US20080185300A1

US20080185300A1 - Universal hand-held organizer system

Info

Publication number: US20080185300A1
Application number: US11/701,939
Authority: US
Inventors: John Edward Lacey; John Greg Sherry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-02
Filing date: 2007-02-02
Publication date: 2008-08-07
Also published as: WO2008094163A1

Abstract

A housing has a rear face, side faces and upper and lower edges. The housing has a front rectangular opening. A cover plate has upper and lower edges. The cover plate is adapted to be slidably received by the housing. In this manner a major chamber is created. A shelf is slidably received in the major chamber. In this manner a lower chamber is defined there below and an upper chamber there above. A base is formed of a planar lower face. An upstanding exterior peripheral wall and an upstanding interior wall define a recess. The recess is shaped to receive lower edges of the housing and the cover plate. A cushion is positioned in the upper chamber. A rear wall is positioned against the housing. The front face is positioned against the cover plate. A bottom wall is positioned on the shelf.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a universal hand-held organizer system and more particularly pertains to organizing, storage and charging facilitation of hand-held devices in a convenient and economical manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of hand-held accessories of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, hand-held accessories of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of storing hand-held devices through known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,726 issued May 3, 2005 to O'Hare relates to Sportsmen's Gear Carriers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,685 issued Jun. 1, 2004 to Williams relates to a Clip and Holder for Portable Devices. U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,951 issued Jan. 7, 2003 to Marshall relates to a Lighted and Content-Organizing Carrying Case. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. D478,714 issued Aug. 26, 2003 to White relates to a Holder for Cell Phones and other Articles.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a universal hand-held organizer system that allows organizing, storage and charging facilitation of hand-held devices in a convenient and economical manner.
In this respect, the universal hand-held organizer system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of organizing, storage and charging facilitation of hand-held devices in a convenient and economical manner.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system which can be used for organizing, storage and charging facilitation of hand-held devices in a convenient and economical manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of hand-held accessories of known designs and configurations now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved universal hand-held organizer system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system and method which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a universal hand-held organizer system. First provided is a housing. The housing has a convex rear face. The convex rear face has an upper edge. The convex rear face has a lower edge. The convex rear face has side edges. The side edges are provided between the upper and lower edges. The housing also has concave side faces. The concave side faces have upper edges. The concave side faces have lower edges. The concave side faces have interior side edges. The interior side edges are integrally formed with the side edges of the rear face. The concave side faces have exterior side edges. The exterior side edges are configured with rectangularly shaped edges. The rectangularly shaped edges face each other. In this manner a front rectangular opening is defined. The upper and lower edges of the housing and the side faces are separated by a common first height.
A concave cover plate is provided. The concave cover plate has an upper edge. The concave cover plate has a lower edge. The concave cover plate has side edges. The side edges are in an L-shaped configuration. The side edges are adapted to be slidably received adjacent to the rectangular shaped edges of the housing. In this manner a generally cylindrically shaped major chamber is created between the housing and the cover plate. The upper and lower edges of the cover plate are separated by a common second height. The common second height is less than the first height.
Provided next is a shelf. The shelf has a peripheral edge. The peripheral edge is configured to be slidably received in the major chamber. The peripheral edge includes arcuate sides. The peripheral edge has a plurality of inwardly extending semi-circular openings. The side faces of the housing include a plurality of inwardly extending semi-circular projections. The projections are slidably receivable within the semi-circular openings of the shelf. The side faces of the housing include a plurality of outwardly extending semi-circular slots. The slots are correlated with the semi-circular openings. The shelf has a concave rear face. The concave rear face is positionable adjacent to the rear face of the housing. The shelf has a convex front face. The convex front face is integrally formed with the cover plate. In this manner a lower chamber is defined there below and an upper chamber there above. The upper chamber is between about two and five times larger than the lower chamber. The housing and cover plate and the shelf are fabricated of a rigid material. The rigid material is selected from the class of rigid materials. The class of rigid materials includes metal and plastic.
A plurality of similarly configured couplers is provided. Each coupler has spaced edges with a semi-circular configuration. Each coupler is adapted to be slidably received in the semi-circular slots of the housing. In this manner separably coupling a plurality of housings is allowed in any of a variety of configurations in groups and singly.
Further provided is a base. The base is formed of a planar lower face. The base has an upstanding exterior peripheral wall. The base has an upstanding interior wall. The walls define a recess. The recess is shaped to receive the lower edges of the housing and the cover plate. The base is fabricated of a resilient material. The resilient material is selected from the class of resilient materials. The class of resilient materials includes plastic and rubber, natural and synthetic, and blends thereof.
Provided last is a cushion. The cushion is positioned in the upper chamber. The cushion has a rear wall. The rear wall is positioned against housing. The cushion has a front face. The front face is positioned against the cover plate. The cushion has a bottom wall. The bottom wall is positioned on the shelf. The cushion forms a reception area. The reception area is adapted to removably receive and retain hand-held devices. The hand-held devices are selected from the class of hand-held devices. The class of hand-held devices includes cell phones, I-Pods™, MP-3s, PDA's, Blackberries, gaming devices and other wireless communication devices. An upper aperture is formed in the bottom wall. An aligned lower aperture is formed in the shelf. A complementary aperture is formed in the housing between the lower chamber and exterior for the passage of wires from the hand-held devices.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system which has all of the advantages of the prior art hand-held accessories of known designs and configurations and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system which is of durable and reliable constructions.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such universal hand-held organizer system economically available to the buying public.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a universal hand-held organizer system for organizing, storage and charging facilitation of hand-held devices in a convenient and economical manner.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved universal hand-held organizer system. A housing has a rear face, side faces and upper and lower edges. The housing has a front rectangular opening. A cover plate has upper and lower edges. The cover plate is adapted to be slidably received by the housing. In this manner a major chamber is created. A shelf is slidably received in the major chamber. In this manner a lower chamber is defined there below and an upper chamber there above. A base is formed of a planar lower face. An upstanding exterior peripheral wall and an upstanding interior wall define a recess. The recess is shaped to receive lower edges of the housing and the cover plate. A cushion is positioned in the upper chamber. A rear wall is positioned against the housing. The front face is positioned against the cover plate. A bottom wall is positioned on the shelf.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a universal hand-held organizer device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the universal hand-held organizer device taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of device taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of device taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective illustration of the device shown in the prior Figures.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are exploded perspective illustrations of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a plurality of devices coupled in system configuration.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the system taken at circle 9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view taken at line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of a universal hand-held organizer device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various Figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof, the preferred embodiment of the new and improved universal hand-held organizer system embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.
The present invention, the universal hand-held organizer system 10 is comprised of a plurality of components. One skilled in the art would recognize that any hand-held device could be contained within the system Such components in their broadest context include a housing, a cover plate, a shelf, a base, and a cushion. Such components are individually configured and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired objective.
First provided is a housing 14. The housing has a convex rear face 16. The convex rear face has an upper edge 18. The convex rear face has a lower edge 20. The convex rear face has side edges. The side edges are provided between the upper and lower edges. The housing also has concave side faces 22. The concave side faces have upper edges 24. The concave side faces have lower edges 26. The concave side faces have interior side edges. The interior side edges are integrally formed with the side edges of the rear face. The concave side faces have exterior side edges. The exterior side edges are configured with rectangularly shaped edges 28. The rectangularly shaped edges face each other. In this manner a front rectangular opening is defined. The upper and lower edges of the housing and the side faces are separated by a common first height.
A concave cover plate 32 is provided. The concave cover plate has an upper edge 34. The concave cover plate has a lower edge 36. The concave cover plate has side edges 38. The side edges are in an L-shaped configuration. The side edges are adapted to be slidably received adjacent to the rectangular shaped edges of the housing. In this manner a generally cylindrically shaped major chamber is created between the housing and the cover plate. The upper and lower edges of the cover plate are separated by a common second height. The common second height is less than the first height. The cover plate height may be varied so as to allow for the viewing of the articles, in particular the faces of the hand held devices, held within the system. The cover plate may be removable and interchangeable so as to allow the user to vary the appearance of the system. The cover plate may be covered with a paint, or a textured material, such as leather, or any surfacing preparation which is either naturally occurring or synthetic. In addition, the cover plate may bear any indicia, such as a school name, or a sports team logo.
Provided next is a shelf 42. The shelf has a peripheral edge. The peripheral edge is configured to be slidably received in the major chamber. The peripheral edge includes arcuate sides 44. The peripheral edge has a plurality of inwardly extending semi-circular openings 46. The side faces of the housing include a plurality of inwardly extending semi-circular projections 48. The projections are slidably receivable within the semi-circular openings of the shelf. The side faces of the housing include a plurality of outwardly extending semi-circular slots 50. The slots are correlated with the semi-circular openings. The shelf has a concave rear face 52. The concave rear face is positionable adjacent to the rear face of the housing. The shelf has a convex front face 54. The convex front face is integrally formed with the cover plate. In this manner a lower chamber is defined there below and an upper chamber there above. The upper chamber is between about two and five times larger than the lower chamber. The housing and cover plate and the shelf are fabricated of a rigid material. The rigid material is selected from the class of rigid materials. The class of rigid materials includes metal and plastic.
The primary embodiment includes different sections, some as concave and some as convex. Such shapes are for illustrative purposes only and configured to be changed for allowing a user to change the appearance of the system.
A plurality of similarly configured couplers 60 is provided. Each coupler has spaced edges 62 with a semi-circular configuration. Each coupler is adapted to be slidably received in the semi-circular slots of the housing. In this manner separably coupling a plurality of housings is allowed in any of a variety of configurations in groups and singly.
Further provided is a base 66. The base is formed of a planar lower face 68. The base has an upstanding exterior peripheral wall 70. The base has an upstanding interior wall 72. The walls define a recess 74. The recess is shaped to receive the lower edges of the housing and the cover plate. The base is fabricated of a resilient material. The resilient material is selected from the class of resilient materials. The class of resilient materials includes plastic and rubber, natural and synthetic, and blends thereof.
Provided last is a cushion 78. The cushion is positioned in the upper chamber. The cushion has a rear wall 80. The rear wall is positioned against housing. The cushion has a front face 82. The front face is positioned against the cover plate. The cushion has a bottom wall 84. The bottom wall is positioned on the shelf. The cushion forms a reception area. The reception area is adapted to removably receive and retain hand-held devices 86. The hand-held devices are selected from the class of hand-held devices. The class of hand-held devices includes cell phones, I-Pods™, MP-3s, PDA's, Blackberries, hand held gaming devices, and other wireless communication devices. An upper aperture 88 is formed in the bottom wall. An aligned lower aperture 90 is formed in the shelf. A complementary aperture 92 is formed in the housing between the lower chamber and exterior for the passage of wires 94 from the hand-held devices.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cushion is fabricated of an elastomeric foam material, preferably a closed cell polyurethane foam.
An alternate embodiment of the present invention includes a shelf 102. The shelf has a periphery 104. The periphery is formed separate from the housing and the cover plate. In this manner a lower chamber is defined there below and an upper chamber there above. The shelf includes two cylindrical recesses 106. Cylindrical weights 108 are provided. The cylindrical weights are positionable in the cylindrical recesses. The cylindrical recesses extend downwardly for positioning on the base. The system also includes a plurality of larger stickers 110 and smaller stickers 112. The stickers are configured to be secured to the exterior surfaces of the housing and the cover plate for decorative and advertising purposes.
Another embodiment includes securing indicia via skirts rather than using stickers.
Another alternate embodiment 200 of the present invention includes a base 202. The base has a periphery 204 having an extended height of up to about 10 millimeters. The periphery is formed at an angle of about 30 degrees from the vertical. A V-shaped channel 206 is formed between two housings when joined by a coupler 208. In this manner the passage of wires 210 is allowed from the hand-held devices supported by the cushion. The channel is wider at the top than at the bottom. Coupler 208 differs from coupler 60 in that coupler 60 is of a first width and coupler 208 is of a second width, with the first width being less than the second width. The use of the wider coupler allows the use of the angled base, creating a larger gap between devices and the creation of the V channel. The channel configuration may also be a U channel, or any other configuration that allows a gap between the devices. Such gap allows for the passage of wires between the joined systems.
As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A universal hand-held organizer system comprising:

a housing a rear face and side faces with upper and lower edges and with a front rectangular opening;

a cover plate with upper and lower edges adapted to be slidably received by the housing to create a major chamber;

a shelf slidably received in the major chamber to define a lower chamber there below and an upper chamber there above; and,

a base formed of a planar lower face with an upstanding exterior peripheral wall and an upstanding interior wall defining a recess shaped to receive lower edges of the housing and the cover plate.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the system further includes a cushion positioned in the upper chamber with a rear wall positioned against housing and a front face positioned against the cover plate and a bottom wall positioned on the shelf.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shelf has a front face integrally formed with the cover plate to define the lower chamber there below and the upper chamber there above, the upper chamber being between about two and five times larger than the lower chamber.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the shelf has a periphery formed separate from the housing and the cover plate to define the lower chamber there below and the upper chamber there above.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the shelf includes two cylindrical recesses with cylindrical weights positionable in the cylindrical recesses, the cylindrical recesses extending downwardly for positioning on the base.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 and further including a plurality of larger stickers and smaller stickers adapted to be secured to the exterior surfaces of the housing and the cover plate for decorative and advertising purposes.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the base has a periphery formed at an angle of about 30 degrees from the vertical whereby a V-shaped channel is formed between two housings when joined by a coupler, the channel being wider at the top than at the bottom, for the passage of wires from hand-held devices supported by the cushion.

8. A universal hand-held organizer system for organizing, storage and charging facilitation of hand-held organizer devices in a convenient and economic manner comprising, in combination:

a housing having a convex rear face with an upper edge and a lower edge with side edges between the upper and lower edges, the housing also having concave side faces with upper edges and lower edges with interior side edges integrally formed with the side edges of the rear face and exterior side edges configured with rectangularly shaped edges facing each other to define a front rectangular opening, the upper and lower edges of the housing and the side faces being separated by a common first height;

a concave cover plate with an upper edge and a lower edge and side edges in an L-shaped configuration, the side edges adapted to be slidably received adjacent to the rectangular shaped edges of the housing to thereby create a generally cylindrically shaped major chamber between the housing and the cover plate, the upper and lower edges of the cover plate being separated by a common second height less than the first height;

a shelf having a peripheral edge configured to be slidably received in the major chamber, the peripheral edge including arcuate sides with a plurality of inwardly extending semi-circular openings, the side faces of the housing including a plurality of inwardly extending semi-circular projections slidably receivable within the semi-circular openings of the shelf, the side faces of the housing including a plurality of outwardly extending semi-circular slots correlated with the semi-circular openings, the shelf having a concave rear face positionable adjacent to the rear face of the housing and a convex front face integrally formed with the cover plate to define a lower chamber there below and an upper chamber there above, the upper chamber being between about two and five times larger than the lower chamber, the housing and cover plate and the shelf being fabricated of a rigid material selected from the class of rigid materials including metal and plastic;

a plurality of similarly configured couplers, each coupler having spaced edges with a semi-circular configuration and adapted to be slidably received in the semi-circular slots of the housing for allowing separably coupling a plurality of housings in any of a variety of configurations in groups and singly;

a base formed of a planar lower face with an upstanding exterior peripheral wall and an upstanding interior wall defining a recess shaped to receive the lower edges of the housing and the cover plate, the base being fabricated of a resilient material selected from the class of resilient materials including plastic and rubber, natural and synthetic, and blends thereof; and

a cushion fabricated of a closed cell polyurethane foam positioned in the upper chamber with a rear wall positioned against housing and a front face positioned against the cover plate and a bottom wall positioned on the shelf, the cushion forming a reception area adapted to removably receive and retain hand-held devices selected from the class of hand-held devices including cell phones, I-Pods™, MP-3s, PDA's, Blackberries and other wireless communication devices, an upper aperture formed in the bottom wall and an aligned lower aperture formed in the shelf and a complementary aperture formed in the housing between the lower chamber and exterior for the passage of wires from the hand-held devices.