Patent Application
20070029217
1. Field of Inventions
The present inventions relate generally to hand-held manual entry information recording devices and to devices that protect information recording devices while the user is recording information.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of occupations and activities require people to use hand-held information recording devices (also referred to herein as “information recording devices”) to read, record and/or store information. Clipboards, which are commonly used to secure and support paper and preprinted forms, are one example of a non-electronic information recording device that is widely used. Emergency medical technicians (“EMTs”), for example, often manually record information about a patient on a multi-sheet carbon form with a ball-point pen while the form is supported on a clipboard. Athletic coaches also commonly carry clipboards so that they can take notes during a game or practice session. With respect to electronic information recording devices, such as tablet PCs and hand-held data collection and storage devices, the information may be entered using a keyboard, stylus or touch sensitive screen. Such electronic information recording devices are frequently used by meter readers, parking and traffic enforcement officers, law enforcement officers, and factory, delivery and maritime personnel.
The present inventor has determined that ambient conditions, both indoors and outdoors, can lead to a number of difficulties for people using information recording devices. Rain, sleet, wind, snow, hail, splashes, splatters, etc. can hinder the information recordation process and/or damage the information recording device and, if present, the paper or other recording media carried thereon. In the exemplary case of EMTs, the aforementioned forms are frequently filled out at outdoor accident cites during inclement weather. Not only is it difficult fill out such a form in then rain or snow, the associated moisture can damage the form and, should the EMT who is filling out the form be needed to assist with treatment, the clipboard and form may have to be left unprotected or stuffed under the EMTs clothing.
A cover in accordance with a present invention includes a substantially transparent top panel as well as bottom, side and end panels. The side and end panels are movable between a collapsed orientation and an expanded orientation where the distance between the top and bottom panels is such that the information recording device and a user's hand may be placed within an internal storage region. An apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of a present invention includes such a cover and an information recording device.
Such inventions are advantageous for a variety of reasons. For example, the cover may be used to protect an information recording device from the elements while the user is recording information. The cover may also be used to protect the information recording device when it is not in use.
The above described and many other features of the present inventions will become apparent as the inventions become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Detailed descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the inventions will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following is a detailed description of the best presently known modes of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the inventions. The present inventions are also applicable to a wide variety of information recording devices. One particularly relevant example of such an information recording device is a clipboard and, accordingly, the illustrated embodiments of the present inventions are discussed primarily in the context of clipboards. The present inventions are not, however, limited to clipboards and may be used in combination with, or include, other information recording devices that currently exist, or are yet to be developed. For example, the present inventions are applicable to tablet PCs and hand-held data collection and storage devices.
As illustrated for example in
Generally speaking, the exemplary cover 100 preferably has an overall rigidity that allows the cover to maintain the shape illustrated in
The clipboard, electronic data collection and storage device, or other information recording device that is located within the storage region 114 will be viewed primarily through the top panel 102. As such, the top panel 102 should be at least substantially transparent, i.e. have a degree of transparency that allows the user to readily observe the information recording device and record information thereon, and is preferably clear. In the case of a clipboard, for example, the level of transparency should be sufficient to allow the user to read a printed form and/or write information onto the form. Although the present inventions are not limited to any particular materials and thicknesses, suitable materials for the top panel 102 include clear waterproof plastics such as clear vinyl and other polyvinyl chloride materials that are about 0.005 inch thick.
The bottom panel 104, on the other hand, need not be transparent because it will typically be under the information recording device stored within the cover 100. Thus, although a bottom panel could be transparent if desired, the exemplary bottom panel 104 is substantially opaque and is colored (e.g. blue) so that it can be readily distinguished from the top panel 102. Colored material also provides an aesthetic benefit in that scratches are less visible on colored material than on clear material. Although the present inventions are not limited to any particular materials or thicknesses, suitable materials for the bottom panel 104 include waterproof plastics such as vinyl and other polyvinyl chloride materials that are about 0.005 to 0.010 inch thick.
The level of transparency of the side and rear panels 106 and 108 will typically depend on the intended application of the cover. The exemplary cover 100 is provided with semi-opaque, textured side and rear panels 106 and 108. The texture of both of the side panels 106 and the rear panel 108, which is a function of surface discontinuities on the side and rear panels, prevents the information recording device within the storage region 114 from being observed through the side and rear panels. This aspect of the exemplary cover 100 is especially important in those situations where the information being recorded is confidential (e.g. the medical and personal data recorded by an EMT). However, the texturing of the semi-opaque side and rear panels 106 and 108 will preferably be such that sufficient light passes therethrough to facilitate observation of the information recording device through the top panel 102 and to prevent extensive shadowing within the storage region 114. The uneven surface associated with the texturing also prevents the portions of the side and rear panels 106 and 108 on opposite sides of the creases 116 from sticking to one another, and from sticking to the top and bottom panels 102 and 104, when the cover 100 is collapsed in the manner illustrated in
It should be noted that there may be instances where side and rear panels which are at least substantially transparent (and, preferably, clear) are desired. In those situations where the user prefers that other people be able to see the data recorded on the information recording device from a variety of positions relative to the user, substantially transparent side and rear panels 106 and 108 may be provided. A clipboard being used by an athletic coach is one example of such a situation.
Whether semi-opaque or at least substantially transparent, the side and rear panels 106 and 108 also perform the function of holding the cover 100 in the expanded orientation illustrated in
The flap 110 serves a number of purposes. During use, the flap 110 prevents rain, snow, etc. from gaining access into the storage region 114 while information is being recorded, as discussed with reference to
Turning to
It should also be noted that the flexibility of the bottom panel 104 and the rigidity of the L-shaped support 126 create a hinge area 132 (
As illustrated for example in
Covers in accordance with the present inventions may be any size and shape that is suitable for the intended application. The exemplary cover 100 is configured to be used in combination with a conventional clipboard and to allow an adult person to position their hand within the storage region 114 and write on blank paper or forms carried on the clipboard with a conventionally sized ball-point pen. A typical clipboard is about 12.5 inches long, about 8.75 inches wide, and about 0.125 inch thick. To that end, when in the expanded state, the exemplary cover 100 defines an overall rectangular shape that is about 6.5 inches high, about 9 inches wide and about 13 inches long (measured from the rear panel 108 to the opening 112). The flap 110 is about 5 inches long. The stop member 118 is about 0.875 inch by about 0.875 inch and has a length that is substantially the same as the width of the cover, i.e. about 9 inches.
The exemplary cover 100 may be assembled in any suitable manner. In those instances where the cover is formed from a plurality of panels, as is the case in the illustrated embodiment, the top and bottom panels 102 and 104 may be welded (e.g. RF welded) to the side and rear panels 106 and 108.
As illustrated for example in
Turning to
It should also be noted that, in the context of storing an information recording device within a cover, the term “collapsed” includes those situations where the cover may not be completely collapsed because of the thickness of the information storage device. For example, some clipboards are relatively thick because they include a form storage compartment. As noted above with reference to
In the exemplary assembly 200, the cover 100 and clipboard 300 are not connected to one another so that the clipboard can be readily removed from the cover. Other implementations may be configured such that the clipboard (or other information recording device) is temporarily/removably secured within the cover, through the use Velcro® other suitable instrumentalities, or such that the clipboard (or other information recording device) is permanently secured to, and within, the cover.
Although the inventions disclosed herein have been described in terms of the preferred embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. By way of example, but not limitation, the inventions include any combination of the elements from the various species and embodiments disclosed in the specification that are not already described. It is intended that the scope of the present inventions extend to all such modifications and/or additions and that the scope of the present inventions is limited solely by the claims set forth below.
