This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/034,428 filed Jan. 11, 2005, and incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
The apparatus herein disclosed relates to a tethering device for electronic components. More particularly it relates to a device for securing such electronic devices to an individual by employing a non-conductive plug that mechanically engages with electronic components of the device itself. The device includes a plug having a first end for attachment to a tethering assembly or other security mechanism and a second end for attachment through compressive frictional force to a concavity within or an extension upon an electronic or other device. Such an engagement is achieved in all cases without adversely affecting any of the functional electronic characteristics of the device during use. Examples of such devices include but are not limited to cellular phones, pagers, cd players, PDA's, radios, calculators, flashlights, key chains, stun guns and the like which have electronic sockets or antennas engageable by the disclosed device herein.
Humans have always carried and used handheld devices to provide or enhance various capabilities to their users. From axes, knives and pistols to provide protection, to compasses, sundials and mirrors to provide guidance and communication, such handheld devices have been synonymous with mankind's technical progress over the ages.
Over time such articles have evolved to include more complex devices based upon providing similar benefits through electronic means. In the modern world, there has been a significant proliferation of such personal electronic devices such as phones, radios, pagers, PDA's, door locks, and calculators. In addition, sport, military and application specific products such as night vision devices, radar guns, heat detectors, global positioning systems, compasses and the like have shared this dramatic explosion of growth. Such devices when properly used enable individuals to perform their jobs or enjoy their pastimes more effectively and the secured possession of such a device properly utilized could even help save that person's or another's life.
A long standing problem has been the secure retention by the user of these devices during common or strenuous use and especially during dangerous or emergency activities. This is an ever-evolving problem as such electronic devices become ever-smaller in physical dimension rendering them easily misplaced or forgotten. Additionally, the replacement cost, efficacy of the device, and user and citizen safety can be adversely affected by potential loss, misappropriation or damage. Under adverse circumstances the very life and limb of the users and associates could be jeopardized by loss of an essential electronic item.
In ancient times such tools were secured to the user to prevent loss or damage by simple means such as a rope or piece of leather thong tied to both the device and the user, a method used even today in some circumstances. Today's users of electronic devices continue to share the same critical requirement for security and loss prevention or to preclude misappropriation or damage to their property. A number of methodologies have been employed to resolve this issue as noted below. Some methods employ elegant mechanical devices to effect attachment and others are logical extensions of the basic piece of rope or leather thong.
Numerous previous solutions, some noted below, generally involve a tether or lanyard assembly that is attached to both the user via a clip or hook and physically to the device. Until now, however, all solutions can only effect their attachment methodology through some purpose-built attachment point designed into the device itself. There has existed a long felt need for the capability to ensure device constraint that would be simply applied, universally available, and would not require any material modification to the device to be constrained. Such a device would be especially useful for restraint of electronic devices lacking a mount or attachment point for a restraint. The present invention fulfills this long felt need.
A typical example of a device is U.S. Publication 2003/0042348 (Salentine) which discloses such a device incorporating a retracting tether. Though useful, this device demonstrates what shall be seen to be a recurring flaw in all preceding designs. In this representative example as drawn, the device has two ends. One end is attached to a belt clipped retracting tether device and one end is attached to the item to be secured. The obvious flaw in this approach is that the item to be secured must possess a suitable “manufactured in” surface or structure to provide the device attachment point for a ring or loop to permit the attachment to the retractable lanyard assembly.
Another approach to a solution is U.S. Publication 2003/0019893 (Decoteau) which discloses a method for holding a handheld object. This approach involves a tethering device with two ends including an end to be attached to the device and an end to be attached to the wearer via a belt clipped retracting tether. The means of attachment in this example is proposed through either the application of adhesives or through mechanical devices such as screws or nuts and bolts and this is the design's obvious shortcoming. Mechanical devices would require appropriate means to effect their utilization. The flaw here is that suitable apertures to accept mechanical screws would need to be drilled by the user or provided by the manufacturer in the basic design when manufactured at increased cost. The liabilities associated with the user personally modifying an electronic device by drilling it are predictable.
The shortcomings of the second method proposed, adhesives, are that they can permanently affect the surface of the device, they tend to be sporadic in the effectivity of their adhesive qualities based on the abilities of the person applying them and, as well, those adhesive qualities are often adversely affected by even moderate temperature fluctuations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,012 (Ebashi) discloses a design of a belt clip integrated with a structure intended to receive a lanyard composed of a ball-type chain and clips. The device features a number of molded resin and metal components comprising a mechanical clamp dimensioned to be compressed onto an electronic device and retained in conjunction with it through the means of an eye and bolt type fastening molded either into or onto the electronic device itself. Though this implementation resolves both the problems noted in the examples above, it engenders another more significant negative property: it can only be used on devices which are created to accept it. As a result, generic interchangeability with other potential devices to be secured would be limited to only those devices of manufacturers adopting the technology, thus severely limiting overall functionality.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,186 B1 discloses a method of securing electronic devices, specifically cell phones, through means of a wire tether, a belt fastening clip and a receiving clip assembly encased within and transversing a channel molded into the body of the secured device. Though this method solves some of the issues noted above, it is flawed in that it too is a device specific implementation requiring that the device to be secured be designed from its inception to accommodate the necessary hardware.
As such there exists a pressing need for a tether device that will secure small and valuable electronic devices to their user to prevent damage from dropping or loss from inadvertent leaving of the device or theft. Such a device should provide an easy engagement and disengagement of the electronic component from the tether to allow the user to disengage it. Such a device should provide for attachment to the tether without the need for structural mounts on the electronic device. Such a device should be easily employable to a wide variety of electronic components thereby allowing the user to attach one device to himself and a wide variety of different electronic components.
With respect to the above, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the tether device herein in detail or in general, it is to be understood that the electronic tethering device disclosed herein is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components or the steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed components and combinations of components for the tethering device are capable of other embodiments, and of being practiced and carried out in various ways, all of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once the information herein is reviewed. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for other electronic device tethers adapted to employ electrical sockets, for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device and method. It is important, therefore, that the embodiments, objects and claims herein, be regarded as including such equivalent methodology and operational components insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The present invention provides a means for a user to secure electronic articles to his person through socket based compressive frictional engagement. The disclosed device herein easily engages with electronic devices using already available electronic jacks, sockets, receptacles or other orifices, concavities or extensions-like antennae that are already readily present in or on conventional electronic devices as provided by the manufacturer. The device allows for easy engagement and disengagement to a wide variety of electronic devices without modifications to the device itself or the need for any other component to encase the electronic device being secured.
The device features an elongated plug with two ends of varying shape and dimensions, the second end of which is dimensioned for cooperative engagement with a socket or antenna on the electronic apparatus to be restrained using the shape of the receptacle, concavity or extension already available.
The first end of the plug is adapted to facilitate communication between the plug and tether or lanyard assembly which may be coiled, spring-loaded or neither and which employs suitable means for engagement to items and users such as key rings, spring clips, snaps or knots or hook and loop materials.
The plug has a second end which is non-conductive and is dimensioned about the distal end circumference to provide frictional engagement within the interior wall of the elongated socket, receptacle, exterior communicating socket connector of an electronic device. The second end may also be configured in varying embodiments, all of which are non-conductive, to engage a conventional extension from the electronic device such as an antenna communicating with the exterior surface of an electronic device. Or it can also be configured to engage both the antenna and a cavity style socket in the electronic device.
In the preferred modes of the device, the elongated plug is formed from non-electrically conductive, non-radio-reflective material such as plastic to eliminate interference or dysfunctional interaction with electronic functions of the electronic component while the plug is frictionally engaged within the recessed receptacle of the electronic component or cooperatively engaged to its antenna or other extension. When engaged in a charging socket, the device being non-conductive will allow use of the electronic device while still being restrained by the tether.
In the preferred modes of the device, the plug is also preferably manufactured from a resilient compressible material such as plastic, silicon, or rubber. When inserted in the appropriate aperture or over an extension, the plug is compressed towards its center axis by the sidewall of the recess or socket and resists that compression with an outward bias to thereby provide a biased engagement against the sidewall. A significantly improved biased engagement of the second end of the plug generated by the frictional force toward the sidewalls by the compressed material, and the plastic or silicone material is achieved.
Other modes include two-ended electronically functional or non-functional metallic or composite plugs demonstrating the previously noted end configurations, required frictional attributes and secure object retentive functionality.
With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail below, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components or steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings, nor just to electronic devices. The apparatus and methods of the invention are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once they review this disclosure. Consequently as noted above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is also important, to note, that the objects and claims should be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further objectives of this invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.
Referring now to the drawings
In
The embodiment shown in
As preferred in most cases the circumference of the exterior surface of the second end 15 whether it is bulbous as in
As shown exploded from an earphone style socket 17 the bulbous end would allow for the second end 15 to engage in the socket 17 but allow the internal transacting switch to remain in an unengaged position thereby keeping the switch from disconnecting the speaker. This is accomplished by having the circumference of the bulbous distal end of the second end 15 being made to frictionally engage the sidewall of the socket 17 but the circumference of the rest of the second end being sufficiently small to allow for the translating switch to move to the default position allowing the speaker to work. Of course this embodiment too would be made from rubber or silicone or other compressible material that is non conductive.
Employing a both resilient and non conductive material for the material forming at least the exterior surface of the second end 15 of the plug 14, provides numerous benefits. First it provides a means to prevent a short between the first conductor 29 and second conductor 31 as would a conventional plug. Further, the preferred non conductive material such as silicone, or closed cell foam, or other compressible material, is sufficiently compressible to collapse towards the plug 14 center axis when inserted within the smaller sidewall 33 cross section. Thereafter the compressed non conductive material will subsequently bias outwardly against the sidewall 33 to provide a means for increased frictional engagement therewith by the plug 14 imparted by the combination of outward bias and soft material contact with the sidewall 33. Finally, making the material compressible and resilient provides a means to prevent damage to any conductor 29 positioned within the void in the socket 17 by collapsing partially in a contact with the conductor 29 rather then over flexing it or pushing it to a short against another conductor.
As noted above, the device 10 as depicted in
Although the invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, it should be realized that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. While the invention as shown in the drawings and described in detail herein discloses arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present invention, it is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described, may be employed in accordance with the spirit of this invention. Any and all such changes, alternations and modifications, as would occur to those skilled in the art, are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.
Further, the purpose of the attached abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which is measured by the claims nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11034428 | Jan 2005 | US |
Child | 12568586 | US |