GB2386789A

GB2386789A - Cell phone holder

Info

Publication number: GB2386789A
Application number: GB0316655A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shinobu Iida; Yoshihiro Izumida
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
Priority date: 2001-07-18
Filing date: 2002-05-16
Publication date: 2003-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 2022-05-16
Also published as: CN100502426C; JP3813844B2; WO2003009568A1; CN1489859A; GB2386789B; GB0316655D0; JP2003032341A

Abstract

A cell phone holder commonly usable among cell phones of different lengths and shapes, easily operable, and holding a cell phone (4) on a body so as to be stably attached to and detached from the body, comprising a body (1) fixed to the body and having the cell phone mounted thereon and a holder (2) installed slidably on the body (1) and allowing one end of the cell phone (4) fixedly locked thereto, the holder (2) further comprising an elastic member for generating an elastic force in the direction of the body (1).

Description

- - t'-' 2386789 Description

Mobile Phone Set Holding Device <Technical Field>

5 The present Invention relates to a mobile phone set holding device for holding a mobile phone set to be placed in an interior of a vehicle or the like.

In order to mount a mobile phone set to an interior lo of a vehicle such as an automobile for use, an on-vehicle holding device for detachably holding and fixing a body of the mobile phone set has been known. An example of the conventional on-vehicle holding devices is shown in Fig. 8.

In this Fig. 8, (A) is a plan view of the on-vehicle 15 holding device, and (B) is a sectional side view of the same. This on-vehicle holding device 100 includes a case 101 in a substantially box-like shape, a housing part 102 in a dented shape which is provided on a front face side of 20 this case 101, and a locking part 103 provided in this housing part 102.

Among these parts, the housing part 102 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape which has a space for housing the body of the mobile phone set to be held, which

-- is not shown in the drawing, and includes a recess 103 at one end and the locking part 103 at the other end.

On the other hand, the locking part 103 includes a hook 103A attached to a distal end of a rotary plate 102B 5 which is adapted to rotate around a rotation axis A, and a spring 103B for urging the rotary plate 102B from a back side with a resilient force.

Accordingly, in order to insert the mobile phone set into this on-vehicle holding device to be held thereby, TO one end portion (a lower end portion) of the body of the mobile phone set is first inserted into the recess 102A, and thereafter, the body of the mobile phone set is rotated Moved along an arc) around this recess 102A as the rotation axis, so that the other end portion (an upper end Is portion) of the body of this mobile phone set can be pushed into the other end part of the housing part 102 provided with the locking part 103, thereby allowing the mobile phone set to be held.

Along with this movement, the rotary plate 102B 20 retreats into the case lot resisting the resilient force of the spring 103B, and during the motion, the other end portion (the upper end portion) of the body of the mobile phone set passes by the hook 103A to enter into the other end part of the housing part 102. After that, the rotary 25 plate 102B is returned to the original state by the resilient force of the spring 103B, so that the body of the

mobile phone set can be fixed and held by the hook 103A in a stabilized manner.

However, in the on-vehicle holding device having the structure as described above, a shape of the housing part to house and hold the mobile phone set and a position of the hook may vary according to the shape of the body of the mobile phone set. Therefore, it has been a problem that every time when the shape of the body of the mobile phone set has changed, it has been necessary to design the lo on-vehicle holding device exclusively corresponding thereto, and the on-vehicle holding device has been unable to be commonly used. Moreover, because a size in width of the mobile phone set is limited in the housing part, the on-vehicle holding device having a larger width than the is body of the mobile phone set has been required.

Further, in the above described on-vehicle holding device, the case 101 has been provided with screw holes lOlA for mounting and fixing the holding device, and in order to mount the on-vehicle holding device 100 inside the 20 vehicle body, the on-vehicle holding device has had such a structure that it can be directly attached to an appropriate member inside the vehicle body by means of these screw holes lOlA, or fixed thereto by means of a belt | which is not shown.

25 However, there has been such a problem that when the on-vehicle holding device has been mounted inside the

vehicle, and in case where a user would like to change a direction of the on-vehicle holding device together with the mobile phone set so that the mobile phone set can be easily seen by the user, the on-vehicle holding device had 5 to be once detached and remounted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above described circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a mobile phone set holding device which can be commonly used for mobile phone sets having lo different shapes such as in length or so, can be easily operated, and can be attached or detached in a stabilized manner. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone set holding device in 15 which a direction of the mobile phone set can be easily changed, even after the device has been mounted and fixed inside a vehicle.

20 According to the present invention, firstly, there is provided a mobile phone set holding device for detachably holding a mobile phone set in a vehicle body, characterized in that the mobile phone set holding device includes 25 a body fixed to the vehicle body for the aforesaid

mobile phone set to be mounted thereon, a holder which is provided so as to slide with respect to this body for locking and holding one end portion of a body of the mobile phone set, and s a resilient member for applying a resilient force to the holder thereby to urge this holder toward the body.

Accordingly, it will be possible to hold various types of the mobile phone sets having different lengths, by rendering the holder to slide.

lo Secondly, at least a part of the aforesaid body of the mobile phone set holding device may be formed to be smaller in width than the aforesaid body of the mobile phone set.

Accordingly, the mobile phone set can be grasped Is with fingers of a user's hand which holds the mobile phone set, and the grasping motion will be stabilized and rendered reliable.

Thirdly, it is preferable that the aforesaid resilient member includes a torsion spring.

so Accordingly, the mobile phone set holding device can be mounted in a small space, which is convenient for application in a limited narrow space inside the vehicle.

In a fourth place, according to this invention, there is provided a mobile phone set holding device for Is detachably holding a mobile phone set in a vehicle body, characterized in that the mobile phone set holding device

( includes fixing means for mounting a body of the aforesaid mobile phone set holding device so as to be tilted with respect to the vehicle body.

Accordingly, the mobile phone set can be held at a 5 desired angle in accordance with mode of use or a figure of a user.

In a fifth place, it is preferable that the aforesaid fixing means may include a tilting mechanism which changes a tilting angle of the body with respect to lo the vehicle body.

Accordingly, the tilting angle can be adequately changed according to convenience, and usability will be enhanced. <Brief Description of the Drawings>

IS Figs. 1(A), 1(B), and 1(C) show a mobile phone set holding device according to a first embodiment of this invention, in which Fig. 1(A) is a plan view, Fig. 1(B) is a side view, and Fig. 1(C) is a schematic sectional view taken along a line I-I in Fig. 1(A); 20 Figs. 2(A) and 2(B) are sectional views of a holder in the first embodiment as shown in Figs. 1(A) to 1(C), in which Fig. 2(A) shows the holder in a state before expanded, and Fig. 2(B) shows the holder in a state after expanded; 25 Figs. 3(A) and 3(B) are plan views of the mobile

- phone set holding device according to the first embodiment as shown in Figs. 1(A) to 1(C), in which Fig. 3(A) shows the holding device in a state before expanded, and Fig. 3(B) shows the holding device in a state after expanded; s Figs. 4(A) and 4(B) show a mobile phone set holding device according to a second embodiment of this invention, in which Fig. 4(A) is a plan view, and Fig. 4(B) is a sectional side view with a part broken away; Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an o essential part of fixing means of the mobile phone set holding device provided with a tilting mechanism according to a second embodiment, as seen from the bottom, Figs. 6(A) and 6(B) are explanatory views showing an assembling method of the fixing means as shown in Fig. 5 5; Figs. 7(A) and 7(B) are sectional views with a part broken away showing function of the tilting mechanism of the mobile phone set holding device according to the second embodiment; and zo Figs. 8(A) and 8(B) are a plan view and a sectional view showing a conventional mobile phone set holding device. Reference numerals in the drawings: 1 is a body (a mobile phone set holding device), 1A is a as dented part (a housing part for a mobile phone set), 1B is a neck part, 1C is a recess, 13 is a boss, Id is a torsion

spring (a resilient member), 2 is a holder (the mobile phone set holding device), 2A is a sliding part, 2B is a part to be pressed, 2C is a hook part, 3 is a resilient member, 4 is a mobile phone set, 5 is fixing means (also 5 having a function of a tilting mechanism), 50 is a bracket, 51 is a stand, 52 is a rotary member, 53 is a plate, 54 is a small screw, and 55 is a cap.

Now, embodiments of the present invention will be lo described referring to the attached drawings.

[First Embodiment] Figs. 1(A) to 1(C) show a mobile phone set holding device according to a first embodiment of this invention.

15 This mobile phone set holding device includes, as a general structure, a body 1 which has been fixed to a vehicle body in an immovable state, a holder 2 which can slide with respect to the body 1, and a resilient member 3 which applies a resilient force to this holder 2 to urge the so holder toward the body 1.

The body 1 has a dented part 1A which is formed by denting a part of its upper face, and a mobile phone set 4 is adapted to be housed in this dented part 1A. This body 1 has a neck shape having a length S in its intermediate 25 part so that the mobile phone set 4 can be reliably grasped

by extending fingers up to a back side, and a width W of the mobile phone set holding device in this neck part 1B is at least smaller than a width W' of the mobile phone set to be housed and held. In addition, the body 1 is provided 5 with a hole 10 into which an exterior antenna connector, which is not shown, is inserted.

The holder 2 includes a sliding part 2A, parts 2B to be pressed, and a hook part 2C, as shown in this drawing. o The sliding part 2A is adapted to slide on a surface of the body 1, mainly along an upper face of the neck part 1B, and has a guide hole 21 formed in its central area in order to guide the sliding motion on this occasion and, at the same time, to restrict a sliding amount. This 15 guide hole 21 is engaged with a guide pin 11 which is projected from the neck part 1B of the body 1. Moreover, both side faces 22 of this sliding part 2A are adapted to be abutted against guide walls 12 which are provided on the neck part 1B of the body 1, and the holder 2 is restrained zo with the above described guide pin 11 and the -guide walls ! 12 so that sliding direction and sliding extent of the holder 2 may be restricted to a certain degree.

The parts 2B to be pressed have contact faces 23 at their upper end portions in Figs. 2(A) and 2(B), and to 25 these contact faces 23, a spring force is adapted to be applied by way of opposite end portions 14A of a torsion

spring 14 which constitutes the resilient member 3 mounted to a boss 13 which is provided in the body 1.

Specifically, these parts 2B to be pressed are always pressed with a resilient force of the torsion spring 14 in 5 a downward direction in the same drawing. Accordingly, in a state where the mobile phone set 4 is not housed nor held, the parts 2B to be pressed are pushed downward up to the deepest level with respect to the body 1, and rest in a state where the guide pin 21 is abutted against an upper edge of the guide hole 21 (See Fig. 2(A)). Further, the contact faces 23 of these parts 2B to be pressed are inclined inwardly so as to be directed each other in order that the opposite end portions 14A of the torsion spring 14 may not be disengaged.

j5 The hook part 2C is intended to lock and fix the other end (an upper end) portion of the mobile phone set 4 whose one end has been inserted and locked in the recess 1C of the body 1, and adapted to be abutted against the other end of the mobile phone set 4 by the resilient force of the 20 torsion spring 14 for preventing withdrawal of the mobile phone set from the dented part 1A of the body 1. In an ordinary state in which the mobile phone set 4 is not housed therein, the holder 2 including this hook part 2C is in a state positioned close to the body 1 as seen in Fig. 25 3(A), that is, in a most contracted state when the mobile phone set holding device is seen as a whole.

When the mobile phone set 4 is to be housed in the dented part lA, the holder 2 provided with the hook part 2C performs sliding movement in a direction away from the body 1 as seen in Fig. 3(B), so that the other end portion (the s upper end portion) of the mobile phone set 4 can pass by the hook part 2C. In other words, the mobile phone set holding device has such a structure that the holder 2 temporarily performs the sliding movement so that the holding device can be in an expanded state as the whole.

lo Now, operation of the mobile phone set holding device according to this embodiment will be described.

As a first step, after one end portion (a lower end portion) of the mobile phone set 4 has been inserted into the recess 1C, the mobile phone set 4 is rotated (moved along an arc) around this recess 1C as the rotation axis thereby to push the other end portion (the upper end portion) of this mobile phone set 4 into the hook part 2C of the holder 2.

Then, with a thrust force of the mobile phone set 20 4, the holder 2 which has been in a state of Fig. 2(A) moves to the right resisting the resilient force of the torsion spring 19. In other words, the parts 2B to be pressed retreat to the right so as to be away from the neck part 1B of the body 1, while expanding the opposite arm 25 portions of the torsion spring 14 (See Fig. 2(B)). Along with this movement, the other end portion (the upper end

- portion) of the mobile phone set 1 will be able to enter into the holder 2.

Thereafter, the parts 2B to be pressed will be pushed back to the left by the resilient force of the 5 torsion spring 14, and an outer face part of the other end portion (the upper end portion) of the mobile phone set 4 will be fixed and held by the hook part 2C in a stabilized manner. Therefore, according to this first embodiment, lo because the torsion spring 14 has been employed, saving of the space can be easily attained. Moreover, because this torsion spring 14 has the two right and left operating arms, the neck part 1B of the body 1 or the holder 2 is prevented from being inclined, as compared with a coil Is spring or the like which have been generally employed. As the results, smooth expanding and contracting motion will be possible.

[Second Embodiment] so Next, a mobile phone set holding device according to a second embodiment of this invention will be described.

It is to be noted that in this embodiment, same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted with same reference numerals or signs to avoid overlapped Is descriptions.

Figs. 4(A) and 4(B) show the mobile phone set

. holding device according to the second embodiment. This mobile phone set holding device is provided, at an intermediate area of the body 1, with fixing means 5 which also has a function of a tilting mechanism.

5 This fixing means 5 has a general structure including a stand 51, and a rotary member 52 which is inserted into this stand 51 to be held therein. The fixing means 5 is mounted to the body 1 of the mobile phone set holding device by way of a bracket 50 which is provided lo inside the mobile phone set holding device 1.

The bracket 50 has a hole 50A, in its central area, for allowing a small screw 53 to pass therethrough. The stand 51 is formed in a substantially semi-circular shape which is open at an upper part, and the rotary member 52 is 15 adapted to be rotatably abutted against an inner peripheral face 51A of the stand 51, as shown in Fig. 5. In addition, on a surface of the body 1 of the mobile phone set holding device to which this bracket 50 is mounted, there is formed an opening ID by way of which the small screw 54 is passed zo through -the bracket 50. In an ordinary state, this opening ID is covered with a cap 55 so as not to be seen from the exterior. Moreover, there is formed a rotation hole 1E (See Fig. 4(B)) on a bottom face of the body 1 of the mobile phone set holding device.

25 The rotary member 52 has a flat face in a round shape in its upper part, and is so designed that an outer

- ;: peripheral part 52A in its lower part may be abutted against the inner peripheral face 51A of the stand 51.

This face is also provided with an opening, in its central part, through which the small screw 54 is adapted to pass.

5 On the other hand, this rotary member 52 is open in its lower part, and a plate 53 having a screw hole 53A provided with female threads is inserted into this lower part. In addition, in order to prevent withdrawal of the rotary member 52 from the stand 51, there are provided resin hooks lo 51B so as to project from the stand 51, while the rotary member 52 is provided with grooves 52B which are formed having such a size that the resin hooks 51B can pass through the grooves.

Then, a method of assembling this fixing means 5 15 and a method of changing tilting angles will be described.

As shown in Fig. 6(A), by rotating the rotary member 52 or the stand 51 so that the resin hooks 51B of the stand 51 may be aligned with the grooves 52B of the rotary member 52, positions of both the members are brought 20 into alignment, and thereafter, the rotary member 52 is inserted into the stand 51 from the below. After the rotary member 52 has been inserted in this manner, the rotary member 52 is rotated to adjust its position so that the resin hooks 51B of the stand 51 may not be aligned with 25 the grooves 52B of the rotary member 52 (See Fig. 6(B)).

Then, the stand 51 having the rotary member 52

inserted is pushed into the rotation hole 1E which is formed in the bottom face of the body 1 of the mobile phone set holding device, allowing the upper part of the stand 51 to be inserted through this rotation hole 1E. Thereafter, 5 the small screw 54 is inserted from the surface of the body 1 through the opening lD, thereby to insert the small screw 54 into the hole 50A of the bracket 50. Further, this small screw 54 is screwed into the threaded hole 53A in the plate 53 by way of the hole in the rotary member 53, lo thereby to firmly fix the plate 53 and the rotary member 5.2 to the bracket 50 by means of the small screw 54.

When the rotary member 52 has been fixed to the bracket 50 by means of the small screw 54 in this manner, the stand 51 also has been clamped between the rotary 15 member 52 and the rotation hole 1E of the body 1, and thus, the body 1 comes into a fixed state with respect to the stand 51. It is to be noted that the body 1, the stand 51 and the rotary member 53 may be in such an arrangement that they can be fixed to one another in a respectively 20 stabilized state, by friction force.

Finally, by spirally fitting the stand 51 in an appropriate position in the vehicle body, the mobile phone set holding device can be firmly fixed to the vehicle body.

Then, the cap 55 is fitted over the opening ID of the body 25 1. In case where the mobile phone set holding device

which has been fixed in this manner is to be tilted at a desired angle with respect to the vehicle body as shown, for example, in Fig. 7(A) or Fig. 7(B), or the tilting angle is to be changed thereafter, the cap 55 which has s been fitted over the opening ID is removed, and then, the small screw 54 is slackened. By thus slackening the small screw 54, there is formed a gap between the bracket 50 of the body 1 and the rotary member 52 to loosen the fixed state, and the tilting angle of the body 1 can be changed lo to a desired direction.

After the tilting angle has been changed in this manner, the similar operation will be conducted again.

Then, by tightening the small screw, the bracket 50 of the body 1 and the rotary member 52 can be firmly fixed to each 15 other.

It is to be noted that the present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-218253 filed on July 18, 2001, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

so <Industrial Applicability>

As described herein above, according to the present invention, the mobile phone set holding device includes the body fixed to the vehicle body for the mobile phone set to be mounted thereon, the holder which is provided so as to 25 slide with respect to this body for locking and holding one

end portion of the body of the mobile phone set, and the resilient member for applying the resilient force to the holder thereby to urge this holder toward the body.

Accordingly, by sliding the holder, it will be possible to s hold various types of the mobile phone set having different length, and the mobile phone set holding device having versatility will be able to be realized.

Further, according to the present invention, because the mobile phone set holding device includes the lo fixing means for mounting the body of the mobile phone set holding device so as to be tilted with respect to the vehicle body, such an advantage that the mobile phone set -can be held at a desired angle in accordance with mode of use or a figure of a user will be obtained.

Claims

1. A mobile phone set holding device for detachably holding a mobile phone set in a vehicle body, said device . comprising: a body fixed to the vehicle body for said mobile phone set to be mounted thereon; a holder provided so as to slide with respect to said body for locking and holding one end portion of a body of said mobile phone set; and a resilient member for applying a resilient force lo to said holder thereby to urge said holder toward said body.

2. The mobile phone set holding device according to Claim 1, wherein at least a part of said body of the mobile phone set holding device is formed to be smaller in width than said body of the mobile phone set.

3. The mobile phone set holding device according to Claim 1, wherein said resilient member includes a torsion spring.

4. A mobile phone set holding device for detachably holding a mobile phone set in a vehicle body, said device

! I. comprising: fixing means for mounting a body of said mobile s phone set holding device so as to be tilted with respect to the vehicle body.

5. The mobile phone set holding device according to Claim 4, wherein said fixing means includes a tilting mechanism for changing a tilting angle of said body with s respect to said vehicle body.