Frictional holding pad with inclinded grip

• US 8,851,349 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Handstands Promo, LLC (Handstands Products Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Covers
• Inventors: Wheatley, Alan J., Craig, Bryce
• Primary Examiner(s): Waggenspack, Adam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vanterpool, Lester L
• Application Number:
  US13/940,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20130292440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 224/483, 224/277, 224/278, 224/929, 224/571, 108/43, 108/44, 296/97.3, 296/97.7, 296/97.9, 428/40.1, 428/41.3, 428/42.1, 428/156, 428/158, 428/160, 428/192, 428/194, 428/922
• US Class Current: 224/483
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0005 Dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0077 using adhesive means, e.g. hook and loop fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/06 mounted on or below dashboards

Abstract

A frictional pad has a pair of inclined slots in a pair of sidewalls to hold a handheld electronic device at an incline with respect to the pad. The pad can also have a squat dome.

Claims

1. A frictional pad in combination with an upward facing support surface of a dashboard or consol of a vehicle upon which the frictional pad is disposed and upon which a cell phone, GPS or digital music player is selectively disposed and held in a non-adhesive, non-slip, tacky fashion by the frictional pad, the frictional pad comprising:

a) top and bottom surfaces, the bottom surface having a lowermost contact surface that is disposed on the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle;

b) a pair of opposite sidewalls extending upward on opposite sides of the pad;

c) a pair of inclined slots each formed in a different one of the pair of sidewalls oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the pad and laterally aligned with respect to one another;

d) the cell phone, GPS or digital music player removably disposable on and frictionally clinging to an uppermost contact surface of the pad;

e) the cell phone, GPS or digital music player removably disposable in the pair of slots and held inclined with respect to the pad or uppermost contact surface thereof by the pair of sidewalls;

f) the pair of opposite sidewalls form a portion of a perimeter wall surrounding a majority of the pad; and

g) the perimeter wall includes a front wall with an elevational height less than an elevational height of the pair of sidewalls.

2. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the pair of inclined slots are located midway along a length of the pair of sidewalls.

3. The combination in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

teeth formed in the pair of sidewalls and facing into the pair of slots and engaging the cell phone, GPS or digital music player.

4. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the pad is flexible and bends at the pair of slots to increase a width of each of the pair of slots, and to decrease the width of each of the slots.

5. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the pair of slots are inclined with respect to the pad between 45 and 85 degrees from the pad.

6. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the lowermost contact surface of the pad frictionally clings to the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle.

7. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the lowermost contact surface of the pad frictionally is adhered to the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle with a repositionable adhesive film releasably and repositionably adhered to the upward facing support surface.

8. The combination in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

at least a substantial portion of the top surface being a contoured top surface with a plurality of separate and discrete indentations extending into the pad and having an uppermost contact surface.

9. The combination in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a polyurethane squat dome affixed to the top surface of the pad and having a continuous outward facing surface with a majority being continuous, smooth and parallel with the pad or uppermost contact surface and extending higher than the uppermost contact surface.

10. The combination in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the lowermost contact surface between the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle and the pad has a substantially greater surface area than the uppermost contact surface between the cell phone, GPS or digital music player and the pad.

11. A frictional pad device configured to be disposed upon an upward facing support surface of a dashboard or consol of a vehicle, and configured to have a cell phone, GPS or digital music player selectively disposed thereon, the frictional pad comprising:

a) top and bottom surfaces, the bottom surface having a lowermost contact surface configured to be disposed on the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle;

b) a pair of opposite sidewalls extending upward on opposite sides of the pad;

c) a pair of inclined slots each formed in a different one of the pair of sidewalls oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the pad and laterally aligned with respect to one another;

d) the cell phone, GPS or digital music player capable of being removably disposed in the pair of slots and held inclined with respect to the pad or uppermost contact surface thereof by the pair of sidewalls; and

e) the pad being flexible and bendable at the pair of slots to increase a width of each of the pair of slots, and to decrease the width of each of the slots.

12. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

the pair of inclined slots are located intermediate along a length of the pair of sidewalls.

13. The device in accordance with claim 11, further comprising:

teeth formed in the pair of sidewalls and facing into the pair of slots and configured to engage the cell phone, GPS or digital music player.

14. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

the pair of slots are inclined with respect to the pad between 45 and 85 degrees from the pad.

15. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

the pair of opposite sidewalls form a portion of a perimeter wall surrounding a majority of the pad; and

the perimeter wall includes a front wall with an elevational height less than an elevational height of the pair of sidewalls.

16. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

the lowermost contact surface of the pad is capable of frictionally clinging to the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle.

17. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

the lowermost contact surface of the pad is capable of being adhered to the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle with a repositionable adhesive film releasably and repositionably adhered to the upward facing support surface.

18. The device in accordance with claim 11, further comprising:

at least a substantial portion of the top surface being a contoured top surface with a plurality of separate and discrete indentations extending into the pad and having an uppermost contact surface.

19. The device in accordance with claim 11, further comprising:

a polyurethane squat dome affixed to the top surface of the pad and having a continuous outward facing surface with a majority being continuous, smooth and parallel with the pad or uppermost contact surface and extending higher than the uppermost contact surface.

20. A frictional pad in combination with an upward facing support surface of a dashboard or consol of a vehicle upon which the frictional pad is disposed and upon which a cell phone, GPS or digital music player is selectively disposed and held in a non-adhesive, non-slip, tacky fashion by the frictional pad, the frictional pad comprising:

a) top and bottom surfaces, the bottom surface having a lowermost contact surface that is disposed on the upward facing support surface of the dashboard or console of the vehicle;

b) a pair of opposite sidewalls extending upward on opposite sides of the pad;

c) a pair of inclined slots each formed in a different one of the pair of sidewalls oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the pad and laterally aligned with respect to one another;

d) the cell phone, GPS or digital music player removably disposable on and frictionally clinging to an uppermost contact surface of the pad;

e) the cell phone, GPS or digital music player removably disposable in the pair of slots and held inclined with respect to the pad or uppermost contact surface thereof by the pair of sidewalls; and

f) the pad being flexible and bending at the pair of slots to increase a width of each of the pair of slots to receive the cell phone, GPS or digital music player therein, and to decrease the width of each of the slots to grip the cell phone, GPS or digital music player therein.

21. The combination in accordance with claim 20, further comprising:

teeth formed in the pair of sidewalls and facing into the pair of slots and engaging the cell phone, GPS or digital music player.

22. The device in accordance with claim 20, wherein:

the pair of opposite sidewalls form a portion of a perimeter wall surrounding a majority of the pad; and

the perimeter wall includes a front wall with an elevational height less than an elevational height of the pair of sidewalls.

23. The combination in accordance with claim 20, further comprising:

a polyurethane squat dome affixed to the top surface of the pad and having a continuous outward facing surface with a majority being continuous, smooth and parallel with the pad or uppermost contact surface and extending higher than the uppermost contact surface.