US20160353865A1

US20160353865A1 - Safety/anti-theft leash for loss-prevention and anti-theif

Info

Publication number: US20160353865A1
Application number: US15/150,117
Authority: US
Inventors: Sheila SIMS
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-06-03
Filing date: 2016-05-09
Publication date: 2016-12-08

Abstract

A safety/anti-theft leash for securing a mobile device includes an adjustable armband, a strap having an adjustable unit that expands or shrinks an opening surrounded by the strap, and a connector coupled between the armband and the strap. The opening may be expanded to receive the mobile device and shrunk to secure the mobile device to the leash.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit thereof from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/170,207 filed on Jun. 3, 2015, titled Safety Leash, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to a consumer product, and more specifically the disclosure relates to a safety/anti-theft leash, and anti-drop features for adults, teens and children.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Mobile electronic devices, such as, for example, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, e-book readers, notebook computers, personal navigation systems, portable media players, fitness tracking devices, and the like have become more of a necessity in modern life. Many people own one or more of such mobile electronic devices and frequently use them for reading, listening, studying, and learning at home. Mobile devices are also frequently used while traveling and commuting to and from work via public transportation. The mobile devices also have become one of the most stolen or lost personal items. Considering the amount of sensitive information and personal data that may be stored in most mobile devices, stolen or lost devices may lead to other more serious crimes, such as, for example, identity thefts, unauthorized online purchases, unsolicited emails and phone calls, and the like. Accordingly, there is a need for preventing mobile electronic devices from being snatched or dropped by adults or children, which could happen in a blink of an eye. Also, the safety leash will prevent mobile devices from being stolen or lost, which will reduce the need for a replacement device, whereby by saving corporations millions of dollars.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a safety/anti-theft leash for securing a mobile device, which includes an adjustable armband and a strap having an adjustable unit that expands or shrinks an opening surrounded by the strap; and with or without a connector coupled between the armband and the strap. The opening is expanded to receive the mobile device and shrunk to secure the mobile device to the leash.
The adjustable armband may include at least one of these fabrics: synthetic fabric, natural fabric, organic fabric, natural leather, artificial leather, rubber, rubberized plastic, and wire.
The adjustable armband may include an adjustable fastener.
The adjustable fastener may include at least one of a hook-and-loop fastener, a wrist fastener, and a cam buckle.
The adjustable fastener may include the hook-and-loop fastener. The hook-and-loop fastener may include hooks placed on an inner surface and a first end portion of the adjustable armband, and loops placed on an outer surface and a second end portion of the adjustable armband.
The adjustable armband may be about 12 inches long, and the hooks and the loops may be about 3.5 inches long.
The strap may include a first layer and a second layer connected to each other at and extending between a first end and a second end of the strap, and the first end of the strap may be connected to the connector.
The strap may include an adjusting unit that engages the strap, and a location of the adjusting unit on the strap may decide a size of an opening surrounded by the strap.
The adjusting unit may include a sliding buckle, and the opening may be enlarged when the sliding buckle is moved toward the first end of the strap, and the opening may be shrank when the sliding buckle is moved toward the second end of the strap.
The strap may be about 12 inches to about 24 inches long. The strap may include at least one of a cam strap, a ring belt and a ratchet strap.
The connector comprises a swivel connector. The swivel connector may be at least one of a swivel ring connectors, a double-eye swivel ring, a bell-bearing swivel, and a swivel hoist ring.
The swivel connector may be a swivel ring connector, which may include a first ring connected to the adjustable armband, a second ring connected to the strap, a swivel base coupled between the first ring and second ring. The swivel base may allow the first ring and the second ring rotate independently from each other.
The mobile device may include the safety/anti-theft leash.
The mobile device may be at least one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet (e.g., iPad™), an e-book reader, a notebook computer, a personal navigation system, a portable media player, and a fitness tracking device.
The mobile device may include a cover having a folding line, and the strap may be placed to align with the folding line.
The mobile device may include a hinge line, and the strap may be placed to align with the hinge line.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an example of a safety/anti-theft leash, constructed according to the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the safety/anti-theft leash connected to a tablet.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the safety/anti-theft leash connected to a notebook computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The terms “including,” “comprising” and variations thereof, as used in this disclosure, mean “including, but not limited to,” unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “a,” “an,” and “the,” as used in this disclosure, means “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
Devices that are in communication with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.
Although process steps, method steps, or the like, may be described in a sequential order, such processes and methods may be configured to work in alternate orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of the processes or methods described herein may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of the more than one device or article. The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality or features.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a safety/anti-theft leash 100 for securing a mobile electronic device, such as, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, an e-book reader, a notebook computer, a personal navigation system, a portable media player, a fitness a tracking devices, and the like, which is constructed according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the safety/anti-theft leash 100 in action to secure various mobile devices, such as, for example, a tablet 10 and a notebook computer 20.
Referring to FIG. 1, the leash 100 may include an armband 110, a strap or wire 120, a connector 130, and/or the like. The armband 110 may be configured to be wearable on a user's wrist or arm. The armband 110 may be made of essentially any material and may be of any size, shape or color, in order to make the armband 110 comfortable to wear and to prevent or reduce skin irritations or damage, such as, for example, cutting, scraping, tearing or the like. For example, the armband 110 may be made of soft material, such as, for example, natural fabric, synthetic fabric, leather, artificial leather, rubber, rubberized plastic, wire and/or the like,
The armband 110 may be adjustable to provide precise or snug fit to users of all ages with various arm or wrist sizes. For example, the armband 110 may include an adjustable fastener 112, such as, for example, a hook-and-loop fastener, a wrist fastener, a cam buckle, or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the fastener 112 may be a hook-and-loop fastener. The hook-and-loop fastener 112 may include hooks 112 a and loops 112 b, which may be placed at both end portions of the armband 110, respectively. The hooks 112 a and loops 112 b may be attached on inner and outer surfaces of the armband 110, respectively, for example, by sewing, gluing, and/or the like. The hooks 112 a and loops 112 b may be substantially long enough to provide precise fit. For example, the armband 110 may be about 12 inches long and about an inch wide, and the hooks 112 a and the loops 112 b may be about 3.5 inches long. The armband 110 may be adjusted to be about 6 inches long for toddlers and adjusted to be about 11 inches long for adults.
The strap 120 may be configured to engage a mobile device, such as, for example, tablet 10 or notebook computer 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. One end of the strap may be connected to the connector 130. The strap 120 may have a double layer structure. For example, the strap 120 may include a first layer 122 a and a second layer 122 b. The first and second layers 122 a and 122 b may be connected to each other at both ends of the strap 120, and a mobile device may be inserted into an opening 124 between the first and second layers 122 a, 112 b.
The strap 120 may include an adjusting unit 126, which may be used to adjust a size of the opening 124. The adjusting unit 126 may be a sliding buckle. The adjusting unit 126 may also include e.g., belt, adhesive strap, and the like. The sliding buckle 126 may engage both first and second layers 122 a, 122 b. Portions of the first and second layers 122 a, 122 b that engage the sliding buckle 126 may be stacked together and conjoined. A location of the sliding buckle 126 on the strap 120 may decide a size of the opening 124. For example, the user may slide the sliding buckle 126 toward the connector 130 to expand the opening 124. To shrink the opening 124, the user may move the sliding buckle 126 away from the connector 130.
Alternatively, the strap 120 may include a cam strap, a ring belt, a ratchet strap, or the like, which may allow to adjust a size of the opening 124. Also, instead of the strap 120, a chord, a wire, a noose, or the like may be used to engage the mobile devices 10, 20. The strap 120 may be about 12 inches to about 24 inches long. The strap 120 may be less than 12 inches or more than 24 inches long.
The connector 130 may be coupled between the armband 110 and the strap 120. The connector 130 may be a swivel connector, such as, for example, a swivel ring connector (shown in FIG. 1), a double-eye swivel ring, a bell-bearing swivel, a swivel hoist ring, or the like. The swivel ring connector 130 may include a first ring 132 connected to the armband 110, a second ring 134 connected to the strap 120, and a swivel base 136 coupled between the first ring 132 and the second ring 134. The swivel base 136 may allow the first ring 132 and the second ring 134 to rotate independently. Therefore, the user may turn his or her arm without tangling the strap 120. Alternatively, the connector 130 may be a non-swiveling connector, such as, for example, a ring made of metal or other rigid material, or the like. The strap 120 may be directly connected to armband by, for example, sewing, gluing, riveting, and/or the like.
FIG. 2 shows the tablet 10 secured to the leash 100. The tablet 10 may be configured to be attached to a foldable cover 12, which may include a front cover 14 and a folding line 16. To attach the leash 100 to the tablet 10, the opening 124 (shown in FIG. 1) of the strap 120 may be enlarged, for example, by moving the adjusting unit 126 toward the connector 130, and the front cover 14 of the foldable cover 12 may be inserted into the opening 124. The strap 120 may then be positioned to align with the folding line 16 of the foldable cover 12, and the sliding buckle 126 may be pushed or pulled to shrink the opening 124 until the folding cover 12 is tightly held between the first and second layers 122 a, 122 b (shown in FIG. 1) of the strap 120.
FIG. 3 shows the notebook computer 20 secured to the leash 100. The opening 124 (shown in FIG. 1) may be enlarged by sliding the adjusting unit 126 toward the connector 130, and a screen portion 22 of the notebook 20 may be inserted into the opening 124. The strap 120 may then be positioned to align with a hinge line 24 of the notebook 20, and the adjusting unit 126 may then be pushed or pulled to secure the notebook 20 to the strap 120.
Once the user wears the leash 100 and secures the tablet 10 or the notebook computer 20 with the strap 120, a criminal cannot take the tablet 10 or the notebook computer 20 away from the user without pulling the user's arm. Hence, the user may rest assured that his or her mobile device cannot be taken away without alerting the user. Also, the leash 100 may function as a visual warning to criminals, thereby deterring and reducing crimes.
While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claim, drawings and attachment. The examples provided herein are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A safety/anti-theft leash for securing a mobile device, comprising:

an adjustable armband;

a strap having an adjustable unit that expands or shrinks an opening surrounded by the strap; and

a connector coupled between the armband and the strap,

wherein the opening is expanded to receive the mobile device and shrunk to secure the mobile device to the leash.

2. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 1, wherein the adjustable armband comprises at least one of fabric, synthetic fabric, leather, artificial leather, rubber, rubberized plastic, and wire.

3. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 1, wherein the adjustable armband comprises an adjustable fastener.

4. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 3, wherein the adjustable fastener comprises at least one of a hook-and-loop fastener, a wrist fastener, and a cam buckle.

5. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 4, wherein the adjustable fastener comprises the hook-and-loop fastener, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener comprises:

hooks placed on an inner surface and a first end portion of the adjustable armband; and

loops placed on an outer surface and a second end portion of the adjustable armband.

6. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 3, wherein the adjustable armband is about 12 inches long, and the hooks and the loops are about 3.5 inches long.

7. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 1, wherein the strap comprises a first layer and a second layer connected to each other at and extending between a first end and a second end of the strap, and

wherein the first end of the strap is connected to the connector.

8. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 7, wherein the strap comprises an adjusting unit that engages the strap, and

wherein a location of the adjusting unit on the strap defines a size of an opening surrounded by the strap.

9. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 8, wherein the adjusting unit comprises a sliding buckle, and

wherein the opening is enlarged when the sliding buckle is moved toward the first end of the strap, and the opening is shrunk when the sliding buckle is moved toward the second end of the strap.

10. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 7, wherein the strap is about 12 inches to about 24 inches long.

11. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 1, wherein the strap comprises at least one of a cam strap, a ring belt and a ratchet strap.

12. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a swivel connector.

13. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 12, wherein the swivel connector is at least one of a swivel ring connectors, a double-eye swivel ring, a bell-bearing swivel, and a swivel hoist ring.

14. The safety/anti-theft leash of claim 13, wherein the swivel connector is a swivel ring connector, which comprises:

a first ring connected to the adjustable armband;

a second ring connected to the strap; and

a swivel base coupled between the first ring and second ring, wherein the swivel base allows the first ring and the second ring to rotate independently from each other.

15. The mobile device comprising the safety/anti-theft leash of claim 1.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is at least one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, an e-book reader, a notebook computer, a personal navigation system, a portable media player, and a fitness tracking device.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the mobile device comprises a cover having a folding line, and the strap is placed to align with the folding line.

18. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the mobile device has a hinge line, and the strap is placed to align with the hinge line.