GB2523572A

GB2523572A - Device for holding a flat item

Info

Publication number: GB2523572A
Application number: GB1403484.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Madden
Original assignee: LAZERBUILT Ltd
Current assignee: LAZERBUILT Ltd
Priority date: 2014-02-27
Filing date: 2014-02-27
Publication date: 2015-09-02
Also published as: GB201403484D0

Abstract

A device for holding a flat item (120 in figure 2) may be part of a case 100, and comprises a reception portion 102 and first, and preferably second, resiliently-deformable grippers 104, 106 which move laterally and outwardly to retain the item. The grippers may deform in their cross-sectional shape to conform to the edge profile of the retained item. The grippers may move in a direction having a component transverse to the plane of the flat item to be able to accommodate the thickness of the item. Grippers 104,106 may be resiliently biased by an elastic band or bands connecting them to a central region of the portion102. The device may have a hinged cover and is intended for use with a tablet computer, mobile phone or similar. The grippers may have openings enabling access to the edge of the tablet for connection of external devices such as headphones or a USB connectable device. The reception portion 102 may be rotatable relative to the rest of the device about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the reception portion.

Description

DEVICE FOR HOLDING A FLAT ITEM

FIELD

The invention relates to devices for holding flat items. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to devices for holding mobile computing and communication devices.

BACKGROUND

There is increasingly widespread use of high value items such as mobile computing and communication devices, such as mobile telephones, tablets, phablets, PDAs and laptop computers in public environments such as on board public transport or in urban spaces. The There is a need for holding such items securely whilst they are in use or in transit.

The term "flat item" used herein is used to cover, inter al/a, ali the computing and communication devices as mentioned above, i.e. aD of mobile telephones, tablets, phablets, PDAs and laptop computers.

Holders are widely avaVable for such items. However, these holders are subject to certain disadvantages which include their being configured for use with only one particular size and type of the item, their holding the item relatively insecurely and their obscuring some of the working area of the item or its screen when held.

The present invention aims to overcome or alleviate one or more of these disadvantages.

SUMMARY

Viewed from an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for holding a flat item, the device comprising a reception portion for receiving a flat item and retention means for retaining the item on the reception portion, the retention means comprising a grip member positioned to receive a first edge of a flat item, the grip member being arranged to move against a resilient bias in response to a first edge of a flat item to be held by the device being received by the grip member, wherein the grip member, in response to the edge of the item being received by the grip member, is deformable and/or is arranged to move in a direction having at least a component transverse to the plane of a flat item received on the reception portion in order to accommodate the edge profile and/or the thickness of the flat item.

The reception portion may comprise a support surface, which may be continuous or discontinuous and is preferably flat but may be otherwise. The support surface typically contacts the rear face of the flat item, for example the rear face of a tablet or mobile phone.

Using a resilient bias to bias the movement of a grip member provides the effect that to remove the item the grip member must be moved from the position where the item is being retained to a position where the tablet can be retrieved using force sufficient to overcome the resilient bias.

The deformation referred to may be elastic deformation. Alternatively, the deformation may be inelastic in that the grip member retains its shape resulting from deformation after the item has been removed.

Providing a grip which deforms responsive to the item provides the effect that the grip member responds to the shape (including the profile and the thickness) of the edge. This means that the device can be more conveniently used for holding items with a variety of edge profiles. If the grip member is arranged to deform elastically then the grip member returns to its original shape after the item has been removed. Therefore, when one item, for example a tablet computer, is removed from the reception portion, the grip member returns to its original shape and the functionality or the grip member, i.e. the ability of the grip member to deform responsive to the shape of the edge of a retained item, is not compromised when the device is used to hold a different item. The device is therefore particularly suited to use with a range of items, for example different models and sizes of

tablet.

One suitable deformable material which the grip member may comprise is a microfiber-coated plastics material such as a polycarbonate material. The microfiber coating may be omitted and uncoated polycarbonate used.

Other materials, whether coated or not, and of plastics or otherwise can alternatively be used, provided they exhibit suitable physical properties, including deformation properties, in addition to the grip member referred to, the retention means may comprise a further abutment or stop for restraining the flat item against the restoring force of the resilient bias.

Optionally, the retention means comprises a further grip member arranged for receiving a second edge of the item, for example the opposite edge. The further grip member may be arranged to move against a resilient bias responsive to the second edge of the tablet being received by the further grip member. The further grip member may be made from a suitable deformable material as referred to above. The resilient bias may be provided by the same, or an additional, resilient biasing means as the resilient bias of the first grip member. The resilient biasing means may be provided by one or more strips of elastic material.

Conveniently the resilient biasing means are located beneath a cover member which provides a support surface.

Using two grip members provides improved grip. If both grips are also arranged to move against a resilient bias then the grip is improved further as a greater bias needs to be overcome to release the item from the reception portion.

The grip members may be arranged to move outwards in opposing directions relative to the reception portion.

Providing two grip members that move in opposing directions may provide enhanced versatility in the size of item that may be retained on the reception portion.

In the invention, the movement of the grip member(s) upon reception of a flat item can be a purely outward movement in a direction para Del to the plane in which a retained fiat item lies, or may have a component perpendicular thereto, whereby the grip member(s) move away from that plane. This latter movement facilitates accommodation of flat items of different thicknesses.

The grip member and the further grip member may each independently comprise a flange which overlies an edge portion of the flat item received on the reception portion.

Another option is to provide a device wherein at least one of the grip members comprises an opening to enable access to an edge of an item received by the grip member.

Providing such an opening aDows access to, for example, a socket for a cable, or a control of a retained item, particularly a tablet, phablet or telephone.

The reception portion may comprise a material of a frictional coefficient which is sufficient to hinder sliding of a received item over the reception portion. This provides the effect that the item may be pushed over the portion whilst still being securely retained. Where the item comprises a camera, the item may be pushed away from the portion sufficiently to expose a lens on the underside of the time to enable the camera to take a picture whilst the item is retained by the device, This has the particular advantage of making the device suitable for use with a range of items having different camera ens positions. The movement of the flat item in this way is particularly facilitated by having a pair of grip members engaging opposite, parallel sides of a fiat item.

Advantageously, the reception portion and the retention means are arranged for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane in which a flat item is retained. This allows a tablet or other item received on the reception portion to be moved between landscape and portrait orientations without being removed from the device.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

An embodiment ol the invention wifl now be described by way of example only by reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a case for a tablet computer; Figure 2 shows a portion of the case of figure 1 with a tablet computer positioned for use: Figure 3 shows the movement of first and second grip members of the case; Figure 4 shows a resilient biasing mechanism of the case; Figure 5 shows items of varying edge shapes, including different proffles and thicknesses, in relation to an elastically deformable grip member; and Figure 6 shows a device according to the present invention with an opening for enabling the item retained by the to be accessed.

Figures 1 and 2 show a device 100 according to the present invention holding a tablet. The device 100 comprises a portion 102 for receiving the tablet 120 (see figure 2) upon which the tablet may be placed. Alternative items received by the portion 102 may include other mobile communications devices such as satellite navigation systems, mobile telephones, phabiets and ceramic plate tablets.

The device 100 includes a cover portion 103 which is hinged to the receiving portion 102 along a spine 101. The device may include an elastic band (not shown) for holding the cover portion 103 over the receiving portion 102. The receiving andior the cover portion may be arranged to fold to provide a support stand for an item received on the reception portion.

The device 100 also comprises retention means comprising a grip member 104 which can receive an edge of the tablet. As shown in figure 3. the grip member 104 comprises in cross section a substantially flat portion 104a which extends to a curved portion 104b where the edge of the tablet 120 is received and ends in a terminal flange 104c. In modifications, other shapes may be used. A grip member 104 with a curved cross-sectional portion 104b provides the effect that it is more flexible with respect to the edge profiles that can be securely received by the grip member 104.

The grip member 104 is arranged to move outwards with respect to the portion 102 against a resflient bias mechanism described below in relation to figure 4. The resilient bias mechanism biases the position of the grip member 104 towards the portion 102. This may result from a user of the device applying a pulling force to the first grip member 104 to move the grip member 104 in order to place the edge of the tablet 120 in the curved portion where the edge is received.

As shown in figures 1 and 2, a second grip member 106 is also associated with the portion 102. The second grip member 106 receives another edge of the tablet 120, The second grip member has portions 106a, 106b and 106c corresponding to portions of the first grip member 104 and moves outwards with respect to the portion 102 against a resilient bias mechanism which biases the position of the grip member 106 towards the portion 102. The resilient bias mechanism is described below in relation to figure 4. The grip members 104, 106 move in opposing directions as shown in figures 1 and 2.

The grip members 104, 106 are made from a microfibercoated polycarbonate material. The particular polycarbonate used being one which has suitable physical properties, particularly deformation properties to perform as described herein.

The display area of the tablet 120 is not obstructed by the grip members 104, 106 as shown in figure 2 as only the edges of the tablet are received by the grip members 104, 106.

The movement of the grip members 104, 106 in opposing directions enables the effective area of the portion 102 to be enlarged as when the grip members are pulled outwards relative to the portion 102, part of the grip can also be used to receive the tablet. This is shown schematically in figure 3 where the direction of movement of the grip members 104, 106 is denoted respectively by the letters A and B. The lowermost schematic shown in figure 3 shows the grip members 104, 106 retaining a tablet 120a of a first width. The uppermost schematic shown in figure 3 shows the grip members 104, 106 following outward movement in respective directions A and B of the grip members 104, 106 relative to the portion to retain a tablet 12Db of a second width.

The resilient bias shown in figure 4 is shown with the portion 102 removed for ease of illustration. The resilient bias, as shown in Figure 4, is implemented using an elastic mechanism 108 comprising a series of elastic bands 112 connecting the first and second grip members 104, 106 to a central region 110 of the portion 102. In a modification, a single, wide elastic band is used. The elastic mechanism 108 provides the effect that when the edge of the tablet 120 is received by the first and/or second grip member, the mechanism is biased to pull either of the grip members 104, 106 towards the portion 102, i.e. opposing the outward motion. This generates a more secure retention of the tablet 120 when it is retained on the portion 102 so that to remove the tablet 120, a force sufficient to overcome the resilient bias needs to be appfled to pull the grip members 104, 106 away from the portion 102.

The grip members 104, 106 are made from a material which is sufficiently pliable to respond to the forces that may be imposed by the tablet 120 but also sufficiently rigid that they maintain a solid structure appropriate for the retention of the tablet on the portion 102.

Either of or both of the grip members 104, 106 may deform responsive to the edge of the tablet 120 being received. This provides the effect that the grip member responds to the shape of the edge of the tablet 120 which means that the device is not limited to a particular tablet 120. The deformation may be elastic.

This deformation of the grip member of 104 is shown in figure 5 where the grip member 104 deforms to receive tablets of differing edge shapes 120a-c and 120d-f. This provides the effect that tablets of differing edge profiles 120a-c and 12CM may be received by the grip members 104, 106 and, therefore, that tablets of differing edge profile may be retained by the portion 102. Figure 5 also shows thicker 120a-c and thinner 120d-f versions of each edge profile. Thus, 120a and 120d are thinner and thicker rectangular profiles, 120b and 120e are thicker and thinner wedge-shape profiles and 120c and 120f are thicker and thinner round-edge profiles. Figure 5 further shows the trajectory having a component transverse to the plane of the reception portion that the grip member 104 may move upon in a direction C. Tablets of thicker cross section can therefore be retained as the edge of these tablets can be received by the grip member 104.

The grip members 104, 106 also comprise an opening 114 which, as shown in figure 6, enables connection of the tablet to another device, such as headphones 122 when the tablet is retained by the portion 102. The opening 114 may be large enough to enable a USB port on the tablet to be accessed in the event the user wishes to transport files from another device to the tablet 120 retained by the portion 102. Other sizes of opening allow access to on-off and volume controls, headphone jack sockets, etc. The portion 102 is made from a material of sufficiently high coefficient of friction to enable the tablet to be slid over the portion 102, whilst still being retained. If the tablet comprises a camera with a lens facing the portion 102, it may be convenient for a user to push the tablet upwards to enable the camera to be used to capture images.

By variation of the overall size of the case and the spacing and range of movement of the gripping members, it is possible to provide cases suited to a range of items, including laptop computers, tablet computers, phablets, PIJAs and mobile telephones.

In a modified embodiment, the retention portion 102, grip members 104, 106 and elastic bands 108, 112 are mounted as a sub-assembly on the reception portion 102, The sub-assembly is rotatable on the reception portion 102 about a central axis perpendicular to the plane of the reception portion. This allows a tablet or other retained item to be moved between portrait and landscape orientations relative to the case.