Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Clip or hook attaching article carrier to support means on...
Utility Patent
1999-07-26
2001-01-02
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Clip or hook attaching article carrier to support means on...
C224S901800
Utility Patent
active
06168057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to ready to use/self contained devices for holding single use cameras or articles of a suitable kind on clothing such as belts, pants or skirt waistbands, pants pockets, etc. where the article is a separate entity from the invention.
Prior art devices for holding small articles on clothing suffer from the disadvantage that they cannot be immediately used on single use cameras or articles of a suitable kind that are a separate entity from the invention because they require the article to have some sort of built on modification that would allow it to work with the device or require an adhesive separate from the invention for attaching a fastener onto an article before attachment to the device. In addition, the fastening mechanisms for many of these inventions do not hold well in physically demanding situations.
Single use cameras have not been used with carrying devices from the prior art. All of the prior art devices either cannot carry a single use camera effectively in the actual conditions where cameras are used or would involve mechanisms that are inconvenient and/or unattractive for single use camera users to use.
Photographic film manufacturers project selling over 50 million single use cameras in 1995. Single use cameras are used by consumers to provide an economical alternative for occasions where other cameras are not preferred or available.
Originally, single use cameras did not have carrying features which made convenience difficult. Consumers developed their own ways to transport and hold single use cameras. One method was carrying single use cameras in pockets of clothing, especially in pants pockets for men. However, this method has at least five disadvantages:
(a) If one places a single use camera in a pocket, there is often a bulge which is unsightly and uncomfortable, especially when one is seated.
(b) It takes pocket space away from other items consumers want in their pockets.
(c) Dirt from other items in the pocket can get on the lens, especially from items like facial tissue.
(d) It adds weight to pants pockets causing greater wear on clothing, especially sagging and potential for holes in pockets.
(e) The single use cameras are not always readily accessible for quick unexpected photo opportunities because of the difficulty in removing them from pockets, especially if pockets are small and contain other items.
A second method is carrying single use cameras in ancillary carrying products such as a daypack, fannypack, or handbag. In addition to the space, dirt, weight, and quick access drawbacks listed for the pocket method, this method has the following two disadvantages:
(a) The cameras are not always available for photo opportunities, especially if the person isn't near the bag.
(b) The cameras can be hard to find in bags that are filled completely with other larger items.
A third method is carrying the single use cameras in one's hand. Yet, this has the major liability of limiting one's hand movements.
Manufacturers are making two modifications that partially address the transport of single use cameras; however, these still have significant problems. The first modification is a reduction in size. Although this will make carrying single use cameras easier in pockets, the disadvantages of pocket transport will perhaps remain the same, only to a lesser degree.
The second modification is a wrist strap that is attached to an eye or lug on a corner of the single use camera. Although wrist straps are well recognized and inexpensive carrying devices, they are clumsy and a nuisance because they restrict hand mobility, strain the wrist, and dangle if left unheld. Furthermore, wrist straps can easily slip off a wrist if not cinched tightly or if the camera is not held, resulting in loss of the camera and its irreplaceable photos.
Currently, no products are sold separately to hold single use cameras on one's clothing except the current invention. The current invention has also been the point of difference of a new product for runners, namely a combination of the current invention and a single use camera which is bundled and positioned for marathoners. Although a small number of runners actually take cameras with them on marathons, the general population and the majority of runners do not associate taking photos during a 26.2 mile run. The ready to use capability of the current invention, in conjunction with its durability and nonintrusiveness, is changing this behavior.
Inventors have created several ways to hold articles to objects. U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,658 discloses a strap type system that holds articles to an object, but this system can be tedious to use with small articles. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,892 and 5,251,800 disclose a camera belt clip with support plates and slots and a camera holder, respectively, but these inventions can be too complex and expensive for small or low value articles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,448 discloses a multifunction camera bag with waist belt support which is too cumbersome for carrying a small article. U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,806 discloses a camera lens cap holder which has a panel member connecting the camera and camera strap with a fabric fastener attached to the panel and a second fabric fastener attached to the lens cap; however, it can be annoying to carry an additional item on a camera strap. No patent notice exists on a universal belt clip marketed by Radio Shack which fixes an article permanently onto a belt clip.
Inventors have also developed ways to hold articles using fabric fasteners in unrelated fields; unfortunately, these inventions would not hold a single use camera or an article of a suitable kind on clothing adequately. U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,031 discloses a body mounted cutting apparatus comprised of a band able to encircle a body limb and a cutting tool. The '031 device is not made to be attached to clothing. This invention requires a fabric hook and loop fastener to be already adhesively fixed or applied separately onto the cutter's sheath which does not make this invention ready to use for other sheaths or cutting tools that don't come with the invention, thereby severely limiting its application. Articles that don't have an existing fastener won't work with this invention because they would need a fastener and some sort of part to adhere the fastener to the sheath.
In addition, the elongated fabric band limits the invention's applicability because wearing an arm band as part of a person's normal dress is not socially appropriate or comfortable at many of the kinds of occasions where single use cameras or articles of a suitable kind are commonly used, such as business events, weddings, etc. Wearing a single use camera or an article of a suitable kind like this could also create muscle problems like carpel tunnel disease because it may not be ergonomically correct to carry items bigger and heavier than a cutter. Other disadvantages include the requirement for a housing to hold the article to the band, the requirement to slide the article from the housing for use, and the requirement that access be made from the user's opposing hand versus from the hand on the same side that the article is worn which is preferable, but impossible with this invention. Another disadvantage is that the fastening material which is specifically cited, namely fabric hook and loop, does not function satisfactorily in situations where single use cameras or articles of a suitable kind are taken into more physically demanding conditions such as where the article is continuously rubbed against as in riding a bicycle or is under water as in snorkeling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,366 is a removable towel which may be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the user's person. U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,316 is a method and apparatus for providing quick release retention for work pieces such as a tape measure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,770 is a holder for conventional billiard or pool cue chalk including a clip that is selectively attachable and complementary first and secon
Kamrath Alan
Luebke Renee
LandOfFree
User attachable device for securing single use cameras and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with User attachable device for securing single use cameras and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and User attachable device for securing single use cameras and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2527398