Patent Application
20220403971
The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic mount head, and more particularly, to a magnetic mount head which interfaces with one or more magnetic elements integrated into a portable electronic device and case, and with a notched configuration allowing for a slidable sub-assembly to be simultaneously attached to the portable electronic device and case.
Portable electronic devices, such as MP3 players and smart phones, are often housed in protective covers or cases in order to protect the device from damage, provide a grip for handling the device, and/or provide a stand for propping the device on a surface. Such cases increase the effective size of the device. Expandable accessories, which may be attached directly to the device or to the case protecting the device, are used for a variety of functions, including propping the device on a surface and providing an expandable grip for handling the device.
One aspect of the disclosure relates to a mount for a portable electronic device. In certain embodiments, the mount has a mount base configured to attach the mount to a surface, and a mount head attached to the mount base. The mount head may comprise an attachment surface having one or more magnetic elements configured to magnetically attach the mount head to the portable electronic device. The mount head may further comprise a central receiving region and two recess portions laterally disposed from the central receiving region.
Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a mount system for a portable electronic device. The mount system may include a mount head comprising an attachment surface having one or more magnetic elements configured to magnetically attach the mount head to the portable electronic device. The mount system may also include an accessory attachment having lateral engaging regions configured to attach to accessory attachment to the portable electronic device by engaging respective side surfaces of the portable electronic device. The mount head may have a central receiving region and two recess portions laterally disposed from the central receiving region. The central receiving region may be configured to receive the accessory attachment, while the two recess portions may be configured to receive the lateral engaging regions, such that the portable electronic device is flush with the attachment surface of the mount head when magnetically attached thereto.
The features of this disclosure which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present disclosure may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the several figures, in which:
The present disclosure is generally directed to a magnetic mount head that is configured to removably and interchangeably receive a plurality of different expandable accessories attached to a portable electronic device (either the same portable electronic device or different portable electronic devices), such that the magnetic mount head is configured to retain the portable electronic device without having to remove the accessory attached thereto and regardless of which kind of accessory is attached thereto. In particular, the disclosed mount includes an attachment mechanism, a receiving member, and a connection member that is coupled to the disc and the receiving member. The mount described herein may be configured in accordance with the disclosure set forth in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/814,265, filed on Mar. 10, 2020, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure is further directed to a magnetic mount head, as described above, which is further configured with a recess or notch within which a slidable platform, which is attached to the portable electronic device (or a case thereof) can be accommodated even when the magnetic mount head is magnetically engaged to the portable electronic device. Moreover, the magnetic mount head may be rotatably engaged with a mount, such that the portable electronic device, when engaged to a mount head configured in accordance with the description herein, may be oriented in portrait or landscape positions.
Referring first to
The platform 120 additionally includes at least one engaging region or arm 150 that, generally speaking, engages and/or secures with an outer edge 160 of the portable electronic device 10 (or an outer edge of a case for the portable electronic device). The slidable accessory attachment device 100 may be moveable between an expanded configuration (not illustrated) and a collapsed configuration (
In the illustrated example, the platform 110 of the slidable accessory attachment device 100 includes two engaging regions (or arms) 150, each of which is positioned at an end of the platform 110. The engaging regions 150 are in the form of curved members that are dimensioned to conform to and/or wrap around the outer edge 160 of the portable electronic device 10 (or an outer edge of a case for the portable electronic device if so equipped). In other examples, the engaging regions (or arms) 150 may have a non-curved configuration but may still conform to and/or wrap around the outer edge 160 of the portable electronic device 10.
The platform 110 and the engaging regions (or arms) 150 may be dimensioned such that they frictionally engage the outer edge 160 of the portable electronic device 10 to retain the slidable accessory attachment device 100 thereto. In some examples, the slidable accessory attachment device 100 may be dimensioned to be slidable along the height of the portable electronic device 10 while still being frictionally engaged therewith. In some examples, the engaging regions (or arms) 150 may include a gripping material such as a tacky material, a temporary adhesive, and the like, that increases friction with the outer edge 160 of the portable electronic device 10. In general, the slidable accessory attachment device 100 may be configured in accordance with the disclosure set forth in U.S. application Ser. No. 17/021,535, filed on Sep. 15, 2020, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Referring now to
Mount head 400 is configured with one or more magnetic element(s) 410, thereby forming a magnetic mount head, and is configured to removably and interchangeably receive a plurality of different accessories within its central opening that may be attached to the portable electronic device 10, including the slidable accessory attachment device 100 described above. As shown in
The mount head 400 is further configured with a central receiving region 403 into which the slidable accessory attachment device 100 may be received when the portable electronic device 10 is mounted to the mount head 400. In particular, the central receiving region would receive and accommodate the platform 110, body and/or button 130 of the slidable accessory attachment device 100 and, in general, any other centrally disposed structure of the slidable accessory attachment device 100.
It should be appreciated that the mount head 400 may have a pill-shaped design as shown in
Continuing to refer to
As noted above, the mount head 400 may be configured to rotate relative to the mount base 300. To that end,
Referring now to
In
As described above, and as further shown in
As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of various embodiments. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. The same reference numbers may be used to describe like or similar parts. Further, while several examples have been disclosed herein, any features from any examples may be combined with or replaced by other features from other examples. Moreover, while several examples have been disclosed herein, changes may be made to the disclosed examples within departing from the scope of the claims.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
