Wearable Band for Receiving a Clip-On Device, Docking Accessories, and Methods of Use
A wearable band for receiving a clip-on device is disclosed. The wearable band may comprise a planar member with strap members extending therefrom. The band may include a first opening and the second opening in the planar member for receiving a clip-on device. A longitudinal axis of the first opening and a longitudinal axis of the second opening may be generally parallel. A latitudinal axis of each of the openings may be generally aligned relative a particular axis of the planar member.
The present application claims priority to (1) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/477,557 filed on Apr. 20, 2011 titled “WEARABLE BAND FOR RECEIVING A CLIP-ON DEVICE AND DOCKING ACCESSORIES”; (2) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/444,132 filed Feb. 18, 2011 titled “WEARABLE BAND FOR RECEIVING A CLIP-ON DEVICE AND DOCKING ACCESSORIES”; and (3) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/389,604 filed on Oct. 4, 2010 titled “WEARABLE BAND FOR RECEIVING A CLIP-ON DEVICE.” Each of the foregoing applications is herein incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates generally to a band that is wearable. More specifically, the present invention relates to a band that is wearable for receiving a clip-on device and accessories related thereto and methods of use thereof.
BACKGROUNDWearable bands used for securely receiving and retaining devices (such as an electronic device) have a number of limitations. For example, these bands are sometimes complex and may break easily. In addition, these bands often involve systems that cover or limit access to the device. Further, these bands may not provide secure engagement between the band and the device.
Accordingly, a band for receiving a clip-on devices that addresses one or more of the foregoing disadvantages is desirable.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only exemplary embodiments and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of the invention's scope, the exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings in which:
In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus (e.g., device) or method. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONVarious aspects of the disclosure are described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. Furthermore, an aspect may comprise at least one element of a claim. The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. While the various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.
As illustrated in
As shown in
As shown in
In addition, a hinged plate distance 62 spans between the proximal and distal edges 20, 24 of the hinged plate 16 along the latitudinal dimension 63. As shown, in one embodiment, the hinged plate distance 62 is greater than or equal to the band opening exterior distance 60. Such a configuration enables the clip-on device 14 to be more securely retained within the band 10. As illustrated, the hinged plate 16 is in a closed position such that the hinged plate 16, securing protrusion 30, the hinge 26, and the body 28 of the device 14 are positioned around the intermediary portion 74 of the material intermediate the first and second openings 11, 13.
As illustrated by the cross-section of the hinge 26, shown in
The first opening 11 may have a narrow midpoint 71a along the narrow dimension 84a. As illustrated, the narrow dimension 84a may extend along the latitudinal dimension 63 of the planar member 5. Alternatively, the narrow dimension 84a may extend along a longitudinal dimension 61 or another dimension of the planar member 5. A longitudinal axis 70a of the first opening 11 may intersect the narrow midpoint 71a of the first opening 11 and may extend in the longitudinal dimension 61.
The second opening 13 may have a narrow midpoint 71b along the narrow dimension 84b. As illustrated, the narrow dimension 84b may extend along the latitudinal dimension 63 of the planar member 5. Alternatively, the narrow dimension 84b may extend along a longitudinal dimension 61 or another dimension of the planar member 5. A longitudinal axis 70b of the second opening 13 may intersect the narrow midpoint 71b of the second opening 13 and may extend in the longitudinal dimension 61. As illustrated, the longitudinal axis 70a of the first opening 11 may be offset from the longitudinal axis 70b of the second opening 13 along the latitudinal dimension 63. Also, the longitudinal axis 70a of the first opening 11 may be generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 70b of the second opening 13. In one embodiment, generally parallel may signify within 5° of being perfectly parallel. In other embodiments, generally parallel may signify within 12° of being perfectly parallel or less.
The first opening 11 may have a wide midpoint 75a along the wide dimension 86a. As illustrated, the wide dimension 86a may extend along the longitudinal dimension 61 of the planar member 5. Alternatively, the wide dimension 86a may extend along a latitudinal dimension 63 or another dimension of the planar member 5. A latitudinal axis 73a of the first opening 11 may intersect the wide midpoint 75a of the first opening 11 and may extend in the latitudinal dimension 63.
The second opening 13 may have a wide midpoint 75b along the wide dimension 86b. As illustrated, the wide dimension 86b may extend along the longitudinal dimension 61 of the planar member 5. Alternatively, the wide dimension 86b may extend along a latitudinal dimension 63 or another dimension of the planar member 5. A latitudinal axis 73b of the second opening 13 may intersect the wide midpoint 75b of the second opening 13 and may extend in the latitudinal dimension 63. As illustrated, the latitudinal axis 73a of the first opening 11 may be generally aligned with the latitudinal axis 73b of the second opening 13 along the longitudinal dimension 61. In one embodiment, generally aligned may signify within 0.1 inches of being perfectly aligned along the longitudinal dimension 61. In other embodiments, generally aligned may signify within 0.5 inches or less of being perfectly aligned.
The embodiment of
The clip dock 1000 includes a receiving member 1002. The receiving member 1002 is configured to receive the device 1014, and the receiving member 1002 may be secured to a wearable band (e.g., 910). The receiving member 1002 includes a first and a second extension member 1008a-b. The extension members 1008a-b may extend away from and may be generally perpendicular to a planar member 1003 of the receiving member 1002. The extension members 1008a-b may include receiving grooves 1012a-b. The receiving grooves 1012a-b each comprise a closed end 1010a-b and an open end 1006a-b. The receiving grooves 1012a-b receive the protruding edges 1005 of the device 1014 through the open ends 1006a-b of the receiving grooves 1012a-b. The closed ends 1010a-b prevent the device 1014 from passing entirely through the receiving grooves 1012a-b.
The extension members 1008a-b may optionally include curved regions 1009a-b for receiving mating portions 1011 of the clip-on device 1014.
The clip dock 1000 may further include a hinged plate 1016 that is pivotally secured to the planar member 1003 of the receiving member 1002 using a pivoting hinge 1026. The pivoting hinge 1026 may include, for example, two receiving openings 1017a-b on hinged plate extensions 1020a-b extending from the hinged plate 1016, a spring 1021, and a hinge pin 1023, and a receiving member protrusion 1025 that defines an enclosed channel 1027 for receiving the pin 1023.
A securing protrusion 1030 may extend from the hinged plate 1016. The hinged plate 1016 may be positioned in an open and closed position relative to the receiving member 1002 to enable securing the clip dock 1000 to a wearable band 10 in the manner illustrated in
Mating edges 1001a-b of the device 1014 may be inserted into and retain within the receiving grooves 1012a-b. The mating edges 1001a-b could include, for example, a proximal edge 20 and a distal edge 24 of the clip-on device 14 illustrated in
During insertion of the device 1014 into the receiving grooves 1012a-b, a detent 1047 is diverted from its default position, which is illustrated in
The embodiment illustrated in
The extension members 1208a-b include receiving grooves 1212a-b for receiving mating edges 1001a-b of a device 1014 (illustrated in
As illustrated in
The receiving member 1202 is pivotally coupled to the pivoting member 1204 via the pivoting hinge 1226. The pivoting hinge 1226 enables the clip dock 1200 to be moved into an open position or a closed position (which closed position is illustrated in
More specifically,
In addition,
The
In
It is understood that any specific order or hierarchy of steps in any disclosed process is an example of a sample approach. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.
The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A band for securely receiving a clip-on device, the device having a hinged plate with a proximal portion, a proximal edge adjoining the proximal portion, a distal portion, a distal edge adjoining the distal portion, a pivoting hinge pivotally securing the proximal portion of the hinged plate to a body of the device, a securing protrusion extending from the distal portion of the hinged plate, a central axis distance between a central axis of the securing protrusion and a central axis of the hinge, the hinge having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the securing protrusion also having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the band comprising:
- a first member having a planar portion;
- a first opening disposed within the planar portion and having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the narrow dimension of the first opening being at least as great as the narrow dimension of the hinge, the wide dimension of the first opening being at least as great as the wide dimension of the hinge;
- a second opening disposed within the planar portion and having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the narrow dimension of the second opening being at least as great as the narrow dimension of the securing protrusion, the wide dimension of the second opening being at least as great as the wide dimension of the securing protrusion, a longitudinal axis of each of the first and second enclosed openings being generally parallel, each of the first and second enclosed openings having a proximal and a distal edge, wherein a band opening interior distance between the proximal edge of the first opening and the proximal edge of the second enclosed opening is less than the central axis distance of the clip-on device, wherein a band opening exterior distance between the distal edge of the first opening and the distal edge of the second enclosed opening is greater than the central axis distance of the clip-on device.
2. The band of claim 1, further comprising a hinged plate distance between the proximal and distal edges of the hinged plate, wherein the hinged plate distance is greater than or equal to the band opening exterior distance.
3. The band of claim 1, wherein the first member comprises leather.
4. The band of claim 1, wherein the planar member comprises a resilient material.
5. The band of claim 1, wherein the band is generally rectangular in shape.
6. The band of claim 1, further comprising a securing mechanism for securing a first strap member of the band to a second strap member of the band to enable the band to be secured around a limb of a human being.
7. A method of using the band of claim 1, the clip-on device having an open and a closed position, the securing protrusion of the hinged plate being closer to the body of the device in the closed position than in the open position, the hinged plate being biased toward a closed position,
- the method comprising:
- positioning the hinged plate in the open position;
- inserting the distal edge of the hinged plate through the first opening;
- positioning the hinge within the first opening;
- positioning the securing protrusion within the second opening;
- positioning the hinged plate in the closed position such that the hinged plate, securing protrusion, the hinge, and the body of the device are positioned around an intermediary portion of the planar member intermediate the first and second openings.
8. A band for securely receiving a clip-on device, the device having a hinged plate with a proximal portion, a proximal edge adjoining the proximal portion, a distal portion, a distal edge adjoining the distal portion, a pivoting hinge pivotally securing the proximal portion of the hinged plate to a body of the device, a securing protrusion extending from the distal portion of the hinged plate, a central axis distance between a central axis of the securing protrusion and a central axis of the hinge, the hinge having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the securing protrusion also having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the band comprising:
- a first member having a planar portion;
- a first opening disposed within the planar portion and having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the narrow dimension of the first opening being at least as great as the narrow dimension of the hinge, the wide dimension of the first opening being at least as great as the wide dimension of the hinge;
- a second opening disposed within the planar portion and having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension, the narrow dimension of the second opening being at least as great as the narrow dimension of the securing protrusion, the wide dimension of the second opening being at least as great as the wide dimension of the securing protrusion, each of the first and second enclosed openings having a proximal and a distal edge, wherein a band opening interior distance between the proximal edge of the first opening and the proximal edge of the second enclosed opening is less than the central axis distance of the clip-on device, wherein a band opening exterior distance between the distal edge of the first opening and the distal edge of the second enclosed opening is greater than the central axis distance of the clip-on device.
9. The band of claim 8, further comprising a hinged plate distance between the proximal and distal edges of the hinged plate, wherein the hinged plate distance is greater than or equal to the band opening exterior distance.
10. The band of claim 8, wherein the first member comprises leather.
11. The band of claim 8, wherein the planar member comprises a resilient material.
12. The band of claim 8, wherein the band is generally rectangular in shape.
13. The band of claim 8, further comprising a securing mechanism for securing a first strap member of the band to a second strap member of the band to enable the band to be secured around a limb of a human being.
14. A method of using the band of claim 8, the clip-on device having an open and a closed position, the securing protrusion of the hinged plate being closer to the body of the device in the closed position than in the open position, the hinged plate being biased toward a closed position,
- the method comprising:
- positioning the hinged plate in the open position;
- inserting the distal edge of the hinged plate through the first opening;
- positioning the hinge within the first opening;
- positioning the securing protrusion within the second opening;
- positioning the hinged plate in the closed position such that the hinged plate, securing protrusion, the hinge, and the body of the device are positioned around an intermediary portion of the planar member intermediate the first and second openings.
15. A wearable band for securely receiving a clip-on device, the band comprising:
- a first member having a planar portion, the planar portion having a first dimension and a second dimension, the first and the second dimensions being mutually perpendicular;
- a first opening disposed within the planar portion having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension and a longitudinal axis and a latitudinal axis, the latitudinal axis of the first opening being positioned on a midpoint of the wide dimension of the first opening, the longitudinal axis of the first opening being positioned on a midpoint of the narrow dimension of the first opening, the latitudinal and the longitudinal axis of the first opening being mutually perpendicular, the first opening being entirely surrounded by the planar portion;
- a second opening disposed within the planar portion and having a narrow dimension and a wide dimension and a longitudinal axis and a latitudinal axis, the latitudinal axis of the second opening being positioned on a midpoint of the wide dimension of the second opening, the longitudinal axis of the second opening being positioned on a midpoint of the narrow dimension of the second opening, the latitudinal and the longitudinal axis of the second opening being mutually perpendicular, the second opening being entirely surrounded by the planar portion, the longitudinal axis of the first opening in the longitudinal axis of the second opening being generally parallel to each other, the latitudinal axis of the first opening and the latitudinal axis of the second opening being generally aligned along the first axis of the planar member, and the longitudinal axis of the first opening in the longitudinal axis of the second opening being offset from each other along the second axis of the planar member, the wide dimension of the first opening being greater than the wide dimension the second opening.
16. The band of claim 15, the first and the second openings being generally rectangular in shape.
17. The band of claim 15, the first and the second openings each having at least one rounded end.
18. The band of claim 15, wherein the first member comprises leather.
19. The band of claim 15, wherein the planar member comprises a resilient material.
20. The band of claim 15, further comprising the clip-on device, the clip-on device comprising a hinged plate and the body, a pivoting hinge intermediate the hinged plate and the body, the body of the hinged plate comprising a first and a second extension member and a detent, each extending member comprising a receiving groove with a closed end, the receiving grooves positioned to slidably engage mating edges of the clip-on device.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 4, 2011
Publication Date: Apr 5, 2012
Inventor: Adam C. Ericksen (Bountiful, UT)
Application Number: 13/253,043
International Classification: A45F 5/00 (20060101);