EXPANDING ACCESSORY FOR MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICES
An expandable socket for attachment to a mobile electronic device. The expandable socket includes a platform adapted to engage a portion of the portable media player, a skin coupled to the platform, wherein the skin is deformable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The expandable socket includes a button coupled to the skin opposite the platform. The expandable socket also includes a biasing element arranged within the skin between the platform and the button, the biasing element configured to bias the skin into the expanded configuration.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/952,025, filed Apr. 12, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/615,900, filed Jun. 7, 2017, which claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/376,237, filed Aug. 17, 2016. The entire respective disclosures of each of the above-identified applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to collapsible grips and stands for mobile electronic devices.
The present disclosure relates to expanding socket accessories for mobile electronic devices. Mobile electronic devices can include smartphones, tablet computers, electronic readers, digital media players, cameras, and other mobile electronic devices having a surface suitable for receiving an expanding socket accessory. The expanding accessories disclosed herein can be directly attached to a mobile electronic device or can be indirectly attached by attaching the accessory to a mobile electronic device case or other accessory that attaches to the mobile electronic device.
The above description and description of figures may depict exemplary configurations for an embodiment of the disclosure, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the embodiments described herein. The embodiments are not restricted to the illustrated configurations, and can be implemented using a variety of alternative configurations. Additionally, although the apparatus is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments with which they are described, but instead can be applied, alone or in some combination, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosure, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the present disclosure, especially in claims hereafter, should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.
Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open-ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read to mean “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; and adjectives such as “conventional”, “traditional”, “standard”, “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, a group of items linked with conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although item, elements, or components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in a singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more”, “at least”, “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. Additionally, where a range is set forth, the upper and lower limitations of the range are inclusive of all of the intermediary units therein.
The foregoing disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Other modifications and variations may be possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments described in the foregoing disclosure where chosen to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention. It is intended that any claims thereafter be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except as limited by the prior art.
Claims
1. An expandable socket for attachment to a portable media player or a portable media player case, the expandable socket comprising:
- a platform adapted to engage a portion of the portable media player or the portable media player case;
- a skin coupled to the platform, wherein the skin is deformable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration;
- a button coupled to the skin opposite the platform; and
- a biasing element arranged within the skin between the platform and the button, the biasing element configured to bias the skin into the expanded configuration.
2. The expandable socket of claim 1, wherein the skin comprises an elastomeric material.
3. The expandable socket of claim 1, wherein the skin comprises a tapered conical shape.
4. The expandable socket of claim 1, wherein the skin comprises at least one folding section.
5. The expandable socket of claim 4, wherein the skin comprises a plurality of folding sections.
6. The expandable socket of claim 4, wherein the at least one folding section has an accordion shape.
7. The expandable socket of claim 1, wherein the biasing element comprises a coil spring.
8. The expandable socket of claim 7, wherein the coil spring comprises a conical coil spring.
9. The expandable socket of claim 1, further comprising a lock configured to releasably secure the skin in the collapsed configuration.
10. The expandable socket of claim 9, wherein the lock comprises a first projection carried by the button and arranged to engage a second projection carried by the platform when the lock releasably secures the skin in the collapsed position.
11. The expandable socket of claim 9, wherein the lock comprises a recess defined by the platform or the button, and a protrusion defined by the other of the platform or the button, the recess configured to receive the protrusion when the lock releasably secures the skin in the collapsed position.
12. An expandable socket for attachment to a portable media player or a portable media player case, the expandable socket comprising:
- a platform adapted to engage a portion of the portable media player or the portable media player case;
- a button that is spaced from and movable relative to the platform;
- a biasing element disposed between the platform and the button, the biasing element arranged to bias the button away from the platform; and
- a lock configured to releasably secure the button to the platform.
13. The expandable socket of claim 12, further comprising a skin arranged between the platform and the button, wherein the skin surrounds the biasing element.
14. The expandable socket of claim 13, wherein the skin comprises an elastomeric material.
15. The expandable socket of claim 14, wherein the skin comprises at least one folding section.
16. The expandable socket of claim 12, wherein the biasing element comprises a coil spring.
17. The expandable socket of claim 16, wherein the coil spring comprises a conical coil spring.
18. The expandable socket of claim 12, wherein the lock comprises a first projection carried by the button and arranged to engage a second projection carried by the platform when the lock releasably secures the button to the platform.
19. The expandable socket of claim 12, wherein the lock comprises a recess defined by the platform or the button, and a protrusion defined by the other of the platform or the button, the recess configured to receive the protrusion when the lock releasably secures the button to the platform.
20. An expandable socket for attachment to a portable media player or a portable media player case, the expandable socket comprising:
- a platform adapted to engage a portion of the portable media player or the portable media player case;
- a button that is spaced from and movable relative to the platform; and
- a biasing element disposed between the platform and the button, the biasing element arranged to bias the button away from the platform.
21. The expandable socket of claim 20, further comprising a skin arranged between the platform and the button, wherein the skin surrounds the biasing element.
22. The expandable socket of claim 21, wherein the skin comprises an elastomeric material.
23. The expandable socket of claim 22, wherein the skin comprises at least one folding section.
24. The expandable socket of claim 20, wherein the biasing element comprises a coil spring.
25. The expandable socket of claim 24, wherein the coil spring comprises a conical coil spring.
26. The expandable socket of claim 20, further comprising a first projection carried by the button and arranged to selectively engage a second projection carried by the platform to releasably secure the button to the platform.
27. The expandable socket of claim 20, further comprising a recess defined by the platform or the button, and a protrusion defined by the other of the platform or the button, the recess configured to selectively receive the protrusion to releasably secure the button to the platform.
28. An expandable socket for attachment to a portable media player or a portable media player case, the expandable socket comprising:
- a platform adapted to engage a portion of the portable media player or the portable media player case;
- an elastomeric skin coupled to the platform and having a hollow shape, the skin including at least one folded section and being deformable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration;
- a button coupled to the skin opposite the platform, the button being disposed a first distance from the platform when the skin occupies the collapsed configuration and a second distance greater than the first distance from the platform when the skin occupies the expanded configuration;
- a spring arranged within the skin between the platform and the button, the spring biasing the button away from the platform to urge the skin into the expanded configuration; and
- a lock for selectively coupling the button to the platform such that the skin occupies the collapsed configuration when the button and platform are coupled.
29. The expandable socket of claim 28, wherein the lock comprises a first projection carried by the button and arranged to engage a second projection carried by the platform when the lock releasably couples the button to the platform.
30. The expandable socket of claim 28, wherein the lock comprises a recess defined by the platform or the button, and a protrusion defined by the other of the platform or the button, the recess configured to receive the protrusion when the lock couples the button to the platform.
Type: Application
Filed: May 31, 2019
Publication Date: Sep 19, 2019
Inventors: Molly M. Hobbs (Boulder, CO), David B. Barnett (Boulder, CO)
Application Number: 16/428,816