AU725603B2

AU725603B2 - A safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment

Info

Publication number: AU725603B2
Application number: AU41157/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert William Schuck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-12-02
Filing date: 1999-07-27
Publication date: 2000-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 2018-12-02
Also published as: AU4115799A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Robert William SCHUCK

S,

Actual Inventor: As above Address for Service: *5 C CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, QId. 4000, Australia.

Invention Title: A SAFETY LINE ASSEMBLY FOR WAIST MOUNTED EQUIPMENT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: A SAFETY LINE ASSEMBLY FOR WAIST MOUNTED EQUIPMENT This invention relates to a safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment and in an embodiment relates to a cellular telephone safety device which prevents damage to a cellular telephone if the telephone inadvertently becomes dislodged from a wearer's belt.

Cellular telephones are nearly always attached to a person's belt. The telephone itself is either provided with a belt clip, although it is much more common for the telephone to sit within a telephone case which is provided with an attached belt clip.

The cellular telephones consist of advanced and fairly delicate circuitry and if the telephone is accidentally dropped, damage usually results.

*o :Although the telephone belt attachment is usually sufficient, there are often circumstances where the telephone cannot be attached to the person's belt. For instance, many tradesmen do not like wearing belts as the belts can chaff and can present a snag point on building sites. In these circumstances, the telephone is either placed in the back pocket or the belt clip is attached over the edge of the tradesman's trousers or shorts. In both instances, the telephone can be quite easily dislodged by a knock, climbing up and down ladders and the like.

It is not convenient to simply attach the telephone to a safety chain. Firstly, the safety chain is conductive and may not be considered safe by electricians and other tradesmen working in the electric industry.

Secondly, the chain is quite bulky. More importantly however is that the chain must be fairly short such that should the phone be dislodged, it will not strike the ground. However, if the chain is this short, it is generally difficult if not impossible to put the phone against the person's ear without hunching over.

For this reason, the attachment chain needs to be decoupled before the phone can be used. Another disadvantage with chains or with nylon lines, strings, wires and the like is that these line members do not have any stretching component. If the phone is inadvertently dislodged, it falls and is suddenly jerked into a stationary position. This sudden jerking action can damage the telephone. Also, if the tradesman is on site and balanced on a scaffold or roof, the sudden jerking action can cause overbalancing.

The invention also relates more broadly to a safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment which can include cellular telephones, a pager, portable music equipment like portable CD players, a 2-way radio, and other devices which are belt mounted or waist mounted and which are able to inadvertently fall off and be damaged. The safely line assembly also function as a prevention against robbery as it can prevent a robber running past and grabbing the valuable piece of waist mounted equipment (for instance a CD player).

In one form, the present invention is directed to a cellular telephone safety device which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.

In another form, the present invention is directed to a safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or :commercial choice.

S•In one form, the invention resides in a cellular telephone safety device which comprises a stretchable line member which has a first attachment which attaches to the telephone or to an accessory on the telephone, and a second attachment which attaches to a persons clothing or the person, the line member having an elasticity and the attachments being positioned on the line member such that the telephone can still be used by the person without needing to disconnect the telephone from the line member.

In another form, the invention resides in a cellular telephone safety device which comprises a stretchable line member which has a first attachment which attaches to the telephone or to an accessory on the telephone, and a second attachment which attaches to a persons clothing or the person, the line member having an elasticity and the attachments being positioned on the line member such that the telephone can still be used by the person without needing to disconnect the telephone from the line member, and the telephone does not strike the ground when accidentally dropped by the person and when the second attachment is fastened adjacent the person's waist area.

In another form, the invention resides in a cellular telephone safety device which comprises a stretchable linear line member which has a diameter of between 1 to 4mm and which has a first attachment which attaches to the telephone or to an accessory on the telephone, and a second attachment which attaches to a persons clothing or the person, the line member having an elasticity and the attachments being positioned on the line member such that the attachments are between 20 to 40cm apart when the line member is unstretched, and about 40 to 80cm apart when substantially fully stretched such that the telephone can still be used by the person without needing to disconnect the telephone from the line member.

In another form, the invention resides in a safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment such as a mobile telephone, the assembly having a reel attachable to one of a person or the equipment, a safety line S:wound about the reel, attachment means on the safety line to attach to the other of the equipment or person, and biasing means to naturally retract the line about the reel.

The safety device has a stretchable line member which cushions the fall of the telephone and prevents or minimizes a sharp jerking action which can damage the phone or cause overbalancing of the tradesman.

In one form, the line member is linear by which is meant that the line member is smooth and straight and therefore has a reduced susceptibility to snagging. Also, the line member is extremely inconspicuous and slim. It is preferred that the line member is formed from a material which can stretch to at least 50% and preferably 100% of its original unstretched length, but which is prevented from further stretching to breaking point. This can be achieved by a line member which has a stretchable outer covering which, at some stage, resists further stretching but does not stretch to breaking point.

In one form, the line member is substantially circular in crosssection and has a diameter of between 1 to 4mm which allows a desirable length of line to be inconspicuous and able to be folded into a pocket when not required. It is also preferred that the line member is of a length such that the attachments are between 20 to 40cm apart when the line is unstretched and about 40 to 80cm apart when the line member is substantially fully stretched. This particular combination provides very good useful properties of ease of use and a safe and secure safety system.

The first attachment is of the type that allows the line member to be attached to or relative to the cellular telephone. For instance, the first attachment may be attachable to a part of the telephone case which is considered to be an accessory on the telephone. The first attachment may be permanently fitted or removably fitted relative to the telephone or telephone accessory. The first attachment may comprise a clip, clamp, safety pin-type arrangement, VelcroTM, hook, spring fastener, adhesive, mechanical fastener such as a rivet and the like.

In preferred forms of the invention, the first attachment comprises a clip or clamp which can pass through a hole in the telephone belt clip. This is illustrated in Figure 3A of the drawings. Alternatively, the first attachment may be a band, wrap, strap and the like which can attach about the telephone belt clip and which is as illustrated in Figure 3B of the drawings.

In a further alternative, the first attachment may be attachable to the zip of the telephone case, the zip tang almost always being provided with a hole *through which the attachment can pass. This is illustrated in Figure 3C of the drawings. In yet a further alternative, the telephone cover may be provided with an additional pocket and the attachment can form part of or be attached to either removably or permanently to the pocket. This allows the safety device to be neatly fitted within the pocket when not required. This is illustrated in Figure 3D of the drawings. In yet a further alternative, the first attachment may be removably or non-removably attached to an inside wall of the telephone cover. This is illustrated in Figure 3E of the drawings. Other types of attachments are also envisaged and in the broadest form, the invention is not considered to be limited to the attachments illustrated in the embodiment.

The second attachment attaches to a person's clothing or to the person and various types of attachments are considered useful. The attachments may be as described above and can again include clips, fasteners, hooks, straps, bands, Velcro

T

M and the like. The second attachment usually attaches to a person's belt but can also attach to the belt loops on the person's trousers. The attachment can comprise a clamp arrangement which can clamp directly to the person's trousers when a belt is not worn. The attachment can attach to other parts of a person's clothing although it is most common for the attachment to be on the person's belt or lo the top of the person's trousers or shorts. It is considered possible for the attachment to be a loop, strap or band which can attach about a person's arm or wrist or other parts of the person's body if an attachment to the person's clothing is not considered desirable.

In another form, the invention resides in a safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment such as a mobile telephone, the assembly having a reel attachable to one of a person or the equipment, a safety line wound about the reel, attachment means on the safety line to attach to the other of the equipment or person, and biasing means to naturally retract the line about the reel. In this form of the invention, the safely line may be similar 2 o to that described above and therefore may be stretchable. The line may have a length of between 20 to 40cm when unstretched and a length of between 40 to 80cm when fully stretched.

The "stretchability" of the line and the biasing means of the reel may be such that the line can be substantially unwound from the reel before the line begins to stretch. That is, it is preferred that the biasing means on the reel is substantially weaker than the "stretchability" of the line.

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figure 1 shows the safety device in isolation.

Figure 2 shows the safety device attached to a telephone and to a person's belt.

Figures 3A to 3E show non-limiting embodiments of various types of first attachments.

Figure 4 illustrates the safety device attached to a cellular telephone.

Figures 5A and 5B are views of a safety line assembly containing a reel.

Figures 5C and 5D illustrate a variation to the safety line assembly.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 and 2, there is illustrated a cellular telephone safety device 10. Device 10 consists of a io stretchable linear line member 11. In the embodiment, line member 11 is i made from shock cord which has a diameter of about 2 to 3mm and can stretch to 100% of its original length but thereafter is prevented against further stretching. The cord when unstretched is approximately 30cm long.

Attached to one end of the cord is a first attachment 12 which attaches to a telephone 13 (or more usually to the telephone cover), and attached to the other end of line member 11 is a second attachment 14 which usually attaches to a person's belt. A swivel 30 is attached to the line to stop the line from twisting.

oo--..Figure 2 illustrates the great advantage of the safety device according to the invention. It can be seen that line member 11, when unstretched, is about 30cm long and does not in itself present a great snagging hazard to the wearer. In Figure 2, the unstretched line member 11 can be seen as solid outline. If the phone rings, a person can grasp the phone and bring it up to the person's ear which will cause line member 11 to stretch to approximately 60 or 70cm. It is found that when the device is attached to a person's belt, this is amply long enough to allow the person to speak on the telephone without having to hunch over. There is also no need for the line member to be disconnected from the person's belt. If the telephone is dropped, the line member will cushion the fall and the length of the line member is such that the telephone will never strike the ground if the person's stands up but instead will "bounce" around the person's calf area.

Figures 3A to 3E show various different types of first attachments which have been described above, but briefly Figure 3A shows a hole 15 in the belt clip 16 of the telephone cover 17 and to which the line member 11 is attached via a small D-clamp 18 the D-clamp being the first attachment.

In Figure 3B, the first attachment is a band 19 which attaches around the belt clip 16.

In Figure 3C, the first attachment is again a small D-clamp 18 which passes through the aperture in the tang of a zip 20 which forms part of the telephone cover 17.

In Figure 3D, the telephone cover 17 has an outer small pocket i 21 and the first attachment is sewn or otherwise fastened (possibly by Velcro T M 22 on the inside of the pocket.

ooooo In Figure 3A, the first attachment is again a patch 23 which is releasably or permanently attached to an inside wall of the telephone cover 17.

Figure 4 illustrates a cellular telephone 30 where the belt clip 31 has the elastic line member 32 attached to it with the other end of the elastic line member 32 having a swivel 33 which is attachable to a person's belt and the like.

Figures 5A and 5B illustrate a safety line assembly for cellular telephones, pagers, personal stereo equipment and the like. The assembly has an enclosed reel 34 which in the embodiment has a diameter of approximately 30mm and a thickness of approximately 10 to 12mm, and therefore is quite small. Reel 34 has an eyelet 35 to allow the reel to be attached either to a person's belt or clothing or to the equipment. The reel has an outlet 36 through which a safety line 37 extends, the safety line 37 being wound about the reel as illustrated in Figure 5B. Reel 34 has a mild return spring 38 which is anchored at one end 39 and which functions to gently rewind line 37 about the reel. Spring 38 is mild enough to allow the line 37 to be fully extended before the line begins to stretch substantially.

This will prevent stretched line from being retracted back onto the reel leaving excess slack outside or becoming jammed on the reel. The reel is fully enclosed such that dust, debris, rain and the like is unlikely to pass inside the reel and contaminate the workings. Line 37 in this embodiment is elastic and is similar to that described with reference to the earlier figures. Line 37 terminates in an adjustable stopper and swivel 40 which allows the length to be adjusted for comfort.

Figures 5C and 5D illustrate a variation to the reel which is similar to that described above but where the reel drum 41 is much larger to allow a larger length of line to be wound about the reel drum.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For instance, the line member may comprise a curled line member or a thin stainless steel spring in a flexible tube.

*l o•

Claims

1. A safety line assembly for waist mounted equipment such as a mobile telephone, the assembly having a reel attachable to one of a person or the equipment, a safety line wound about the reel the safety line being stretchable or having a portion which is stretchable, attachment means on the safety line to attach to the other of the equipment or person, and biasing means to naturally retract the line about the reel, the biasing means being a mild return spring which allows the line to be unwound from the reel before the line begins to stretch substantially.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the line has a length of between 20 to 40cm when unstretched and a length of between 40 to when fully stretched.

3. The assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the equipment comprises a cellular telephone, a pager, portable music i 15 equipment, or a 2-way radio.

4. A cellular telephone safety device which comprises a stretchable linear line member which has a diameter of between 1 to 4mm and which has a first attachment which attaches to the telephone or to an accessory on the telephone, and a second attachment which attaches to a persons clothing or the person, the line member having an elasticity and the attachments being positioned on the line member such that the attachments are between 20 to 40cm apart when the line member is unstretched, and Doe* about 40 to 80cm apart when substantially fully stretched such that the telephone can still be used by the person without needing to disconnect the telephone from the line member.

The assembly of any one of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

6. The cellular telephone safety device of claim 4 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 31st day of July 2000 Robert William SCHUCK By his Patent Attorneys SCULLEN CO.