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Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an installation
device for a vehicle is disclosed which in particular is for the
releasable mounting of a handheld mobile phone. The installation
device is designed with a housing (2) which is opened toward the
front and is to be arranged on a receiving shaft of a vehicle part
(1), such as an instrument panel, console, or the like, with a carrying
part (16) which can be pivoted into, and out of, the housing (2)
via a substantially vertically aligned axis of rotation (5), with
a bearing plate (7) which is arranged on the carrying part (16)
and is intended for the mobile phone (12) when the carrying part
(16) has been pivoted out of the housing (2), and with a substantially
horizontally aligned pivot axis (11) between the carrying part (16)
and a bearing plate (7).
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An installation device for the releasable mounting of a handheld
mobile phone in a vehicle, said installation device comprising:
a housing having an open end engagable in a receiving shaft of
the vehicle;
a carrying part pivotally attached to the housing such that the
carrying part is pivotal into, and out of, the housing about a substantially
vertically aligned axis of rotation; and
a bearing plate adapted to support the mobile phone when the carrying
part has been pivoted out of the housing, said bearing plate being
pivotally attached to the carrying part about a substantially horizontally
aligned pivot axis.
2. The installation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the substantially
vertically aligned axis of rotation is located in a front corner
region of the housing.
3. The installation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bearing
plate is movable into an oblique position counter to the force of
a restoring spring.
4. The installation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the length
of the bearing plate is less than the length of the mobile phone.
5. The installation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bearing
plate has a stop at its free end for supporting the mobile phone.
6. The installation device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising
buffers laterally arranged on the carrying part to support the mobile
phone.
7. The installation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when
the carrying part has been pivoted into the housing, the housing
opening is closed off by a first screen, which is formed rigidly
with the carrying part, and by a second screen, which is articulated
on the housing in the region of the vertical axis of rotation about
a substantially horizontally aligned axis of rotation.
8. The installation device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising
a run-on slope arranged on the carrying part engagable with the
second screen to pivot the second screen into an open position.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to an installation device for
a vehicle and, more particularly, to a releasable mounting for a
handheld mobile phone.
2. Discussion
Various arrangements and installation devices have been previously
used for securing a mobile phone within a motor vehicle. One such
arrangement is disclosed by DE 195 39 784 C2. This reference in
particular discloses the releasable mounting of a handheld phone
and provides a receiving compartment which is guided in a longitudinally
movable manner in a housing open toward the front and is intended
for a handheld phone retained in a clamping manner by the receiving
compartment. The receiving compartment comprises two compartment
parts which are arranged one behind the other in the axial direction
and are of different lengths, of which the longer compartment part
serves for receiving the handheld phone in a suitable manner and
can be drawn out of the housing to the full extent and is connected
to the shorter compartment which remains permanently in the housing
via a hinge and can be pivoted perpendicularly with respect to the
slide direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, it is
an object of the present invention to make available an installation
device which is simplified in relation to, and of considerably smaller
dimensions than, the above referenced apparatus and others in the
field of use.
In accordance with the teachings of a preferred embodiment of the
present invention, a device is provided which makes it possible
to position a mobile phone in the use position in order to ensure
quick access to the phone, to provide a well suited central storage
area, to bring the mobile display and the key pad into a position
in which they can be seen, to aid hands free talking by the proximity
of the holder position, to avoid slipping of the mobile phone during
travel, to make it more difficult for one to forget the mobile phone
when one is leaving the vehicle, and generally to render telephoning
from inside ones vehicle, if not entirely avoidable, then safer
by the design of the surroundings and a reduction in the amount
of holding on the part of the driver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent
to one skilled in the art upon reading the following specification
and by reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front view of the installation device made in accordance
with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the installation device in the not-in-use
position;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the installation device in the use position;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view generally taken along lines I--I in
FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the installation device of the
present invention fitted with a mobile phone and shown in the in
use position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The following description of the preferred embodiment is merely
exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,
or its application, or uses.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a vehicle part 1, which may
be a cockpit or center console neck or the like, with an installation
unit arranged on a receiving shaft of said neck. Of the installation
unit, it is possible to see the frame of a housing 2 and the front
subdivided into two screens 3 and 4.
The installation device comprises the housing 2 and a carrying
part 16 which can be pivoted into the housing 2 (shown in FIGS.
1 and 2), and
pivoted out of the housing 2 (shown in FIGS. 3-5), via a substantially
vertically aligned axis of rotation 5. Arranged on the carrying
part 16 is a bearing plate 7 on which a mobile phone 12 can be deposited
when the bearing plate 7 is located in the position in which it
has been pivoted out of the housing 2. The bearing plate 7 is articulated
on the carrying part 16 by a substantially horizontally aligned
pivot axis 11. The pivoted-down, oblique position of the bearing
plate 7 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is approximately 45 degrees
from horizontal, which has proven to be optimum for the positioning
of the mobile phone 12. The oblique position is brought about by
the mobile phone 12 being placed in such a position or being placed
in the position by its own weight. The force of a restoring spring
13 tries to transfer the bearing plate 7 into a horizontal position
thereby allowing the carrying part 16 to be guided back into the
housing 2.
Located at the free end of the bearing plate, which is considerably
shorter than the length of most commercially available mobile phones
12, is a stop 9 for supporting the mobile phone 12. For supporting
the mobile phone 12 laterally, use is made of buffers 8 which are
arranged on the carrying part 16 to the left and right lateral portions
along side the bearing plate 7.
The previously mentioned screens 3 and 4 are used for closing off
the housing opening in the not-in-use position of the installation
device. In the present embodiment, the screen 3 is connected rigidly
to the carrying part 16. For example, the carrying part 16 and the
screen 3 can be formed as an integral plastic injection molded piece.
The screen 4, in contrast, is a separate component, which is connected
to the housing 2 via an axis of rotation 6. The axis of rotation
6 is adjacent to the top border region of the screen 4, with the
result that, on account of its own weight, the screen tries to assume
its covering position. For the purposes of opening the screen 4,
use is made of a run-on slope 10 which is arranged on the carrying
part 16 and, when the carrying part 16 is pivoted open, moves through
the free space 15 and then against the rear side of the screen 4.
The axis of rotation 5 is positioned in a front corner region of
the housing 2, with the result that there is a relatively large
pivoting region for the carrying part 16. The pivot axis 11 is arranged
on the carrying part 16, adjacent to the screen 3.
In order to increase the ease of operation of the present invention,
the installation device may be provided with an automatic opening
mechanism known within the art. Tip-matic or push-push mechanisms
are just two of the means currently known in the art. A push-point
indicator, designated by 14 in FIG. 1, is used in conjunction with
such a mechanism.
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes a preferred embodiment
of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize
from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims,
that various changes, modifications, and variations can be made
therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of
the invention as defined in the following claims. |