WO2003047220A1

WO2003047220A1 - Improvements in or relating to a support structure for a mobile communications device

Info

Publication number: WO2003047220A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/044193
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Nuovo; Jonathan Dry; Sheldon Phillips; John Etheridge
Original assignee: Vertu Ltd.
Priority date: 2001-11-27
Filing date: 2001-11-27
Publication date: 2003-06-05
Also published as: AU2002232431A1

Abstract

The invention provides a support structure (1) for a mobile communications device (100) comprising a base section (20) and a lateral support member (30), wherein the lateral support member (30) is arranged to extend from the base section (20) and provide substantial lateral support to a mobile communications device (100) by engaging with a side (101) of the mobile communications device. Such a support structure (1) holds a mobile communications device (100) without requiring obstruction of the front/rear faces of the mobile communications device (100).

Description

Improvements in or relating to a Support Structure for a Mobile Communications Device

The invention relates to a support structure for a mobile communications device. The basic function of the support structure is to hold the mobile communications device when the mobile communications device is not on the move. Conveniently, such support structures often have the facility to recharge the mobile communications device, and are often configured to provide support to the mobile communications device in a vehicle or on a desktop. So-called mobile telephone cradles are within the scope of the present invention.

A mobile communications device within the context of this invention is any portable electronic device which allows the user of the device to interface directly with another electronic device or indirectly with another user via another electronic device. Included are mobile telephones, and so-called Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).

The present invention provides a support structure for a mobile communications device comprising a base section and a lateral support member, wherein the lateral support member is arranged to extend from the base section and provide substantial lateral support to a mobile communications device by engaging with a side of the mobile communications device.

In the case where the mobile communications device comprises a keypad and/or microphone on its front face, and speaker on its rear face, this arrangement, whilst still supporting the mobile communications device, does not cover up the front and rear faces of the mobile communications device and thus allows a user to still make full use of the mobile communications device. So, for example, it will still be possible to use the mobile communications device in a "hands-free" mode without the sound to/from the mobile communications device being substantially affected by coverage over the front/rear of the mobile communications device. Furthermore, the user will have un-restricted access to the keypad on the front face of the mobile communications device.

Preferably, the support structure comprises two lateral support members arranged to independently extend from the base section and spaced apart by a distance to hold a mobile communications device therebetween, wherein the lateral support members are arranged to provide substantial lateral support to a mobile communications device held between the lateral support members by engagement of the lateral support members with respective sides of a mobile communications device.

The term "independently extending" is used to define support members which do not require any cross-member reinforcement to provide rigidity to the support members. However, one or more cross-members, or some other form of minimal connection between the two lateral support members may be provided for aesthetic purposes. The lateral support members provide substantial lateral support to the mobile communications device without the requirement for any reinforcing cross-members, and thus provides an arrangement which leaves the front and rear faces of the mobile communications device substantially open whilst still providing considerable lateral support to the mobile communications device. Lateral support may support such that the mobile communications device is restricted in side to side, front-back motion and/or rotational motion.

The base section may extend in the direction of the lateral support members to provide some degree of lateral support at the base of the mobile communications device. However, although the base section may be arranged to provide some degree of lateral support, lateral support is mainly provided by the lateral support members and the main purpose of the base section is to support the weight of the mobile communications device.

In one embodiment of the support structure, a small portion of the lateral support members towards the base section are joined. Preferably, the or each lateral support member has a profile arranged to conform to the profile of the side of the mobile communications device so as to provide the lateral support to the mobile communications device. For example, the lateral support members may have a concave profile to hold the convex profiled sides of a mobile communications device.

Preferably, the or each lateral support member comprises one or more turned edges/lips to provide lateral support. One or more of these are preferably arranged to engage with a ridge/rail located on the side of the mobile communications device. However, they may engage with a small portion of the front/rear face of the mobile communications device.

In one preferred embodiment, one or more of the lateral support members comprise a groove arranged to engage with a corresponding ridge/rail located on the side of a mobile communications device. This cooperation of the ridge/rail with the groove will at least hold the mobile location device in the correct position in the support structure, and will also provide some degree of lateral support to the mobile communications device. The groove may be defined by a turned edge or lip of the lateral support member.

The grooves preferably extend along a substantial visible length, if not the whole visible length, of the lateral support member. The term "visible" is used to define the length of the support member visible to the ridge/rail of a mobile communications device. The co-operation of the ridge/rail with the groove will hold the mobile communications device securely in the correct position in the support structure.

More than one groove may be provided. This may be to define a number of different correct holding positions for the mobile communications device in the support structure, or to engage with a corresponding number of ridges/rails located on the same side of the mobile communications device. The latter embodiment would be a particular secure way of holding the mobile communications device within the support structure. The lateral support members may be spaced apart by a distance to securely hold a mobile communications device there-between. In this case, the tolerance between the mobile communications device and the lateral support members is tight so that there is minimal lateral movement of a mobile communications device held between the lateral support members.

Particularly, but not limited to this aforementioned case, the lateral support members may be arranged to comprise a hard wearing bearing surface to engage with the side of the mobile communications device. The hard wearing bearing surface may be made from a Molybdenum loaded nylon, which would be particularly advantageous if the sides of the mobile communications device comprised stainless steel, and/or stainless steel ridges/rails. It would be advantageous to also manufacture the sides of the mobile communications device with a hard wearing bearing surface.

The length of the lateral support members is an important criterion in providing sufficient lateral support to a mobile communications device held between the lateral support members. However, the particular stiffness of the lateral support members is also a factor in determining the length of the lateral support members. So, for example, in order to provide adequate lateral support, a lateral support member with one particular stiffness will need to be of a different length to a lateral support member having a different stiffness. Preferably, the lateral support members are arranged such that they have a sufficient length to provide the minimum level of required lateral support for a given lateral support member stiffness. In this case, the lateral support members may only extend a proportion of the way along the length of a mobile communications device when the device is held in the support structure. This proportion may be at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100% of the length of a mobile communications device. The proportion may exceed 100%.

Preferably, the base section is arranged to be placed on a flat worktop, such as a desk. The base section may be arranged to be fitted in a vehicle. Preferably, the support structure is arranged to be free standing both when the support structure is supporting a mobile communications device and when it is empty of a mobile communications device.

Preferably, the support structure is arranged to provide a communications/ power interface with the mobile communications device. This is preferably located in the base section, but may be located in one or more of the lateral support members. In one case, the base section may comprise a male/female power connection means to allow power to be supplied to the mobile communications device so, for example, it may be re- charged while it is being held within the support structure. Similarly, the base section may comprise a male/female data connection means to allow the transmission of data between the mobile communications device and another electronic communications device using a wired interface.

In another preferred embodiment, the or each lateral support member comprises one or more grooves arranged to act as a guide, when cooperating with one or more corresponding rails on the side of a mobile communications device, to allow correct insertion of the mobile communications device into a communications/power interface.

In one embodiment, the or each lateral support member is substantially upright to permit the mobile communications device to be held substantially upright in the support structure. Preferably, the or each lateral support member is vertical in the sense that it is not inclined to a vertical plane when the mobile communications device engages with, and is held by, the support structure. Preferably, the support structure extends in the vertical plane to support the mobile communications device in an upright configuration.

Preferably, the or each lateral support member is static with respect to the base section.

The various embodiments of the aforementioned support structure may be limited to being a mobile communications device support structure. The aforementioned embodiments singly or in any combination are all within the scope of the present invention.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following Figures in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a support structure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the support structure of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a view of the underneath of the support structure of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is the front elevation of Figure 1 with the support structure holding a mobile communications device;

Figure 5 is the side elevation of Figure 2 with the support structure holding a mobile communications device;

Figure 6 is plan elevation of the support structure of Figure 1.

In the present example, the mobile communications device is a mobile telephone 100 and the support structure is a mobile telephone cradle 1. Mobile telephones 100 are well known in the art and only features of the mobile telephone 100 which give understanding to the function and features of the cradle 1 will be described.

The cradle 1 comprises a base section 20 (Figures 1 and 2). The base section 20 provides stability to the cradle 1 and is used to place the cradle 1 on the surface of a desk. The under-carriage of the base section 20 has a number of support pads 21 arranged around the perimeter to allow the stable placement of the cradle 1 on a desk (Figure 3).

Two upright opposing lateral support members 30, 40 extend from an upper surface of the base section 20 (Figures 1 and 2). They are fixed to the base section 20 and cannot move with respect to the base section 20 i.e. they are static. The lateral support members 30, 40 are spaced apart on the base section 20 by a suitable distance for a mobile telephone 100 to be placed there-between (Figure 4). The support members 30, 40 extend form the base section 20 to a length such that when the mobile phone is supported there- between, only approximately 50% of the sides 101 of the mobile telephone 100 are covered by the support members 30, 40 and the rest of the mobile telephone projects above the cradle 1 (Figure 5). Accordingly, it can be said that the cradle 1 extends in the vertical plane to support the mobile telephone 100 in an upright configuration.

The leading edges 35, 45 of the lateral support members 30, 40 are turned inwardly to provide lateral support and inhibit front/back movement of the mobile phone 100 (Figures 1 , 2 and 4).

Only a small portion 39 of the lateral support members 30, 40 towards the base section 20 are joined. Otherwise, the lateral support members 30, 40 extend freely away from the base section 20 without any interconnection. This leaves both the front and rear faces 110, 120 of the mobile telephone 100 free from obstruction (Figure 4).

The lateral support members 30, 40 have facing surfaces 31 , 41 which are used to engage with the sides 101 of mobile telephone 100. The facing surfaces 31 of the lateral support members 30, 40 have a concave profile

(Figure 6) to engage with the convex profile (not shown) of the mobile telephone 100.

The lateral support members 30, 40 each have two adjacent grooves 32, 33 and 42, 43 (not shown) which engage with corresponding adjacent rails 102, 103 on the sides 101 of the mobile telephone 100 (Figure 5). The engagement of the rails 102, 103 in respective grooves 32, 33, 42, 43 holds the mobile phone 100 firmly in place in the cradle 1. The base section 20 may also comprise power charging connection means 300 (not shown) and the grooves 32, 33, 42, 43 would be arranged such that co-operation of the rails 102, 103 with the respective grooves 32, 33, 42, 43 would, in this case, also guide the mobile telephone 100 to correctly engage with the power charging connection means 300.

Ordinarily, the lateral support members 30, 40 would be spaced apart to provide a snug fit for the mobile telephone 100 held between the lateral support members 30, 40. To avoid wear and tear, the engaging surfaces 31 , 41 of the lateral support members 30, 40 are either made from or have a layer of a wear resistant material, such as Molybdenum loaded nylon. In the case where the rails 102, 103 are made from stainless steel, such a material provides excellent wear resistant properties.

Claims

1. A support structure for a mobile communications device comprising a base section and a lateral support member, wherein the lateral support member is arranged to extend from the base section and provide substantial lateral support to a mobile communications device by engaging with a side of the mobile communications device

2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises two lateral support members arranged to independently extend from the base section and spaced apart by a distance to hold a mobile communications device there-between, and wherein the lateral support members are arranged to provide substantial lateral support to a mobile communications device held between the lateral support members by engagement of the lateral support members with respective sides of a mobile communications device.

3. A support structure as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base section is arranged to extend in the direction of the lateral support members to provide some degree of lateral support at the base of the mobile communications device.

4. A support structure as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein a small portion of the lateral support members towards the base section are joined.

5. A support structure as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the or each lateral support member comprises one or more turned edges/lips to provide lateral support.

6. A support structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the or each turned edge/lip is arranged to engage with a ridge/rail located on the side of the mobile communications device.

7. A support structure as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the or each turned edge/lip is arranged to engage with a small portion of the front/rear face of the mobile communications device.

8. A support structure as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the or each lateral support member has a profile arranged to conform to the profile of the side of the mobile communications device so as to provide the lateral support to the mobile communications device.

9. A support structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the or each lateral support member has a concave profile to hold the convex profiled side of a mobile communications device.

10. A support structure as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein one or more of the lateral support members comprise a groove arranged to engage with a corresponding ridge/rail located on the side of a mobile communications device.

11. A support structure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the grooves extend along a substantial visible length of the lateral support member.

12. A support structure as claimed in claim 10 or 11 , wherein the grooves extend along the whole visible length of the lateral support member.

13. A support structure as claimed in any of claims 10-12, wherein the lateral support members comprise more than one groove to define a number of different correct holding positions for the mobile communications device in the support structure,

14. A support structure as claimed in any of claims 10-13, wherein the lateral support members comprise more than one groove to engage with a corresponding number of ridges/rails located on the same side of the mobile communications device.

15. A support structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lateral support members are spaced apart by a distance to securely hold a mobile communications device there-between.

16. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each lateral support member is arranged to comprise a hard wearing bearing surface to engage with the side of the mobile communications device.

17. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each lateral support member is arranged such that it has a sufficient length to provide the minimum level of required lateral support for a given lateral support member stiffness.

18. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each lateral support member extends from the selection of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 100% of the length of a mobile communications device when the device is held in the support structure.

19. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base section is arranged to be placed on a flat worktop.

20. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base section is arranged to be fitted in a vehicle.

21. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure is arranged to be free standing both when the support structure is supporting a mobile communications device and when it is empty of a mobile communications device.

22. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure is arranged to provide a communications/power interface with the mobile communications device.

23. A support structure as claimed in claim 22, wherein the base section comprises a male/female power connection means to allow the mobile communications device to be re-charged while it is being held within the support structure.

24. A support structure as claimed in claim 22 or claim 23, wherein the base section comprises a male/female data connection means to allow the transmission of data between the mobile communications device and another electronic communications device using a wired interface.

25. A support structure as claimed in any one of claims 22-24, wherein the or each lateral support member comprises one or more grooves arranged to act as a guide, when co-operating with one or more corresponding rails on the side of a mobile communications device, to allow correct insertion of the mobile communications device into a communications/power interface.

26. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each lateral support member is substantially upright to permit the mobile communications device to be held substantially upright in the support structure.

27. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each lateral support member is vertical in the sense that it is not inclined to a vertical plane when the mobile communications device engages with, and is held by, the support structure.

28. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each lateral support member is static with respect to the base section.

29. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure extends in the vertical plane to support the mobile communications device in an upright configuration.

30. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure extends in the vertical plane to support the mobile communications device in an upright configuration.

31. A support structure as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure is a mobile communications device support structure.

32. A support structure as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.