A PORTABLE-TELEPHONE MOUNTING BRACKET

Abstract: A portable-telephone mounting bracket for installation in vehicles, primarily cars, said bracket having an elongated configuration and including one or more bends and made of a sheet-like material, preferably a plastics material, and which bracket includes a flat part (5) from which an upper arm (6) and a lower arm (7) extend, the outer ends (8, 9) of respectiver arms being intended to be fitted into a slot in the vehicle instrument panel or in the air intake located on the instrument panel, or at some other location, such that the mounting bracket can be secured to the instrument panel by means of the aforesaid ends, and the flat part of the mounting bracket being intended to support the receiver-cradle of the portable telephone. The invention is characterised by grooves (13-15) which are located at least adjacent the bends (2-4) and which extend along the length of the bends, and is further charac­ terised in that the grooves (13-15) have a depth which equals at least one-quarter the thickness of the sheet-like material.

Description: The present invention relates to a mounting bracket by means of which portable telephones can be mounted in motor vehicles, primarily cars. There are at present available many types of mounting bracket which are of elongated configuration, provided with bends and made of sheet material, preferably plastic material, such as ABS-plastic. The design of the various mounting brakets available is determined by the configuration of the interior design of the vehicle for which the mounting bracket is intended. Actually, in the majority of cases the design and configuration of the instrument panel or dashboard is paramount in determining the configuration of the mounting bracket. Such mounting brackets include a flat part, from which there extend an upper and a lower arm. The ends of the arms are intended to be fitted into a slot in the instrument panel, or into the air-intake located on top of the instrument panel, such as to enable the mounting bracket to be secured by the ends of said arms. The cradle which supports the telephone handset or receiver is secured to the flat part of the mounting, with the aid of screws or like fasteners. When installed in the vehicle, a mounting bracket of this kind will protrude outwardly from the instrument panel, and the bracket is generally fitted relatively close to the driving seat, so that the handset is within easy and comfortable reach of the driver. The cradle and handset, or telephone receiver, themselves protrude from the mounting bracket, in towards the vehicle interior. Vehicle installations such as these present, to some extent, a hazard to personal safety within the vehicle. In the case of some vehicle models, it is possible to fit the mounting bracket, together with the telephone set, so as not to encroach on vehicle safety, whereas in the case of other vehicle models, the installation of such telephone mounting brackets presents a significant hazard to safety within the vehicle. The present invention relates to a portable-telephone mounting bracket which is constructed so as not to impair safety within the vehicle to any appreciable extent, despite those instances when the mounting bracket is fitted in a position which is unfavourable from the aspect of safety. The present invention thus relates to a bracket which is intended for supporting portable telephones in vehicles, primarily cars, and which has an elongated configuration and includes one or more bends, and which is made from sheet material, preferably a plastics material, and which includes a flat part from which there extend an upper and a lower arm, the outer ends of which are intended to be fitted into a slot in the instrument panel or into the air intake above said panel or in some other place, such that the mounting bracket can be held securely by the ends of said arms, and the flat part of which mounting bracket is intended to support the telephone cradle, said mounting bracket being characterized by grooves which are located at least adjacent said bends and which extend along the length of said bends; and in that the grooves have a depth which corresponds at least to one-quarter of the material thickness of the sheet-like material. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inventive mounting bracket, as seen from the rear thereof; Figure 2 illustrates a section of the mounting bracket in larger scale; and Figure 3 illustrates the functional aspect of the inventive mounting bracket and shows the bracket from one side, while supporting a cradle and telephone handset. Figure 1 illustrates by way of example a mounting bracket which is intended for installation in a Ford Sierra, 1987 model. Because of the different configurations of the various instrument panels, or dashboards, and also because the possibilities of securing such brackets vary considerably from vehicle model to vehicle model, many different types of mounting brackets are to be found. However, all of the various mounting brackets available have basically the same design, or essentially the same design, and consequently the present invention will be described here with reference to the exemplifying mounting bracket illustrated in Figure 1. The illustrated mounting bracket 1 has an elongated configuration and includes one or more bends 2-4. The bracket is made of sheet material, preferably a plastics material, for instance ABS-plastic. The bracket includes a flat part 5, from which an upper arm 6 and a lower arm 7 extend. The other ends 8, 9 of respective arms 6, 7 are intended to be fitted into a slot located in the instrument panel 10, or in the airtake located on top of the instrument panel, or in some other fastening facility, so that the bracket 1 can be secured to the instrument panel by means of said ends. The flat part 5 of the mounting bracket is intended to support a cradle which in turn supports the handset 12 or telephone receiver, said cradle being secured to the flat part 5 of said bracket. In accordance with the invention, grooves or channels 13-15 are provided at least in regions adjacent the aforesaid bends and extend along the lengths of said bends. The grooves have a depth which is equal to at least one-quarter of the thickness of the sheet-like material. Although the aforesaid grooves may extend along the whole length of a respective bend or, alternatively, may only extend along a major part of said bends. According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the depth of said grooves is equal to at least one-third of the thickness of the sheet-like material. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the side walls 16, 17 defining said grooves together define an angle of at least about 90°, as illustrated in Figure 2, this figure showing the groove 13 of Figure 1 in larger scale and from one side of the groove. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the grooves (13-15) have a rounded bottom, as illustrated in Figure 2. This avoids the presence of a sharp-cornered groove bottom along which cracks may otherwise be likely to form. The aforesaid grooves form weakenings in the mounting bracket which function as hinges when the bracket is subjected to greater forces than those normally applied when handling the telephone. By greater forces is meant forces in the order of magnitude of those to which the bracket would be subjected in the event of a collision between the vehicle and some other object. In such cases, the mounting bracket is not only subjected to forces deriving from its own weight, but primarily to all forces which relate to the weight of the cradle and associated handset. By forming the grooves such that the groove-defining walls subtend a relatively large angle therebetween, those parts of the mounting bracket located on either side of the groove can be bent towards one another through some considerable extent without the bracket breaking in the region of the groove. It is desirable that the mounting bracket will not disintegrate in the event of a collision, since broken pieces of plastic material would then fly around in the vehicle interior. On the other hand, it may be beneficial for the whole of the mounting bracket, together with cradle and handset, to loosen from its securing point and be ejected from the vehicle in the event of a collision. The majority of modern vehicles are constructed so that when involved in a head-on collision of given impact force, the windscreen will loosen and leave the vehicle. The fact that the mounting bracket will also loosen and leave the vehicle in a forward direction in such cases is also an advantage. In the case of less forceful collisions, it suffices for the mounting bracket to yield to the force exerted on the telephone by a vehicle passenger, for instance. Figure 3 illustrates schematically and in cross-section an instrument panel 10 on which a mounting bracket 1, shown in full lines, is secured. The mounting bracket supports a telephone cradle 11 and a handset or telephone receiver 12. In the Figure 3 illustration, the mounting bracket 1 has been subjected to a heavy force in the direction of the arrow 18, the mounting bracket will collapse to the state 20 illustrated in broken lines, owing to the hinge effect of the aforesaid grooves. As a result, the portable telephone will no longer project in towards the interior of the vehicle as it did at the beginning, but will essentially conform to the shape of the instrument panel 10. This considerably enhances the safety of the vehicle occupants in comparison to a mounting bracket which remains intact. The mounting bracket of the Figure 1 embodiment has two grooves 20, 21 which are intended to co-act with slots in the vehicle instrument panel, such as to enable the bracket to be secured to said panel. As will be seen from Figure 1, when the mounting bracket collapses, the end 9 of the arm 7 will straighten in relation to said arm and therewith allow said outer end to move out of engagement with the slot in the instrument panel with which it co-acts. This also applies to the end 8 of the upper arm 6 relative to the slot with which said arm co-acts. Thus, it is possible in accordance with the present invention to design a mounting bracket which will loosen when subjected to a predetermined force. As before mentioned, a large number of mounting brackets of mutually different configuration are to be found. Consequently, it is advantageous, in some cases, to also provide the mounting bracket with grooves along its planar parts, i.e. not only adjacent the bends located in the bracket, such as to cause the bracket to collapse to a desired configuration, or alternatively to loosen, when subjected to a given force. The inventive mounting bracket can, of course, be modified with respect to the positioning and configuration of the grooves.

Claims: A portable-telephone mounting bracket for installation in vehicles, primarily cars, said bracket having an elongated configuration and including one or more bends and being made of a sheet-like material, preferably a plastics material, and which bracket includes a flat part (5) from which an upper arm (6) and a lower arm (7) extend, the outer ends (8, 9) of respective arms being intended to be fitted into a slot in the vehicle instrument panel or in the air intake located on the instrument panel, or at some other location, such that the mounting bracket can be secured to the instrument panel by means of said ends, and the flat part of said mounting bracket being intended to support the receiver-cradle of the portable telephone, characterised by grooves (13-15) located at least adjacent said bends (2-4) and extending along the length of said bends; and in that the grooves (13-15) have a depth which equals at least one-quarter the thickness of the sheet-like material. A mounting bracket according to Claim 1, characterised in that the grooves (13-15) have a depth which equals at least one-third of the thickness of said sheet-like material. A mounting bracket according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the side walls (16, 17) defining said groove (13-15) form an angle of at least about 90° therebetween. A mounting bracket according to Claim 1, 2, or 3, characterised in that said groove (13-15) has a rounded bottom.

Inventors: JONDELIUS, BJOERN, Jondelius, Björn
Applicants: JONDELIUS, BJOERN
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B60R11
IPC codes: H04M1, B60R11