Combination Strap And Stand Support For Tablets And Hand Held Electronic Devices
Patent No. US10905227 (titled "Combination Strap And Stand Support For Tablets And Hand Held Electronic Devices") was filed by National Products Inc on Jan 28, 2020.
What is this patent about?
’227 is related to the field of supports for portable electronic devices, specifically addressing the need for a versatile accessory that combines the functionality of a hand strap and a fixed stand. The background acknowledges the existence of arm/wrist bands and stands, but highlights their limitations in providing combined flexibility for both handheld use and stationary support.
The underlying idea behind ’227 is to create a single, integrated support system for portable electronic devices that allows a user to comfortably hold the device on their person using a strap, while also providing a stable stand for hands-free viewing on a surface. This is achieved by combining a protective case, a rotatable base, a hand strap connected to the base, and a swivelable support stand also connected to the base, but independently of the strap.
The claims of ’227 focus on a support for a portable electronic device, comprising a case, a rotatable base on the case's back, a strap with both ends attached to the base for appendage support, and a support stand attached to the base independently of the strap. The stand swivels between a stowed position and multiple deployed positions, creating acute deployment angles for angled support on a surface.
In practice, the user can secure the device to their hand or wrist using the strap, allowing for easy portability and operation. When a stationary viewing experience is desired, the user can swivel the support stand away from the case and position it on a flat surface. The swivel mechanism allows for adjusting the viewing angle by selecting from a plurality of deployed positions, providing flexibility in different usage scenarios.
This design differentiates itself from prior solutions by integrating the hand-strap and stand functionalities into a single unit, connected via a rotatable base. The independent attachment of the strap and stand to the base is key, as it allows each to function without interfering with the other. The rotatable base further enhances usability by allowing the user to easily switch between portrait and landscape orientations, whether holding the device or using it in stand mode.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the mid-2010s when ’227 was filed, portable electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones were ubiquitous, at a time when accessories like cases and stands were commonly designed with specific form factors in mind, and when hardware constraints made it non-trivial to create a single accessory that could accommodate multiple device sizes or orientations.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The application was a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ,980, filed Jul. 2, 2015. Claims 1, 3, 5-7 and 21-35 were pending. Claims 1, 5, and 21 were rejected for nonstatutory double patenting over a prior patent in view of another reference. Claims 3, 6, 7, and 22-35 were rejected for nonstatutory double patenting over a prior patent in view of another reference. The prosecution record does not describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.
Claims
There are 20 claims in total. Claim 1 is the only independent claim, and it is directed to a support for a portable electronic device that includes a case, a rotatable base, a strap attached to the base, and a swivelable support stand. The dependent claims generally add further details, features, or limitations to the elements recited in the independent claim.
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Date
Description
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US10905227
- Application Number
- US16774742
- Filing Date
- Jan 28, 2020
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Jul 2, 2035
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents