Patent Application
20060107878
Not Applicable
The present invention does not involve any form of federally sponsored research or development.
The present invention relates to desktops, including, but not limited to, portable desktops for use in supporting items on the steering wheel assembly of a vehicle. Devices and methods for mounting flat tabletop platforms from vehicle steering wheels, particularly for supporting laptop computers, are known. Modern vehicles, particularly automobiles, are primarily used for transportation, but can be used temporarily as a workstation. The laptop computer contributes to the increased use of automobiles and other vehicles for work and other activities not directly connected with transportation. When used as a workstation by a person positioned in the driver's seat of a vehicle, the steering wheel can conveniently function as a support for a tabletop. Modern vehicles and related subsystems are complex machines that can have multiple functions. For example, besides being used to steer the vehicle when in use, steering wheel systems can be designed to contain airbags, tilt to various positions, and function as a means for the supporting items for use by the driver, preferably when the vehicle is not being driven.
Typically, platforms that can support items are hung on the upper portion of the steering wheel. The platforms that hang on the steering wheel can be designed with mounting hooks or other devices that are separated by less than the diameter of the steering wheel. For example, two hooks that are separated by less than the outer diameter of a steering wheel have been used to support a platform from the upper steering wheel rim. Some platforms are permanently attached to the steering wheel in a fixed position, and have openings that allow for the deployment of airbags. For example, the platform can consist of a single flat surface mounted substantially flush against the steering wheel and has brackets on the bottom edge that engage the bottom of the laptop computer.
Because vehicle steering wheels are mechanically more complex, and more specifically because steering wheels can tilt, known desktop may result in laptop positions for which the keyboard is not easily accessible and the screen is difficult to view. Further, because mounting hooks can be separated by a relative short distance, the desktop can be easily knocked off the steering wheel. Finally, because of the functional complexity of steering wheel assemblies permanently attached desktops can interfere with steering column systems, such as airbags.
Accordingly, there is a need for a portable desktop that readily and securely fits on the steering wheel assembly of a vehicle, yet is easy to remove and has a flat desktop surface that can be adjusted based on steering wheel position so as to support items in a substantially level position and in such a manner as to allow for the easy access to items.
An apparatus includes a member having an opening, a back element hingedly connected to the member, and a desktop hingedly connected to the back element. The opening in the member is capable of accepting the steering wheel assembly of vehicle so as to support the apparatus from the steering wheel assembly.
The following describes an apparatus for and method of supporting items from the steering wheel assembly of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a member having an opening that is capable of accepting the steering wheel assembly such that the apparatus is supported on the steering wheel assembly. A back element is hingedly attached to the support and a desktop is hingedly connected to the back element such that the position of the back element and the desktop can be adjusted to accommodate items in a user friendly orientation.
An apparatus 100 having a member 101 with an opening 103 for use in supporting a desktop 107 from a steering wheel assembly of a vehicle is shown in
A first locking mechanism 113 that is proximately close to the hinged connection between the member 101 and the back element 105, and a second locking mechanism 115 that is proximately close to the hinged connection between the back element 105 and the desktop 107 can be used to securely fix the relative positions of the back element 105 and the desktop 107. For example, the locking mechanisms can include groves or notches formed in adjacent surfaces of the member 101, the back element 105, and the desktop 107, and a hand adjustable screw that can be turned to force the engagement of the complimentary grooves or notches and fix the relative position of the back element 105 and the desktop 107. Alternatively, the locking mechanisms 113, 115 can be based on a compression design for which adjacent surfaces, with or without grooves or notches, of connected component are formed so as to be pressed against each other in a manner that resists their relative movement past each other.
An apparatus 100 that is supported on steering wheel 201 having a spoke 213 is shown in
The apparatus 100 resting on a steering column 301 of a tilted steering wheel assembly such that the desktop 107 is approximately level is as shown in
The apparatus 100 in a folded position for convenient carrying and storing is shown in
A method of installing the apparatus 100 on a vehicle steering wheel assembly includes the steps of placing the apparatus 100 on the steering wheel assembly, and positioning the back member 105 and the desktop 107 of the apparatus 100 to accept items, for example a laptop computer 205. At the first step, the apparatus 100 is placed on the steering wheel assembly by passing a portion of the steering wheel assembly, typically the steering wheel 201, through the opening 103 of the member 101 such that the member 101 can rest on and be supported by the steering wheel assembly. In the second step, the hinged connections 109, 111 allow the back element 105 and the desktop 107 to be positioned so that items 205 can be placed on the desktop 107. Preferably the laptop computer is supported in a user friendly position such that the keyboard is readily accessible and the screen is readily viewable. In an additional step of the method the back element 105 and the desktop 107 can be secured in a fixed position by engaging the locking mechanisms 113, 115. Other steps of the method can include removing the apparatus 100 from the steering wheel assembly, folding the apparatus in a stored position, and locking the apparatus in carrying and stored positions.
Although the present invention is illustrated by the example of laptop computer supported on an automobile steering wheel, the present invention may be applied to: steering wheels on trucks, buses, boats, and so forth, and for other situations where level tabletops or desktops are important such as supporting other devices having keyboards, for use as a table top during meals, and so forth.
The present invention provides a number of advantages, including the ability to securely support items from a vehicle steering wheel. The present invention provides an apparatus that can be supported on a wide variety of steering wheel assembly designs and positions, yet is easy to remove from the steering wheel assembly and, when used to support items, can be adjusted to accommodate and support items in a user friendly position. In the limited working space inside a vehicle, being able to orient a laptop computer on a substantially level surface and in a user friendly position such that the keyboard is easily accessible, and the screen easily viewable can be important. The present invention can also be placed in a folded position for easy storage and handling.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
