GB2471450A

GB2471450A - Retainer for securing a computer to the steering wheel of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2471450A
Application number: GB0911092A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Habeeb Marouf
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-06-29
Filing date: 2009-06-29
Publication date: 2011-01-05
Also published as: GB0911092D0

Abstract

A plastic, metal or wood retainer 1 that can he attached to the lower rim 15 of a steering wheel 8 of a parked vehicle so as to hold a computer or other such item securely in place and directly onto the steering wheel, comprises a body with an upper curved section 2 at one end for engagement with the lower circumference of the steering wheel, and a straight section 4 connecting the upper section to two spaced prongs 3 curved in the opposite direction away from the upper section to define an "S" shape. The prongs receive the lower edge of a laptop 11 enabling a person to ergonomically and efficiently use the device whilst remaining in the driver's seat and further, due to the small, compact and light design, enable the user to swiftly remove and stow the retainer.

Description

RETAINER FOR SECURING A PORTABLE COMPUTER, WRITING

SURFACE OR OTHER SUCH ITEM TO THE STEERING WHEEL OF A

MOTOR VEHICLE

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a retainer for securely attaching a device such as a laptop, netbook or other data input device to the steering wheel of a parked vehicle so that the driver may comfortably and efficiently use the device whilst sitting in the driver's seat.

Ever since the advent of the motor vehicle people have found it necessary to carry out operations involving data input whilst sitting in the drivefs seat. This is frequently the case for employees whose work is primarily mobile and who need to file reports or record data once they have collected it in the field. But such an operation is awkward given the limited space available and the topology of the steering wheel surface.

If already in the vehicle it may not be convenient, for a range of reasons, to exit and subsequently occupy a passenger seat in which to sit and enter data or complete a report during an idle moment when the vehicle is parked. Similarly, after finishing an appointment or data gathering exercise it may be bothersome and time consuming for a person to first climb into a passenger seat and carry out the data entry and then to exit the vehicle and re-enter it in the drivers seat so as to continue their journey.

The problem of resting and securing a data input device such as a clip board onto a steering wheel has been solved some time ago, through use of a metal hook that allows the clip board to be suspended from the top of the steering wheel as described in U.S. Pat. 2150709. More recently, the use of a laptop computer whilst at the wheel -frequently used by itinerant workers for data input and real time filing of reports or retrieval of data via mobile internet connections -has also been addressed, hut all current solutions without exception utilise the same principle of top-down suspension as originally applied to the simple clipboard specified in U.S. Pat. 2150709. The disadvantage to this is that the device required for achieving top-down suspension of an item as heavy and as expansive as a laptop computer is necessarily large, and as a result quite cumbersome to employ in the limited space available in a motor vehicle, both in terms of use and in terms of stowage.

PRIOR ART

Several patents and commercially available devices already exist in the field of the invention, though as mentioned all without exception solve the problem using somewhat large and cumbersome constructions that commonly possess moving parts, straps, protrusions and attachments that may easily break off, become lost or obstruct the user's workspace.

In addition, these features also render the swift assembly and disassembly of the device as well as its swift and safe storage after use relatively laborious, in view of the fact that in a motor vehicle space is severely restricted. Moreover, as well as being unattractive to all but the neediest of users, these features increase the cost of manufacture and shipping.

As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,738 describes a device that is currently in commercial production, which consists of a large plastic chassis to which is attached a laptop table adjustable in height and inclination by means of a complicated pivot and runner assembly attached to the chassis. In addition, the method of attachment and securing of the device to the steering wheel is by means of two hooks attached to the upper part of the chassis, providing for the entire assembly to be suspended from the top of the steering wheel by placing the hooks over the external surface of the upper rim.

This feature of suspension from the upper portions of the steering wheel circumference is also found in all other relevant prior art, as evidenced in U.S. Pat. No. 5.487,521, U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,306 and US. Pat. No, 7,216,789 B2.

What is further common to all these devices is that they are large and cumbersome, principally due to the fact that they are in fact suspended from the upper portions of the steering wheel. A large, cumbersome and relatively complicated design that utilises high amounts of construction material is an unavoidable outcome of such a suspension method, because upper-rim suspension will of necessity require the use of a chassis or structure of some form that can extend downwards to provide a support for the laptop at its lower most edge, thus increasing both the size and amount of material utilised in manufacture.

Ideally, any device that is to be used in a parked vehicle for the purpose of attaching a laptop or other flat article to the steering wheel must he small, robust and simple enough to deploy within a matter of 2 or 3 seconds, as well as he easy to stow safely and swiftly in an unobtrusive place, directly within the limited vehicle space or within the cany case of the computer or article, or perhaps in a users coat pocket.

None of the devices currently available or described in patents meet these very basic requirements for efficient unobtrusive use and it is the object of the present invention in its various preferred embodiments to remedy this, by providing a compact retainer device that when suspended from the lower rim of a steering wheel securely holds a laptop or other article in place when its lower edge is inserted into the retainer device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig.2 is a side view of a laptop resting unsupported on the surface of a steering wheel with lines of force drawn in.

Fig.3 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel.

Fig.4 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel and bearing a laptop.

Fig. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel and bearing a laptop.

Fig.6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel with an optional vertical support attached.

Fig.7 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel with optional vertical support attached.

Fig.8 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel with optional vertical support attached.

Fig.9 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel with optional vertical support attached, bearing a nethook.

Fig. 10 is side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel with optional vertical support attached, bearing a nethook.

Fig.! 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel, bearing a laptop.

Fig. 12 is front view of the invention in a preferred embodiment suspended from a steering wheel.

Fig.! 3 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention suspended from a steering wheel bearing a laptop.

Fig.! 4 is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the invention shown Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the invention.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides, in its various preferred embodiments, for a retainer that can be attached swiftly and easily to the lower rim of a steering wheel so as to hold a portable computer, writing surface or other such item securely in place on the steering wheel surface when the lower edge of the potable computer, writing surface or other such item is inserted into the retainer, enabling a person to ergonomically and efficiently use the portable computer, writing surface or other such item whilst remaining in the drivers seat of a parked vehicle and further, due to the small, compact and light design, enable the user to swiftly remove and Stow the retainer in an unobtrusive place within the vehicle, in a coat pocket or in the carry case of the portable computer, writing surface or other such item.

For convenience, in the following description laptop and/or netbook will at times he used interchangeably with and as a synonym for "portable computer, writing surface or other such item".

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS PREFERED EMBODIMENTS OF THE

INVENTION

The design of the retainer is such that it exploits the laptop's weight and centre of gravity, together with the inclination of the steering wheel, to provide a stable and secure positioning of the laptop directly onto the steering wheel surface, thereby avoiding the need for a large or complicated chassis or harness with which to hold the laptop.

Almost all steering wheels without exception are inclined at an angle directed away from the driver, an angle that is usually quite steep relative to the horizontal, and thus a flat item placed flush on the steering wheel in the same plane of inclination as the steering wheel will tend to slide downwards off the steering wheel. This by itself presents a problem if a person wishes to use a laptop in this position without securing it, a problem which the inventions described in the patents cited earlier attempt to solve by proposing elaborate mechanisms of appreciable size and weight.

The retainer proposed in this invention, of which a preferred embodiment is shown in Fig. 1, turns to advantage the tendency of the laptop to move downwards, employing this tendency as means of securing itself (the retainer) to the lower rim of the wheel as well as securing the laptop within the retainer so that downward slipping is arrested and the laptop is held firmly in place directly in contact with the surface of the steering wheel.

In a preferred embodiment and referring to Fig.i the retainer 1 can consist of a body of injection moulded plastic or shaped metal with the upper portion 2 shaped so as to facilitate attachment to a curved steering wheel, and lower portion shaped to receive an object such as a laptop or nethook or other flat item between a pair of prongs 3. The upper portion 2 is in the fonu of an arc possessing a gentle upward curvature that can accommodate the internal curvature of the lower portion of the circumference of a steering wheel and has the appearance of a saddle (defining saddle as "a ridge connecting two higher elevations"), thereby providing a secure and stable anchorage of the retainer 1 onto the lower internal curved circumference of a steering wheel.

Connecting the upper portion 2 and the two prongs 3 of the retainer 1 are two straight sections 4. It is preferable that the straight sections 4 be short to better accommodate a laptop being placed at a high enough position on a steering wheel, so as to ergonomically accommodate a user's hands. In its preferred embodiments, the straight sections 4 leading to the prongs 3 are perfectly straight.

In Fig. 2 the forces acting on an unsupported laptop 11 placed on the steering wheel 8 are shown, in which the gravitational force W on the laptop 11, acting vertically down, has been resolved into components relative to the plane of the steering wheel 8 in which: * components Ri and R2 oppose the nonrial reactions Ni & N2 exerted by the surface 9 of the steering wheel 8 onto the base and/or feet 13 and 14 of the laptop 11; a parallel down-plane component V overcomes the frictional forces Fl & F2 also acting on the base and/or feet 13 and 14.

The down-plane component of gravity V also provides the acceleration to slide the laptop 11 downwards off the steering wheel 8. For all standard steering wheel inclinations the components of friction, Fl and F2 are insufficient to entirely counter the force V and thereby to prevent the downward slippage of the laptop.

Referring to Fig.3, when the retainer 1 is attached to the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8, the retainer 1 hangs freely downwards. The retainer 1 in its preferred embodiments is not intended to clip onto either a steering wheel or a laptop, though this feature can be incorporated into further embodiments if desired.

Referring to Fig. 4, when the laptop 11 is placed within the prongs 3 of the retainer 1 when the retainer 1 is attached to the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8 and leaned away from the driver 16 (as depicted by the upper arrow) so that the laptop 11 will eventually lie flush against the steering wheel surface 9, the retainer 1 is made to rotate as shown by the lower arrow.

Referring to Fig. 5, once the laptop 11 is resting fully against the steering wheel surface 9 both the prongs 3 and the straight sections 4 of the retainer 1 are preferably parallel with the angle of inclination of the plane of the steering wheel 8. The components Ni, N2 and V of the gravitational force acting on laptop 11 are still present and located as previously depicted in Fig. 2, but with the difference that there is now a new force U along the plane of steering wheel 8 acting with equal magnitude but in the opposite direction to the down-plane gravitational component V of Fig.2, this force being provided by the retainer 1 acting on the lower edge 17 of the laptop 11.

There is now no net force acting downwards on the laptop 11 in the plane of the steering wheel 8, and the entire assembly of the laptop ii and the retainer 1 is static relative to the steering wheel 8.

In a further embodiment of the invention shown in Fig 6, a support section 18 comprising a single straight piece can he attached to the main body of the retainer 1 by means of a connector 19 that mates with a receptor 20 located in the top surface of the retainer 1 such that when the connector 19 is mated with the receptor 20 the support section 18 is coplanar with the straight section 4 leading to the prongs 3. This linearity will ensure that when the support section 18 is attached to the retainer 1 the top most portion of the support section 18 will lie in contact with the steering wheel surface.

Referring to Fig. 7, the retainer 1 is seen attached to the steering wheel 8 with the support section 18 also attached to the retainer 1 and showing the upper portion of the support section 18 resting on the steering wheel surface 9.

Referring to Fig. 8, the length of the support section 18 is such that it is sufficient to firmly span the distance between the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8 and the central steering wheel surface 9. For the vast majority of steering wheels this is approximately 15 cm or less.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10 the support section 18 is clearly seen to be necessary for a device that is small relative to a standard laptop, such as is the case for a netbook.

When the netbook 21 is placed in the prongs 3 of the retainer 1 the netbook 21 may not necessarily rest with the hinge line 22 -of the LCD screen 23 -resting on the surface 9 of the steering wheel 8, and instead the hinge line 23 may in fact rest over the steering wheel void 24 with the back of the LCD screen 23 in contact with the steering wheel surface 9. In such a circumstance the LCD screen 23 would tend to closure when pressure is applied to the keypad located on the front of the netbook 21 in which case the netbook 21 will be at risk of becoming unstable on the steering wheel surface 9 and perhaps falling through the void 24. The support section 18 remedies this by providing a rigid surface between the lower rim 15 and the steering wheel surface at 9. The support section 18 both provides stability and prevents the netbook lid 23 from closing when the user applies pressure to the body of the nethook 21.

Referring again to Fig. 9, the support section 18 need not be very wide, at most 2 or 3 cm, despite the fact that it is necessary to ensure that the nethook 21 is stable on the steering wheel 8 and does not fall through or move about on the steering wheel 8 by virtue of the netbook 21 being smaller than the void 24 over which the nethook 21 may possibly be placed. This is because the netbook 21 will he prevented from tilting into or out of the plane of the steering wheel 8 by the portion of the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8 (shown in broken lines) that lies behind the lower portion of the netbook 21.

In a further embodiment of the invention the support section 18 may possess means by which a netbook may be rested at various positions along the upward length of the support section 18, instead of resting the netbook directly into the prongs 3 of the retainer 1. This will have the effect of raising the netbook so that it rests higher up on the surface of the steering wheel, providing variations in ergonomic positioning if required by the user.

Referring to Fig.11 and considering stability, provided that the centre of gravity C of the laptop 11 does not over-hang the anchor point of the retainer 1 on the lower rim 15 (i.e., overhang on the side nearest the driver 16) the laptop 11 is extremely stable and resistant to forward tilting and toppling (i.e., in a direction away from and perpendicular to the plane of the steering wheel 8 and towards the driver 16) including circumstances in which the laptop LCD screen 12 is adjusted through the likely angles accommodating of user vision. For typical steering wheel inclinations, the adjustment of the laptop LCD screen 12 from a fully open position through to an angle accommodating of vision will not alter the stability of the entire laptop 11 in a significant way such that the laptop 11 will topple, since the redistribution of mass and subsequent relocation of the centre of gravity C is not sufficient to provide a resultant turning force towards the driver 16, both on the laptop 11 and the retainer 1, about the point of anchoring on the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8.

Referring to Fig. 12, the lateral stability of the retainer 1 on the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8 (and ultimately the lateral stability of a laptop) is achieved by designing the upper curved section 2 of the retainer 1 to possess a shallow curvature as previously more clearly shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 1, this curvature between the two transverse extremities 5 need not be very great and the distance between the two extremities 5 also need not he very great. Referring to Fig. 12, the length of the arc subtended between the two extremities 5 need he sufficient only so as to provide a stable anchorage of the retainer 1 onto the inner curved surface of the lower rim 15 of the steering wheel 8, adequate to resist a lateral rotation of the retainer 1 on the steering wheel rim 15 in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 12.

Referring to Fig. 13, lateral rotation of the laptop 11 within the plane of the steering wheel 8, indicated by the two double headed arrows, is adequately prevented by virtue of the distance between the prongs 3 of retainer 1, the prongs 3 providing two points of contact with the lower edge of laptop 11 and thus eliminating any possibility of an axis of rotation forming and consequently preventing any lateral rotation of laptop 11 relative to the retainer 1 within the plane of the steering wheel 8, as indicated by the two double headed arrows. Thus, with the prevention of rotation of the retainer 1 relative to the steering wheel 8, as depicted in Fig. 12, together with the prevention of rotation of the laptop 11 relative to the retainer 1 as depicted in Fig. 13, the laptop 11 is extremely stable and resistant to lateral rotation.

Referring again to Fig. 11, friction between the base and/or feet 13 of the laptop 11 at their point of contact with the steering wheel surface 9 will also contribute to a resistance of both lateral rotation and lateral slipping of the laptop 11 in the plane of the steering wheel 8 in the event that the laptop 11 is inadvertently knocked from either side.

Referring to Fig. 14 a further preferred embodiment of the invention provides for the retainer 1 to be formed from a single length of metal, formed such that it consists of two forward prongs 3 leading to the straight sections 4 that in turn lead to an upper portion with curved extremities 5 connected by a straight section 25. The retainer 1 attaches to the lower rim of a steering wheel such that the upper curved sections 5 pass over the lower rim of the steering wheel.

Also referring to Fig.14 in a further embodiment, a separate plastic or metal clip 26 with a spring loaded flange 27 can be provided to fit over the end of each of the prongs 3 so that the retainer 1 can he clipped firmly onto the lower edge of a laptop before being attached to a steering wheel. This embodiment may be advantageous in cases where legal requirements regarding safety prohibit the direct attachment of a device (such as the invention herein described) to the steering wheel of a vehicle even when parked, on the assumption that it is conceivable for a driver to become distracted and subsequently may neglect to remove the retainer after removing the laptop. and who then proceeds to start the engine in an attempt to drive the vehicle. If the retainer 1 is attached to a laptop by means of the clips 26 such that the retainer 1 is secured to the lower edge of a laptop by means of the pressure provided by the spring loaded flange 27, the retainer I will he removed from the steering wheel along with the laptop when the laptop is lifted up off the steering wheel. It is unlikely in the extreme that a driver would be foolish enough to attempt to drive a vehicle with the laptop still attached to the steering wheel, and thus clipping the retainer to the laptop represents a failsafe and in all probability legally acceptable solution.

As already described for the embodiment depicted in Fig. I, there is a gap present between the prongs 3 of the retainer 1 and this is so as to facilitate the use of devices that can be attached to ports in the front of the laptop. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention and referring to Fig. 15 the retainer 1 can nevertheless he moulded or formed from plastic, metal or wood so that the open area between the prongs 3 is now entirely closed except at the extremities. In this embodiment of the invention the prongs 3 are now almost continuous with the straight sections 4 and as a result form a closed, curved holder section 29. A portion 30 is seen as removed from the curved holder 29 to form the tips of the prongs 3, the absence of portion 30 again allowing for facilitation of the use of various connector ports that maybe present on the lower edge of a laptop or nethook. The embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig. avoids excessive protrusion of the prongs 3 and may be a preferred design more attractive to manufacturers and users.

It should he noted that the invention as described in its various embodiments and as depicted in Figs. 1 and 15 can for each of these embodiments also benefit from clips such as the clip 26 with flange 27 shown in Fig. 14. The clips can be modified such that they are suitable for attachment to the various forms of the prongs 3 as depicted in Figs. 1 and 15.

It is further pointed out that the invention in any of its embodiments can further be modified such that the clips 26 of Fig. 14 become unnecessary for the attachment of the retainer 1 to the lower edge of a laptop, this attachment being achieved simply by making the retainer flexible, though maintaining the requisite amount of rigidity. That is, the distance between the prongs 3 and the straight section 4 of Figs. 1, 14 and 15 can be made such that a laptop when inserted becomes tightly clamped between the prongs 3 and the straight sections 4 of the retainer 1.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

As described above, the action of placing the laptop into the prongs of the retainer and leaning it backward serves two functions. First, it rotates the retainer through an angle sufficient to align the straight section 4 leading to the prongs 3 of the retainer 1 (Figs. 1, 14 and 15) into the plane of the steering wheel. This results in zero torque about the point of suspension of the retainer in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the steering wheel. If there were to be a turning moment the laptop would topple forward, as would seem to be intuitively obvious hut in reality is not the case.

Second, the invention exploits rather than treats as simply present the weight of the laptop as well as further exploiting its tendency to slip downwards along the surface of the steering wheel, by utilising the weight of the laptop to provide the tension required to keep the retainer in the required position. This tension secures both the laptop to the retainer and the retainer to the lower rim of the wheel. This point is emphasised in order to highlight the fact that existing devices and prior art view the weight of the laptop as somewhat incidental to the problem of placing the laptop onto a steering wheel. They focus primarily on the expansive nature of the laptop; that is, as an object extended in space, and duly solve the problem of how to attach such an object to the steering wheel rather than to simply rest it directly onto the steering wheel. As a result of this perspective on the problem, the devices described in the prior art must necessarily be rather more cumbersome and larger than they othersvise would need to be if the weight of the laptop were to be exploited in the manner described for the present invention. In its various preferred embodiments the present invention permits the resting of a laptop directly onto a steering wheel without the necessity for an extended support structure and thus avoids a chassis assembly on which it may he placed. That is, the present invention in its preferred embodiments allows for the direct utilisation of the steering wheel as the mounting chassis itself. The retainer thus effectively acts as a fixing rather than a platform or harness, and avoids the need for an intervening portion, contrary to the case for all inventions described in the prior art without exception, as well as for all currently commercially available devices used for attaching laptops and similar items to steering wheels.

However, as described above, the present invention can also provide for the circumstance in which an intervening support may be required, as would be the case for a small item such as a netbook. Further, the invention described in this specification is also suitable for devices much smaller than laptops and nethooks and which may in future become ubiquitous as means of accessing electronic data while on the move.

Such devices, often termed "hand-helds" -because they ostensibly can be held in one hand while the other hand operates the keypad -are already in existence, and though they represent a significant improvement on the cumbersome bulk of a laptop and even a netbook, they nevertheless are in fact fairly awkward to hold using just one hand while the other hand operates the keypad. This is because the device can never be so small as to encroach on the commodious visibility of the LCD screen as well as the ergonomic use of the keypad, considerations that in practice render the device not quite "hand-held". Thus, and especially with regard to prolonged use, it would still appear advantageous for the user to avail their self of the use of a device such as the invention described in this specification, employing the optional vertical support (18, Fig. 6) as mean for resting a hand-held device onto the surface of steering wheel. The dimensions and design of the present invention in its various embodiments, particularly that depicted in Fig. 15, together with the ease with which it can he deployed adequately allow for this eventuality.

Given the variety of steering wheel designs, the optimal external dimensions of the steering wheel laptop retainer, as described by the present invention, that could provide a universal fit to nearly all vehicle models and laptops, netbooks or hand-hekls has been found to be approximately 9x6x6 cm in its primary maximal external dimensions; i.e., the dimensions that would form the principle measurements of a rectilinear cuhoid that would enclose the retainer within a minimal volume -such as would be the case for a packing box -though it is also feasible for the retainer to he smaller or larger in any one or all of its primary physical dimensions. The dimensions outlined here provide for a retainer small enough to easily and unobtrusively stow away in a glove compartment, carry case of a laptop, or in a coat pocket (without disassembly, except in the case where the optional vertical section is used).

In addition, the small, compact design and low utilisation of material results in a low overall weight of the retainer, which in trials of prototypes has been found to be around grammes or less for metal constructed such as that in Fig. 14 and 30 grammes or less for plastic constructed such as that in Figs. 1 and 15, without compromising robustness or stability.

Such features will he of crucial importance to the user, since as mentioned space is of a premium inside a vehicle, particularly when items are being manipulated by a person occupying the driver's seat, but also with regard to storage considerations within the vehicle or transportation between vehicles.

SUMMARY

It is seen that the invention herein proposed in its various embodiments provides for the direct utilisation of the steering wheel of a motor vehicle as a surface onto which a laptop can be mounted directly, avoiding the need for a chassis or table as is the case in the prior art. This is of critical importance within the limited space afforded to a person in a driver's seat of a vehicle.

The fact that the retainer is suspended from the lower rim of the steering wheel pennits the elimination of a great deal of the material of construction that would otherwise be necessary if the method of fixing were to he suspension from the upper rim of the steering wheel, as evidenced in the large amount of material utilised in constructing devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,521, U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,306 US, Pat. No. 6,148,738 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,216,789 B2 already alluded to.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A retainer device for mounting a laptop, netbook, hand held or other appropriate item directly onto a steering wheel of a parked motor vehicle, comprising a body having at one end an upper curved section in the shape of a saddle that forms a structure allowing engagement of said retainer with the lower internal circumference of said steering wheel and a straight section connecting said upper curved section to two spaced prongs that curve in the opposite direction to, and away from, said upper curved section -giving said retainer a vague "S" shape in profile -with said prongs forming a structure for receiving the lower edge of said laptop, netbook, hand held or other appropriate item.
2. The retainer of claim 1 wherein the distance between the external transverse extremities of said upper curved section is approximately, but not limited to, 3 cm.
3. The retainer of claim 1 wherein said straight section connecting said upper curved section and said prongs is approximately, hut not limited to, 2 -4 cm in length.
4. The retainer of claim 1 wherein the distance between the external extremities of said prongs is approximately, but not limited to, 9 cm.
5. The retainer of claim 1 wherein the distance from the extremity of each of the two said prongs to said straight section is approximately, but not limited to, 3 cm.
6. The retainer of claim 1 wherein said upper curved section possesses a cross-sectional radius commensurate with the cross-sectional radii of most steering wheel rims and an upward transverse radius of curvature (that forms said saddle shape) commensurate with the radii of curvature of most steering wheel circumferences.
7. The retainer of claim 1 wherein a spring loaded clip can be inserted over each of the two said prongs.
8. The retainer of claim 1 wherein a receptor may be located on or in the surface of said upper curved section.
9. The retainer of claim 8 wherein a support section of length approximately, hut not limited to, 15 cm and width approximately, but not limited to, 2 -3 cm and possessing a locator latch at one end can be attached to said receptor by means of said locator latch.
10. The retainer of claims 8 and 9 wherein said support section may possess means by which a laptop, nethook or other appropriate item may be rested at various positions along the upward length of said support section.
11. The retainer of claim 1 wherein said prongs can he replaced by a continuous section in the form of a curved holder, said curved holder being connected to said straight section but in which the upward portions of said curved holder are not necessarily parallel to said straight section.
12. The retainer of claim 11 wherein said curved holder has a portion cut away to facilitate the attachment of various cables and devices into a laptop, netbook or other appropriate item.
13. The retainer of claims 1 and 11 wherein the body of said retainer may he formed from injection moulded plastic, metal, wood or any material possessing the requisite properties of rigidity, strength and lightness.
14. The retainer of claims 1 and 11 wherein said prongs can be flexible