RC holder employing L-shaped members with overlapping face holding/adjusting means

A holder for accessories for electronic equipment, such as remote controls (RCs) (30) for televisions, VCRs, audio receivers, etc., and schedule or guidebooks (62) for such equipment comprises a cradle (56) of variable width and length for holding one or more RCs and an underlying holder (34) for the guidebook. The cradle comprises a plurality of L-shaped members (10U, 10L, 80U, 80L) whose long portions (12, 82) overlap to form the bottom of the cradle and are clampable together in a range of positions, e.g., by means of screws (18) or hook-and-loop (H&L) fasteners (22) or double-stick sided tape. The short portions (14, 84) of the L-shaped members stand upright in a spaced relation to form the sides of the cradle. Plural shorter L-shaped members can be used with a provision for adjustable spacing so that the length of the cradle can also be adjusted. The RC units are positioned on the floor of the cradle, side-by-side, and may be held thereto by means of H&L fasteners (24). The underlying guidebook holder may be used alone or it may be attached to the RC-holding cradle by H&L fasteners (32, 54, 79), double-stick-sided tape, or integrally. Additional holders may be stacked below the first one. It comprises a plurality of plates (36, 37, 38) with attached sides so as to form a rectangular cavity. The bottom of the cavity may be closed by end flaps (42, 46, 68) of the plates or by a clamp (70) or a torsion spring. The plates may be hinged and held together by a coil or torsion spring (72) such that they can be opened in clamshell fashion.

BACKGROUND 
1. Field of Invention 
This invention relates generally to holders of accessories for electronic 
equipment, specifically to devices for holding a TV guidebook and a 
plurality of remote control (RC) units for controlling electronic 
equipment, such as television receivers, video cassette recorders (VCRs), 
audio receivers, etc. 
2. Description of Prior Art RC 
In recent years, remote-controllable (rc) entertainment and other 
electronic appliances, such as televisions, VCRs, audio receivers, etc., 
have proliferated. Each of these appliances can be controlled (turned on 
and off, programmed, tuned, etc.) by a remote-control (RC) device, which 
usually is a small box with an infra-red transmitter inside and various 
switches on a top surface thereof for controlling the transmitter and 
causing it to transmit selected codes to the appliance. 
Users of such appliances usually keep their RCs on a low table in front of 
a sofa, on an arm of a sofa, on a bedside night table, on a bed headboard, 
etc. However when a user owns several rc appliances, such as a TV, a VCR, 
an audio receiver, etc., he or she also must use and store a respective 
number of RCs. Storing or keeping several RCs in any of the foregoing 
places thus became difficult since the units can be mixed, disorganized, 
lost under other equipment, sofa cushions, books, papers, etc. 
In addition, users of such RCs usually keep a schedule of entertainment 
programs and other reference material, such as a television guidebook, a 
cable TV guide, etc., near their RCs. The need to store these written 
reference materials, in addition to the RCs themselves, compounds the 
problem of the previous paragraph. 
Various devices for holding RCs are available, but these all have certain 
drawbacks. Rogalski, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,792 (1987) shows an RC holder, 
but this device is not capable of holding RCs of various sizes. Butler, in 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,897 (1988) shows a boxlike RC holder, as do others, 
but these devices are large, awkward, and is inconvenient to use quickly 
and easily. Butler, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,745 (1987) also shows a two-RC 
holder, but this device must be flipped to be used, and does not handle 
reference materials. 
Striplin, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,693 (1987) shows a three-RC holder, but 
this device is also large, awkward, and inconvenient to use quickly and 
easily. Ferrante, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,683 (1989) shows an RC holder 
which can be attached to the side of a TV, but this device will not store 
the RCs in a place which is convenient for the user. 
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are to provide 
an improved device for storing and keeping RCs in an organized, neat, and 
easily and quickly accessible manner, and to provide a way also to store 
and keep written reference materials in association with such RCs in such 
a manner. Other objects and advantages are to prevent mixing of RCs, to 
prevent loss of RCs, to keep RCs and their associated written reference 
materials in a convenient manner, etc. Further objects and advantages are 
to provide an improved device for holding several RCs, even if they have 
varying sizes, to provide a holder which is very light in weight, compact, 
does not have to be flipped or rotated to be used, and which can store 
several RCs in a place which is convenient for the user. 
Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of 
the ensuing description and the accompanying drawings.

DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS 
______________________________________ 
10 L-shaped member 
12 long portion of 10 
14 short portion 
15 bend in short portion 14 
16 row of holes 17 definition gap 
18 screws 20 slot 
22 H&L strip 24 mated H&L pair 
26 support nubbins 
28 cable guide sticker 
30 RC unit 32 hook strips 
34 schedule holder 
36 upper plate 
37 wide upper plate 
38 lower plate 
40 flat portion 42 top end flap 
44 rivet 46 bottom end flap 
48 gaps 50 upper side flaps 
52 lower side flaps 
54 part of H&L strip 
56 RC holder 58 flaring ends 
60 space 62 TV schedule book 
64 RC support boss 
66 integral assembly 
67 short portion of 66 
68 endface of 66 
69 pallet support 
70 clamp 
72 spring 74 integral tang 
75 attachable clip 
76 pencil 
78 hinge pin 79 double-stick-side tape ("tape") 
80 small L-shaped member 
82 long portion of 80 
84 short portion of 80 
______________________________________ 
FIGS. 1A TO 1C--BASIC RC HOLDERS 
In accordance with a basic embodiment of the invention, an RC holder for 
television, VCR, and other rc units comprises (FIG. 1) a pair of upper and 
lower generally L-shaped members 10U and 10L. Each member (preferably made 
of aluminum or plastic) comprises a longer portion 12 about 15 cm long 
(vertical dimension in FIG. 1B) by about 10 cm wide (vertical dimension in 
FIG. 1C) and an integral shorter portion 14 about 2 cm long (horizontal 
dimension in FIG. 1C). Each shorter portion includes a bend 15 of about 
20.degree. and about 5 mm from its free edge. 
Members 10U and 10L each have two rows of holes 16 in their longer portion, 
spaced apart about 4.5 mm; the holes in upper member 10U are threaded. A 
pair of screws 18 extend through two pairs of aligned holes to hold the 
members together. 
As can be best seen in FIGS. 1A and 1C, the holder forms a cradle, the 
width of which, as measured between the shorter portions, can be adjusted 
from about 10 cm to 15 cm, or, in a larger version, from about 14 cm to 22 
cm. The height of the cradle is about 25 mm; it is slightly higher on its 
right side (upper side in FIG. 1C) since the thickness of long portion 12 
of member 10U is present. 
FIG. 1 B IS--HOLDER WITH SCREW-AND-SLOT ADJUSTER 
In lieu of holes, member 10L may have a slot 20 (FIG. 1B is). Screws 18 in 
FIG. 1Bis) extend through slot 20 into holes 16 in member 10U. As before, 
the cradle formed by the embodiment of FIG. 1Bis is adjustable in width 
from about 9 cm to 15 cm, or, in a larger version, from about 14 cm to 22 
cm. 
FIGS. 2A TO 2C--HOLDER WITH H&L ADJUSTER AND RC HOLDER 
The holder of FIGS. 2A to 2C is similar to that of FIG. 1, except for the 
following additions: Long portion 12 of member 10U has adhered thereto a 
pair of strips 22, which comprise the loop halves of a pair of 
hook-and-loop (H&L) strips. Strips 22 are each about -8 cm long and 25 mm 
wide are attached adjacent the righthand edge of portion 12. Also, in lieu 
of screws and mating holes and slots, a mated pair of H&L strips 24 is 
positioned between members 10U and 10L to adjustably attach these members 
together. Strips 24 are about 8 cm long by about 25 mm wide. In FIG. 2 
(and all subsequent embodiments) in lieu of two strips, a single strip, or 
more than two strips, can be used. Also portion 12 can be covered 
completely by a single strip, or a plurality of squares, circles, etc. 
Further, portions 12 of members 10U and 10L each have a pair of surface 
nubbins, supports, standoffs, or bosses 26 attached so as to provide four 
supports as shown in FIG. 2C. Each nubbin may be formed of rubber or other 
similar soft material, about 5 mm high by about 1 cm in diameter and 
adhesively secured to its member. Strips can be substituted for the 
nubbins. In addition to support, the nubbins prevent the holder from 
slipping on a smooth surface. Lastly, adhesively secured to the bottom of 
portion 12 of member 10L is a cable guide sticker 28 which provides a list 
of broadcast channels and their respective cable counterparts. Guide 28 is 
approximately 7 cm by 9.5 cm. 
While strip 22 is shown as the loop half of the H&L pair, in all 
embodiments the loop and hook halves can be interchanged. 
FIGS. 3A TO 3C--HOLDER WITH RC UNITS 
FIGS. 3A to C show views of an RC holder similar to that of FIG. 2, but 
wherein the sides of L-shaped sections 10' (U&L) have straight (presently 
preferred) short portions 14", a pair of RC units 30L and 30R are 
positioned in the cradle formed by the holder, and the bottom of the 
holder has two loop strips 32 of one side of a H&L fastener for attaching 
the holder to a magazine holder, described infra. In FIG. 3B, as well as 
subsequent FIGS., small definition gaps 17 are shown between the RC units 
and the side portions 14'. These gaps are shown to illustrate the parts 
clearly. However in an actual device, the RC units contact each other and 
the side portions. This arrangement, in addition to the hook-and-loop 
arrangement mentioned below, holds the RC units snugly and prevents them 
from pivoting out in case the holder is lifted by the RC units, rather 
than its base or its side. 
The use of straight, short, equal length portions 14" in lieu of bent-in 
sections provides a simpler assembly and one which can accommodate higher 
RC units. Also portions 10L' and 10U' can be made in common or identical. 
It is shown in these figures to illustrate a ramification. Other shapes 
are shown in subsequent FIGS. 
As in FIG. 2, the bottom of the cradle contains loop halves 22 of a pair of 
H&L strips. A pair of mating hook halves 22' are attached to the bottoms 
of RC units 30 by adhesive and mating hook halves 22' are mated with loop 
halves 22 as shown. The use of H&L attachment strips for the RC units 
allows them to be removed and replaced easily, e.g., to change their 
batteries. Also it enables them to be bar code programmed when they have 
this capability. 
As indicated, the cradle formed by the two L-shaped members is adjusted and 
locked in position using mating H&L strips 24 or by double-stick-side tape 
(hereinafter tape--not shown) so that its width is equal to the combined 
widths of the two RC units, thereby to hold them snugly. The holder can be 
made to accommodate a variable number of RC units by making the L-shaped 
members wider. 
The holders of FIGS. 1 and 2 will accommodate RC units in the same manner 
as the holder of preferred FIG. 3. The holder of FIG. 1 lacks any H&L 
fastener strips in its bottom, but its bent-over short portions 14" will 
hold plural RC units in a side-by-side relationship as in FIG. 3. In 
addition, the L-shaped members can be more securely attached using tape 
(preferably foam--not shown) with two opposing sticky sides between the 
L-shaped members. 
FIGS. 4A TO 4E--HOLDER FOR RCS AND TV GUIDEBOOK 
As shown in FIG. 4C, the RC holder may be attached to an underlying TV 
schedule or guidebook holder 34 so that the user's RC units and guidebook 
will all be conveniently held in one device. Holder 34 comprises identical 
upper and lower plates 36 and 38. Upper plate 36 comprises a large flat 
portion 40 about 15.5 cm by 15.5 cm with an integral, bent down bottom end 
flap 42 (about 1.5 cm by 14 cm) which is attached by rivets 44 (or by 
welding or bonding) to a corresponding integral, bent up bottom end flap 
46 (FIG. 4B--not shown in FIG. 4C but behind top end flap 42) on lower 
plate 38. Thus the bottom end of holder 34 is closed, except for small 
gaps 48 at each end. (Gaps 48 are immaterial in the version of FIG. 5 and 
7B is, but are useful in other versions to allow plates 36 and 38 to 
mate.) 
A tensioning mechanism (best seen in FIG. 4B) can be provided by making end 
flaps 42 and 46 of resilient materials and positioning them at an angle of 
about 93.degree. to upper and lower plates 36 and 38. Thus when the end 
flaps are compressed and riveted together, the plates become tensioned. 
Upper plate 36 (which is identical to lower plate 38) also has two 
integral, bent down side flaps 50L and 50R (each about 1.5 cm by 15.5 cm) 
which is attached at the rear portion of the guidebook holder side flaps 
by rivets 44 (or by welds or bonding) to integral, bent up side flaps 52L 
and 52R of lower plate 38. As shown in FIGS. 4C and 4E, on the right side, 
upper side flap 50R is inside lower side flap 52R, while on the right 
side, upper side flap 50R is outside lower side flap 52R. On the bottom, 
bottom end flap 42 is outside bottom end flap 46. The bottom of plate 38 
has four support nubbins 26 attached thereto. A station log sticker (not 
shown) can be affixed to flat portion 40 for reference. Also a hook 
portion of a H&L fastener (not shown) can be attached to enhance the 
unit's ability to adhere to cloth furniture. 
Upper and lower plates 36 and 38 have flaring upper and lower ends 58U and 
58L (FIGS. 4B and 4E) to provide an easy lead-in to the space 60 between 
these plates. Space 60 is rectangular, about 15.2 cm by 15.2 cm by 1.5 cm 
in size, and is arranged to accommodate a television or radio guidebook or 
schedule 62 (FIGS. 4A and 4D). The surfaces forming this space may be 
roughened to enhance the ability of guide holder 34 to retain the 
magazine. Constructing the side flaps 50 and 52 with a front-to-back taper 
(not shown) will allow schedule books with wider variations in thickness 
to be held. exaggerated in FIG. 4C. Additional guidebook holders (not 
shown) can be attached or stacked under holder 34 to accommodate plural 
guidebooks, e.g., for broadcast, cable, etc. guidebooks. 
By virtue of upper RC holder 56 and the lower guidebook holder 34, the 
reader will see that I have provided a complete, adjustable, and very 
light in weight usage kit whereby one may conveniently house a TV/radio 
guidebook and remote control units for controlling the electronic 
entertainment units in one convenient, easy-to-handle package. The 
guidebook may be conveniently inserted and withdrawn from space 60. The RC 
units (not shown in FIG. 4) will be held together and can be handled and 
used with one hand by aiming the entire combined holder and pressing the 
appropriate buttons. Also, the RC units and guidebook that are held 
together provide a very stable platform: after it is placed on a user's 
leg or furniture, the RC buttons can simply be pressed firmly enough to 
actuate their functions without moving the entire assembly. 
FIGS. 5A TO 5D--INTEGRAL HOLDER WITH RC BOSSES 
FIGS. 5A to 5D show a RC and guidebook holder similar to that of FIG. 4, 
but wherein a pair of RC support bosses 64 are attached to an integral 
unit. Integral unit 66 is an integral combination of upper plate 37 width 
integral side flaps 52 and L-shaped portion 10L with a lower plate 38 
inset from below, as shown in FIG. 5D. Bosses 64 support the right side of 
the righthand RC unit, such as unit 30R of FIG. 3B, when placed in the 
cradle of the holder. As can be seen in the rear end view of FIG. 5C, 
bosses 64 have a height (about 5 mm) which correctly matches the height of 
upper L-shaped member 10U, thereby providing a level platform for both RC 
units (not shown in FIG. 5). Bosses 64 preferably are made of rubber and 
can be attached by adhesive or plug-in legs on their bottoms (not shown). 
Members 10U and 66 are adjustably attached by H&L strips 22, as in FIG. 4, 
or tape (not shown). The RC units are removably attachable to the bottom 
of the cradle by H&L strip 54 and mating strips, circles, etc. on the 
bottom of the RC units, as shown at 22' in FIG. 3B. 
FIG. 5B shows a partial front end view of an adjustable upper L-shaped 
member 10U attached with a H&L fastener (or tape--not shown) to integral 
unit 66. As indicated in the bottom view of FIG. 5D, a lower plate 38 is 
set into integral unit 66 and shows four support bosses 26. 
In lieu of attaching the schedule and RC holders together by H&L fasteners, 
tape, or other means, they may be made integral or with a one-piece 
mid-unit. In this case, the schedule holding portion comprises a 
rectangular compartment 66' which is similar to holder 34 (FIG. 4C), 
except that it has an integral flat bottom end face 68 an integral short 
portion 67 which is similar to portion 14 (FIG. 1). This integral side 
portion 67 extends up from the integral rectangular schedule compartment's 
upper side. Side portion 67 may be formed integral with compartment 66' by 
stamping, molding, welding, or riveting (not shown). 
FIGS. 6A AND 6B--COMBINATION RC AND TV GUIDEBOOK HOLDER WITH H&L 
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the RC holder can be made larger so as to 
accommodate additional RC units, as for A TV, VCR, audio receiver, 
cassette and tape players, etc. The RC holder is shown holding three RC 
units, i.e., left unit 30L, middle unit 30M, and right unit 30R. All three 
units are attached to the bottom of the cradle formed by the holder by H&L 
fasteners, as in FIG. 3. The RC holder itself is attached by an H&L 
fastener to a pallet support 69 that can add support to the L-shaped 
members if they are extended beyond their normal usage range. 
FIGS. 7A TO 7C--CLAMSHELL GUIDEBOOK HOLDER 
Ramifications of the underlying guidebook, magazine, or schedule holder are 
shown in FIG. 7. In lieu of using upper and lower plates which are 
permanently attached together and with bottom end flaps (42 and 46 in FIG. 
4), the plates may be hinged with a binder or torsion-type spring so that 
the guidebook (not shown in FIG. 7) can be easily placed within. Thus a 
clamshell-type guidebook holder is shown in FIG. 7. 
In the embodiment of FIGS. 7A to 7C, the end flaps are omitted, and the 
upper plate is wider, resulting in a modified upper plate 37. As before, 
the plates have bent-down side flaps 50 and 52 which are hinged together 
near their bottom ends by a pair of rivet pins 44' so that they can be 
opened (not shown) like a clamshell. Strategic positioning of these rivets 
allows partial opening for inserting and retaining the magazine, and at 
the same time restricts excessive pivoting of the plates which could 
dislodge the retention spring binder clamp. The bottom end may be closed 
by means of one or more paper clamps 70 which extend over both the upper 
and lower plates; the usual opening wires are shown removed. If desired, a 
plurality of such clamps may be used, although one is sufficient to keep 
the TV guidebook from falling out and to hold the hinged plates together. 
A plurality of support bosses 26 are attached to bottom plate 38'. Upper 
plate 37 is wider than lower plate 38 as shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7B is, 
described below. Such widening of the upper plate provides a neater 
appearance. 
FIG. 7B IS--CLAMSHELL HOLDER WITH SPRING CLOSING MECHANISM 
In lieu of clamp 70, in FIG. 7B is upper modified plate 37 and lower plate 
38 may be constantly urged closed by a coil or torsion spring 72 which is 
placed around a hinge pin 78" which extends inside and completely across 
the holder. Spring 72 is arranged to continually urge the upper and lower 
plates together in their normal, spaced condition, which can be parallel 
or near parallel. 
FIGS. 8A TO 8D--HOLDER FOR RCS, GUIDEBOOK, AND PENCIL 
FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment which can hold a plurality of RCs, a 
guidebook, and a pencil (or pen) which the user can use to mark programs, 
write notes, do crossword puzzles in the program guide or in an actual 
crossword puzzle magazine--which will fit into the magazine holder. 
The holder is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4, but also has a pair of 
integral pencil-holding tangs 74 punched or molded out of the side of 
righthand short portion 14' of RC holder 56. Each tang is bent as 
indicated, i.e., it has a lead-in free end (FIG. 8C), a main bend in its 
middle for holding a pencil 76, and its bottom which is integral with the 
bottom of portion 14' where it joins long portion 12' of L-shaped member 
10'. Tangs 74 are spaced about 7-10 cm apart. Pencil 76 can easily be 
removed and replaced by a slight pull or pressure, respectively, yet will 
be held securely enough that the device can be handled and used without 
the pencil or pen coming out. The tangs can be replaced with separate 
attachable or affixable clips (not shown) in this version and, as shown at 
75, in the version of FIG. 9) to hold the pencil or pen. Clips 75 can be 
attached to either side of the holder for left- or right-handed persons. 
By using these clips, the L-shaped members can be identical. Clips 75 
allow more versatility in the manufacturing process. (The identical 
L-shaped members can be stamped, molded, or extruded.) 
FIGS. 8B, C, and D show the bottom of the holder with the hook portion of 
the H&L fastener attached. This adds an antislip capability to units 
placed on cloth furniture, similar to the manner in which rubber bosses or 
strips (not shown) provide this capability on hard-surfaced furniture. 
FIGS. 9A AND 9B--HOLDER WITH TWO SEATED CRADLES 
The RC holder of FIGS. 9A and 9B is similar to that of FIG. 3 except for 
the following additions and changes: the L-shaped members have been 
segmented into two smaller sections to provide two separate cradles, one 
being shown above the other in FIG. 9A. Each cradle has two L-shaped 
members, 80L and 80U. Each L-shaped member comprises a long portion 82 
about 7 cm long (vertical dimension in FIG. 9A) by about 10 cm wide 
(horizontal dimension in FIG. 9A) and an integral short portion 84 about 2 
cm long (vertical dimension in FIG. 9A). 
The two separated cradles are shown holding two RC units 30L and 30R. RCs 
30L and 30R are shown in phantom so as not to obscure the details of the 
cradles. Since both RCs are joined by the H&L fasteners to both cradles, 
they hold the separated cradles together, and vice-versa. Since the 
cradles are separated, one can easily adjust their spacing so that they 
can appropriately hold RCs of a wide range of lengths. 
The H&L adjustment strips which hold the two L-shaped members of the cradle 
together can be replaced with double-stick-side tape in any embodiment 
where such H&L strips are used. Such tape is used at 79 in FIG. 9. 
FIG. 10--SINGLE HOLDER WITH THREE L-SHAPED MEMBERS 
FIG. 10 shows a version of the holder of FIG. 9 with a standard L-shaped 
member 10U substituted for the two small L-shaped members 80L on one side 
of the holder. This version thus provides a single cradle and has three 
L-shaped members, one of which (10L) is common to and mates with the other 
two (80U). This version is more rigid than that of FIG. 9, yet still 
retains the ability to make a lengthwise adjustment on one side. 
SUMMARY, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
The reader will see that I have provided a holder for accessories for 
electronic equipment which is generally improved, which holds the 
equipment in an organized, neat, and easily and quickly accessible manner, 
and which provides a way also to store and keep written reference 
materials in association with such RCs in such a manner. It also prevents 
mixing of RCs, loss of RCs, and keeps RCs and their associated written 
reference materials in a convenient manner. It can hold several RCs, even 
if they have varying sizes, it is compact, very light in weight, does not 
have to be flipped or rotated to be used, and can store several RCs in a 
place which is convenient for the user. 
Although my holder has been shown and described with reference to specific 
embodiments, these specific embodiments, their parts, materials, and 
configurations have been given only as examples, and many other 
modifications are possible. For example, the holder may be made of 
different materials than metal, such as plastic, ceramics, composites, 
rubber, or wood. The shapes of the sides of the RC holder can be varied, 
as can the method of attaching the long sides of the L-shaped members 
together. The bottom, guidebook holder can be made in different shapes, 
with different constructions, and with different end closures and means of 
hinging. The upper and lower units can be attached together by different 
means, such as snaps, tape, catches, tongues and grooves, etc. Additional 
accoutrements can be added, such as a clock, a lamp, a writing tablet, a 
small food or pill holder, etc. 
Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the 
examples given, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.