Patent Application
20200130401
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to clipboard devices and more particularly pertains to a new clipboard device for mounting a clipboard to a steering wheel.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has a steering wheel. A box is positionable on the steering wheel such that the box is accessible to a driver of the vehicle. A pair of clips is each releasbly attached to the box and each of the clips engages the steering wheel to retain the box on the steering wheel. A clipboard is hingedly coupled to the box and an object can be positioned thereon thereby facilitating the object to be accessible to the driver.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A pair of clips 40 is provided and each of the clips 40 is releasbly attached to the box 16, and each of the clips 40 engages the steering wheel 14 to retain the box 16 on the steering wheel 14. Each the clips 40 have a central portion 42 extending between a first lateral portion 44 and a second lateral portion 46. The first lateral portion 44 has a length that is greater than a length of the second lateral portion 46. Moreover, the first 44 and second 46 lateral portions are spaced apart from each other to define a steering wheel space 48 therebetween and the first lateral portion 44 has an outwardly facing surface 50.
A pair of pins 52 is included and each of the pins 52 comprises a stem 54 and a head 56. The stem 54 of each of the pins 52 is coupled to the outwardly facing surface 50 of the first lateral portion 44 of a respective one of the clips 40. The head 56 of each pin is insertable into the circular portion 36 of a respective one of the apertures 32 and the stem 54 is slid into the slot portion 38 of the respective aperture. In this way the pins 52 are retained in the respective aperture.
A pair of legs 58 is provided and each of the legs 58 is pivotally coupled to the box 16. Each of the legs 58 is positionable in a deployed position having each of the legs 58 extending away from the box 16 to abut a support surface 60, such as a table or other horizontal support surface 60. In this way the box 16 can be angled upwardly on the support surface 60. Each of the legs 58 is positionable in a stored position having each of the legs 58 lying against the box 16. Each of the legs 58 has a first end 62 and a second end 64, and the first end 62 of each of the legs 58 is pivotally coupled to a respective one of the first 22 and second 24 lateral sides of the perimeter wall 20 of the box 16.
A clipboard 66 is hingedly coupled to the box 16 and an object 68, such as an I-pad, Smartphone or other object 68 with an electronic display can positioned thereon thereby facilitating the object 68 to be accessible to the driver. The clipboard 66 has a first surface 70, a second surface 72 and a perimeter edge 74 extending therebetween, and the perimeter edge 74 has a forward side 76 and a rear side 78. The clipboard 66 has a spring loaded clip 80 that is hingedly positioned on the first surface 70 for engaging and thereby retaining paperwork on the clipboard 66. The spring loaded clip 80 is positioned adjacent to the forward side 76.
A stop 82 is coupled to and extends away from the first surface 70 of the clipboard 66. The object 68 abuts the stop 82 when the object 68 is positioned on the clipboard 66. In this way the stop 82 inhibits the object 68 from sliding off of the clipboard 66 when the box 16 is positioned on the steering wheel 14. The stop 82 is aligned with and is coextensive with the rear side 78 of the perimeter edge 74 of the clipboard 66.
In use, each of the clips 40 is coupled to the box 16 and the box 16 is positioned on the steering wheel 14 having each of the clips 40 engaging the steering wheel 14. In this way the clipboard 66 is accessible to the driver while the driver is seated behind the steering wheel 14. The object 68 is positioned on the clipboard 66 thereby facilitating the object 68 to be manipulated by the driver. In this way an over-the-road truck driver can perform electronic paperwork or the like when the truck driver is seated in the truck. Additionally, the legs 58 can be deployed for angling the box 16 on the support surface 60.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure 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 disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
