Abstract:
The present invention is a mobile device case with a retractable lanyard housed in a pocket-friendly profile. A novel feature provides for the lanyard to be releasably refracted into the housing in a one-two set-release scenario.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This is a U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/978,846, filed on Apr. 12, 2014. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to mobile phones, and more particularly to mobile phone cases. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Keeping the ubiquitous mobile phone accessible and ready for use often involves pockets, belt-holsters or purses. Such locations are not particularly handy, however. While seated, for example, it is inconvenient to fish a phone out of a pants pocket. Even though it is not recommended to talk on the phone while driving without a Bluetooth device, notwithstanding any issues of legality, some phone users, nevertheless, use the unsafe practice of holding a phone while talking and driving. Not only is inattention to the road an issue in such a case, steering the car with only one hand is an accident waiting to happen. If the phone were to be suspended from the neck with the speaker turned on, for example, both hands, at least, could remain on the steering wheel. Tethers and lanyards have been used to keep a mobile phone handy and free from inconvenient placement in a pocket or purse. Photography is a particular application where instant access in needed, and with the advances in phone camera technology today, the mobile phone is the only camera many people use. It is advantageous to have it hanging from a lanyard around one&#39;s neck or wrist. 
         [0004]    The problem with lanyards, however, is that the loose cordage can become ensnared or entangled with other objects, not to mention the nuisance of stuffing it away, or the untidy appearance of failing to do so. Stowing the cordage on a reel would be convenient, if the reel could be combined with the phone, somehow. 
         [0005]    The present invention addresses the unfulfilled need in the present art to provide a releasably retractable lanyard integrated into an ancillary mobile phone case. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Accordingly, it is object of the present invention to provide a lanyard to keep a mobile phone instantly at-the-ready. It is further object to provide a reel integrated with a mobile phone case into which to retract the lanyard. It is further object to deploy the lanyard with one pull and to retract it with only a second pull. It is further object to have the reel and lanyard self-contained and free from snagging in pockets and purses. It is further object to have an adjustable feature to customize the length of the lanyard. 
         [0007]    These objects, and others to become hereinafter apparent, are embodied in a lanyard apparatus for a mobile device comprising, in a first part, a case having a cavity configured to receive the mobile device. In a second part, the lanyard apparatus includes a retractable lanyard integrated with the case. With the mobile device mounted in the case and the lanyard extended, the mobile device may be securely worn about a user&#39;s neck. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile device is a phone with a camera and the lanyard enables readily-accessible photography. Preferably, the retractable lanyard is refracted onto a spool rotatably mounted in the cavity. Preferably, the spool comprises a ratchet mechanism which sets with a pull on the lanyard and releases with a subsequent pull. Preferably, the lanyard is comprised of an aramid fiber rope. 
         [0008]    As this is not intended to be an exhaustive recitation, other embodiments may be learned from practicing the invention or may otherwise become apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood through the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a mobile phone case of the present invention showing a refracted lanyard; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the mobile phone case showing a partially-deployed lanyard; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a left-side elevation view of the case and reel housing; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is section view of  FIG. 3  taken along the lines  4 - 4 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a back-side elevation view of the case and reel housing inverted; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a section view of  FIG. 5  taken along the lines  6 - 6  showing the ratchet mechanism; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is another inverted back-side elevation view; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is section view of  FIG. 7  taken along the lines  8 - 8  showing the spiral spring; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the ratchet, pawl and spiral spring, the ratchet and pawl in an interlocked configuration; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is perspective view of the ratchet and pawl in a by-pass configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0020]    Throughout the description and the claims, the term “mobile device” will be taken to refer to any mobile electronic device including, but not limited to, digital phones, digital cameras, analog cameras, personal digital assistants (PDA&#39;s), tablets and notebooks. The term “mobile phone” will be taken to refer to any digital phone including, but limited to, cell phones, as a category, and Smartphones, as a sub-category thereof, and brand-specific phones including iPhone®, Android®, Blackberry® and Galaxy®, in particular. 
         [0021]    The components of a lanyard apparatus  1  are best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . A case  10  has a cavity  11  configured to receive a mobile device (not shown). In the preferred embodiment, the mobile device is a mobile phone (not shown). A spool  3  is rotatably mounted to a back wall  13  of the case  10 . The spool  3  is supported on spindle  4  and rotates about axis  5 . A retractable lanyard  40  is wound about the spool  3 . 
         [0022]    A ratchet mechanism  20 , comprised of ratchet gear  21  and pawl  22  ( FIG. 6 ), engages the spindle  4 , as described herein below, to stop a back-spooling rotation of the spool  3 . The spool  3 , spindle  4  and ratchet mechanism  20  are housed on the back wall  13  of the case  10  by a reel housing  12 . As shown in Fig&#39;s  1  and  2 , the reel housing  12  has an aperture  14  through which a proximal end  41  of the retractable lanyard  40  is exposed. The proximal end  41  is attached to a lanyard tab  42 , which maintains the proximal end  41  in an exposed posture in the aperture  14  ( FIG. 1 ), where it is positioned to be hand-gripped and pulled in the act of extending the retractable lanyard  40 . 
         [0023]    A spiral spring  8  biases the spool  3  to retract the retractable lanyard  40  ( FIG. 8 ). The spiral spring  8  is connected on one end to the spindle  4  and to the reel housing  12  on the other end. As the retractable lanyard  40  is pulled, the spiral spring  8  compresses setting up a return-force moment. The pawl  22  pivots about a pivot post  23  ( FIGS. 4 and 6 ) fixed to the back wall  13 , and the pawl  22  is biased into engagement with ratchet gear  21  by a pawl spring (not shown). The pawl spring may be any spring biasing means common in the art, such as a wire torsion spring, for example. The ratchet gear  21  is attached to spindle  4  and rotates thereby unitarily with spool  3 . 
         [0024]    When the lanyard tab  42  is pulled in a first pull  6  ( FIG. 2 ), the retractable lanyard  40  extends and the spool  3  unwinds in either direction (counterclockwise is illustrated by example only). As the spool  3  unwinds, the spiral spring  8  compresses and the pawl  22  rides over sliding interfaces  25  ( FIG. 6 ) of the ratchet gear  21 . When the first pull  6  stops, the spiral spring  8  forces the pawl  22  into engagement with flat interfaces  26  by means of connection to spindle  4 , and thereby to ratchet gear  21 , the engagement locking the retractable lanyard  40  at the extent of the pull. A selected extended length of the lanyard  42  can thus be set by a selectable draw. When the lanyard  42  is pulled again in a second pull  7  ( FIG. 1 ), the ratchet mechanism  20  moves from an interlock position  27  ( FIG. 9 ) to a bypass position  28  ( FIG. 10 ). In the bypass position  28 , with the spiral spring  8  tension-loaded and the pawl  22  essentially “cocked”, a dynamic bypass is set up by means of the smoothed contours at the perimeters of the pawl  22  and the ratchet gear  21 , wherein the spindle  4  may spin retractably and rewind the retractable lanyard  40 . The speed of release of the lanyard  42  is key to setting either the interlock position  27  or the dynamic bypass leading to retraction, wherein a controlled release allows time for the pawl  22  to engage with the next flat interface  26 . In this manner, the ratchet mechanism  20  is a “double pull” mechanism, wherein either the retractable lanyard  40  can be reset to a different length or, otherwise, retracted fully onto the spool  3 . 
         [0025]    The case  10 , reel housing  12  and spool  3  with spindle  4  may be molded from acryl-butadiene-styrene (ABS), or any other tough resin. The reel housing  12  may be joined with the back wall  13  by ultrasonic welding, or some other known means of attachment. The ratchet pawl  22  may be molded from high density polyethylene (HDPE), or any other resin with lubricity property. The spiral spring  8  may be comprised of a tempered spring-steel band approximately  0 . 1  inch wide. The retractable lanyard  40  may be comprised of aramid fiber rope (Kevlar®), or another cordage with a high tension modulus in a small gage. 
         [0026]    It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction, to the arrangements of the components and to the method of using set forth in the preceding description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, the spiral spring  8  may be eliminated and a hand-crank added to retract the spool  3 . Further, by example, the spool  3  might be two separate spools to manage dual lines of the retractable lanyard  40  separately. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.