US20060011688A1

US20060011688A1 - Hands free device holder

Info

Publication number: US20060011688A1
Application number: US10/887,830
Authority: US
Inventors: Sharon Duncan
Original assignee: DUNCAN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS LLC
Current assignee: DUNCAN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS LLC
Priority date: 2004-07-12
Filing date: 2004-07-12
Publication date: 2006-01-19

Abstract

The hands free device holder is a worn over a user's shoulder to provide at least one pocket for holding a small electronic article, such a cell phone, music player or the like. The device holder is constructed of a flexible material and fashioned to lie over a user's shoulder. A holder portion lies over the user's chest, and has at least one pocket for holding a small electronic device. An anchor portion extends from the shoulder down and across the user's back. The device holder is worn over a seated user's shoulder with the anchor portion held in place between the user's back and a seat back, anchoring the hands free device holder and preventing it from slipping off from the user's shoulder. A bottom surface of the hands free device holder has a relatively high coefficient of friction to prevent slipping.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to holders for personal articles. More specifically, the invention is a hands free device holder for small electronic articles, such a cell phone, music player or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small, handheld cellular telephones have become widespread in use and popularity, along with numerous other types of small personal electronic devices, including personal music players, such as MP3 digital players and portable CD players. Various devices have been devised to carry such small electronic devices on, or in close proximity to, the user's body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,704, issued on Dec. 24, 1996 to T. Alexander et al., discloses a shoulder holster and method of carrying a portable telephone. The shoulder holster includes a shoulder strap that extends over the user's shoulder and under the user's arm in a complete loop. A second strap is worn diagonally across the user's body, extending from the shoulder strap to a belt or other fastening point on an article of clothing worn by the user. A pocket for holding a cellular telephone is attachable to a mounting pad on the shoulder strap using a hook and loop fastener.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,031, issued on Jan. 6, 1987 to F. Frankhouse, discloses an article carrier in the form of a plurality of individual compartments connected together to form a contiguous loop, and worn across the user's torso in the manner of a sash. U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,917, issued on Jan. 13, 1976 to D. Zellmer, discloses a personal materials carrier that includes a chest overlaying portion, a shoulder portion, a back portion, and a side portion all connected together to form a loop. The carrier is worn across the user's torso in the manner of a sash.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,347, issued on Nov. 24, 1953 to L. Finney, discloses a receptacle, for holding hairpins or similar articles, which is capable of being draped over a person's shoulder. U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,527, issued on Nov. 11, 2003 to T. Karenga, discloses a strap pack carrier that is another example of a sash-style article carrier, worn diagonally around a person's torso in the manner of a sash. A counter-weight is provided to stabilize the carrier against unequal loading of articles. U.S. Design Pat. No. 408,137, issued on Apr. 20, 1999 to T. Leininger, illustrates a design for shoulder saddlebags.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a hands free device holder solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The hands free device holder is a device to be worn over a user's shoulder to provide at least one pocket for holding a small electronic article, such as a cell phone, music player or the like. The hands free device holder is constructed of a flexible material and fashioned to lie over a user's shoulder. A holder portion lies over the user's chest, and has at least one pocket for holding a small electronic device. An anchor portion extends from the shoulder down, and somewhat across, the user's back, extending across a shoulder blade of the user. The hands free device holder is easily worn by a seated user, positioned over the user's shoulder with the anchor portion simply held in place between the user's back and a seat back, thus anchoring the hands free device holder in place and preventing it from slipping off from the user's shoulder.
The hands free device holder is made from a flexible material, such as cloth, leather, plastic, rubber, or other such flexible materials. A bottom surface of the hands free device holder preferably has a relatively high coefficient of friction to prevent slipping. A non-slip bottom surface may be formed by embossing or otherwise forming a pattern of grooves in the bottom surface. Alternatively, a non-slip backing material may be applied. The non-slip backing material may be a continuous layer of a high-friction material laminated or sewn to the back-side of the hands free device holder. In another variation, the non-slip backing may be a pattern, such as a pattern of numerous small dots, of a high-friction material, such as rubber, to increase the bottom surface friction. Further, the hands free device holder may be made entirely of a material, such as rubber, suede, or the like, that has a high surface friction as an inherent characteristic.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a hands free device holder to hold one or more electronic devices.
It is another object of the invention to provide a hands free device holder that is simply worn over a user's shoulder.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a hands free device holder according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a hands free device holder according to the present invention, having a single pocket.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a hands free device holder according to the present invention, having multiple pockets.
FIG. 4 is an environmental front view of an alternate embodiment of a hands free device holder according to the present invention.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a hands free device holder, designated generally as 10 in the figures. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the hands free device holder 10 is a shoulder worn holder that provides at least one pocket 24 to hold small electronic articles, such as a cell phone, music player or the like.
The hands free device holder 10 is an elongated and generally “L” shaped article made of a pliable material, such as fabric, leather, plastic, or the like, having a top surface 12 and a bottom surface 14. A lengthwise central portion, or shoulder portion 30, is placed over a user's shoulder, the bottom surface 14 lying against the user's body. A holder portion 20 extends forward from the shoulder portion 30 to lie against the user's upper chest. One or more pockets 24 are disposed on the holder portion 20 on the top surface of the, hands free device holder 10. The holder portion 20 is generally rectangular in shape, and has a major axis 22 oriented generally lengthwise of the hands free device holder 10. The pockets 24 may be rectangular, round, or a variety of shapes suited to various small electronic articles, such as cell phones, CD players, etc.
An anchor portion 40 extends rearward from the shoulder portion 30 to lie against the user's back. The anchor portion 40 is generally rectangular in shape, and has a major axis 42 oriented generally normal to the major axis 22 of the holder portion 20, to give the hands free device holder 10 its generally “L” shaped form. The anchor portion 40 is so-called because, when the device holder 10 is used by a user in a seated position, the holder 10 is anchored in place between the user's back and a seat back to prevent the holder 10 from sliding off of the user's shoulder. Additionally, the anchor portion 40 provides additional bottom surface area to increase the amount of friction available to prevent the holder 10 from sliding out of place.
The shoulder portion 30 is a length of material having a generally constant width, joining the holder portion 20 to the anchor portion 40. The shoulder portion 30 is contoured to fit a user's shoulder, for example by having a curved inside edge 32.
It is desirable for the bottom surface 14 to have a relatively high coefficient of friction, so that the device holder 10 does not slip from place during use. This may be achieved by forming a pattern of grooves, ridges, or the like in the bottom surface 14 of the holder 10. For example, a device holder 10 made of leather may have a pattern embossed or tooled into the bottom surface 14. Alternatively, a non-skid material may be added to the bottom surface 14, either in the form of an additional ply of a non-skid material, such as suede or rubber, or in the form of a pattern of rubber or the like applied to the bottom surface 14 as dots, lines or similar protrusions. The non-skid material may be applied to the bottom surface 14 of the entire device holder 10, or may be confined to the shoulder portion 30 or to the anchor portion 40.
Turning to FIG. 4, an embodiment of the hands free device holder 10 is shown including a front strap 26 and a back strap 46 to secure the device holder 10 about the user's body in order to maintain the holder 10 in place during more vigorous activities. The front strap 26 extends from the holder portion 20 of the holder 10, and the back strap 46 extends from the anchor portion 40, each strap 26 and 46 being generally a thin and elongated length of the same or similar material as the other portions of the device holder 10. A clasp 50 joins the free ends of the straps 26 and 46 together, the clasp 50 having a first half disposed on the free end of the front strap 26 and a second half disposed on the free end of the back strap 46.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A hands free device holder, comprising:

a strip of flexible material having a top and a bottom surface, and having a first end and a second end, the strip having a substantially rectangular holder portion proximate to the first end, the holder portion having a major axis, a substantially rectangular anchor portion proximate to the second end, the anchor portion having a major axis generally normal to the major axis of the holder portion, and a shoulder portion connecting the holder and anchor portions; and

at least one pocket disposed on the top surface of the holder portion.

2. The hands free device holder according to claim 1, further comprising means for increasing the surface friction of at least a portion of the bottom surface.

3. The hands free device holder according to claim 1, wherein said shoulder portion has a generally constant width.

4. The hands free device holder according to claim 1, wherein said shoulder portion has a curved inside edge.

5. The hands free device holder according to claim 1, wherein said shoulder portion is contoured to conform to a user's shoulder.

6. The hands free device holder according to claim 1, further comprising:

a front strap extending from said holder portion, the front strap having a free end; and

a back strap extending from said anchor portion and having a free end.

7. The hands free device holder according to claim 6, further comprising:

a first clasp member disposed on the free end of said front strap; and

a second clasp member disposed on the free end of said back strap, the first and second clasp members releasably engaging to form a closed loop.