The present invention relates to a phone holder. More specifically, the present invention provides a phone holder with a mounting bracket that secures to a garment via fasteners integrated with the garment, which allows the phone holder to be attached securely and directly to the wearer, so that the cell phone camera can be utilized as a body camera.
Police and other law enforcement officers are usually required to wear some sort of body camera. The body camera records their surroundings continuously for various purposes, including safety, officer compliance monitoring, and evidence recording, to name a few. Some agencies utilize dedicated body camera devices that secure to clothing via fasteners. However, these devices are typically very expensive and also bulky, making them difficult to wear properly. Some municipalities have issued both cell phones and body cameras, but the additional drain on financial resources is undesirable. Other municipalities are trying to accomplish the same goal of using a cellphone as a body camera with significantly inferior products.
There is an ongoing struggle to find the appropriate phone holder for law enforcement and military that allows the phone to be utilized as a body cam. The present invention provides an improved solution. The phone holder with mounting bracket can be produced for less cost than traditional body cams on the market, by utilizing a cell phone with a camera. Municipalities have been reluctant to use a cell phone due to the lack of adequate holders, but now there is a cell phone holder to do the task. The present invention includes a mounting device attachable directly to an article of clothing, such that the phone holder can be quickly and securely installed within the mounting device. This allows individuals to utilize the cell phone camera as a body camera with ease.
In light of the devices and systems disclosed in the known art relating to phone holders and bodily-worn cameras, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing cell phone holders and mounting devices, particular with regard to body-worn cameras. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs.
The present invention provides a phone holder with a mounting bracket wherein the same can be utilized for securing a cell phone to a garment such that the cell phone camera can be used as a body camera. The present invention generally includes a holder comprising a base, a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of sidewalls, and an upper opening defining a pocket having an interior volume configured to receive a cell phone therein. A mounting bracket includes fasteners that are configured to secure the mounting bracket and the phone holder to a garment. In one embodiment, the mounting bracket is disposed on the rear wall of the holder. In another embodiment, the mounting bracket includes a pair of attachment members and a retaining member extending across the pair of attachment members defining a slot. In this embodiment, a clip affixed to the rear wall of the holder is configured to removably engage the slot of the mounting bracket to removably secure the holder to the mounting bracket. Both embodiments allow individuals to secure the phone holder and a phone stored therein to the garment they are wearing in order to use the phone's camera as a body camera.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the phone holder and mounting bracket. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, a preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for providing a mounting system for securing a cell phone to a garment in order to utilize the cell phone's camera as a bodily-worn camera. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to
The shown embodiment also includes a mounting bracket 10 comprising a pair of attachment members 13 and a retaining member 12 extending across the pair of attachment members 13. The retaining member 12 and attachment members 13 define a slot 11. A clip 21 affixed to the rear wall 26 of the holder 20 is configured to removably engage the slot 11 of the mounting bracket 10 to removably secure the holder 20 to the mounting bracket 10. This allows the user to separate the phone from the bracket 10 without having to remove the phone from the holder 20. The bracket 10 can also include fastener apertures 14 disposed on each attachment member 13. The fastener apertures 14 are configured to receive fasteners, examples of which are shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The holder 20 may be removably connected to the mounting bracket 10 that may be upside down relative to a holder 20. The holder 20 may include a clip 21 that is upside down relative to a traditional clip that removably secures to the bracket 10, such that the user can remove the holder 20 and the supported phone when needed.
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
This U.S. Continuation-In-Part patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 18/055,474, filed on Nov. 15, 2022 that claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/345,620, filed on May 25, 2022. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63345620 | May 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 18055474 | Nov 2022 | US |
Child | 18813676 | US |