Patent Application
20230104994
The present invention relates to wireless phone technology, more specifically, a smart phone leash.
Tethering valuable objects to one's person has been a concept that has been around for time immemorial. Without a line connect the person to the object, the object stands a greater chance of being lost or misplaced. When smart phones became available, it was not long afterward that clips, tethers, or leashes, were made for them, as well. However, they do not provide a single leash allowing various way for carrying smart phones.
Personal devices and other devices, such as key rings, have substantial personal value to people but are easily lost or stolen. Therefore, such personal devices are often put in a secure place where other items are stored such as a pocket or purse. In addressing this problem, it also can be advantageous to be able to secure the personal device to a person, such as on a belt clip.
Another problem that occurs with such personal devices is that they are sometimes dropped and thereby broken or subject to water or other forms of damage. The “Cellular Phone Leash” disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,137 (“137 patent”) attempts to address some of the foregoing problems by providing a leash that is retractable by means of a spring-loaded spool inside a circular housing. The circular housing has a belt hook attached to its backside for securing the spool mechanism to the user's belt. The housing is attached to the cell phone holder, which has its own belt hook, by a snap hook assembly. One problem with the device-disclosed in the '137 patent is that, if the items that are attached to the end of the leash are put in a storage location such as a purse or pocket, the other items in the storage location can become snagged to the leash when the personal device is removed from storage. This device also results in other problems including the need to manufacture many different parts.
Numerous phone leashes exist already, but they lack two features that this invention adds. First, they do not have an easy means of retrieving a personal device from a pocket or purse. Often, the phone will entangle itself in one's pocket or carrying bag, necessitating the user to dislodge the phone, thus risk missing a call. The second feature is that the other leashes do not have a rapid means of attaching the leash to a personal device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,137 filed Jun. 22, 1998 on behalf of Poulson for a cellular phone leash discloses a leash attached to the personal device case and including a spring retractable leash cord in a housing pivotally attached to the belt will prevent dropping and damage to a personal device in a case clipped to the belt. The leash housing is pivotally attached to a locking belt hook that cannot easily be accidentally removed.
There also is a need for a leash allowing a smart phone to be carried over a shoulder for hands free conversation. The tension on the leash must cause the device to rest comfortably and securely on the back half of the shoulder. No leash exists with the required tension for such carrying.
Therefore a need remains for a leash device that is secure and can easily be extended while minimizing tangling of the personal device with other items as well as other advantages.
The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a device for securing smart phones and other personal devices to a person. The embodiments of the present invention are directed to a retractable leash for securing and locating a personal device such as a personal device. The leash may include a retraction mechanism and a housing containing the retraction mechanism, a cord retractable into the housing of the retraction mechanism, a chain attachable to the personal device between the cord and the device, and a carabiner. The chain provides for play in the leash when the cord retracts into the housing and also provides for multi-directional movement of the leash, a tensioner allows a phone to rest on a user's shoulder without falling backward. The leash allows the personal device to be readily located when carried in a pocket, purse, etc. so that a user can m ore easily remove the personal device without entanglement with other items that are being carried. The chain allows the leash can be felt, pulled or jostled if necessary to facilitate removal of the personal device without entanglement.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash having a tension between 0.17 and 0.5 pounds when the leash is extended over a shoulder to carry the personal device on the back or around and behind a neck to carry against a chest. If the tension is less than 0.17 pounds, the personal device may slide back behind the shoulder. If the tension is over 0.50 pounds, the personal device may be pulled back over the crest of the shoulder. The tension between 0.17 and 0.5 pounds allows the personal device to perch comfortably and securely on the back half of the shoulder or against the chest. This range of tensions enables hands-free application to talking on the personal device. With the personal device set to speaker mode and the hands are completely free and it is efficient to talk on a personal device with eyes for driving. It is easy to hear the smart device while resting behind the shoulder close to the neck, positioning the personal device close to the ear so it can be easily heard and close to the mouth so the personal device can easily pick up a voice without a driver turning, facilitating keeping the eyes on the road. Use of a personal device on the shoulder with the leash device has been approved by California highway patrol.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash attached to the bottom of the personal device. Such attachment allows carrying the personal device with a speaker facing the user improving hands free use.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash providing a quick retrieval of a personal device when needed by one of two methods: 1) a tether readily accessible by a ring protruding 90 degrees perpendicular to the tether when the tether is pulled taut, or 2) reaching for the phone when attached to a mounting plate by a magnet, the mounting plate in turn being attached to a trouser belt loop or woman's handbag handle.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash providing:
a non-slip robust magnetic attachment device;
a magnetic field disruptor on the attachment device;
a ring on chain-style leash cord that is snag-resistant, stand up perpendicular to the axis of the chain when the chain is pulled, and enables the chain to be g rasped via the ring with subsequent phone retrieval;
a stopper on the cord that prevents the chain from being tight, therefore keeping the chain loose so it doesn't wear out the edge of the pocket or purse;
a unique carabiner usually used to clip on a belt or purse loop, ring, or strap, uniquely engineered to clip on the edge of any garment so as not to injure it or slip off;
a unique cord tensioner inside carabiner that allows the phone to be positioned so that it does not fall;
a unique clip with spring slide that fastens safely to any garment; and
a pyramidal adhesive, magnetic, loop and hook, or other attached hardware with four loops as corners in a rectangle, herein called also as “angled connector.”
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash including a ring that is attached to the chain at a distance convenient to the user and which stands up perpendicular to the axis of the chain when the chain is pulled taut by the user. This also allows an attached device, such as a personal device to rest on one's shoulder. When the ring is in this perpendicular position, the user can quickly and conveniently slip her or his finger through the ring and retrieve the phone from the pocket, purse, or other confined area. In one embodiment the ring may be split or of the style of a generic closely spiraled key ring that is made of spring steel and allowing the separation of ring's layers to allow the insertion of a loop and subsequent attachment of the chain.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash which may be used with a generally rectangular, trapezoidal or oblong shaped personal device and the chain can be attached near a short side of the device to facilitate removal from the storage location such as a pocket or purse by gently pulling on and, if necessary, jostling the chain.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash having a chain which can be attached to the personal device either close to the middle of a short side of the device or near a corner formed with a longer side of the device. This attachment approach leaves less surface area for items in the storage location to be snagged on the personal device.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash having attachment to the phone by their being a spring-loaded gate at the distal end of the chain for securing the attachment assembly to a mount. There are two basic modalities, the first being for attaching the chain via a spring clip attached to a mount in turn attached to the phone by an adhesive pad, and the second a magnet.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash mount for direct attachment of the phone by a chain, the mount can be of any geometric shape but normally consisting of a square approximately ½ inch on each side. Viewed from the side, this square extends above the surface of the device and appears as a flat-topped pyramid consisting of multiple loops through which the spring-loaded gate at the distal end of the chain can be hooked. In the case of a square there would be a loop on each side. Underneath this pyramidal attachment point for the chain, there is a double-sided adhesive pad on one side of which is attached the pyramidal attachment point and the other side sticking to the phone.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash mount having an attachment assembly including a magnet. The attachment device, in turn, being hooked to a belt loop or carrying bag handle, there are three layers. A first layer consists of a magnet that attaches to the attachment assembly with the spring-loaded gate that is secured to a trouser belt loop or carrying bag (such as a woman's purse) handle. A second layer is a thin aluminum doughnut shaped steel/iron sandwiched between a magnet and a bottom adhesive layer. This magnetic field disruptor shields the user from magnetic fields generated from the personal device. A third layer is a double-sided adhesive pad on one side of which is attached the magnetic field disruptor and the other side sticks to the phone
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a personal device leash mount having an attaching mechanism in carabiner style including an incomplete loop and a spring-loaded gate for securing the attachment assembly to the person such as at a belt loop or the person's wrist. The gate can be designed to selectively open and close the loop. The bias of the spring can be toward closing the loop. In one embodiment, a predetermined length of the combination of the cord, the chain and the personal device can be such that the personal device can extend from the housing via a specially tensioned coiled spring inside the carabiner far enough for use but not so far that the device would reach the ground if it was dropped by the user. In the case of the magnet embodiment, a ring or raised edge can surround the first mating piece attached to the housing to prevent slippage of the second mating piece when attached to the first mating piece.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
Where the terms “about” or “generally” are associated with an element of the invention, it is intended to describe a feature's appearance to the human eye or human perception, and not a precise measurement, or typically within 10 percent of a stated value.
A leash assembly 10 according to the present invention, and a personal device 12, are shown in
A perspective view of the attachment assembly 14 is shown in
The user attachment portion 18 may comprise an incomplete loop 26 and a spring-loaded gate 28. The loop 26 is incomplete in that it has an opening 30 through which a user can pass an element, such as a belt loop (see
The retraction mechanism (not shown) can be a coil spring-loaded spool or reel for winding the cord 20, including one of the many types of automatic retraction reels well known in the prior art such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,290,158. The retraction mechanism is disposed inside the housing 16 which can be made of hard plastic, metal, or other suitable material. In addition to the housing 16 containing the retraction mechanism and the cord 20 when it is retracted, the housing 16 provides a base structure on which is mounted the user attachment portion 18 and a portion of the magnetizing assembly 24. The retraction mechanism preferably provides two to five ounces of initial tension when the cord 20 is initially drawn from the attachment assembly 14. U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,158 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The attachment assembly 14 may further include features for directly attaching the device 12 to the attachment assembly 14. An example of these features is an attaching assembly 24 including a mating piece 34a in a ring 38a. The attaching assembly 24 includes the first mating piece 34a mounted to the housing 16 on its front side. The mating piece 34a is approximately centered on the front of the housing 16. The mating piece 34a may be a magnet in the shape of a disk, or the mating piece 34a may be made of a material that is attracted to a magnet. The attaching assembly 24 cooperates with a second mating piece 34b attached to the back side of the personal device 12 (see
A base 45 is shown attached to the personal device 12 and the chain 22 attached to the base 45 in
A second base 46 attached to the personal device 12 and a spring clip 48 connecting the chain 22 to the second base 46 is shown in
A slide 49 is shown in
A front view of a third base 52 is shown in
A second mating piece 34b attached the personal device 12 for direct attachment to the assembly 14 by cooperation with the mating piece 34a (see
The cord 20 is normally retracted inside the housing 16 as suggested by most of the figures. However, the cord 20 may extend out of the housing 16 when the personal device 12 is in use, as illustrated by
The retraction mechanism has a unique tension on it, for example, 163.5 grams. This tension allows a user to attach the attachment assembly to a belt loop and rest the device on the back side of a shoulder. The leash assembly 10 also keeps the personal device 12 from breaking if it is dropped. It also keeps the personal device 12 and just the right place when it is looped around the neck to be used with the flashlight or camera so your hands are free.
The chain links of the chain 22 permit the leash portion of the assembly to readily move multi-directionally. This allows for comfortable mounting of the leash assembly 10 on the person of the user. One example is to have the tension of the leash such that an attached personal communications device (e.g., a smart phone) can rest or even stand vertically on one's shoulder without falling backward. It also allows for easier removal of the attached personal device 12 from a storage location, such as pocket or purse where there are other items that may otherwise get tangled with the leash portion of the assembly.
The ring 60 (see
When the ring is slipped over the personal device antenna (when present) and when the personal device 12 is stretched to the ear to use, the chain may also be stretched, thus improving antenna gain, as well as decreasing the possible harmful effects of personal device radiation by spreading it out over a broader area (away from the head). The bases 45 and 46 may be attached near the corner of one short side or even near the middle so that there is minimal surface area of the personal device 22 to get entangled with other items in a storage area.
The cord 20 and the chain 22 have predetermined lengths so that the combination of the cord 20, the chain 22 and the personal device 12 extends from the housing far enough for use but not so far that the device would reach the ground if it was dropped by the user. Thus, if a personal device 12 is dropped by the user it will not break by hitting the ground.
In one embodiment the chain 22 is attached directly to the personal device 12 with the adhesive pad. In another embodiment the personal device 12 is attached to the attachment assembly 14 by a magnet. A third embodiment the personal device 12 is attached to the attachment assembly 14 by various straps wrapped about the phone. A fourth embodiment is a clear plastic protective case into which the phone is placed but can be operated through the plastic. The back of the phone can have affixed to it either or both mounting points, i.e., one for the direct attachment by magnet or by the chain. Alternately, the attachment device may have contained within it either or both of the attachment means, the retractable cord or the surface or magnet onto which the magnet attached to the phone is, in turn, attached.
A front view of a user 11 carrying the personal device 12 over one shoulder 11 b is shown in
A front view of the user 11 carrying the personal device 12 looped behind the neck is shown in
An example of a required tension for the carrying shown in
The leash assembly 10 is useful with other kinds of personal devices such as a set of keys or a watch and a leash according to the present invention used with any such device is intended to come within the scope of the present invention.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
The present application is a Continuation In Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/494,521 filed Oct. 5, 2021, which application is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17494521 | Oct 2021 | US |
| Child | 17735941 | US |
