Abstract:
A stand for positioning a mobile electronic device with a built-in camera to an object supported on a support surface is shown. The space below the lens of the camera becomes unobstructed by the stand. The position of the mobile electronic device may be raised or lowered. A shelf upon which the mobile electronic device is supported may have through hole that receives a dowel rod. The dowel rod may have a hinged connection at the base. The dowel rod and the through hole may be in frictional engagement to each other for positioning the shelf to the object to be photographed or imaged. In order to raise or lower the shelf, the frictional engagement between the through hole of the shelf and the dowel rod may be disengaged then when the proper vertical position of the shelf is achieved, frictional engagement therebetween is reestablished. In order to adjust the level of the shelf, the angle established by the hinged connection may be changed by hand without the use of separate tools.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefits of Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos. 61/923,194 and 61/923,201, filed on Jan. 2, 2014, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Various embodiments and aspects described herein relate to a stand for positioning a mobile electronic device with a built-in camera to an object being imaged or photographed. 
         [0004]    Camera equipped computers and phones are fast growing in use. IPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxies and similar mobile electronic devices that have built in cameras are often used to perform hand held close up photography by manually holding the device as stable as possible while trying to shoot the straightest, clearest, sharpest picture. Often it is tiring and problematic and produces inconsistent results. 
         [0005]    Prior art stands, tripods, and props do not provide parallel planes between the mobile device and the target artwork. Those that may provide parallel planes are not adjustable for height, have the encumbrance of an obstructed view from the camera, or just very expensive, bulky and heavy. If the camera is skewed (i.e., not parallel) with respect to the target artwork, the target artwork may have a diminishing perspective view which may be undesirable. Additionally, both hands are often preoccupied in holding the camera-equipped device as motionless as possible in trying to avoid blurred images. Often times, it is also necessary to hold the target artwork in position with the other hand. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved stand. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    A stand for positioning a mobile electronic device that has a built-in camera with respect to support surface is shown. The stand includes a shelf upon which the mobile electronic device rests upon when it is imaging such as taking a photograph. The shelf and consequently the mobile electronic device may be slidably positioned on a dowel rod to move the mobile electronic device further away or closer to an object to be photographed that is placed on the support surface below. Regardless of the vertical position, the angular relationship between the shelf and support surface is the same or can be readjusted. The shelf is adjustably positioned along the length of the dowel rod by way of a loose, slidable cantilever, namely, friction engagement between the dowel rod and a through hole of the shelf. The shelf  12  may be moved up and down to any position merely by releasing frictional engagement between the dowel rod and the through hole of the shelf, moving the shelf up and down then releasing the shelf to reestablish frictional engagement between the through hole and the dowel rod. When the electronic mobile device is placed on the shelf, the camera of the electronic mobile device has an unobstructed view to the object being photographed. 
         [0008]    More particularly, a stand for holding a mobile electronic device with a built-in camera above a support surface at a particular angle to provide unobstructed clearance below to the support surface is disclosed. The stand may include a shelf, a dowel rod and a base. The shelf may be capable of holding the mobile electronic device with the camera pointed downward. The shelf may have an angled through hole formed away from a center of mass of the shelf. The dowel rod may be extended through and slid into the angled through hole. The dowel rod may be frictionally engaged to the angled through hole when the dowel rod is skewed with respect to a vertical axis. The shelf may pivot about the angled through hole so that opposed interior surfaces of the angled through hole frictionally engage the dowel rod to prevent downward sliding of the shelf on the dowel rod, producing a leveraged or cantilevered shelf. The base may be attached to the dowel rod below the shelf. The base may be sufficient to hold the dowel rod and the shelf in a stationary position with respect to the support surface. 
         [0009]    The base and the dowel rod may be fixedly attached to each other at a skewed angle so that an upper surface of the shelf upon which the mobile electronic device rests during use is parallel to the support surface or at some other angle (e.g., ±30°). 
         [0010]    The base and the dowel rod may be adjustably attached to each other so that an upper surface of the shelf upon which the mobile electronic device rests during use can be corrected for horizontal or for parallel to the support surface below or to some other angle. 
         [0011]    The base may be a flat rigid member that extends below the shelf. An object to be photographed may be placed over the flat rigid member during use (i.e., when the photograph is being taken with the camera of the mobile electronic device). The base may be a mounting member that is boltable to the support surface or clampable to the support surface. 
         [0012]    The base may be a hinged anchor assembly where the hinge is the link between the dowel rod and an anchor. The anchor may be a mountable member that is boltable or clampable to the support surface. The adjustment of the dowel rod angle and associated shelf angle may be accomplished by adjusting the hinge position or rotational movement. Adjustments may be done by hand that precludes the use of separate tools. 
         [0013]    The shelf may have a cut out at a periphery or interior of the shelf to accommodate a camera lens of the mobile electronic device. 
         [0014]    The dowel rod may have a round exterior surface and the angled through hole may have a corresponding round interior surface. The inner diameter of the angled through hole may be greater than an outer diameter of the dowel rod. 
         [0015]    The dowel rod may have a round, square, triangular, polygonal, I-beam, or T-shaped cross sectional configuration. 
         [0016]    The through hole in the shelf may have a corresponding round, square, triangular, polygonal, I-beam or T-shaped cross sectional configuration. 
         [0017]    The angled through hole may be formed with an upper lip extending upward at an outer upper edge of the through hole and a lower lip extending downward at an inner lower edge of the through hole. 
         [0018]    The through hole in the shelf may be a hole slightly larger than the dowel rod and may be created at a thickened or reinforced portion of the shelf. 
         [0019]    The hinged base anchor may be comprised of a friction hinge assembly. The friction hinge may have multiple prongs, each with sufficiently large surface contact area for adequate friction between the prongs. The hinge may have a hand knob threaded onto an axle bolt that compresses the prongs together to restrict the movement or rotational position of the hinge, thereby fixing the angle of the dowel rod and the associated angle of the cantilevered shelf. 
         [0020]    The hinged base anchor may instead be comprised of a hinge with one leaf clampable or boltable to the support surface and the other leaf attached to the dowel rod. One leaf of this hinge may have a threaded spindle or bolt with a knob or wheel where turning the knob of wheel adjusts the position of leaf in relation to each other, thereby adjusting the angle of the dowel rod and the associated level of the shelf. Alternatively, one leaf of this hinge may have an attached traversing arm that can be tightened to fix it to the dowel rod, where loosening, repositioning, and retightening of the traversing arm would adjust the angle of the dowel rod and associated level of the shelf. 
         [0021]    In another aspect, a method of operating a camera stand of a mobile electronic device above a support surface is disclosed. The method may include the steps of placing the mobile electronic device on an upper surface of a shelf of the camera stand; lifting a shelf of the camera stand upward to disengage frictional engagement between a through hole of the shelf and a dowel rod; traversing the shelf up or down the dowel rod; and tilting the shelf of the camera stand downward to engage frictional engagement between the through hole of the shelf and the dowel rod in a particular position of cantilever, and adjusting the angular level of the shelf. 
         [0022]    In the method, the placing step may include the step of engaging the mobile electronic device with a nub or recess formed in the upper surface of the shelf to fix a position of the camera on the shelf. 
         [0023]    The lifting step may include the step of releasing an edge of a lower lip of the shelf with the dowel rod. The lifting step may further include the step of releasing an edge of an upper lip of the shelf with the dowel rod. 
         [0024]    The tilting step may further comprise the step of releasing the shelf to allow gravity to tilt the shelf downward or to allow manual pushing of the shelf downwards. 
         [0025]    The shelf leveling step may include adjusting the angle of the dowel rod. This step may include the turning of a knob or wheel to adjust the rotational position of the hinge at the base, thereby setting a new angle for the dowel rod and the associated shelf. Alternatively, this step may include the loosening of an attached traversing arm on the dowel rod or the loosening of a hinge axis knob to allow free movement of the hinge. This step may subsequently include the retightening of hardware to fix a traversing arm on the dowel rod or the retightening of a hinge axle knob to fix the movement of the hinge, thereby setting a new angle for the dowel rod and correcting for the level of the shelf. This repositioning of the dowel rod angle compensates for any deflection in the dowel rod or free play in the upper components that renders the mobile electronic device to sit off horizontal, off parallel to support surface, or off any desired angle. 
         [0026]    The side-to-side leveling step may include the step of rotationally nudging the shelf about the dowel rod axis for yaw angle compensation. This fine-tuning step is available only in round cross section dowel rod and round through hole. 
         [0027]    In another aspect, a stand for adjusting vertical placement of an object above a support surface is disclosed. The stand may comprise a dowel rod, a mounting bracket and an object. The dowel rod may be fixed at a skewed angle with respect to a vertical gravitational direction. The mounting bracket may have a through hole. The through hole may be sufficiently larger than the dowel rod so that the mounting bracket is freely traversable up and down the dowel rod by hand. A lower interior edge of the through hole of the mounting bracket may be frictionally engaged to an outer surface of the dowel rod to fix a position of the mounting bracket on the dowel rod. The object may be attached to the mounting bracket. 
         [0028]    The through hole of the mounting bracket may have a central axis generally coaxially aligned to a central axis of the dowel rod when the mounting bracket is freely traversable up and down the dowel rod. The object may be properly aligned to the support surface when the lower interior edge of the through hole of the mounting bracket is frictionally engaged to the exterior surface of the dowel rod, creating a particular position of cantilever in the mounting bracket when it is weighted by an object. 
         [0029]    The through hole of the mounting bracket may be defined by an upper lip disposed on an exterior side of the through hole and a lower lip disposed on an interior side of the through hole. 
         [0030]    The through hole of the mounting bracket may be created at a thickened or reinforced portion of the mounting bracket. 
         [0031]    The object may be a basket. Alternatively, the object may be a camera. Alternatively, the object may be a visual display, illumination device, or whimsical toy. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]    These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
           [0033]      FIG. 1  is perspective view of a fixed-angle stand for supporting a mobile electronic device above an object supported on a support surface; 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of a through hole of a shelf of the stand; 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of the through hole and a dowel rod slidingly received into the through hole of the shelf; 
           [0036]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the shelf and the dowel rod shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0037]      FIG. 5  illustrates the shelf being lifted up to frictionally disengage the dowel rod from the through hole of the shelf; 
           [0038]      FIG. 6  illustrates the shelf being moved upward; 
           [0039]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a mechanism for providing rotational adjustment to the dowel rod with respect to the support surface; 
           [0040]      FIG. 8  illustrates a first means for attaching the stand to the support surface; 
           [0041]      FIG. 9  is a second means for attaching the stand to the support surface; 
           [0042]      FIG. 10  illustrates a second embodiment of a mechanism for providing for an angular adjustment between the dowel rod and the support surface; 
           [0043]      FIG. 11  illustrates bending of a dowel rod and angular adjustment through an adjustable hinge for proper angular positioning of a shelf to a support surface; 
           [0044]      FIG. 12  illustrates an alternate use for the stand; and 
           [0045]      FIG. 13  illustrates a further alternate use for the stand. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0046]    A stand  10  for holding a mobile electronic device  12  having a camera  14  above a support surface  16  at a particular angle  18  is shown. Moreover, a shelf  20  of the stand  10  may be vertically adjusted up  21  or down  22  to bring the camera  14  of the mobile electronic device  12  closer to or further away from an object  24  to be photographed. Regardless of the actual height of the shelf  20  above the support surface  16 , the angle  18  can remain the same due to predetermined deflection. In this manner, the angular relationship between the camera  14  of the electronic device  12  and the target object  24  remains the same within a predetermined range of distances between the camera  14  of the electronic device and the target object  24 . Also, the user need not balance the mobile electronic device  12  or try to maintain steadiness of the mobile electronic device  12  as the user takes a photograph of the object to be photographed  24  with the camera  14  of the mobile electronic device  12 . 
         [0047]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the shelf  20  may have a circular outer periphery and be cut out from a base  26 . The shelf  20  may have a flat upper surface  28  supporting the mobile electronic device  12 . The upper surface  28  may be textured to provide additional frictional engagement between the mobile electronic device  12  and the upper surface  28  of the shelf  20 . The upper surface  28  is shown in  FIG. 1  as a flat surface that allows the mobile electronic device  12  to be oriented in any position on the shelf  20 . However, it is also contemplated that the upper surface  28  may be sized and configured to fix the orientation of the mobile electronic device  12  so that the mobile electronic device  12  is at a particular orientation on the shelf  20 . By way example and not limitation, a center of mass of the mobile electronic device  12  may be aligned to a center of mass of the shelf  20  to prevent lateral tilting or shifting of the shelf  20  on the dowel rod  42  during use. In particular, the upper surface  28  may have a recess or an indent that receives the electronic device  12  or a series of protruding nubs that align the mobile electronic device on the shelf  20 . The outer periphery of the shelf  20  may also have an indentation or cutout  30 . The camera  14  of the mobile electronic device  12  may be positioned in the indentation  30  to better align the mobile electronic device  12  on the shelf  20  and also to the object  24  being photographed. Although one indention  30  is shown in  FIG. 1 , the shelf  20  may have additional indentations  30  about the periphery thereof to provide alternate positions of the mobile electronic device  12  on the shelf  20 . One or more holes (not shown) may also be formed in the shelf  20  to further provide additional positions of the mobile electronic device  12  to optimally position the camera  14  with respect to the shelf  20  and the object  24  being photographed. 
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the shelf  20  may also have an angled through hole  32 . The angled through hole  32  has a central axis  34  that is skewed with respect to the upper surface  28  of the shelf  20 . Preferably, the angle  34  is about 15 degrees to about 25 degrees. The through hole  32  may have or be defined by an upper lip  36  and a lower lip  38 . The upper and lower lips  36 ,  38 , are positioned opposite from each other with respect to a flat member that defines a shelf  20  and also with respect to the through hole  32 . More particularly, the upper lip may be disposed above the upper surface  28  and be formed at an outer side of the through hole  32 . In contrast, the lower lip  38  may be formed below the upper surface  28  of the shelf  20  and formed at an inner side of the through hole  32 . The inner and outer sides of the through hole  32  is with respect to a center of mass  40  of the shelf  20 . The side of the through hole  32  closer to the center of mass  40  is the inner side, whereas, the side of the through hole  32  further away from the center of mass  40  is the outer side of the through hole  32 . These lips together create a sufficiently large contact area between the through hole and the dowel rod for a frictional hold at the leveraged or cantilevered resting position of shelf  20 . 
         [0049]    The upper lip and the lower lip  38  may have a semicircular configuration and may circumscribe about fifteen (15) to one-hundred and eighty (180) degrees of the dowel rod  42  that is slidingly received within the angled through hole  32 . The dowel rod  42  is shown as being inserted through the angled through hole  32  in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the dowel rod and the shelf  20 .  FIG. 4  illustrates how the lower lip  38  engages the dowel rod  42 . Together, the combination of upper lip  36  and lower lip  38  create enough surface friction to provisionally prevent the shelf  20  from sliding downward. Alternatively, engagement may be mechanical, where the lower lip  38  may have an edge  44  that engages the outer surface of the dowel rod  42 . The weight of the shelf  20  and the mobile electronic device  12  when the mobile electronic device  12  rests on the shelf  20  rotates the shelf  20  in the direction of the arrow  44 . The rotation  46  and the weight of the shelf  20  may cause an edge  44  to be mechanically engaged into the outer surface of the dowel rod  42  and prevent the shelf from sliding downward Moreover, the edge  44  may be sharpened to further aid in mechanically engaging the exterior surface of the dowel rod  42 . The upper lip  36  may also have an edge  48 . The edge  48  and the exterior surface of the dowel rod  42  may be sized and configured to also be mechanically engaged to each other to further prevent the shelf  20  from sliding downward on the dowel rod  42  by the weight of the shelf  20 . However, the engagement mechanism may exclusively be surface friction. By way of example and not limitation, the exterior surface of the dowel rod  42  may be coated with a polymeric frictional material, roughened such as by sand blasting or treated in other ways known in the art or developed in the future for increasing the coefficient of friction. To this end, the edge  48  of the upper lip  36  and the exterior surface of the dowel rod  42  may be treated to further increase frictional engagement there between. By way of example and not limitation, friction material may be coated on the edge  48  and the exterior surface of the dowel rod  42  or may be roughened. Although the through hole  32  has been described as being defined by a simple hole or the upper and lower lips  36 ,  38 , other configurations are also contemplated. By way of example and not limitation, the through hole  32  may have a different configuration depending on the type of material used (e.g., wood, polycarbonate, plastic, etc.) and even on the fabricating process (e.g., milling, injection molding, etc.). 
         [0050]    The dowel rod  42  may be held at a particular angle  50  with respect to a gravitational direction which defines a vertical line  52 . The angle  50  and the engagement between the upper and lower lips  36 ,  38  with the dowel rod  42  may be configured so that the shelf  20 , and more particularly, the upper surface  28  of the shelf is preferably horizontal or parallel (i.e., angle) 18=0° with the support surface  16 . The angular correction for horizontal is accomplished at the hinged connection in the anchored base. However, it is also contemplated that the upper surface  28  may have different skewed angles with respect to the support surface  16  by changing the angle  50  and the engagement between the upper and lower lips  36 ,  38  with the dowel rod  42  in order to alter the angle  54  between the dowel rod  42  and the shelf  20 . This skewed angle is also modified or affected by adjusting the hinge position at the anchored base. 
         [0051]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the shelf  20  is shown as being moved upward  21  along the dowel rod  42  to move the mobile electronic device  12  further away from the object  24  being imaged or photographed. To this end, the shelf  20  is lifted up or rotated in the opposite direction from the angular rotation  46  as shown by arrow  56  to loosen its frictional hold due to gravity. The through hole  32  is sized larger than the dowel rod  42  to allow sliding when not gravitationally engaged in the leveraged or cantilevered position. When shelf  20  returns to rest in the cantilevered position, frictional engagement gets reestablished and holds the shelf  20  in position. The dowel rod  42  may be straight so that the upper surface  28  remains the same with respect to the support surface  16 . However, the dowel rod  42  may flex or bend or curve, but angle  50  may be readjusted at the hinge to compensate. Alternatively, the dowel rod  42  may be curved so that the shelf  20  and the target object  24  may have a different angular relationship depending on the vertical position of the shelf  20  on the dowel rod  42 . 
         [0052]    The dowel rod  42  may have a fixed relationship to the support surface  16 , as shown in  FIG. 1  or may be adjustable, as shown with respect to  FIGS. 7-10 . In  FIG. 1 , the dowel rod  42  is fixedly attached to the base  26 . The base  26  is an enlarged flat rigid member which cannot pivot with respect to the dowel rod  42  at its lower distal end. By way of example and not limitation, the attachment may be made by welding, bolting, adhesion or other known methods known in the art or developed in the future. 
         [0053]    Referring now to  FIG. 7-10 , methods and apparatuses of adjusting the angle  50  of the dowel rod  42  are shown. More particularly, referring now to  FIG. 7 , the base may be a mounting member  64   a  for securing the stand  10  to the support surface  16 . The mounting member  64   a  may have a hinge assembly that makes use of contact surfaces for static friction. This hinge assembly may be comprised of two or more prongs  66  that are inserted into two or more slots  68  which belong to a mating mounting member  70   a.    
         [0054]    The multiple prongs of a hinge assembly  70   a ,  64   a  may have matching surface areas of contact to create static friction to restrict hinge movement. The movement or axial position of the assembled hinge  70   a ,  64   a  may be adjusted by adjusting the axial compression of an axle bolt  74  that is inserted through all prongs. Axial compression of the axle bolt may be accomplished by the turning of hand knobs or levers that preclude the use of separate tools. The prongs or plates and their matching slots may be of same or different thickness and may be separately attached to the dowel rod  42  or integrally formed with the dowel rod  42  and with base  64   a . The total surface area of contact between the surfaces may be increased by enlarging the prongs and/or by adding more prongs  72 ,  66  to the mating mounting member  70   a  to create a sufficient amount of friction so that the angle between the base and the dowel rod can be manually set to correct for horizontal, to compensate for load deflection of shelf  20 , or to compensate for free play of the upper components that result in unanticipated or unwanted angle  50 . The static friction force may also be adjusted by selecting different materials for the prongs such as medium density fiberboard wood, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, aluminum, and polycarbonate. The hinge assembly may be comprised of two or more prongs at the distal end of the dowel rod  42  that are inserted into two or more slots which belong to a mating mounting member  64   a . This is not shown in  FIG. 7  but is the upside-down or reverse variation.  FIG. 10  illustrates a similar construction in that prongs  72   b  of the mating mounting member  70   b  are compressed onto prongs  66   b  of the mounting member  64   b . The dowel rod  42  is fixedly secured to the mating mounting member  70   a, b.    
         [0055]    In  FIG. 1 , the stand  10  is a free-standing appliance sitting on the support surface  16 .  FIGS. 8 and 9  show alternate means of attaching the stand  10  to the support surface  16 . In  FIG. 8 , the base may be a clamping system  80 . In  FIG. 9 , the base may be a bolting system  82 . 
         [0056]    As discussed above, the dowel rod  42  was described as being straight and the shelf  20  as being horizontally level. However, all materials bend when placed under a load. Since the dowel rod  42  is not aligned vertically upward with a gravitational direction  52 . The dowel rod  42  is in a sense cantilevered outward and such orientation may cause some bend in the dowel rod  42 , as shown in  FIG. 11 . Such bend in the dowel rod  42  may cause the camera of the electronic mobile device to be misaligned to the support surface or the object being photographed. Additionally, the shelf  20  extends outward and may bend downward either due to its own weight and the weight of the mobile electronic device. To account for any misalignment, the user may adjust the angle of the dowel rod  42  with respect to the support surface as described herein in relation to  FIGS. 7-10  (i.e., angularly adjustable hinge  70   a ,  64   a ) in order to align the camera of the electronic mobile device to the target object being photographed. The angle of the dowel rod  42  may have an infinite adjustment. 
         [0057]    Referring now to  FIG. 12 , the stand  10  may be used in other applications. By way of example and not limitation, the shelf  20  may be replaced with a basket  88  that can be positioned at one or more positions along the dowel rod  42 . Other components such as a laser device may also be adjustably positioned on the dowel rod  42  as shown in  FIG. 13 . Other applications may include a visual display, illumination device, or whimsical toy. Additionally, when the stand  10  is configured as shown in  FIGS. 1-10 , the stand  10  can be used to convert your smartphone into a macro camera, scan paper documents, attach a special lens to the smartphone and turn the camera of the smartphone into a microscope, scan checks for mobile deposits and digitize printed photos. 
         [0058]    The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of forming the base of the stand. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.