Holster for hand-held computer

• US 6,102,266 A
• Filed: 04/03/1997
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Chacon, Debbie A., Payne, deceased, Jeffrey Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Sholl, Linda J.
• Application Number:
  US08/826,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 224/661, 224/674, 224/675, 224/679, 224/930, 224/677, D 3/218, D 3/215, D 3/226
• US Class Current: 224/679
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/00 Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/14 Holders for spades, hatchets, or like implements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/93 Attached to animate bearer

Abstract

A holster assembly for a hand-held computer or other hand-held electronic device. The holster assembly has first and second holster sides connected together to define a receiving area with an open end and a substantially closed end opposite the open end. The open end is sized to allow the hand-held computer to be moved into and out of the receiving area between installed and removed positions. The first holster side is a molded, compressed foam structure having a first contoured surface shaped to substantially cover the first side portion when the hand-held computer is in the installed position. The second holster side is a molded, compressed foam structure having a second contoured surface facing the first contoured surface and being shaped to substantially cover the portion of the second side surface. A holster retaining strap is attached to the first holster side to allow the holster assembly to be retained on, as an example, the belt of a user or the like.

Claims

1. A holster assembly for a hand-held electronic device, the hand-held electronic device having contoured first and second side surfaces, comprising:

first and second holster sides integrally connected together to define a holster shape and a receiving area for receiving the hand-held electronic device therein, the receiving area having an open end sized to allow the hand-held electronic device to be moved into and out of the receiving area through the open end between the installed position and a removed position, the first holster side being a substantially stiff, molded, compressed foam structure having a first contoured surface shaped to substantially cover the portion of the first side surface when the hand-held electronic device is in the installed position, and the second holster side being a substantially stiff, molded, compressed foam structure having a second contoured surface facing the first contoured surface and being shaped to substantially cover the portion of the second side surface, the first and second holster sides having a stiffness and structural integrity so the first and second holster sides maintain the holster shape during use of the holster assembly, wherein the first holster side has a first panel portion that is spaced apart from the second holster side and that has a first edge portion spaced away from the open end of the receiving area, the first holster side has a guiding ramp that is connected to the first edge portion and that extends away from the first edge portion at a selected angle relative to a plane defined by the first panel portion, the guiding ramp being positioned to guide the hand-held electronic device into and out of the receiving area as the hand-held electronic device is moved between the installed and removed positions, the first holster side has a back wall panel spaced apart from the second holster side, the first holster side having a guiding ramp that is connected to the back wall panel and that defines a portion of the receiving area, the guiding ramp extends away from the back wall panel toward the second holster side at a selected angle relative to a plane defined by the back wall panel, the guiding ramp being shaped and positioned to engage a bottom portion of the hand-held electronic device and move the bottom portion of the hand-held electronic device toward the second holster side when the hand-held electronic device is moved from the removed position toward the installed position; and

a holster retaining member attached to one of the first and second holster sides.

2. The holster assembly of claim 1 wherein the first contoured surface of the first holster side is shaped to substantially cover all of the first side surface when the hand-held electronic device is in the installed position.

3. The holster assembly of claim 1 with the hand-held electronic device having control keys on the first side surface, and wherein the first holster side has a recessed portion positioned to receive the control keys therein, the recessed portion having a depth selected so the control keys are out of engagement with the first holster side when the hand-held electronic device is in the installed position.

4. The holster assembly of claim 1 with the hand-held electronic device having control keys on the first side surface, wherein the first holster side has a back wall portion and sidewall portions extending away from the back wall portion toward the second holster side, the back wall portion having a recessed portion therein facing the second holster side, the recessed portion being positioned and sized to receive the control keys of the hand-held electronic device therein when the hand-held electronic device is in the installed position so the first holster side is out of engagement with the control keys.

5. The holster assembly of claim 1 wherein the selected angle of the guiding ramp being in the range of approximately 40°

to 50°

, inclusive.

6. The holster assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second holster sides are molded foam structures with a polyethylene foam core and a fabric material covering surrounding the polyethylene foam core.

7. The holster assembly of claim 1 wherein the holster retaining member is a strap that is removably connectable to a user to retain the holster assembly in a selected position relative to the user.

8. The holster assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second holster sides are integrally connected together and formed from a unitary molded structure.

9. A holster assembly for a hand-held electronic device, the hand-held electronic device having contoured first and second side surfaces, comprising:

first and second holster sides integrally connected together to define a holster shape and a receiving area for receiving the hand-held electronic device therein, the receiving area having an open end sized to allow the hand-held electronic device to be moved into and out of the receiving area through the open end between the installed position and a removed position, the first holster side being a substantially stiff, molded, compressed foam structure having a first contoured surface shaped to substantially correspond to a shape of a portion of the first side surface and to substantially cover the portion of the first side surface when the hand-held electronic device is in the installed position, and the second holster side being a substantially stiff, molded, compressed foam structure having a second contoured surface facing the first contoured surface and being shaped to substantially cover the portion of the second side surface, the first and second holster sides having a stiffness and structural integrity so the first and second holster sides maintain the holster shape during use of the holster assembly wherein the first holster side has a first panel portion that is spaced apart from the second holster side and that has a first edge portion spaced away from the open end of the receiving area, the first holster side has a guiding ramp that is connected to the first edge portion and that extends away from the first edge portion at a selected angle relative to a plane defined by the first panel portion, the guiding ramp being positioned to guide the hand-held electronic device into and out of the receiving area as the hand-held electronic device is moved between the installed and removed positions, the first holster side has a back wall panel spaced apart from the second holster side, the first holster side having a guiding ramp that is connected to the back wall panel and that defines a portion of the receiving area, the guiding ramp extends away from the back wall panel toward the second holster side at a selected angle relative to a plane defined by the back wall panel, the guiding ramp being shaped and positioned to engage a bottom portion of the hand-held electronic device and move the bottom portion of the hand-held electronic device toward the second holster side when the hand-held electronic device is moved from the removed position toward the installed position, the selected angle of the guiding ramp being in the range of approximately 10°

to 20°

, inclusive; and

a holster retaining member attached to one of the first and second holster sides.