IT201900008826A1 - MULTIFUNCTIONAL SUPPORT FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES - Google Patents

Description

Description of the invention entitled:

"MULTIFUNCTIONAL SUPPORT FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES"

Description

Field of technique

The present invention operates in the field of gadgets connected to portable electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets. In particular, the invention described in detail below claims a multipurpose device that can be reversibly hooked to the back of a smartphone or tablet or to any cover of an electronic device such as the aforesaid ones.

Known art

In recent years, smartphones have been conquering ever greater shares of the mobile phone market, almost doubling between 2004 and 2005 (more than 12 million handsets sold in the last year). In the second quarter of 2011 there was a greater sale of smartphones in Europe compared to normal mobile phones, reaching 21.8 million units sold (traditional mobile phones reach 20.4 million). Worldwide, smartphones represent over 40% of the market.

Smartphones have generated a second related market, that of accessories designed specifically for mobile devices. Depending on your needs, these accessories include:

- protections, which serve to improve the life of the device by reducing the possibility of damage caused by accidental impacts;

- films of various materials, from tempered glass to plastic films, with the same protective purpose;

- cases, such as flip book or fan, pencil case (with opening on the short or long side), waterproof or protective;

- wallets that can integrate compartments for documents or credit cards;

- additional lenses with clip anchoring in correspondence with the photographic lens, to be used on smartphones to modify their analogue optical characteristics (wide-angle, super-wide-angle, fish-eye, etc.); - photographic flasher / flash;

- infrared transmitter, which is generally connected via the jack socket and allows remote control of the various appliances via infrared remote control.

Devices have also been studied to provide additional inputs such as:

- gamepads, generally also usable as multimedia and navigation controllers;

- QWERTY keyboard, and keyboards that apply on the smartphone or hook on the back making the phone of the slide type to hide and uncover the keyboard and connect via Bluetooth;

- additional buttons that can be applied using the jack socket of the smartphone or applied on the back of the smartphone and connecting via Bluetooth, or be integrated into the protective cases, which in this case, in addition to protecting, extend the functionality of the phone;

- power bank, i.e. external batteries with smartphone charging function;

- external readers, i.e. accessories that connect in various ways to the smartphone, which works as a decoding or analysis tool (OBD, connects to the diagnosis port of the machine; barcode and QR-code scanner; Memory Card reader) .

Other paired devices can be connected for specific purposes, such as, in the medical field, a glucometer, which connects via jack port and allows you to measure blood glucose, a Bluetooth blood pressure monitor, a breathalyser and others. Given the extreme polyfunctionality of portable electronic devices, they have become objects from which it is almost impossible to separate. In order to always carry them with you and have them visible in the most varied situations, a multitude of types of supports are on the market today.

There are therefore: supports for using the phone while driving a car, truck, motorcycle or bicycle, mainly as a navigator or assistant or to facilitate the use of the phone; supports to use the phone as a virtual reality viewer or also used for augmented reality or for the use of 360 ° videos; selfie sticks, ie rods that hold the phone and allow you to take pictures via a connection to the jack or bluetooth socket; tripod; arm or shoulder supports, used during physical activities and so on.

The consequence of the almost compulsive development of this whole market is the myriad of objects that, theoretically, a user should carry with him in order to take advantage of all the advantages that can be exploited today.

However, there does not yet seem to exist, neither on the market nor in the patent field, a multifunction device which, although not bulky compared to the thickness of the device and its cover, incorporates a plurality of functionalities, acting as a support for any surface and as a docking to add additional features to your smartphone or tablet.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, a multifunctional support for electronic devices is provided which effectively solves the above problems.

It has the fundamental advantage of being compatible with all portable devices, such as smartphones and tablets, in particular with their rear surfaces, or with their covers.

The coupling between the electronic device and the support of the present invention is guaranteed by at least one connection device comprising a fixed element and a mobile element. The fixed element engages at the rear surface of the portable electronic device or its cover, while, the mobile element has one side which reversibly engages with said fixed element and the opposite side, irreversibly with the first rigid element which constitutes the extensible arm of the support.

The type of connection, stable and reversible, between said fixed element and said movable element can be of the mechanical or magnetic type.

Said extensible arm can be made in different variants, all of which share the fact that they consist of rigid elements alternating with hinges. In this way, advantageously, the support can assume the most varied configurations to support the portable electronic device on any supporting surface.

Thanks to the hinges which rotatably engage two consecutive rigid elements of the extensible arm, the latter can reversibly assume a first folded configuration or a second extended configuration and, depending on the stiffness of the hinges, it can also be able to stably retain any semi-extended configuration.

More specifically, in the folded configuration the extendable arm adheres completely to the rear surface or cover of the portable electronic device. In the extended configuration, on the other hand, the rigid elements have substantially flat angles between them, thus reaching the maximum possible length of the extensible arm.

Finally, the semi-extended configurations comprising all the possible intermediate positions between said rigid elements of the extensible arm.

In a preferred embodiment, in correspondence with each hinge there is an adjustment device suitable for reversibly stiffening or softening the hardness of the corresponding hinge.

In a first embodiment of the rigid elements, they have a pair of longitudinal rods connected by a pair of crosspieces. Each end of the longitudinal rods includes a hinge connected to the end of a longitudinal rod of the following rigid element. In this particular embodiment, which opens and closes "bellows", the rigid elements are of decreasing size in proportion to the distance from the mobile element of the connection device.

A second, even more advantageous embodiment provides that the rigid elements, all identical to each other, are in the shape of a parallelepiped and have the hinges engageable at an upper and a lower surface. In this variant of the support of the present invention it is advantageously possible to configure the extensible arm of the length desired by the user, adding or subtracting rigid elements to the extensible arm as desired.

A further implementation of this second embodiment of the extendable arm provides that the rigid elements have a protrusion on one side and a recess on the opposite side. This configuration advantageously allows the lateral, stable and reversible coupling of rigid elements, laterally widening the surface of the extensible arm, thus being able to adapt it to particular surfaces.

It is evident that the provision of such an extensible arm allows the use of the same also for different functions than the simple support of the electronic device or its hooking on surfaces of any type.

Some examples of further uses of the support in question, also covered by the scope of protection provided by this patent, include:

- the provision, in at least one rigid element, of an analog or digital level to check the aligned positioning of the support and therefore of the electronic device to which it is connected;

- the provision, near the terminal rigid element of said extensible arm, or the element furthest from the connection device when the extensible arm is in the extended configuration, of a suction cup or a gripper, or a magnet or any other mechanism of connection, which can be reversibly engaged with any instrument such as a flashlight, camera or lens.

It is therefore immediately clear that the advantages of the present invention are not limited to the mere support of the electronic device, but also to the possibility of exploiting new and innovative functions. In particular, unlike the well-known "selfie stick" which must be grasped to move the electronic device away from oneself, and therefore take better photographs, the support of the present invention has the opposite purpose. In fact, it is designed to be attached to a distant support and keep the electronic device close to you, or to hold the device itself and remotely exploit the instrument connected to the last rigid element of the extensible arm (torch, video camera, etc.). The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in the light of the description set out up to now and will be even clearer thanks to the attached figures and the related detailed description.

Description of the figures

The invention will be described below in at least one preferred embodiment for explanatory and non-limiting purposes with the aid of the attached figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows a first embodiment of the extendable arm 10 in its semi-extended and extended configuration.

- FIGURE 2 illustrates the positioning of the movable element 22 of the connection device 20 with the extendable arm 10.

- FIGURE 3 shows the same extensible arm 10 of the previous figures in the folded configuration.

- FIGURE 4 illustrates the rigid elements 11 which constitute the extensible arm 10 in its first embodiment.

- FIGURE 5 shows the connection device 20 in more detail.

- FIGURE 6 represents a further embodiment of the extendable arm 10 '.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be illustrated purely by way of example but not limiting or binding, by resorting to the figures which illustrate some embodiments relating to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 1 (a) shows the embodiment currently considered the most advantageous for allowing a user to fasten his smartphone 100 to any surface, even irregular, inclined or vertical, in a stable and reversible way, thanks to a mechanical support. .

Said support comprises a connection device 20 equipped with a fixed element 21, which can be glued to the rear surface 101 of the cover 200 of the smartphone 100, and with a movable element 22 which can be mechanically attached to said fixed element 21. This movable element 22 is in turn irreversibly constrained with the extensible arm 10 of Fig. 1 (a).

The latter consists of a plurality of rigid elements 11 consisting of a pair of longitudinal rods 11.a-11.b connected by a pair of crosspieces 11.c-11.d. Each end of the longitudinal rods 11.a-11.b is connected to the corresponding end of the longitudinal rod 11.a-11.b of the subsequent rigid element 11 by means of a hinge 12. In this embodiment, the width of the rigid elements 11 it decreases in proportion to the distance from said movable element 22 of said connection device 20.

When the support of the present invention is not used, it is stored in a folded configuration in which it adheres completely to the cover 200 of the smartphone 100.

To start using it, the user can grasp one of the rigid elements and determine a "bellows" opening of the entire extensible arm 10. When all the rigid elements 11 have substantially flat angles between them, making the extensible arm 10 reach the maximum possible length, it is in the extended configuration.

To cover intermediate distances between the folded and the extended configuration, it is possible to stably position the rigid elements 11 with different reciprocal angles, assuming any semi-extended configuration.

Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants that are obvious for a person skilled in the art can be made to the invention described so far, without thereby departing from the scope of protection that is provided by the attached claims.

Claims (10)

Claims 1. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, designed to allow stable and reversible engagement between at least one portable electronic device (100) and any support surface, adapting, from time to time, to every possible shape of the support surface ; said support being characterized in that it comprises: - at least one connection device (20) comprising a fixed element (21) and a movable element (22); said fixed element (21) being able to engage at the rear surface (101) of any portable electronic device (100) or at the rear surface of any cover (200) of a portable electronic device (100); said movable element (22) being able to engage on one side, reversibly, with said fixed element (21) and on the opposite side, irreversibly, with - at least one extensible arm (10-10 ') consisting of a plurality of rigid elements (11-11') rotatably engaged with each other through common hinges (12-12 '); said extensible arm (10-10 ') being capable of assuming, in a reversible manner, a first folded configuration or a second extended configuration and being able to stably retain any semi-extended configuration; said folded configuration being such that said extensible arm (10-10 ') adheres completely to said rear surface (101) or said cover (200) of said portable electronic device (100); said extended configuration being such that the rigid elements (11-11 ') of said extensible arm (10-10') have substantially flat angles between them, reaching, said extensible arm (10-10 '), the maximum possible length ; said semi-extended configuration including all possible intermediate positions between said rigid elements (11-11 ') of said extensible arm (10-10'). 2. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized by the fact that in correspondence with each hinge (12-12 ') there is an adjustment device capable of reversibly stiffening or softening the hardness of the corresponding hinge (12 -12 '), allowing the desired configuration of said extensible arm (10-10') to be maintained even under high loads. 3. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to any one of the preceding claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the stable and reversible connection between said fixed element (21) and said movable element (22) of said connection device (20 ) is of the magnetic type. 4. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rigid elements (11) of said extensible arm (10) have a pair of longitudinal rods (11.a-11.b) connected by a pair of crosspieces (11.c-11.d); each end of said longitudinal rods (11.a-11.b) including a hinge (12 ') connected with the end of a longitudinal rod (11.a-11.b) of the following rigid element (11); said rigid elements (11) being of decreasing dimensions in proportion to the distance from said movable element (22) of said connection device (20). 5. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to any of the previous claims 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that the rigid elements (11 ') of said extensible arm (10') are all the same and are substantially parallelepiped in shape; said rigid elements (11 ') having at least a lower surface (11.a') and an upper surface (11.b ') able to engage with at least one hinge (12') for connection with the rigid element (11 ') following. 6. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to the previous claim 5, characterized by the fact that said extensible arm (10 ') can be modulated with the desired quantity of rigid elements (11'). 7. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to any one of the preceding claims 5 or 6, characterized in that said rigid elements (11 ') have a lateral surface (11.c') provided with a projection (13 ') and the surface opposite side (11.d ') provided with a recess (14') configured to accommodate the projection (13 ') of another rigid element (11'). 8. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to the preceding claim 7, characterized in that said extensible arm (10 ') is reversibly engageable, laterally, with other extensible arms (10') equipped with rigid elements (11 ') with protrusions ( 13 ') and compatible withdrawals (14'). 9. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one rigid element (11-11 ') of said extensible arm (10-10') comprises an analog or digital level to check the aligned positioning of the support and therefore of the electronic device (100) to which it is connected. 10. Multifunctional support for electronic devices, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the terminal rigid element (11-11 ') of said extensible arm (10-10'), i.e. the one furthest away from said connection device (20) when said extensible arm (10-10 ') is in the extended configuration, it comprises a suction cup or a gripper, or a magnet or any connection mechanism able to engage, reversibly, with any instrument such as a flashlight, a camera or a lens.