accompanying Figures depict one embodiment of the present invention wherein the first loop 6 is a smaller loop having a small diameter less than the diameter of the second loop 8, or larger loop, it is understood that the first loop 6 and the second loop 8 may be of similar size sufficient to detachably secure the accessory to the hands-free telephone headset
Although the present invention has been disclosed in terms of a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims:
