Leashed Portable Personal Digital Appliance

Abstract

A leashed Personal Digital Device, comprises a personal digital appliance (PDA) (12) detachably connected to a leash. The leash includes at least one extendible member (13), detachably connected at one of its ends to the PDA, and, at the other end, clip for detachably connecting the leash to the user's clothing or other user-portable device (15). The length of the extendible member is selected to reduce the likelihood of damage to said PDA if it is dropped, but permitting the user to use the PDA while it is attached to the user. The leashed PDA also discourages theft of the PDA or loss due to leaving the PDA in a public area. To encourage use of the leashed PDA, the leash includes a decorative segment.

Description

This PCT International Application claims priority based on my USA Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/716,002, filed Sep. 8, 2005.

This invention relates to a portable personal digital appliance which is protected against theft or damage while the appliance is used or carried by the user.

In another respect, the invention pertains to methods of protecting portable personal digital appliances from theft or damage while it is carried by the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile phones and similar devices are shaped and dimensioned to fit easily in the user's hands when in use and to fit in and be stored away in a pocket, purse, holster, attache or other portable case when the devices are carried by the user but are not in actual use. For ease of reference, these devices are defined herein as “personal digital appliances” or PDAs.

PDAs are notoriously susceptible to loss, either from theft or because the users negligently forget to store them away after use, and to physical damage. Such loss or damage happens because they are negligently dropped by the user during preparation for use, use or storage after use, or because they are negligently left in a public place, unstored or forgotten, when they are not being used.

Further, because the users of PDAs are very frequently children or very young persons who are prone to negligence or forgetfulness, it would be desirable to provide PDAs that are equipped with leashes which, because of their decorative or “fashion” appeal, are more likely to be used, thereby to be more likely to prevent loss or theft of or damage to the PDA.

Also, because the leashed PDA may need to be separated from the user or from the leash, itself, e.g., for recharging the batteries, while the user is sleeping or because the user is occupied in an inconsistent activity, e.g., changing clothes, taking a bath or shower, it would be desirable to provide a leashed PDA that could be easily and quickly detached from the user's person or other attachment (handbag, valise, etc.) and/or be easily and quickly detached from the leash portion of the leashed PDA, e.g., for temporary use by another person.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the invention to provide leashed PDAs that are less susceptible to such loss, theft or damage and methods of reducing the susceptibility of PDAs to loss, theft or damage.

It is another object of the invention to provide leashed PDAs which, because of decorative or fashion appeal, are more likely to be used by children and young persons, thereby to reduce or prevent loss or theft of or damage to the PDA.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a leashed PDA which provides for quick-release detachment of the leashed PDA from the user and/or quick releaseable detachment of the PDA from the leash portion.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a quick-release attachment device, useful for attaching a variety of objects to other objects.

These and other, further and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a user of a leashed PDA of the invention, illustrating how damage to the PDA because of dropping it during use is prevented;

FIG. 2 depicts how a leashed PDA can be stowed during non-use in a pocket of the user's jeans;

FIG. 3 depicts how a leashed PDA can be attached to a shoulder purse and removed from the purse and used, without detaching the leashed PDA from the purse;

FIGS. 4-6 depict typical leashes for use in combination with a PDA, according to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention; and

FIGS. 7-11 depict the details of the quick-release attachment device used in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention to attach the leash to the PDA.

DEFINITIONS

The terms “Personal Digital Appliance” and “PDA” are defined and used herein to mean portable electronic appliances such as mobile cellular or satellite phones and other hand-held devices such as digital or analog radios, miniature television receivers, miniature digital or analog cameras, MP3 players, iPods, tape or other electronic media recorders and players, electronic calculators, GPS receivers, electronic games and the like.

The term “digital” in Personal Digital Appliance is employed in the herein for convenience, since a large proportion of such appliances in fact employ digital signals and/or digital signal processing. However, for the purposes of this application, the term PDA will be understood to include not only classic digital devices but also corresponding analog devices.

The term “portable anchor,” as used herein, means the user's clothing (e.g., belt, belt loop, button, button-hole, epaulet or a user-portable case such as a purse, valise or holster.

The term “decorative segment,” as used herein, means an elongate segment other than an extendible member, the aesthetic appearance (color, texture, shape, and/or indicia), is selected to encourage the user to employ the leashed PDA.

PRIOR ART

Some PDAs have been provided with wrist straps, that were semi-permanently attached to the PDA and were dimensioned to be slipped over the user's hand and secured around the user's wrist during use of the PDA.

The closest prior art of which the inventor is aware is U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,131 to Hopkins. This document discloses a “coiled tool leash” which is used to hold a tool in a readily accessible location and to retrieve a tool which is dropped to the ground while in use at an elevated location, e.g., on the roof of a house, or which is dropped overboard from a boat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, in accordance with the invention, a leashed Personal Digital Device (PDA) is the combination of a PDA and a leash. The leash comprises an extendible member which has two ends and which has extended, partially extended and unextended lengths. One end of the extendible member is detachably connected to the PDA and at the other end to a clip for detachably connecting the leash to a user-portable anchor. The extended length of the extendible member is selected to reduce the likelihood of damage to the PDA if dropped. The unextended or partially extended length of the extendible member is selected to permit use of the PDA while connected to the PDA and the user-portable anchor.

In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention the leash includes a decorative segment in combination with the extendible member to encourage its use by fashion-conscious persons.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The drawings depict the invention for purposes of illustration to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the invention and to identify the presently preferred embodiments of the invention. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined only by the appended claims. For example, in the drawings the PDA is only illustratively depicted as a portable phone, whereas it could be any PDA as defined above.

In the drawings like elements are indicated by the same reference numerals in the several views:

FIG. 1 depicts a user 11, having a PDA 12 releasably attached to one end of a coiled spring 13 (shown in extended length). The coiled spring 13 is attached to the PDA 12 by means of a releasable attachment device 14 (shown in greater detail in FIGS. 7-10). The other end of the leash 13 is attached to a belt loop 15 on the jeans worn by the user 11. As shown, it is assumed that the PDA 12 has been accidentally dropped. The extended length of the coil spring 13 is selected such that the PDA 12 does not touch the ground or floor when dropped.

FIG. 2 shows a typical PDA 12 being inserted into the pocket 16 of the user's 11 jeans for storage when it is not being used, but which makes the PDA immediately accessible by the user 11 when needed, e.g., to make or answer a phone call, with the PDA 12 attached to a belt-loop 15 of the user's jeans by means of the leash 13.

FIG. 3 depicts how the PDA 12 can be releasably attached to a shoulder purse 17, attached to the handle of the purse 17 and normally stored therein during non-use. The leashed PDA 12, however, remains easily removable from the purse 17 and usable by the user without removing the PDA from the leash 13, shown in a partially extended length to accommodate use of the phone PDA 12 by the user 11.

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 illustratively depict various alternate preferred embodiments of the leash 13, comprising the extendible member, in these cases a coiled spring 13a, and decorative members 13b. In FIG. 4, the decorative member 13b is a simple, plain polished metal chain, in FIG. 4a a polished chain with decorative charms 13c, in FIG. 5 a beaded chain 13b, in FIG. 6 a metal chain 13c with a fob 13d attached to the upper end of the chain 13b.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art there are a variety of extendible members that can be used other than a coiled springs 13a of FIGS. 1-7. For example, the coiled spring 13a can be replaced by an elastic band, so-called “shock cord” or an encased spring-loaded movement-lanyard combination, similar to those employed in earlier days to attach spectacles to a wearer's clothing.

As will also be apparent to those skilled in the art, a wide variety of fasteners can be used to attach the extendible members 13a to the decorative member 13b and to attach the leash to the wearers clothing, purse or other user-portable anchors. In presently preferred embodiments of FIGS. 1-7 these fasteners comprise easily releasable spring-loaded clips 18 at the upper ends of the leashes, small rings or other annular members 19 between the clips 18 and the decorative members 13b and between the decorative members 13b and the extendible members 13a.

In the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, the leashes of FIGS. 1-6 terminate at their lower ends in an elongate stud 21 with an enlarged tip that is releasably received by and releasably retained in a cavity formed by the members of a quick attachment-detachment clip assembly 14, illustrated in FIGS. 7-10. In turn, the attachment-detachment assembly clip 14 of FIGS. 7-10 is semi-permanently adhesively affixed to the PDA, all as will be more fully explained below.

The clip 14 of FIGS. 7-11 is formed of a base member 22, a cover member 23 and a keeper 24, which is biased forwardly in the direction of the arrow A by a spring 25 compressed between the rear edge 26 of the keeper 24 and the inside of the cover member 23, as shown in the exploded view FIG. 8.

The base member 22 and cover member 23 are secured by studs 27 formed in the bottom edges of the cover 23 which are snappably or frictionally engaged in the mating recesses 28 formed in the upper surface of the base 22.

The base member 22 is formed with a recessed slideway 29 which accommodates the lower portion 31 of the keeper 24 which is slidable in the slideway 29. Closer to the forward end 32 of the base 22, the slideway deepens to form a chamber 33, the top of which is formed by the recessed underside 36 of the keeper projection 35. In the closed position, shown in FIG. 7, the keeper projection 35 is forwardly biased by the spring 25 such that the clearance between the underside 34 of the forward portion 35 of the keeper 24 and the top surface 22a of the base 22 is less than the major dimension of the enlarged tip of the stud 21.

In operation, the fastener device of FIGS. 7-11 functions to hold the enlarged tip of stud 21 in the chamber 33 until the keeper 24 is moved rearwardly by slight finger pressure on the upstanding boss 36 in the direction of the arrow B, allowing the stud 21 to be detached from the fastener 14, thus releasing the leash 13 from connection with the PDA 12.

The fastener 14 of FIGS. 7-11 can be semi-permanently attached to the PDA by means of double-sided adhesive tape, by hook-and-loop fasteners or by any other suitable semi-permanent means for connecting the base 22 to the PDA 12.

Claims

1. A leashed Personal Digital Device (PDA), comprising, in combination:

a. a PDA, detachably connected to

b. a leash, said leash comprising at least one extendible member, having two ends and having an extended length, a partially extended length and an unextended length, said extendible member being detachably connected at one of said ends to said PDA, and, at the other of said ends, to a clip for detachably connecting said leash to a user-portable anchor, the extended length of said extendible member being selected to reduce the likelihood of damage to said PDA if dropped, and the unextended or partially extended length of said extendible member being selected to permit use of the PDA while said connected to said PDA and said user-portable anchor.

2. The PDA-leash combination assembly of claim 1, wherein said leash includes a decorative segment in combination with said extendible member.