Telephonic communications – Terminal accessory or auxiliary equipment – Support or stand
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-14
2001-06-12
Chiang, Jack (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Terminal accessory or auxiliary equipment
Support or stand
C379S454000, C379S426000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246766
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to a portable telephone holder and more specifically to a portable telephone holder with a mounting base that is configured and sized to fit into typical conventional cup holders in automobiles and other vehicles and with an elongated shelf for supporting a portable telephone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable, or cellular, telephones operate by using networks of short range transmitters located in overlapping cells throughout a geographical region. Telephone calling signals to and from the portable telephone are switched automatically from one transmitter to another as the telephone travels among adjoining cells. Such cellular systems have made use of portable telephones in automobiles and other vehicles very common. However, stowing such portable telephones in vehicles is somewhat of a problem, because portable telephones should be easily accessible to drivers, yet secure enough to keep them from tumbling around in vehicles during starts, stops, and other vehicle motions. Some vehicle manufacturers build portable telephone docking apparatus into their interior accouterments, such as in consoles or compartments in the seats, but most vehicles do not have such facilities. There are myriad telephone mounting devices available, but most of them require some permanent or semi-permanent attachment to the floorboard, dashboard, or other structural component of the vehicle. Most drivers do not have either the skills required or the inclination to make such attachments, thus requiring the services of skilled technicians to install such telephone mounting equipment, and once installed, they cannot be moved conveniently from one vehicle to another.
Many portable telephones are also equipped with flexible clips that can be hooked onto a belt, a pocket, or other location, to free up the user's hands for other purposes. However, hooking the portable telephone onto a belt is most practical when the person is standing or walking, not while the user is seated and particularly not while the user is also operating a vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a universal mounting or docking device for holding a portable telephone in an automobile or other vehicle in a secure manner that can be installed without special skills or tools and that can be used easily in a wide variety of vehicles without significant distraction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone mounting base for vehicles that facilitates the user picking up the telephone for use and then replacing it easily into a secure, stowed position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone mounting base for vehicles that will accommodate a variety of telephones with different sizes and shapes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone mounting base for vehicles that supports the portable telephone firmly enough to allow the user to dial the telephone while it is held in place.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone mounting base for vehicles that is durable, simple in structure, and inexpensive to manufacture.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention as embodied and broadly described therein, the apparatus of the present invention includes a base that is sized and shaped to fit securely in a conventional cup holder in an automobile or other vehicle and with an elongated shelf supported above the base for holding a conventional portable telephone to facilitate transport and use thereof. The shelf is configured to receive and retain a conventional portable telephone equipped with a flexible belt clip for carrying the telephone or for use with other fasteners, such as hook-and-loop pile strips, straps, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting base has a hollow, cylindrical, or semi-cylindrical body made of a resilient, flexible material, which allows the sidewall of the body to be deformed radially inwardly to facilitate insertion of the body into a cup holder. The elongated shelf can be in the form of a tongue extending upwardly and radially inwardly from the sidewall of the body. The user can mount the portable telephone on the shelf by sliding a flexible belt clip on a telephone over the upper edge of the tongue and downward until a surface on the proximal end of the belt clip contacts said upper edge of the shelf, preventing further downward movement. A concave surface on the underside of the shelf helps to guide the belt clip toward the middle of the shelf. The shelf may also have two parallel ribs on the underside of the shelf to inhibit lateral movement of the mounting clip, thus also the telephone, on the shelf, thereby providing lateral stability for the portable telephone. Alternate embodiments of the base, or attachments of the shelf to the base, and of guiding and stabilizing features on the shelf can also be used to achieve the objects in accordance with this invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5529271 (1996-06-01), Dunchock
patent: 5745565 (1998-04-01), Wakefield
patent: 6058185 (2000-05-01), Alanara
“Stylin' Concepts” Catalog #7 (1998), p.25.
Agdeppa Hector
Chiang Jack
Chrisman Bynum & Johnson
Energymanager.com, Inc.
Young James R.
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