Abstract:
A caddy for storing and supporting a cellular telephone includes a connection for electrically connecting the telephone to a headset that has an earpiece and a microphone. A winder/reeler is also included to store the cable associated with the headset.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the general art of cellular telephones, and to the particular field of accessories for cellular telephones.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Cellular telephone usage has become nearly ubiquitous in recent times. People often multi-task with one of the tasks being a conversation on their cell phone. During such multi-task operations, the person often needs his or her hands.  
         [0005]     In fact, many States have laws that require drivers who operate cell phones while driving to use a hands-free system.  
         [0006]     Therefore, there is a need for a system for supporting a cellular telephone so a user has his or her hands free to conduct other tasks.  
         [0007]     To satisfy a hands-free requirement, many cell phones have special headset attachments. However, these attachments must be connected to the cell phone before use. In some cases, the cell phone must have special jacks to accommodate such equipment. Older cell phones may have the jacks but may not be readily adaptable for many headset systems.  
         [0008]     Therefore, there is a need for a system that will easily adapt an existing cell phone to a hands-free system.  
         [0009]     Many hands-free systems include cables or cords. These cables or cords often get in the way of other tasks and can be cumbersome to store when not in use. Such drawbacks often discourage people from using such systems or cause people to look for wireless connections that can be expensive and have other drawbacks.  
         [0010]     Therefore, there is a need for a hands-free system for use with a cell phone that includes a cable which can be easily stored when the hands-free system is not in use.  
       PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     It is a main object of the present invention to provide a system for supporting a cellular telephone so a user has his or her hands free to conduct other tasks.  
         [0012]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a system that will easily adapt an existing cell phone to a hands-free system.  
         [0013]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a hands-free system for use with a cell phone that includes a cable which can be easily stored when the hands-free system is not in use.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     These, and other, objects are achieved by a cellular telephone caddy that has a headset and electrical connections for connecting the headset to the cellular telephone. A winder/reeler is also located in the caddy for automatically winding the wiring of the headset into the caddy for storage.  
         [0015]     Using the cellular telephone caddy embodying the present invention permits a user to operate his or her cellular telephone in a hands-free manner without modifying the cellular telephone. The phone can be removed from the caddy and used in a normal manner, but can be used in a hands-free manner when in the caddy. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cellular telephone caddy embodying the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the cellular telephone caddy shown in  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.  
         [0019]     Referring to the Figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a cellular telephone caddy  10  embodying the present invention.  
         [0020]     Cellular telephone caddy  10  includes a rectangular cell phone case  13  which includes a reel/roller  15  to accommodate a cable  17  for a headset  19 . Case  13  includes a cellular telephone storage area  20  that is sized and shaped to releasably accommodate a cellular telephone C. Phone C is not fully shown because those skilled in the art will understand the details of the phone C. The reel/roller  15  is located in a cord storage area  20 ′ and is controlled via a button  21  in a manner known from the prior art such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,938,137 and 6,578,683, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The particular details of the reel/roller  15  are not part of the present invention, it is the presence of the reel/roller  15  that is important. Accordingly, the details of the reel/roller  15  will not be presented and will be understood by those skilled in the art based on the teaching of the present disclosure. A port  23  is defined through the case  13  adjacent to storage area  20 ′ and cable  17  extends through port  23 . A mounting element, such as belt clip  24 , or the like is fixed to case  13  to releasably attach case  13  to a user.  
         [0021]     Case  13  allows cable  17  to of headset  19  to be plugged into cellular phone C and to be retracted by the use of the reel  15 . Operation of the electrical connection between case  13  and cellular phone C will not be presented as the exact details of the circuits associated with such connection are not part of the present invention and will be understood by those skilled in the art based on the teaching of the present disclosure.  
         [0022]     Headset  19  includes a small loudspeaker  25  in combination with an earpiece  26  and a microphone  27  mounted on a short swivel arm  29 . When headset  19  is not in use, it is attached to case  13 , such as by a hook-and-loop fastener mechanism or hooked over a hanger  33 . An optional clip  34  may be used to attach cable  17  to a user&#39;s shirt.  
         [0023]     Use of cellular telephone caddy  10  will be understood from the foregoing disclosure and thus will only be briefly described. A user places his or her cellular phone in case  13 , attaches case  13  to his or her waistband, and hooks headset  19  over his or her ear. A connector  35  connects the cellular phone to cable  17  and headset  19 . When needed, the user moves the swivel arm  29  to place microphone  27  in front of his or her mouth and makes or receives cellular telephone calls. After use, headset  19  is removed and cable  17  is retracted onto reel  15 .  
         [0024]     It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.