Plastic mount system for cellular phone or personal electronic device attachment

• US 20050232413A1
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A.G. Findings and Mfg.
• Original Assignee: A.G. Findings and Mfg.
• Inventors: Tages, Fernando, Goradesky, Harold S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/450
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2005/026 with a pin having an enlarged head detachably connected to a fastening device, e.g. to a pin receiving slot
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2200/0516 Portable handheld communication devices, e.g. mobile phone, pager, beeper, PDA, smart phone
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/02 Fastening articles to the garment
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/021 to the belt
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers

Abstract

The clip-mount operates with a button sub-mount system and includes a body defining a locking cavity for the button and a resilient locking tongue therein. The tongue biases the button into a locking position with a cam surface. A movable cam actuator on the body includes another cam surface which coacts with the first cam permitting the tongue to flex or unlock. An enhancement includes both an unlocking cam and a second locking cam structure. The method includes biasing the button to a locking position and moving one cam over another thereby flexing the tongue from a locked to a button release position. The actuator maybe biased outboard or upward via a plastic spring on the actuator-plunger. A plastic leaf spring may be provided between a clip arm and the button clip mount body. A lock or latch may lock on the actuator-plunger.

Claims

1. A clip mount for a cell phone or personal electronic device attachment system with a button mount, said clip mount comprising:

a body defining a complementary locking cavity for said button;

a resilient locking tongue extending within said body into said locking cavity and adapted to bias said button into a locking position in said locking cavity, said resilient locking tongue having at a cam surface; and

a cam actuator movably mounted on said body and having a cam actuator surface coacting with said cam surface wherein, in a first actuator position, said resilient locking tongue is adapted to bias said button into said locking position and, in a second actuator position, said cam actuator surface acts on said cam surface and forces said resilient locking tongue out of said locking position to release said button.

2. A clip mount as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam actuator is biased towards said first position.

3. A clip mount as claimed in claim 2 wherein said body is generally rectangular and said cam actuator is elongated and moves longitudinally in said rectangular body.

4. A clip mount as claimed in claim 3 including a resilient member, disposed between said cam actuator and said body, biasing said cam actuator towards said first position.

5. A clip mount as claimed in claim 4 wherein resilient member is a plastic and said body, tongue and cam actuator are plastic.

6. A clip mount as claimed in claim 5 wherein the entire clip mount is plastic.

7. A clip mount as claimed in claim 4 wherein said resilient member is a flexible leg mounted in said body and said cam actuator includes a stop coacting with said flexible leg.

8. A clip mount as claimed in claim 4 wherein said resilient member is a flexible leg mounted on said cam actuator and said body includes a stop coacting with said flexible leg.

9. A clip mount as claimed in claim 1 including a locking latch between said cam actuator and said body.

10. A clip mount as claimed in claim 9 wherein said locking latch includes a flexible stem mounted to said body and a latch surface, said cam actuator including a latch interface coacting with said latch surface and limiting movement of said cam actuator when said latch interface is adjacent said latch surface.

11. A clip mount as claimed in claim 10 wherein said resilient tongue and said cam actuator are plastic.

12. A clip mount as claimed in claim 10 wherein said body has proximal upper end and a distal lower end, said body is generally rectangular and said cam actuator is elongated and moves longitudinally in said rectangular body, said cam actuator having an actuator proximal end which extends above the body'"'"'s proximal end, said locking latch having a user actuation surface disposed on said stem which extends above said actuator proximal end.

13. A clip mount as claimed in claim 8 including a locking latch between said cam actuator and said body.

14. A clip mount as claimed in claim 13 wherein said locking latch includes a flexible stem mounted to said body and a latch surface, said cam actuator including a latch interface coacting with said latch surface and limiting movement of said cam actuator when said latch interface is adjacent said latch surface.

15. A clip mount as claimed in claim 14 wherein said body has proximal upper end and a distal lower end, said cam actuator having an actuator proximal end which extends above the body'"'"'s proximal end, said locking latch having a user actuation surface disposed on said stem which extends above said actuator proximal end.

16. A clip mount as claimed in claim 1 including a plastic leaf spring formed as a hook with a fore end, a curvaceous mid-section and an elongated leg member, said fore end mounted to said main body, said leg member having a proximal pivot member and a distal leg region;

and

a clip arm having a capture channel for said distal leg region and a complementary pivot member coacting with said proximal pivot member such that said main body pivots with respect to said clip arm and said elongated leg member bows.

17. A clip mount as claimed in claim 15 including a plastic leaf spring formed as a hook with a fore end, a curvaceous mid-section and an elongated leg member, said fore end mounted to said main body, said leg member having a proximal pivot member and a distal leg region;

and

a clip arm having a capture channel for said distal leg region and a complementary pivot member coacting with said proximal pivot member such that said main body pivots with respect to said clip arm and said elongated leg member bows.

18. A clip mount for a cell phone or personal electronic device attachment system with a button mount, said clip mount comprising:

a body defining a locking cavity for said button;

a resilient locking tongue disposed in said locking cavity adapted to bias said button into a locking position in said locking cavity, said resilient locking tongue having a first and a second cam surface; and

a cam actuator movably mounted within said body and having a first and a second cam actuator surface respectively coacting with said first and second cam surfaces wherein,

in a first actuator position, said second cam actuator surface and said second cam surface biases said resilient locking tongue to lock said button into said locking position and,

in a second actuator position, said first cam actuator surface and said first cam surface move said resilient locking tongue and unlock and release said button.

19. A clip mount as claimed in claim 18 wherein said cam actuator is biased towards said first position.

20. A clip mount as claimed in claim 19 wherein said body is generally rectangular and said cam actuator is elongated and moves longitudinally in said rectangular body.

21. A clip mount as claimed in claim 20 including a resilient member, disposed between said cam actuator and said body, biasing said cam actuator towards said first position.

22. A clip mount as claimed in claim 21 wherein resilient member is a plastic and said body, tongue and cam actuator are plastic.

23. A clip mount as claimed in claim 22 wherein the entire clip mount is plastic.

24. A clip mount as claimed in claim 21 wherein said resilient member is a flexible leg mounted in said body and said cam actuator includes a stop coacting with said flexible leg.

25. A clip mount as claimed in claim 21 wherein said resilient member is a flexible leg mounted on said cam actuator and said body includes a stop coacting with said flexible leg.

26. A clip mount as claimed in claim 18 including a locking latch between said cam actuator and said body.

27. A clip mount as claimed in claim 26 wherein said locking latch includes a flexible stem mounted to said body and a latch surface, said cam actuator including a latch interface coacting with said latch surface and limiting movement of said cam actuator when said latch interface is adjacent said latch surface.

28. A clip mount as claimed in claim 27 wherein said body has proximal upper end and a distal lower end, said body is generally rectangular and said cam actuator is elongated and moves longitudinally in said rectangular body, said cam actuator having an actuator proximal end which extends above the body'"'"'s proximal end, said locking latch having a user actuation surface disposed on said stem which extends above said actuator proximal end.

29. A clip mount as claimed in claim 25 including a locking latch between said cam actuator and said body.

30. A clip mount as claimed in claim 29 wherein said locking latch includes a flexible stem mounted to said body and a latch surface, said cam actuator including a latch interface coacting with said latch surface and limiting movement of said cam actuator when said latch interface is adjacent said latch surface.

31. A clip mount as claimed in claim 30 wherein said body has proximal upper end and a distal lower end, said cam actuator having an actuator proximal end which extends above the body'"'"'s proximal end, said locking latch having a user actuation surface disposed on said stem which extends above said actuator proximal end.

32. A clip mount as claimed in claim 18 including a plastic leaf spring formed as a hook with a fore end, a curvaceous mid-section and an elongated leg member, said fore end mounted to said main body, said leg member having a proximal pivot member and a distal leg region;

and

a clip arm having a capture channel for said distal leg region and a complementary pivot member coacting with said proximal pivot member such that said main body pivots with respect to said clip arm and said elongated leg member bows.

33. A clip mount as claimed in claim 31 including a plastic leaf spring formed as a hook with a fore end, a curvaceous mid-section and an elongated leg member, said fore end mounted to said main body, said leg member having a proximal pivot member and a distal leg region;

and

a clip arm having a capture channel for said distal leg region and a complementary pivot member coacting with said proximal pivot member such that said main body pivots with respect to said clip arm and said elongated leg member bows.

34. A method of mounting an attachment system with a protruding button mount onto a clip mount comprising:

providing a clip mount body defining a complementary locking cavity for said button and a resilient locking tongue disposed in said complementary locking cavity;

biasing said button into a locking position in said locking cavity;

providing a sloped cam surface on said resilient locking tongue;

moving a second cam surface over the locking tongue cam surface thereby flexing said resilient locking tongue from a first locking position to a second button release position;

controllably locking and latching said second cam surface in said locking position.