FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to holders and stands for electronic devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of electronic devices such as tablet computers and e-readers has exploded in the past few years and their use by consumers is sometimes awkward with no real practical and modern solutions offered to the consumers. It is easy to see when looking at tablet computer and e-reader device users that few are comfortable holding tablet computer or e-reader devices for an extended period of time. The interaction with those devices demands that you hold them with one hand and use the other for entering your request either by typing on the onscreen keyboard or tapping on the location or link you want to access. Even when just reading, people become very uncomfortable in no time due to their flat shapes which do not offer a good grip for holding them comfortably.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a holder for an electronic device and which holder has an ergonomic design.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a holder for an electronic device wherein the holder can maintain the electronic device in many different positions to the adjustability of the holder.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a holder which can be used in many different positions and can be used as a stand-alone holder or as a hand held holder.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a holder for an electronic device comprising a pad portion, the pad portion having a surface formed of a material designed to releasably mate with a surface of the electronic device, a handle, and a joint joining the handle and the pad portion, the joint permitting rotatable movement between the pad portion and the handle, the joint being capable of being locked in any position.

The first important point about this invention is the ergonomic design of both the handle and the holder as a whole. The handle is very comfortable to hold and is made for being used either with the right or the left hand with no difference in feel. As opposed to most tablet computer holders on the market which have the user holding the device with the palm of the hand flat on the back of the tablet computer. With this invention, the handle is made to be held vertically which is the most natural way for the hand and the arm when holding anything at a readable distance.

The ergonomic design includes a handle which has been tested for an optimum length allowing users to rest the holder on their thigh releasing all the weight supported by the hand after extended periods of use. The soft ring at the bottom of the handle makes it very comfortable for the thigh and is also designed to be an anti-slip solution when this invention is used as a stand sitting on a desk or table as described below.

One issue people have when using tablet computers or e-reader devices is the viewing angle. This invention solves that problem by allowing the user to not only move the support pad in all directions, but also by letting the users freely rotate the tablet computer or e-reader device as much as they want for reaching the portrait or landscape positions. The support pad can also be locked to any position the user might need. The universal feature of this invention allows it to be used with any brand, made of any material and textured or not. This is accomplished, in a preferred embodiment, by using a special pad which sticks to anything while not leaving any kind of residue whatsoever on the tablet computer, e-reader device, cell phone or other devices. There is nothing permanently fixed at the back of the device thus allowing the users to store the tablet computer or e-reader device in their regular carrying case. Users can remove their tablet computer or e-reader device simply by holding it with one hand and using either or both of the two grips on the support pad. If desired, other securement arrangements could be used.

The fact that the support pad can be locked in any position allows it to be used as a self-standing support for any tablet computer or e-reader device on the market and can be laid down on any desk, table, counter or any other flat surface. It will hold still because of the anti-slip ring at the bottom of the handle preventing the tablet computer or e-reader device to move back when typing or tapping on the screen.

All of the tablet computers and e-reader devices on the market are made to be operated mostly using their internal battery. Obviously, the battery has a certain amount of electrical energy stored in it which obviously decreases with the usage of the device. In a preferred embodiment, the handle is used to hold a specially designed removable USB power bank. This power bank can be used for charging or supplying power to the tablet computer or e-reader device for an extended period of time should the batteries of the device go low or die. People only have to use the cable that came with their device and plug it in the self-contained USB power bank to get some more power for finishing the work they have in progress or keep on doing what they were doing at the moment of a low power warning from the device. They do not need to connect to a regular wall power outlet as it works from anywhere.

Not only can they charge or keep on working with their tablet computer or e-reader device, but they can also use the USB power bank for recharging any other devices like phones, video and regular cameras, GPS, portable game devices or any electronic device using USB compatible charging. The USB power bank can even be removed and used as a stand-alone USB charger elsewhere even if people do not carry the tablet computer and e-reader device holder. Removing the USB power bank from the handle does not affect the primary task of the holder which is to hold any tablet computer or e-reader devices.

The holder comprises a support pad that can be made of plastic or any other material like, but not limited to, aluminum or other metal or plastic matters. The support has a top part assembled to it which will stick to any material, textured or not. This sticky part can be made with a mix of different polymers or other materials which can have the same results after being mixed in the right proportions using the right elements. Such materials are known in the art. This material can be washed to obtain its original stickiness. The support pivots around a ball part which can be made of plastic or other material which would allow the free pivoting and tilting of the support pad in all directions. Underneath the ball part lies a tightening and loosening ring which is screwed under the support pad. This part can be made of plastic or any other material that would allow the tightening and loosening device to perform as it should for increasing or decreasing the resistance when moving the support pad with a tablet computer or e-reader device attached to it. The holder may have a liner part between the ball part and the support pad which can be made of elastomeric or any other material having the properties of helping to restrict or free the movement of the support pad. The tightening and loosening ring can be tightened enough to lock the support pad in any position a user may need.

The handle is ergonomically designed to comfortably fit in everyone's hand, right or left. It can be made of any material allowing the ergonomic shape to be possible. The inner part of said handle is made to receive a power bank which can be used either in the handle or all by itself for charging any device supported by the holder. It can also be removed and used independently for charging devices like, but not limited to, phones, video cameras, regular cameras, GPS, portable game consoles or any other electronic device needing to be periodically recharged. The bottom of the handle is preferably covered by an anti-slip material for preventing the holder from slipping when used on a desk, table, counter or any other flat surface. The anti-slip material also acts as a cushion when the tablet computer and e-reader device holder rests on the thigh of the user resulting in a more comfortable experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the invention, reference will made to the

accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the holder of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the holder;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the holder;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view showing the gripping of the holder;

Figure 5 illustrates the use of a holder between the legs of a user;

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating use of the battery for charging the electronic device;

Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the battery to charge a cell phone or like device;

Figure 8 illustrates removal of the electronic device from the holder; Figure 9 illustrates the movement of the electronic device with respect to the holder; and

Figure 10 illustrates the disassembly of the pad portion and the handle portion of the holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters thereto, there is illustrated in Figure 1 a holder for an electronic device such as a tablet or e-reader, the holder being generally designated by reference numeral 10.

Holder 10 includes a pad portion which is generally designated by reference numeral 12. Pad portion 12 includes a base plate 14 which may conveniently be made of any suitable material such as a metal or plastic material. On top of base plate 10 there is provided a layer of an elastomeric sticky material 16 such as is known in the art. On the under side of base plate 14, there is provided a socket structure 18. The outer portion of socket structure 18 has threads 22 formed thereon for reasons which will become apparent hereinbelow. Interiorly of socket 18, there is a socket lining 20 which is preferably formed of an elastomeric material. A pair of ears 24, 26 are provided for reasons which will be discussed hereinbelow.

Holder 10 also includes a handle portion which is generally designated by reference numeral 30. Handle portion 30 is formed of two half housing sections 32 and 34 which may be snapped together. A screw 36 may also be utilized to secure housing sections 32, 34 together. As may be seen in Figure 2, each housing section 32, 34 has an upper wall 38, 40 which help define recesses 37 formed therein.

A ball joint is generally designated by reference numeral 46 and includes a base 48 which is designed to fit within recesses 37. A neck portion 50 will extend outwardly between housing sections 32, 34 while a ball 52 is mounted on neck 50.

A retaining ring 54 is designed to retain ball 46 therein; a retaining ring 54 has a circular wall 56 with internal threads formed thereon. A recess 42 permits placement of neck 50 therein to allow for maximum flexibility.

Ring 54 functions to connect pad portion 12 and handle portion 30. Thus, screwthreads 58 are designed to engage with threads 22 of socket 18. When only loosely tightened, movement of the pad portion 12 with respect to the handle portion 30 is permitted. However, the pad portion may be retained in a desired position upon further tightening of ring 54.

Mounted internally of housing sections 32, 34 is a battery. As may be seen in Figure 2, a battery 62 is provided with a battery housing 64 while end caps 66 will preferably have USB connectors formed therein. In the illustrated embodiment, there is provided a first standard USB 76 and a mini USB 78. A ring is provided about cap 66.

As may be seen in the drawings, many different uses of the holder are contemplated. The battery in the holder may be used to charge the device or even a separate electronic device such as a cell phone or the like.

Preferably, for storage purposes, a pellicle 72 may be used to cover sticky portion 16 to maintain the same in a clean condition and to prevent it from sticking to nearby objects.

Ears 24 and 26 are provided to aid in ease of separation of the electronic device from the holder as shown in Figure 8.

Preferably, the holder can be used with a cord 74 having USB connectors 76 and 78 at opposed ends thereof. In a preferred embodiment, USB connector 76 would be of a standard size while USB connector 78 may be a mini connector.

The holder may be utilized in many different positions such as, for example, as shown in Figure 5 wherein it is partially or completely held between the thighs of the user. As shown in Figure 9, the electronic device can be moved to any desired position and subsequent tightening of retaining ring 54 will retain the electronic device in the desired position.

The holder will preferably have an overall length of between 12 and 25 cm and more preferably between 15 and 20 cm.