Abstract:
Described is a pad for interposition between a limb of a user and an apparatus to be attached to the limb. The pad comprises a first cushion element extending along a first portion of a first side of the pad and a second cushion element extending along a first portion of a second side of the pad. The first and second cushion elements are separated from one another by a first reduced thickness area which, when the pad is mounted in a desired orientation, extends between the first and second cushion elements substantially along a longitudinal axis of the limb so that, when interposed between the limb and the apparatus attached thereto, the pad bends along the longitudinal axis to maintain the first and second cushion elements and the reduced thickness area in contact with the limb.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Conventional mobile terminals are used in a variety of environments. In certain situations, it is advantageous to have the mobile terminals worn on an area of the body, particularly a limb. Conventional technology allows mobile terminals to be worn using straps, clips, etc. However, sometimes, this technology does not allow a user to comfortably wear the mobile terminal. One cause is the differences in shape and circumference of the limb of the user, not only the differences between users, but also within a single user. 
         [0002]    Although conventional designs allow for a “one size fits all” scheme, there is usually an optimal size for use of the wearing mechanism. Deviations (e.g., too large or too small) from that optimal size create gaps or spaces that do not allow the mobile terminal to be held flush against the user&#39;s skin.  FIGS. 1   a - b  show exemplary arms  10 ,  20  with a conventional wearing mechanism  30 . In  FIG. 1   a , the wearing mechanism  30  is not flush against the surface of a thin arm  10 . This results in outside gaps  40  forming. These outside gaps  40  allow the wearing mechanism  30  and any mechanism attached to it to rotate around or slide up and down the thin arm  10 . In  FIG. 1   b , the wearing mechanism  30  is also not flush against the surface of a thick arm  20 . This results in an inside gap  50  forming. In this instance, the wearing mechanism  30  may not be prone to unwanted movement (e.g., rotating, sliding, etc.), but it is uncomfortable for the user. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that an arm does not maintain a constant radius as the arm extends from the wrist to the elbow. The conventional wearing mechanism  30  may start with the thin arm  10  with outside gaps  40  but may end with the thick arm  20  with the inside gap  50 . This combination results in both unwanted movement and discomfort. Thus, there is a need for a wearable holder pad which complements a wearing mechanism for a mobile terminal and which is compatible for all users of differing sizes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to a pad for interposition between a limb of a user and an apparatus to be attached to the limb. The pad comprises a first cushion element extending along a first portion of a first side of the pad and a second cushion element extending along a first portion of a second side of the pad. The first and second cushion elements are separated from one another by a first reduced thickness area which, when the pad is mounted in a desired orientation, extends between the first and second cushion elements substantially along a longitudinal axis of the limb so that, when interposed between the limb and the apparatus attached thereto, the pad bends along the longitudinal axis to maintain the first and second cushion elements and the reduced thickness area in contact with the limb. 
     
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIGS. 1   a - b  shows exemplary arms using a conventional wearing mechanism; 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a top side of a wearable holder pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a bottom side of the wearable holder pad according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0007]      FIGS. 4   a - d  shows component layers of the wearable holder pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  shows a cross sectional view of the wearable holder pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 ; 
           [0009]      FIGS. 6   a - b  shows exemplary arms using the wearable holder pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  shows an exemplary use of the wearable holder pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    The present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention describes a wearable holder pad (hereinafter “wearable pad”) with extensions (hereinafter “wings”) and thick areas (hereinafter “thickeners”) that complements a wearing mechanism for use with mobile terminals. Those skilled in the art will understand that the wearable pad is interposed between a surface (e.g., a limb) and the wearing mechanism (e.g., apparatus to be attached to the limb). The wearable pad, wings, and thickeners will be discussed in detail below. 
         [0012]    It should be noted that the following description will describe the use of the invention with respect to an arm, and, in particular, in the area around the user&#39;s wrist. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the use of a wrist is only exemplary and that the present invention may be applied to any surface, whether rounded or not. In addition, a desired orientation of the present invention is on an arm along the length of the arm (i.e., longitudinal axis) instead of circumnavigating the width of it. 
         [0013]      FIGS. 2-3  show a perspective view of a top side and a bottom side, respectively, of a wearable pad with wings and thickeners according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Components of the wearable pad  100 , shown in  FIG. 2 , may include stiffeners  102 , a main pad  101 , a loop material  104 , wings  105 , and an edge banding  107 . Components of the wearable pad  100 , shown in  FIG. 3 , may include the main pad  101 , the wings  105 , thickeners  106 , and the edge banding  107 . 
         [0014]    The main pad  101  is a base layer that the other components of the wearable pad  100  may be attached to. In the exemplary embodiments, the main pad  101  exhibits a bow-tie shape. The main pad  101  may be manufactured using a breathable material such as mesh, gauze, perforated polymer, etc. In the exemplary embodiment, the top side of the main pad  101  exhibits a ventilation that is greater than the ventilation allowed by the bottom side of the main pad  101 . Those skilled in the art will understand that a higher ventilation may be accomplished using similar materials by using a loosely weaved mesh or gauze or using a perforated polymer with wider and/or more pores. In the exemplary embodiment, the main pad  101  may also be manufactured using a material that allows for the other components to be attached easily using conventional attachment methods (e.g., sewing, adhesives, etc.). Furthermore, the main pad  101  of the exemplary embodiment may be manufactured using a flexible material that is adjustable to be worn on any surface, in particular, a wrist. The flexible material of the main pad  101  allows the wearable pad  100  to conform to the shape of the wrist and the wearing mechanism when interposed in between them. It should be noted that the bow-tie shape of the main pad  101  is only exemplary and that other shapes (e.g., an ellipse, a rectangle, etc.) may be used depending on further applications of the wearable pad  100 . It should also be noted that the use of a breathable material to manufacture the main pad  101  is only exemplary and that a non-breathable material or stiffer material such as plastics may be used depending on further applications of the wearable pad  100 . 
         [0015]    The stiffeners  102  are used to provide a semi-rigid component for the wearable pad  100 . The stiffeners  102  are semi-rigid because they allow some bending for the wearable pad  100  to adjust its shape to the surface it is used on. The semi-rigid properties of the stiffeners  102  also allow the wearable pad  100  to substantially hold the shape of the wrist and the wearing mechanism when the wearable pad  100  is interposed between them. The stiffeners  102  are disposed substantially perpendicular to the long side of the wearable pad  100 . In the exemplary embodiment, the stiffeners  102  may be manufactured of a flexible rubber. It should be noted that the use of rubber is only exemplary and that other materials may be used to manufacture the stiffeners  102 , such as flexible plastics. Those skilled in the art will understand that the use of stiffeners  102  is only exemplary and that the wearable pad  100  may be manufactured without any stiffeners. 
         [0016]    The loop material  104  is used for the further applications of the wearable pad  100 . In the exemplary embodiment, the loop material  104  is manufactured using the loop side of a hook and loop fastener. The loop material  104  is on top of the main pad  101  of the wearable pad  100  to allow for sufficient grasping of any mechanism (e.g., wearing mechanism) that may attach to it. Thus, depending on the mass and/or size of the mechanism, the loop material  104  is constructed and placed accordingly. It should be noted that the use of the loop material  104  is only exemplary and that other methods for attaching a mechanism to the wearable pad  100  exist such as buttons, snaps, locks, etc. 
         [0017]    The wings  105  and the thickeners  106  provide the ability to conform better (conformability) for the wearable pad  100  to be placed flush against any surface (i.e., no gaps between the wearable pad  100  and the surface of the limb). The wings  105  are inherent when the shape of the wearable pad  100  exhibits a bow-tie shape (located on the corners of the main pad  101 ). The wings  105  include the thickeners  106 . Thus, four wings  105  and four thickeners  106  exist. In the exemplary embodiment, the thickeners  106  extend across the length of the wings  105  and create a local protrusion from the bottom side of the wearable pad  100 . The thickeners  106  may be manufactured using a compressible material. The compressible material may be, for example, spacer fabric. In the exemplary embodiment, the compressible material is designed to be easily compressed but still maintain its original shape if not subject to a pressure, therefore, functioning similarly to a cushion. In the exemplary embodiments, the thickeners  106  are disposed within the wings  105  (i.e., between the main pad  101  and the breathable material  103 ). It should be noted that the thickeners  106  disposed within the wings  105  is only exemplary and the thickeners  106  may be placed directly on the bottom side of the wings  105  of the main pad  101 , on the top side of the wings  105  of the breathable material  103 , etc. By being placed within the wings  105  of the wearable pad  100 , a reduced thickness area exists between all the thickeners  106  (i.e., between two thickeners on one short side and between two thickeners on one long side). Those skilled in the art will understand that the reduced thickness areas will extend across the middle of the length and width of the wearable pad  100 . Those skilled in the art will also understand that the thickness of the reduced thickness areas will be substantially equal. However, it should be noted that the thickness may be unequal depending on the further applications (e.g., attaching the wearing mechanism) for the wearable pad  100 . 
         [0018]    In the exemplary embodiment, the edge banding  107  surrounds the border of the wearable pad  100 . Thus, the edge banding  107  may be used to hold the components of the wearable pad  100 . The edge banding  107  may be manufactured of various materials that are bendable such as materials used for the main pad  101  or the breathable material  103 , polymers, plastics, etc. It should be noted that the use of the edge banding  107  is only exemplary and the wearable pad  100  may be manufactured without the edge banding  107 . If the wearable pad is designed without the edge banding  107 , then the components may be held together using the above described conventional attachment methods. 
         [0019]    In the exemplary embodiment, the wearable pad  100  may exhibit a total length of 165 mm. The wearable pad  100  may exhibit a total width of 85 mm. With these dimensions, the length between the two stiffeners should be, at a minimum, 120 mm. It should be noted that these dimensions are exemplary only and that the wearable pad  100  may be designed with a specific mobile computing device that attaches to it. 
         [0020]      FIGS. 4   a - d  show component layers of the wearable pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 . The layers of the wearable pad  100  will be described from the top side (e.g.,  FIG. 2 ) to the bottom side (e.g.,  FIG. 3 ). The wearable pad  100  consists of four layers.  FIG. 4   a  illustrates the first layer  401  which may include the stiffeners  102 .  FIG. 4   b  illustrates the second layer  402  which may include the loop material  104 . The second layer  402  illustrates a hole in the middle where the top side of the main pad  101  would exist upon assembly.  FIG. 4   c  illustrates the third layer  403  which may include the thickeners  106 .  FIG. 4   d  illustrates the fourth layer  404  which may include the main pad  101 . The first layer  401  is placed on top of the second layer  402  which is placed on top of the third layer  403  which is placed on top of the fourth layer  404 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 5  shows a cross sectional view of the wearable pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 . The cross sectional view  500  is taken across two wings  105  on the shorter side of the wearable pad  100  and in between the hole of the loop material  104  and the stiffener  102 . In the cross sectional view  500 , the loop material  104  of the second layer  402  and the main pad  101  of the fourth layer  404  are in contact towards the middle of the wearable pad  100 . Towards the ends of the wearable pad  100 , the thickeners  106  of the third layer  403  are disposed in between the second layer  402  and the fourth layer  404 . In addition, the edge banding  107  are placed at the ends of the cross sectional  401  that holds all the components together at those ends. The inclusion of the thickeners  106  creates the protrusions on the main pad  101 . It should again be noted that the cross sectional view  500  is only exemplary and that other designs may exist. For example, the thickeners  106  may extend across the short length of the wearable pad  100  with a thicker region towards the ends (i.e., within the wings  105 ). 
         [0022]      FIGS. 6   a - b  shows exemplary arms wearing the wearable holder pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 .  FIGS. 6   a - b  illustrate a contrast between the same arms of  FIGS. 1   a - b  wearing the wearable holder pad  100  of the present invention.  FIGS. 6   a - b  show the wearable pad  100  attached to the user&#39;s wrist.  FIGS. 6   a - b  illustrate a cross section of the arm and the thickeners  106  in use to adjust to the differences in arm girth. Those skilled in the art will understand that the wearable pad  100  is positioned to be bending along the longitudinal axis of the user&#39;s wrist (not shown) along the longer side of the wearable pad  100 .  FIG. 6   a  shows the thin arm  10  wearing the wearable pad  100 . The wearable pad  100  is flush against the surface of the skin on the thin arm  10 . The use of the thickeners  106  (that are uncompressed) allows the gaps  40  that would normally exist to be filled in. The wearable pad  100  being flush against the surface of the thin arm  10  also prevents any unwanted movement. The wearable pad  100  is also flush against the surface of the skin on thick arm  20 . The use of the thickeners  106  (that are compressed) allows the gap  50  that would normally exist to be filled in. Again, the wearable pad  100  being flush against the surface of the thick arm  20  prevents any unwanted movement and is still comfortable. Those skilled in the art will understand that the wearable pad  100  remains flush against the surface extending along the length of the arm (e.g., increasing radius of arm width), because the wearable pad  100  may adjust to an arm width using the thickeners  106 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 7  shows an exemplary use of the wearable pad shown in  FIGS. 2-3 . The exemplary use  700  shows a holder  108  that is placed on top of the wearable pad  100 . The holder  108  is attached to the wearable pad  100  using the loop material  104 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the holder  108  would use the complementary hook side of the hook and loop fastener. The holder  108  may further be used to attach, for example, a mobile computing device. 
         [0024]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.