Coupling mechanisms for enhancing the functionality of smart phones and tablet computers

Simple coupling mechanisms for attaching electronic styluses to personal information display and input devices and their use as propping instruments to position these devices to various angles and orientations with respect to a base or resting surface.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology herein relates to simple mechanisms for coupling electronic styluses to personal information display and input devices and their use to position these devices to various angles and orientations with respect to a base or resting surface.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Since the introduction of the Apple iPhone in June 2007, the number of computing devices known as smart phones and tablets has vastly increased. These devices typically consist of a touch screen that fronts a highly sophisticated, versatile, thin, and lightweight computer that among other things, serves as a point-and-shoot camera, a video camera, a face-to-face wireless communications device, a voice recorder, an electronic notepad, and even an electronic canvas. So much so, that Samsung offers a line of high end smart phones with an imbedded stylus under the “Galaxy Note” tradename and Apple has recently debuted a new line of electronic notepads with a highly sophisticated optional stylus under the “iPad Pro” tradename. Yet, the Samsung Galaxy line of smart phone devices, despite being fronted by a spacious touch-screen display panel, glaringly lacks a support mechanism that can position the device to various angles and orientations with respect to a resting surface, which would be highly useful to steady a camera shot, position the video camera at an optimum angle for recording a scene or an interview, for communicating wirelessly with another person over an extended period of time without tiring one's hand, as well as for consuming information or entertainment while freeing both hands to eat, or to perform other tasks concurrently. The Apple iPad Pro on the other hand while being an excellent platform for digital artists and designers, does not provide any mechanism that would couple its sleek “Apple Pencil” to its tablet when the pencil is not being used and does not provide any means for propping the device to various angles and orientations for enhanced functionality and ergonomics. Furthermore, a plethora of electronics suppliers, including Apple, offer a slew of highly sophisticated smart phones with highly sensitive touch screens, that do not accommodate a stylus, forcing the user to use their fingers to take notes or to draw; making such tasks highly impractical and uncomfortable to accomplish. These smart phones may benefit greatly from the inclusion of a flat stylus that does not add much thickness to a smart phone, but that may vastly increase the functionality of smart phones as note taking and sketching instruments.

Therefore, a need exists for simple mechanisms that can securely and inconspicuously couple a thin stylus to thin mobile personal information display and input devices and to enable that stylus to prop the device to various angles and orientations with respect to a resting surface or base.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I invented and disclose herein methods for attaching and using a stylus to personal information display and input devices as well as for using this accessory as a means to prop and position these devices to various angles and orientations with respect to a resting surface or base.

The stylus propping method consists of placing strategically located full or partial cavities with straight, slanted, or sloping walls on the back plate or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device, with each cavity configured to receive one end of a matching stylus at a specific angle and orientation with respect to the back plate or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device. The stylus is then used to prop the personal information display and input device at a specific angle or orientation with respect to a resting surface or base by magnetically keying one end of the stylus into a partially or fully matching receiving cavity or cavities with horizontal, vertical, or slanted walls positioned in the back plate or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device, and placing the other end of the stylus on a resting surface or base. The top end of the stylus may be magnetized and using the magnetized end to magnetically latch into matching a partially or fully rectangular or circular socket or sockets positioned in the back of a personal information display and input device, or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device, in order to fix the angular position of the personal information display and input device. The angular position and orientation of the personal information display and input device can then be adjusted at any time by detaching the stylus from the cavity in which it is inserted and reinserting it into a different cavity with a different slant or slope, also located on the back panel of the personal information display and input device or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device, and re-placing the other end of the stylus on a resting surface or base.

The stylus, which may be cylindrical or have a flat opposite side surfaces, is stowed in the back panel of a personal information display and input device, or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device, in the flush position (having a surface on the same plane as the back plane or the cover of the back pane) by magnetically fastening the stylus into a matching cavity carved up in the back panel of a personal information display and input device or the back of a protective cover of a personal information display and input device. The fastening of the stylus to the back panel of a personal information display and input device, or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device, may be by magnetically fastening the offset top of the flat stylus into a matching lateral cavity in the back of a personal information display and input device, or the protective cover of a personal information display and input device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the illustrations described below refer to an all-enveloping protective cover for a personal information display and input device, the concept of this invention may also be applied directly to a personal information display and input device without the need for a protective cover for its implementation.

FIG. 1toFIG. 5are used to illustrate the concept of the invention as it relates to propping a personal information display and input device to various angles and orientations using a stylus.FIG. 1illustrates a vertical slab100resting on flat surface101with a circular cavity105having a slanted bottom110located in the top tier of slab100.

FIG. 2illustrates how a cylindrically shaped stylus115may support a slab100at an incline by partially resting in slanted cavity105of slab100. The cylindrically shaped stylus115may be made to strongly latch into the slanted cavity105of slab100by attaching magnetically to the cavity if the cavity is made of a metallic material and the end of the cylindrically shaped stylus115is covered with a magnetic surface or substance, or vice versa.

FIG. 3. Illustrates a vertical slab100resting on a flat surface101with a circular cavity125having a straight bottom130located at the center of slab100.

FIG. 4illustrates how a cylindrically shaped stylus115may support a slab100at an alternative inclined position by fully inserting into straight cavity125of slab100. The cylindrically shaped stylus115may be made to strongly latch into cavity125of slab100by attaching magnetically to the cavity if the cavity is made of a metallic material and the end of the cylindrically shaped stylus115is covered with a magnetic surface or substance, or vice versa.

FIG. 5illustrates how vertical slab100may be made to rest on flat surface101in an alternative, landscape orientation, simply by rotating slab100around the axis of cylindrically shaped stylus115.

FIG. 6illustrates a 3D front view of a non-limiting embodiment of an enveloping protective cover for a personal information display and input device200and an associated flat stylus250.

FIG. 7illustrates a 3D back view of a non-limiting embodiment of an enveloping protective cover for a personal information display and input device200, with the back side of its back panel202exposed, along with an associated flat stylus250. The back side of the back panel202includes cavity205with slanted walls210located in the top tier of protective cover200and a second cavity225with straight walls230located in the middle of protective cover200. The back panel202of the protective cover includes an open recession235on the right side of the cover of the personal information display and input device200for receiving and stowing a flat stylus250into protective cover200in the flush position.

FIG. 8illustrates a perspective back view of a non-limiting embodiment of an enveloping protective cover for a personal information display and input device200with the back side of its back panel202exposed from a perspective that shows cavity240at the far end of recession235which is designed to snugly receive the offset top220of flat stylus250while keeping the main shaft215of flat stylus250exposed while being stowed in recession235in the back panel202of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200. The offset top220of flat stylus250may be made to strongly latch into cavity240at the far end of recession235if the cavity240is made of a metallic material and the offset top220of stylus250is covered with a magnetic surface or substance, or vice versa.

FIG. 9illustrates a perspective side view of a non-limiting embodiment of flat stylus250snugly stowed in the back surface of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200.

FIG. 10illustrates a perspective front view of the flat stylus250as it would be positioned for writing on the surface of a personal information display and input device200.

FIG. 11illustrates a back perspective view of the offset top220of flat stylus250inserted into top cavity205of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200in order prop that device at a specific angular position in the portrait orientation.

FIG. 12illustrates a back perspective view of the offset top220of flat stylus250fully inserted into bottom cavity225of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200in order prop that device at a more inclined angular position in the portrait orientation.

FIG. 13illustrates a back perspective view of the offset top220of flat stylus250fully inserted into bottom cavity225of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200in order prop that device in a landscape orientation using the same cavity used inFIG. 12to prop the same device in an alternative portrait orientation.

FIG. 14illustrates a three dimensional perspective side view of the offset top220of flat stylus250inserted into top cavity205of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200in order prop that device at a specific angular position in the portrait orientation.

FIG. 15illustrates a three dimensional perspective side view of the offset top220of flat stylus250fully inserted into bottom cavity225of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200in order prop that device at a more inclined angular position in the portrait orientation.

FIG. 16illustrates a three dimensional perspective side view of the offset top220of flat stylus250fully inserted into bottom cavity225of the protective cover of personal information display and input device200in order prop that device in a landscape orientation using the same cavity used inFIG. 15to prop the same device in an alternative portrait orientation.

FIG. 17illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a protective cover for a personal information display and input device300containing a pen silo335with an associated cylindrical stylus350.

FIG. 18illustrates a 3D back view of a non-limiting embodiment of an enveloping protective cover for a personal information display and input device300that includes a pen silo, with the back side of its back panel302exposed, along with an associated cylindrically shaped stylus350. The back side of the back panel302includes cavity305with a slanted cylindrical wall310located in the top tier of protective cover300and a second cavity325with a straight cylindrical wall330located in the middle of protective cover300.

FIG. 19illustrates a three dimensional side perspective view of cylindrically shaped stylus350inserted into top cavity305of the protective cover of personal information display and input device300in order prop that device at a specific angular position in the portrait orientation.

FIG. 20illustrates a three dimensional back perspective of a personal information display and input device300being propped by a cylindrically shaped stylus350in the landscape orientation.