LU92935B1 - DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING A SMARTPHONE - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for holding a smartphone, the smartphone having a front face, a rear face and four edges, while standing on one of its edges, the device comprising (a) a base fixed directly or indirectly to the rear face of the smartphone, (b) at least one foot fixed to the base by means of a hinge adapted to allow the orientation of the at least one foot at any angular position between an angular position bent at 0 ° against the base and an angular position at at minus 270 ° compared to the folded position, the hinge being a positioning hinge located at said edge of the smartphone and parallel to this edge. (Fig. 1)

Description

DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING A SMARTPHONE

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a device for laying a touch pad, a smartphone, etc., standing at a certain angle on a support, in particular for taking pictures ("selfies") or watching videos, etc.

State of the art [0002] Selfies are very successful. People are taking pictures with the camera on the front, either by stretching out their arms or using the telescopic rods.

A "selfie" is a photographic self-portrait made in general with a digital camera, a mobile phone (smartphone or photophone), or a webcam. It is then often shared with other people via MMS or downloaded on social networks to, for example, attest to its presence on a place or with someone.

The camera on the back of smartphones is (almost) always superior quality to the device on the front (face screen). There is always a flash on the back of a smartphone. The "selfie" application of some smartphones offers the possibility of simulating a flash function on the front panel by strongly illuminating the screen when taking a "selfie" photo. But this only works for a very limited distance.

In addition, the photos taken in low light are often blurred, because it is very difficult not to move, when the exposure time is longer.

If there exists on the one hand hulls with integrated steerable feet (sometimes even rotating for portrait or landscape mode) or a shell for inserting a coin to serve as a foot. The known solutions that are at least partially "integrated" with the smartphone do not, however, make it possible to orient the smartphone in all the angular positions. Indeed, all existing solutions are planned to put the smartphone on a table and tilt the screen to the user up (use "office" to read the mails, surf the net, ...).

On the other hand, there are of course also removable feet, which allow them to guide the smartphone in all positions. The disadvantage of this kind of devices is that they are not "integrated" with the smartphone. They are bulky and above all it is necessary (think) to carry them with you.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION [0008] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a solution that is particularly suitable for taking pictures with the front or rear camera of his choice. The proposed solution should therefore allow to orient the smartphone and therefore the good camera in both directions, including upwards (smartphone screen down) to "frame" the picture as best as possible.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0009] In order to solve the problem mentioned above, the present invention proposes, in a first aspect, a device for holding a smartphone, the smartphone having a front face, a rear face and four edges, while standing on one of its edges, the device comprising (a) a base fixed directly or indirectly to the rear face of the smartphone, (b) at least one foot fixed to the base by means of a (first) hinge adapted to allow the orientation of the at least one foot at any angular position between an angular position bent at 0 ° against the base and an angular position at least 270 ° with respect to the folded position, the hinge being a positioning hinge located at the edge of the smartphone and parallel to this edge.

The solution proposed by the present invention has several important advantages. In addition to allowing the taking of photos (selfies or not) more flexible and better quality (by the use of the best camera of the smartphone and by the possibility of an improved framing (compared to the selfies taken with the camera of the front face), the present solution makes it possible to propose devices that can be made to integrate into the shell itself of the smartphone (original or replacement shell) in an additional shell covering the rear faces and at least a portion of the faces side of the smartphone) or even standalone to fix on the back of a smartphone. Indeed, in addition to the lightness of its components, the feet can be provided to retract into appropriate sized recesses in the folded position and thus not to interfere with the user during normal use of the smartphone. In addition, the positioning hinges located parallel to the edge of the smartphone allow great freedom in orientation (angular position) of the smartphone, whether straight (perpendicular to the laying surface), inclined forward (rear camera inclined to the high) or tilted back (rear camera inclined downward). Positioning hinges can be constant torque or not, preferably with constant torque for a homogeneous resistance on the entire movement and a firm hold at any desired angle (opening in large or complete closure, through all intermediate positions). This allows precise framing of the desired shot. In a particularly preferred manner, the hinges are so-called friction hinges, preferably adjustable friction hinges which make it possible to adjust the frictional (and therefore the holding) force, at any time if necessary.

In the context of the invention, the term "smartphone" means a smartphone (smart / advanced mobile phone) itself, but also includes touch-screen devices or "phablette" (smartphone whose screen is of an intermediate size between that of smartphones themselves and that of touch tablets). Although the initial objective of the invention was to allow a more flexible orientation to allow selfies that the solutions did not allow, it should be noted that the devices according to the invention can in principle be provided for all kinds of electronic and non-electronic devices, such as "reading lights" (mobile devices designed primarily for reading digital books), cameras (conventional or digital), etc.

Holding in a standing position on one of its edges allows an orientation in "landscape" mode or "portrait" mode depending on the edge considered. Preferably, the edge of the smartphone is one of its side edges (left or right), the lower edge, the upper edge, or two or more thereof. The top edge is often less interesting for the location of the device (even if smartphones recognize their orientation), because often the camera and the flash are arranged near the top edge.

The first hinge is at the edge of the smartphone so as to allow the unfolding of the foot or at an angle corresponding to an angular position between 0 ° (parallel to the back of the smartphone) and at least 270 ° with respect to this position. According to the invention, the angular position is not necessarily achieved by rotation only, but may result from rotation around the hinge and sliding of the hinge to bring a part of the foot to an angular position opposite to that of the hinge. other part of the foot.

The first hinge can be permanently located at the edge of the smartphone (it is fixed at this location) or it can be positioned to said edge by any appropriate means. In this case, the first hinge can be attached to the base by a slide to slide it to said edge before unfolding the foot or feet. Alternatively or in addition, the device may comprise a second hinge parallel to the first hinge and connected thereto by a spacer element. The spacer element being adapted and sized to move the first hinge to the edge of the smartphone by rotation around the second hinge. In such a variant, the first hinge is positioned at the edge of the smartphone by a rotational movement around the second hinge, then the foot or feet are unfolded by rotation (and optionally translation along a slide). The second hinge is preferably also a positioning hinge.

In certain variants of the device for holding a smartphone according to the invention, the device comprises one foot per side and / or bottom edge, the foot (or each of them) further comprising a sliding mechanism for sliding the foot relative to the positioning hinge. In such an embodiment the attachment of the foot to the hinge is not fixed, but can move (slide) in a translational movement so as to have a part of the foot on each side of the edge of the smartphone and thus stabilize its position forward and backward. The sliding of the foot therefore makes it possible to realize the invention with only one foot per edge (side).

Alternatively, the holding device of a smartphone comprises two legs separated by edge (side and / or bottom). In this variant, one of the two feet is rotated according to the desired angle of inclination and the other is placed (in general) 180 ° of the first so as to be on the other side of the edge of the smartphone. The stability towards the front and the back is therefore given by the presence of an unfolded foot on each side. An additional advantage of this variant is that even if the surface on which the smartphone is placed is not flat, it allows a firm position by adapting the angle formed between the two feet to the shape of the underlying surface.

In the context of the invention, the expression "at the edge of the smartphone" in relation to the first hinge means that this hinge must be positioned appropriately to allow the angular positions to at least 270 °. This generally means that at least a portion of the hinge must protrude from the edge of the smartphone, this portion preferably representing at least the thickness of a foot (s). It is important to note that if the hinge protrudes from the edge by a distance greater than the foot thickness, the maximum angular position may exceed 270 °. It should also be noted that in the case of a hull (original or additional) enclosing the edges of the smartphone, the first hinge must not necessarily exceed the edge of this shell, for example if foot notches are provided in the edge of the hull.

Yet another advantageous variant of the holding device of a smartphone provides that the base further comprises a rotary pivot for orienting by 90 ° rotation of said pivot or the hinges alternately parallel to one of the side edges or to the lower edge. By placing the device in the corner of the back of the smartphone, it can rotate the feet to serve either for the side edge (landscape), or for the lower edge (portrait mode).

The base of the holding device of a smartphone can be fixed directly to the rear face, preferably by clipping, gluing or magnetization. Alternatively, the base can be attached indirectly to the smartphone via a shell adapted to protect the back side and the edges of the smartphone. In another variant, the base comprises the shell (housing) of the smartphone, that is to say that the base and the housing (or part of it) of the smartphone are integrated.

With a holding device according to the invention, it is possible to take pictures of further, with the rear camera or before, if necessary with flash. For this, you can use the self-timer, or a remote remote control, or trigger the photo by typing in the hands, pronouncing a key word or by pointing the hands in a particular way. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0021] Other features and characteristics of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of some advantageous embodiments presented below, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show:

Fig. 1: a three-dimensional view of a first variant of a device according to the invention showing the rear face of a smartphone held upright on one of its lateral edges (the right side in this case);

Fig. 2: a three-dimensional view of a second variant of a device according to the invention showing the rear face of a smartphone held upright on one of its lateral edges (the right side in this case);

Fig. 3 (a) and (b): three-dimensional views of a third variant of a device according to the invention showing the rear face of a smartphone equipped with a rotary pivot base for use (a) in the landscape or (b) in portrait mode;

Fig. 4: a three-dimensional view of a fourth variant of the device according to the invention designed to be affixed to the rear face of a smartphone;

Fig. 5: a three-dimensional view of a fifth variant of the holding device according to the invention affixed to the rear face of a smartphone;

Fig. 6: a section through a smartphone provided with a sixth variant of the holding device according to the invention;

Fig. 7: a section through a smartphone provided with a seventh variant of the holding device according to the invention;

Fig. 8: a section through a smartphone provided with an eighth variant of the holding device according to the invention.

Description of a preferred embodiment [0022] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a first variant of a device 100 for holding a smartphone in a standing position according to the invention showing the rear face of a smartphone held upright on its right edges by the unfolded feet of the device. The variant shown comprises a base 110 integrated with a shell 180 affixed to the smartphone. The smartphone 190 includes a rear camera 191 and a flash 192. The device 100 includes two 120A feet foldable to take pictures in "landscape" mode and two 120B foldable feet to take pictures in "portrait" mode. Fig. 1 shows the folded position of the feet in a continuous line and the open position in dashed lines. Adjusting the angular position of the feet around the hinges 130 makes it possible to fix the orientation of the smartphone's camera at a given angle with respect to the surface on which the smartphone is placed.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional view of a second variant of a device 200 for holding a smartphone 190 in a standing position according to the invention showing the rear face of a smartphone held upright on its right edges by an unfolded foot of the device. The variant shown comprises a base 210 integrated with a shell 180 affixed to the smartphone. The smartphone 190 includes a rear camera 191 and a flash 192. The device 200 includes a foldable foot 220A for taking pictures in "landscape" mode and a foldable foot 120B for taking pictures in "portrait" mode. Fig. 2 shows the folded position of the feet in continuous line and the open position in dashed lines. The adjustment of the angular position of the feet around the hinges 230, followed by the sliding of the foot along the slide 225 makes it possible to fix the orientation of the camera of the smartphone with a determined angle with respect to the surface on which the smartphone is placed .

Figs. 3 (a) and (b) show three-dimensional views of a third variant of a device 300 according to the invention showing again the rear face of a smartphone 190 provided with a shell 180, a rear camera 191 and a flash 192. The base 310 of this variant is a rotary pivot base 315 suitably placed in the corner of the back face of the smartphone (or shell comprising it) for use (a) in landscape mode or (b) in portrait mode, simply by rotating the device around the rotary pivot 315 shown in dashed line. With this variant the same two feet 320 mounted by the hinges 330 to the base 310 allow both the maintenance of the smartphone standing on the side edge (landscape), and on the lower edge (portrait mode).

In FIG. 4 is a view of a fourth variant of the device 400, which is autonomous in the sense that the base 410 provided with a rotary pivot 415 can be fixed to a smartphone for example by gluing or magnetization on the rear face of the latter. this. The legs 420 (shown in the folded position) may be rotatably unfolded at an angular position around the hinges 430 in a manner similar to FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 5 shows a variant similar to that of FIG. 4, but the device 500 includes feet 520 of another form mounted by the hinges 530 to the base 510 with rotating pivot 515.

Figs. 6 and 7 show sections through a smartphone 190 at two additional variants 600 and 700 of the device according to the invention. In these cases, the base is part of the hull 180. The first hinge 630, 730 which carries the feet 620, 720 is attached to a spacer element 645, 745, itself mounted to a second hinge 640, 740 (which can to be set back from the edge). To unfold the device 600, 700, the spacer element is rotated around the second hinge so as to move the first hinge 630, 730 to the edge of the smartphone 190. The feet 620, 720 can then be unfolded in turn so as to take the desired angular position. It should be noted that the appropriate dimensioning of the spacer element 745 makes it possible to deport the first hinge 730 more outwards in the unfolded position (and thus allows an angular position greater than 270 ° as shown in FIG.

[0028] FIG. 8 shows a section through a variant 800 of the device very similar to that of FIG. 7, except that the shell 180 has notches in the edges at the device (visible by the absence of shell at the bottom of the figures of Fig. 8). In these cases, the base is also part of the shell 180. The first hinge 830 which carries the feet 820 is attached to a spacer element 845, itself mounted to a second hinge 840 (which may be set back from the edge). To unfold the device 800, the spacer element is rotated around the second hinge 840 so as to move the first hinge 830 to the edge of the smartphone 190. The legs 820 can then be unfolded in turn to take the desired angular position. . Legend: 100, 200, 300, 400, Holder 500, 600, 700, 800 110,210,310,410, Base 510 315,415,515 Rotary Swivel 120A, 120B, 320, 420, Feet 520, 620, 720, 820 220A, 220B Sliding Foot 225 Slide 130, 230, 330, 430, (First) Positioning hinge 530, 630, 730, 830 640, 740, 840 (Second) Positioning hinge 645, 745, 845 Spacer element 180 Shell (smartphone or additional shell) 190 Smartphone 191 Camera 192 Flash

Claims (11)

1. Device for holding a smartphone, the smartphone having a front face, a rear face and four edges, while standing on one of its edges, the device for holding a smartphone comprising a base attached to the rear face of the smartphone. smartphone, at least one foot fixed to the base by means of a first hinge adapted to allow the orientation of the at least one foot at any angular position between an angular position bent at 0 ° against the base and an angular position to at minus 270 ° with respect to the folded position, the first hinge being a positioning hinge located at said edge of the smartphone and parallel to this edge. 2. Device for holding a smartphone according to claim 1, wherein said edge of the smartphone is one of its side edges and / or the lower edge. Smartphone holding device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a second hinge parallel to the first hinge and connected thereto by a spacer element, the spacer element being dimensioned to enable the first hinge to be moved to said first hinge. smartphone edge by rotation around the second hinge. The smartphone holding device according to claim 3, wherein the second hinge is a positioning hinge. 5. Smartphone holding device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, comprising one foot per side edge and / or bottom, the foot further comprising a sliding mechanism for sliding the foot relative to the first hinge. 6. Smartphone holding device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, comprising two feet per side edge and / or bottom. 7. Holder device of a smartphone according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the base further comprises a rotatable pivot for orienting by 90 ° rotation of said pivot or the hinges alternately parallel to one of side edges or at the bottom edge. 8. Device for holding a smartphone according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the (or) hinge (s) positioning is (are) a (or) hinge (s) to friction, preferably one (or more) hinges (s) with adjustable friction. 9. Device for holding a smartphone according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the base is fixed directly to the rear face, preferably by clipping, gluing or magnetization. 10. Device for holding a smartphone according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the base is attached indirectly to the smartphone via a shell adapted to protect the back side and the edges of the smartphone. 11. Device for holding a smartphone according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the base comprises the shell of the smartphone.