Intelligent personal carrier

Abstract

The intelligent personal carrier (IPC) provides a carrier for personal items such as money, credit cards, drivers licenses and other articles and allows electronic devices such as the mobile phone, MP3 player, PDA, camera, health monitors and other devices to be attached to the exterior, leaving them accessible for operation. The IPC may be attached to a strap to attach to the user, such as a lanyard. The strap may have integrated electronics allowing for the control and operation of the attached electronic device. The IPC stores, protects, communicates, detects and tracks personal information. The type of information and personal items to be managed may be in both hard form, such as credit cards, and identification cards, and digitally, in the form of data files.

Description

This application claims benefit of provisional application 60/833,485 filed Jul. 27, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The proliferation of personal electronic devices has increased personal enjoyment and the ease of communication with other people. Cell phones allow persons to communicate with others regardless of location, as long as the cell phone receives an adequately strong signal. Other devices, such as MP3 players, are small, lightweight and able to hold large amounts of data, such as thousands of songs. Other devices, such as PDAs, allow people to receive e-mail, log onto the Internet, and do a host of other activities with a wireless connection adding to the free flow of information. Organizing and carrying these devices often proves to be troublesome and it is desirable to have a system for organizing all the items a person must carry.

It is an object of the invention to provide a personal organizer for serving the functions of a wallet and provide organization for electronic devices.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carrier for personal items that contains a module allowing electronic financial transactions.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a lightweight, durable case for holding personal effects and carrying electronic devices while still allowing their operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carrying case having a strap made of textiles incorporating electronics.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The intelligent personal carrier (IPC) provides a carrier for personal items such as money, credit cards, driver's license and other articles and allows electronic devices such as the mobile phone, MP3 player, PDA, camera, health monitors and other devices to be attached to the exterior, leaving them accessible for operation. The IPC may be attached to a strap to attach to the user, such as a lanyard. The strap may have integrated electronics allowing for the control and operation of the attached electronic device. The IPC stores, protects, communicates, detects and tracks personal information. The type of information and personal items to be managed may be in both hard form, such as credit cards, and identification cards, and digitally, in the form of data files.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a front view of the carrying case;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the carrying case;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the carrying case;

FIG. 4 is a front view of an attachment plate attachable to the carrying case for holding an electronic device;

FIG. 5 is across sectional view of the carrying case with attached electronic device;

FIG. 5a is a top view of the carrying case

FIG. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of the carrying case;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the carrying case in a first open position;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the carrying case in a second open position;

FIG. 9 is a front view of a body attachment belt;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the body attachment belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The carrying case 10, seen in FIGS. 1-3, has a substantially clam shell construction with a rigid front half 12 having a front panel 11 connected to a back half 14 by a hinge 16. The top of the casing 27 extends from a rear panel 15. A female connector is formed in the top, as will be explained later. By having the connector attached to the top which is formed as part of the back half, the connector maintains stability while the case is opened and closed and the connector is attached to a mating connector. A rear sidewall 26 extends from the rear panel 15 whereas a front sidewall 28 extends from the front panel 11. A gasket may be between the two halves to render the carrying case waterproof.

The exterior of the carrying case has a connector for the attachment of an electronic device, such as an MP3 player, a mobile phone, PDA, camera, health monitors and other devices. The attachment plate 30 for an electronic device, such as that seen in FIG. 4, has a mating connector 32. The attachment plate 30 securely cradles the electronic device and has apertures 33, appropriate for the specific device, to allow access to the controls while the attachment plate is connected to the device. Any conventional manner of connecting the attachment plate to the carrying case may be used, such as mating tracks as used in mobile phones. Other devices which may attach to the exterior of the case include data chips, compass, altimeter, time piece, key holder, cardholder, coin holder, paper money holder and personal protection device, such as pepper spray.

The interior is seen in the cross sectional view of FIG. 5. The interior is provided with a clip 24 to secure cards, such as credit cards and a driver's license, as well as paper money. Electronic components can also be incorporated into the interior of the case. The interior has a small chamber 34 locked by a panel 36 which may house an electronic lock, various tracking devices, such as GPS, RFID or other similar devices. The electronic lock may be activated by a key pad 37, seen in FIG. 5a, on the top of the carrying case 10 or may be remotely actuated. Memory devices containing personal information or financial modules allowing digital financial transactions may also be stored in the compartment.

When the case is worn about the neck, it will be advantageous to open the case to an angle between 45 and 90 degrees, preferably 70 degrees. Such opening allows access to the interior of the case, but prevents items within the case from falling out. The hinge mechanism may have a stop causing the case to open and be stable at such an angle, as seen in FIG. 7. The resistance of the stop may be overcome to open the case to a full flat configuration, seen in FIG. 8.

The carrying case may include features such as speakers, antennas, a wireless device such as Bluetooth and voice recognition in order to enhance communication, entertainment and hands free capability of the case. As seen in FIG. 9, these components may be integrated into an attachment strap, such as a lanyard, belt or shoulder strap. It is possible and known to incorporate electronics into textiles for the making of clothing or other articles. Such textiles are sold under the name Interactive Wear™.

FIG. 9 depicts the front side of an attachment strap 40. A connector 42, such as a 12 pin Ipod connector, mates with a female connector on the electronic device or with a connector 43 on the carrying case, seen in FIG. 5a, when an electronic device is not attached. In this manner, the strap may be attached to either an electronic device or the carrying case alone or both when the two are attached to one another.

A wireless device, such as a bluetooth module 44, is integrated into the strap above the connector 42. A reversible key pad 46 has buttons suitable for operating an electronic device. A microphone 48 is placed on the strap so that is will be near the wearer's head when worn. The strap may have a quick release connector 50, as is required in many workplaces. In FIG. 10, the back side of the strap is seen, with the reversible key pad still accessible and headphone connectors 52 also positioned so as to be in a convenient position when the strap is worn. Pockets 54 may be incorporated into the strap to accommodate personal articles and electronic devices.

The carrying case represents maximum functionality and ease of use in a small, easy to use, aesthetically pleasing configuration for protecting both personal information and personal property. While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, variation and modification would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention encompasses such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A carrier comprising

a front section having a front panel, a bottom and two sides,

a back section having a back panel, a top, a bottom and two sides,

a hinge connected to the bottom of the front section and the bottom of the back section allowing the sections to move relative to one another, an electronic device connector on the back section.

2. The carrier of claim 1, further comprising a clip in the interior for securing items.

3. The carrier of claim 1, wherein

the hinge has a first stop when opened to an angle between 45 and 70 degrees.

4. The carrier of claim 3, wherein

the hinge has a second stop when opened one hundred eighty degrees.

5. The carrier of claim 1, further comprising

a top wall extending from said back panel,

a first connector in said top wall.

6. The carrier of claim 5, further comprising

an electronic device connected to said back section, the electronic device having a second connector.

7. The carrier of claim 6, further comprising

a carrying strap,

a third connector attached to the carrying strap, he third connector mating with either the first connector or second connector.

8. The carrier of claim 7, further comprising

controls for the electronic device integrated into the carrying strap.