GB2319718A - Bracket for holding items in vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

A bracket for holding eg a mobile telephone in a vehicle includes two hinged sections 10,12, one adapted to hold the telephone and the other having a plurality of feet 18 pivotally mounted thereto which have planar bases 30 for engaging a support surface in the vehicle eg by means of semi-permanent adhesive, suction, magnet or hook-and-loop fabric.

Description

MOUNTING BRACKET FOR AUXILIARY ITEMS IN VEHICLES This invention relates to mounting brackets.

Particularly, but not exclusively, it relates to brackets for mounting auxiliary items such as mobile telephones for example, in vehicles.

Various brackets are available for mounting mobile telephones and other items in vehicles, but particularly for mobile telephones such brackets are fitted as fixed installations, and are not readily removed. Thus, even if the mobile phone has been removed, the mounting bracket remains indicating to a potential intruder that a valuable item may be hidden in the vehicle. Further, such installations necessitate a permanent alteration to the substrate in the vehicle upon which the bracket is mounted.

The present invention is directed at a bracket for mounting auxiliary items in vehicles which can be readily removed while leaving little or no evidence of their former presence behind. A bracket according to the invention comprises hingedly connected first and second sections, the first of which is adapted to support the auxiliary item which may for example, be a plate or other fitment for a mobile telephone unit. The second section has a plurality of feet projecting from it for attachment to a substrate such as a vehicle dashboard or console section. The feet are pivotal relative to the respective bracket section, and the distal ends of the feet are formed with substantially planar faces for engagement with the substrate. Thus, as the second section is offered up to the substrate and the planar faces of the feet make contact therewith, the faces and the feet adapt themselves to the contours of the substrate by pivotal movement of the feet relative to the second bracket section. A minimum of four feet is preferred; we have found this normally enables brackets to be safely secured on very steeply inclined substrates.

Typically, each bracket section in products according to the invention is substantially square or rectangular in plan shape. This is of course convenient where four feet are used to secure the bracket to a substrate, and it also facilitates the definition of a common edge along which the hinged connection may extend. It is convenient in any event to have the hinge extend along a common edge, as this creates a shell-like construction which may be closed to a relatively compact orientation when not in use.

Various techniques may be used to secure the faces at the distal ends of the feet to a substrate. The simplest merely requires a suitable adhesive to be coated on the respective faces which provides a reliable securement of the faces to the substrate. Such embodiments of the invention will normally be supplied with the adhesive already coated on the faces with a suitable release liner laid thereover. Preferred adhesives are contact adhesives of the semi-permanent type. Particularly preferred are adhesives which are re-usable; ie, which permit the detachment of a bracket from a substrate and reattachment at a different location without the adhesive having to be replaced.

Other securing techniques which might be used include suction pads in which the respective face of each foot is defined by a resilient material, and forms a recess which is collapsible against the substrate upon the application of pressure. The vacuum created upon relaxation of the pressure holds the foot in place.

Another alternative is the use of magnetic pads, but these do of course require the substrate also to be magnetic for any form of attachment to be created.

In order to allow the feet to pivot relative to the second bracket section, the proximal end of each foot can extend from a universal joint formed within the second section. Of course, the universal joint may itself be spaced from the bracket section, but normally it would be within the boundaries thereof and a typical and simple form of universal joint is a straightforward ball and socket. When applied to the present invention, the proximal end of each foot would form the ball, with the complementary socket being formed within the second bracket section. Once the bracket is properly located on the substrate, and the feet appropriately oriented with their distal faces making appropriate contact with the substrate, provision may be made for fixing or setting the relative orientations of the feet relative to the second bracket section. This will provide some additional securement of the bracket on the substrate.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2 is a perspective view from below of the mounting bracket of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a first section 10 of a mounting bracket hingedly connected along a common edge to a second section 12 so that it is free to pivot about axis A-A. First and second sections are preferably made from plastics but may also be made from other materials having suitable properties. Knobs 14 and 16 can be tightened to lock first section 10 in a desired position. A bracket designed to hold a mobile telephone can be secured to side 10a of the first section 10.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the underside of the second section 12. Four feet 18 project from the second section 12 as shown for securing the bracket to a substrate as described below. For ease of illustration, one of the feet 18 is shown removed.

The upper portion of each foot 18 is in the form of a truncated sphere 20. The external diameter of the sphere 20 is chosen to complement the internal diameter of holes 22 formed in the second section 12. The foot 18 is formed in a resiliently deformable material, thus enabling the sphere 20 to be press-fitted into a corresponding hole defining a recess with which it forms a ball and socket type universal joint, and where it will remain unless forcibly extracted. This allows each individual foot 18 to be adjusted to match the contours of the surface on which it is placed.

A preferred method for securing each foot 18 to an installation surface uses an adhesive 30 applied to the underside of each foot 18. The second section 12 can then be offered up to an installation surface having a variety of contours whereby each foot 18 will align itself with the contours of the surface. The adhesive used is of a semi permanent nature to facilitate removal and replacement of the bracket as discussed below.

An alternative method of securing each foot 18 to an installation surface uses a vacuum grip on the underside of each foot 18. Thus when the second section 12 is offered up to and urged against an installation surface a vacuum is created between each foot 18 base and the surface securely locating each foot 18 in a desired position. Another alternative method of securing each foot 18 to an installation surface uses a magnetic element as part of the bracket to secure the bracket adjacent an appropriate ferro-magnetic material.

A further alternative uses a hoop and loop system or fabric zip to secure the second section 12 to an installation surface. One component of the fabric zip is secured to a desired installation surface and the other to the base of each foot 18. When the second section 12 is offered up to the installation surface the two parts of the fabric zip bond together securing the bracket in the desired position. The one component can cover an area of the installation surface much larger than is required to support the bracket. In this way the bracket can be installed at a variety of locations on the surface without the component itself having to be relocated.

All the aforementioned methods offer the advantage of being able to remove and reinstall the mounting bracket without leaving permanent scarring on the installation surface. This is particularly useful in applications where an item is mounted in a motor vehicle. When the vehicle is left unattended, the bracket can be temporarily removed with the mounted item, and either stored elsewhere in the vehicle or taken away entirely. Importantly, little or no trace is left of the former presence of the bracket and/or item that might tempt a potential intruder.

Claims (10)

1. A bracket for mounting an auxiliary item in vehicles comprising hingedly connected first and second sections, the first having means for supporting a said item, and the second section having a plurality of feet projecting therefrom for attachment to a substrate, the feet being pivotal relative to the second bracket section and the distal ends of the feet forming substantially planar faces for engagement with a said substrate, pivotal movement of the feet upon engagement of the faces with a said substrate adapting the faces to the contours thereof.

2. A bracket according to Claim 1 wherein the hinged connection between the first and second bracket sections is along a common edge thereof.

3. A bracket according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the faces at the distal ends of the feet have an adhesive layer for securing the feet to said substrate.

4. A bracket according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the faces at the distal ends of the feet are recessed and defined by a resilient material, each recess being collapsible against a said substrate to create a vacuum therein upon release to hold the respective foot thereagainst.

5. A bracket according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the faces at the distal ends of the feet are magnetically attracted to iron based substrates.

6. A bracket according to any preceding Claim wherein the proximal end of each foot extends from a universal joint formed within the second bracket section.

7. A bracket according to Claim 6 wherein the universal joint is a ball and socket joint.

8. A bracket according to Claim 7 wherein the proximal end of each foot is a resilient ball press fitted into a recess in the second bracket section.

9. A bracket according to any preceding Claim including means for locking the hinged connection between the first and second bracket sections.

10. A bracket for mounting an auxiliary item in vehicles substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.