Clip assembly with lateral lock and interchangeable clip arm interface and method

• US 20060246963A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ballistic Products Limited
• Original Assignee: A.G. Findings and Mfg.
• Inventors: Tages, Fernando
• Granted Patent: US 7,409,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.100
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2200/0508 Portable audio devices, e.g. walkman, discman, radio, MP3 player, headphones
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/1391 Article held by clip with spring [e.g., leaf, coil] member

Abstract

The clip assembly includes a lateral lock and sometimes an interchangeable clip arm interface. The lateral lock in a receiving passage of the clip body cooperates with a button stem mounted on the cell phone or PED. The lock is sometimes a detent, spring operated ball. The button stem cooperates with releasable locking element. A clip arm on the main body can be attached to a belt or strap of the user. The method includes laterally interlocking the detent with the locking element on the button. An interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount permits interchangeably mounted clip arms on the main body.

Claims

1. A belt or strap clip assembly for a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device wherein said cellular telephone or personal electronic device carries a button stem thereon with an end face having first releasable locking element, the clip assembly comprising:

a main body defining a receiving passage adapted to removably retain said button stem and its associated cellular telephone or personal electronic device;

a detent configured as a spring operated ball defining a second releasable locking element complementary to said first releasable locking element, said detent located in said receiving passage on said main clip body; and

a clip arm mounted to said main body, said clip arm adapted to removably attach said clip assembly to said belt or strap.

2. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said detent is spring mounted to said main body by one of a single leg, two legs or three legs.

3. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses and said detent forces said ball into an adjacent recess.

4. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face and said detent is located in an edge region of said receiving passage on said main clip body.

5. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses and said detent forces said ball into an adjacent recess.

6. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face and said detent is located in an edge region of said receiving passage on said main clip body.

32. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said high and low mounts for said first and second clip arm elements are high and low with respect to said centrally located lateral axis.

7. A belt or strap clip assembly for a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device wherein said cellular telephone or personal electronic device carries a button stem thereon with an end face having first releasable locking element formed as at least one of a concave or convex locking element, the clip assembly comprising:

a main body defining a receiving passage adapted to removably retain said button stem and its associated cellular telephone or personal electronic device;

a spring mounted detent as a second releasable locking element complementary to said first releasable locking element, said detent being at least one of a complementary concave or convex locking element, and said detent located in said receiving passage on said main clip body; and

a clip arm mounted to said main body, said clip arm adapted to removably attach said clip assembly to said belt or strap.

8. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein said spring mounted detent is mounted to said main body by one of a single leg, two legs or three legs.

9. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein said first locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses and said detent is a convex locking element, said detent forces said convex locking element into an adjacent recess.

10. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face and said detent is located in an edge region of said receiving passage on said main clip body.

11. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein said first locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses and said detent is a convex locking element, said detent forces said convex locking element into an adjacent recess.

12. A clip assembly as claimed in claim 11 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face and said detent is located in an edge region of said receiving passage on said main clip body.

13. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device comprising:

a button adapted to be mounted to said cellular telephone or personal electronic device, said button having a button stem with an end face having first releasable locking element formed as at least one of a concave or convex locking element;

a clip assembly main body defining a receiving passage adapted to removably retain said button stem and its associated cellular telephone or personal electronic device;

a spring mounted detent as a second releasable locking element complementary to said first releasable locking element, said detent being at least one of a complementary concave or convex locking element, and said detent located in said receiving passage on said main clip body; and

a clip arm mounted to said main body, said clip arm adapted to removably attach said clip assembly to said belt or strap.

14. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 13 wherein said spring mounted detent is mounted to said main body by one of a single leg, two legs or three legs.

15. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 13 wherein said first locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses.

16. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 15 wherein said detent is a convex locking element, said detent forces said convex locking element into an adjacent recess.

17. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 15 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face.

18. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 17 wherein said detent is located in an edge region of said receiving passage on said main clip body.

19. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 14 wherein said first locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses and said detent is a convex locking element, said detent forces said convex locking element into an adjacent recess.

20. A system for attaching, to a user'"'"'s belt or strap, a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device as claimed in claim 19 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face and said detent is located in an edge region of said receiving passage on said main clip body.

21. A button attachment system for attaching a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device to a strap or belt clip assembly, said clip assembly having a main body defining a receiving passage, a detent releasable locking element located at or near said receiving passage, said detent releasable locking element being at least one of a complementary concave or convex locking element, the button attachment system comprising:

a button adapted to be mounted to said cellular telephone or personal electronic device, said button having a button stem with an end face having first releasable locking element formed as at least one of a concave or convex locking element which is complementary to said detent releasable locking element such that said button, and said cellular telephone or personal electronic device mounted thereto, is adapted to rotate with respect to said clip assembly due to the interlock between said detent releasable locking element and said between complementary first releasable locking element on said button.

22. A button attachment system as claimed in claim 21 wherein said button end face has a plurality of complementary first releasable locking elements formed thereon.

23. A button attachment system as claimed in claim 21 wherein said complementary first releasable locking element is a recess.

24. A button attachment system as claimed in claim 22 wherein said complementary first releasable locking elements are a plurality of recesses.

25. A button attachment system as claimed in claim 24 wherein said recesses are defined on a periphery of said button end face.

26. A button attachment system as claimed in claim 21 wherein said detent releasable locking element is a convex locking element and said complementary first releasable locking element on said button end face is a plurality of recesses which coact with said detent such that said convex locking element is forced into an adjacent recess on said button.

27. A method for laterally releasably locking a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device on a belt or strap clip assembly, wherein said cellular telephone or personal electronic device carries a button stem thereon with an end face having first releasable locking element formed as at least one of a concave or convex locking element, the method comprising:

capturing said button stem in a receiving passage in a main body of said clip assembly;

providing a spring mounted detent as a second releasable locking element complementary to said first releasable locking element, said detent located in said receiving passage on said main clip body;

during locking action, said detent providing a lateral locking force either laterally into said concave locking element or laterally retracting away from said convex locking element; and

during non-locking action while said button stem is captured in said receiving passage, said first releasable locking element not interlocked with said second releasable locking element; and

clipping said main body clip assembly to said belt or strap.

28. A method for laterally releasably locking a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device on a belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 27 wherein said clip assembly has a front side and a rear side, and said receiving passage is located on said front side and the clipping action onto said belt of strap occurs on said rear side, said button stem carried by said cellular telephone or personal electronic device protruding from a rear side of said cellular telephone or personal electronic device, the method including providing said spring mounted detent with lateral spring force action permitting spring action between said rear side of said cellular telephone or personal electronic device and said front side of said clip assembly.

29. A belt or strap clip assembly for a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device comprising:

a main body having a first side adapted to removably retain and carry said cellular telephone or personal electronic device in a receiving passage, said receiving passage having a centrally located lateral axis therethrough, said main body having a second backside;

said main body defining either a tongue or a groove mounting element at said backside;

a first and a second clip arm element each having a longitudinal center plane therethrough, each of said first and second clip arm elements respectively defining a complement of said tongue or groove mounting element such that a respective one of said clip arm elements is mounted to said main body via an interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount;

said first clip arm element and said second clip arm element forming respective downwardly open U-shaped clip spaces with corresponding first and second spacial clip spaces, said first spacial clip spaces shifted downward with respect to said second spacial clip spaces such that, when said first clip arm element is mounted via said interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount, said clip assembly is high with respect to said belt or strap, and when said second clip arm element is mounted via said interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount, said clip assembly is low with respect to said belt or strap.

30. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 29 including a third clip arm element forming a respective downwardly open U-shaped clip space with a corresponding third spacial clip space, said first, second and third spacial clip spaces shifted progressively downward with respect to each other such that, when a respective clip arm element is mounted via said interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount, said clip assembly is high, medium and low with respect to said belt or strap.

31. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 30 wherein said first, second and third clip arm elements are interchangeable on said main body tongue or groove mounting element.

33. A belt or strap clip assembly for a cellular telephone or a personal electronic device comprising:

a main clip body having a first side adapted to removably retain and carry said cellular telephone or personal electronic device in a receiving passage, said main body having a second backside;

said main body defining either a tongue or a groove mounting element at said backside;

a first clip arm element having a first downwardly open U-shaped clip space;

a second clip arm element having a second downwardly open U-shaped clip space, said first and second clip spaces being different;

each of said first and second clip arm elements respectively defining a complement of said tongue or groove mounting element such that a respective one of said clip arm elements is mounted to said main body via an interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount; and

,

in a first mode with said main body coupled to said first clip arm element via said interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount, said clip assembly operative with said first downwardly open U-shaped clip space, and, in a second mode with said main body coupled to said second clip arm element via said interleaved, complementary tongue and groove mount, said clip assembly operative with said second downwardly open U-shaped clip space.

34. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 33 wherein said first and second clip spaces being different in one of an open volume shape, a clip span length and lateral span depth.

35. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 33 wherein said first and second clip arms are interchangeable on said main body.

36. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 33 including a third clip arm with a third different downwardly open U-shaped clip space and said complement of said tongue or groove mounting element defined thereon such that said third clip arm is interchangeable with respect to said first and second clip arms on said main body.

37. A belt or strap clip assembly as claimed in claim 36 wherein said first, second and third clip spaces are different in one of an open volume shape, a clip span length and lateral span depth.