Phone holder

• US 6,339,699 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1998
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Tetsuji, Sugimoto, Masashi, Hiura, Yasuhiro, Tsutsumi, Yuichiro, Hirai, Hiroki, Sakai, Shigeki, Sakai, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, PABLO N
• Application Number:
  US09/153,897
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/575, 455/89, 455/100, 455/345-349, 455/351, 379/426, 379/446, 379/449, 379/455, 379/454, 379/428, 379/433
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0075 using a containment or docking space
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers

Abstract

A phone holder for holding a mobile phone in a connected state with a holder connector. The phone holder has a fixed casing and a movable casing. The movable casing is mounted with the holder connector and formed with a hollow portion therein. The movable casing is mounted on the fixed casing and is settable between a housed position and a detachable position. When set at the detachable position, the hollow portion of the movable casing is accessible to enable insertion of the mobile phone in the movable casing in the connecting direction with the holder connector.

Claims

1. A phone holder for holding a mobile phone comprising:

a movable casing formed with a hollow portion adapted for receiving the mobile phone;

a holder connector mounted on the movable casing at such a position as to be connectable with the mobile phone when the mobile phone is inserted in the movable casing wherein the holder connector includes a connector locking mechanism having a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holder connector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable upon receiving the external pressing force to switch the locking member between a lock position and an unlock position, and further comprising a connector operator for operating the operable member to set the locking member at the unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachable position and set the locking member at the lock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position; and

a fixed casing for supporting the movable casing,

the movable casing settable between a housed position where the movable casing is housed in the fixed casing along with the mobile phone and a detachable position where the hollow portion is accessible to allow insertion of the mobile phone with the holder connector and ejection of the mobile phone.

2. The phone holder as defined in claim 1 further comprising a biasing member for biasing the movable casing toward the detachable position, and a locking mechanism for locking the movable casing and the mobile phone at the housed position against a biasing force of the biasing member and releasing the locked state upon application of an external force.

3. The phone holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the movable casing is pivotally connected to the fixed casing about a rear end of the movable casing that is opposite to an opening end of the hollow portion.

4. The phone holder as defined in claim 3, wherein the holder connector includes the connector locking mechanism having a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holder connector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable upon receiving the external pressing force to switch the locking member between a lock position and an unlock position, and further comprising a connector operator for operating the operable member to set the locking member to the unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachable position and to set the locking member to the lock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position.

5. The phone holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the movable casing and the fixed casing are so constructed as to restrict a movement of the mobile phone in a direction away from the holder connector when the movable casing is set at the housed position.

6. The phone holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the movable casing includes a main body formed with the hollow portion to set the holder connector and a cover mounted on the main body to cover the holder connector set in the main body of the movable casing, the cover and the main body holding the holder connector therebetween when the cover is mounted on the main body.

7. The phone holder as defined in claim 6, wherein at least one of the main body and the cover of the movable casing is provided with a connector stopper for restricting a movement of the holder connector along a connecting direction by an engagement with the holder connector, and the engaged state of the holder connector with the connector stopper is retained when the cover is mounted on the main body of the movable casing.

8. The phone holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the movable casing is formed with a recess at a bottom wall thereof to receive a bulged portion formed on a plane of the mobile phone opposing to the bottom wall.

9. The phone holder as defined in claim 8, wherein the recess of the movable casing is formed in such a shape as to fit the bulged portion of the mobile phone in a one-size-fits-all manner, the bulged portion being different in a projected amount from a flat bottom plane of the mobile phone due to a type of battery to be loaded therein.

10. The phone holder as defined in claim 8, wherein the movable casing has a bottom wall and side walls to form an opening opened upward and in a front direction, the holder connector is provided at a rear position of the movable casing to be connectable with the mobile phone in a phone connecting direction, the movable casing is formed at the rear position on the side wall with a cover in such a shape as to cover part of the mobile phone to prevent the mobile phone from obliquely connected to and detached from the holder connector.

11. The phone holder as defined in claim 8, wherein the movable casing has a bottom wall and side walls to form an opening opened upward and in a front direction, the holder connector is provided at a rear position of the movable casing to be connectable with the mobile phone in the phone connecting direction, the recess of the movable casing is shaped into a stepped portion with a level thereof higher toward the holder connector to secure an abutment of a leading end of the mobile phone with the stepped portion so as to prevent the mobile phone from intruding further rearward of the movable casing over the stepped portion.

12. The phone holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the movable casing has a bottom wall and side walls to form an opening opened upward and in a front direction, the holder connector is provided at a rear position of the movable casing to be connectable with the mobile phone in a phone connecting direction, the movable casing is formed at a rear position on the side wall with a cover in such a shape as to cover part of a top portion of the mobile phone to prevent the mobile phone from obliquely connected to and detached from the holder connector.

13. A phone holder for holding a mobile phone comprising:

a movable casing formed with a hollow portion adapted for receiving the mobile phone;

a holder connector mounted on the movable casing at such a position as to be connectable with the mobile phone when the mobile phone is inserted in the movable casing; and

a fixed casing for supporting the movable casing,

the movable casing settable between a housed position where the movable casing is housed in the fixed casing along with the mobile phone and a detachable position where the hollow portion is accessible to allow insertion of the mobile phone with the holder connector and ejection of the mobile phone, wherein the movable casing is pivotally connected to the fixed casing about a rear end of the movable casing that is opposite to an opening end of the hollow portion, and

wherein the rear end of the movable casing is integrally formed with a pair of pivot shafts extending in a lateral direction, and the fixed casing is formed with a cutaway opened upward to receive the pivot shaft from bottom so that the fixed casing rotatably supports the movable casing about the pivot shaft when the pivot shaft is fitted in a bottom end of the cutaway.

14. A phone holder for holding a mobile phone comprising:

a movable casing formed with a hollow portion adapted for receiving the mobile phone;

a holder connector mounted on the movable casing at such a position as to be connectable with the mobile phone when the mobile phone is inserted in the movable casing wherein the holder connector includes the connector locking mechanism having a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holder connector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable upon receiving the external pressing force to switch the locking member between a lock position and an unlock position; and

further comprising a connector operator for operating the operable member to set the locking member to the unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachable position and to set the locking member to the lock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position, wherein the connector operator includes a connector operating member integrally formed with the fixed casing and protruding inward from an inner wall of the fixed casing, the connector operating member formed into such a shape as to change the operable member to set the locking member at the unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachable position and set the locking member at the lock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position; and

a fixed casing for supporting the movable casing,

the movable casing settable between a housed position where the movable casing is housed in the fixed casing along with the mobile phone and a detachable position where the hollow portion is accessible to allow insertion of the mobile phone with the holder connector and ejection of the mobile phone, wherein the movable casing is pivotally connected to the fixed casing about a rear end of the movable casing that is opposite to an opening end of the hollow portion.

15. A phone holder for holding a mobile phone comprising:

a movable casing formed with a hollow portion adapted for receiving the mobile phone;

a holder connector mounted on the movable casing at such a position as to be connectable with the mobile phone when the mobile phone is inserted in the movable casing; and

a fixed casing for supporting the movable casing,

the movable casing settable between a housed position where the movable casing is housed in the fixed casing along with the mobile phone and a detachable position where the hollow portion is accessible to allow insertion of the mobile phone with the holder connector and ejection of the mobile phone,

wherein the movable casing is pivotally connected to the fixed casing about a rear end of the movable casing that is opposite to an opening end of the hollow portion,

wherein the holder connector includes the connector locking mechanism having a locking member for retaining the connected state of the holder connector with the mobile phone and an operable member operable upon receiving the external pressing force to switch the locking member between a lock position and an unlock position; and

further comprising a connector operator for operating the operable member to set the locking member to the unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachable position and to set the locking member to the lock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position, wherein the connector operator includes a movable member movable between an operable position to render the operable member operable and a retracted position away from the operable position toward outside of the movable casing, and a guide member is formed in an inner wall of the fixed casing to move the movable member to set the locking member at the unlock position when the movable casing is set at the detachable position and set the locking member at the lock position when the movable casing is set at the housed position.