Abstract:
A wire configured to form a wire rack for mounting an electronic device onto a car air vent having two downward bends at each end for engaging a horizontal louver of a car air vent, the wire rack has a left half which is symmetrical with the right half, and each half has at least one wire loop formed by two contiguous bends connected with a wire segment there between. A first wire loop located in the left half and a corresponding first wire loop located in the right half is oriented to face up for supporting a lower side of an electronic device and a second wire loop located in the left half and a corresponding second wire loop located in the right half oriented to face each other for engaging left and right sides of an electronic device in a vertical position or a horizontal position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a wire rack for mounting an electronic device onto a car air vent where the wire rack has a left side that is symmetrical with its right side and at least one wire loop in each half where a wire loop which is formed by two contiguous bends connected with a wire segment there between is located in the left half and a corresponding wire loop is located in the right half for supporting a lower side of an electronic device in a vertical or horizontal position. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    A variety of holding members for attaching various small hand held devices to a car air vent are known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2007/0264169 to Chen discloses a retaining clip for attaching a fragrance container to a cool air vent of an air conditioner comprises a retaining portion and a connecting portion integrally extended from the retaining portion. The retaining portion further comprises a pair of up and down arranged first and second clip arms. The first and the second clip arms are further provided with longitudinal slots. The free end of the first clip arm is tilted downward to form a pair of arced retaining sections. The free end of the second clip arm is provided with a pair of sloppy guide sections corresponding to the arced retaining section. At least one sloppy support bulge is formed on the middle section of the second clip arm. The free end of the connecting portion is connected to a fragrance container. 
         [0005]    U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2005/0255898 to Huang discloses a cell phone and holder system. The cell phone holder has a backing plate and a cover forming a pocket for holding the cell phone. A cable retainer on the holder helps to retain a cable of an earphone to the backing plate. The earphone is retractable held at the cell phone holder such that the earphone can be pulled out and place in an ear for hands-free operation of the cell phone. 
         [0006]    U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2005/0236541 to Chang discloses a carrier rack on an air-vent. A resilient lockout is provided that can move back and forth under the pressure of a compression spring and cooperates with a hook and the lockout to form a clasping channel. An arm extends into air-vent blades through the channel formed by the hook and lockout to clasp air-vent blades for firmly clasping heavy objects. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,888,948 to Deppen discloses a magnetic holder having a cup formed of a ferromagnetic material within which a magnet is supported for a cell phone. The rear surface of the cup includes a double-sided adhesive pad for attaching the cup to a vehicle dashboard. The cup concentrates the force of the magnet along the frontal edges thereof. A friction ring encircles the frontal edges of the cup to provide retention of a cell phone secured to the cup by magnetic attraction between the magnet and the cell phone battery 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,232 to Aggeler discloses a device for using the heating and cooling system of a car to control the temperature of a beverage in a container. A sleeve of soft foam has a series of channels formed on its inside surface. Ribs are disposed between the channels to hold the can in the sleeve. The channels receive warm or cool air from the lower end of the sleeve. The sleeve is used with a holder designed to force air flowing horizontally from a vent of a car into the vertical channels of the sleeve. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,611 to Deaton discloses a device for holding a container adjacent to a car vent to either heat or cool the container. The device for holding a container adjacent to the car vent includes a first annular member for removably receiving the container. The annular member has an inner surface and an outer surface and a plurality of flanges integrally coupled to the inner surface of the annular member and which extend toward a central portion of the annular member. A first coupler removably couples the first annular member to slats of a car vent. The first coupler comprises a first and second tubular member. Each of the first and second tubular members is elongate and has a first end and a second end. A bar is integrally coupled to each of the second ends of the first and second tubular members such that the first and second tubular members are spaced from each other and extend away from the bar in a generally parallel direction with respect to each other. Each of a first pair of shalfs extend outwardly away from one of the first and second tubular members and has a hook portion thereon for removably engaging the slats. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,083 to Hartmann discloses an attachment apparatus for attaching a vehicle accessory to a vehicle including a mount, a beam, and a clamping member. The beam includes a first end associated with a mount, a second end, and a substantially longitudinal slot there between. The slot includes a proximal end near the first end of the beam, a distal end near the second end of the beam, and opposing sidewalls there between. One of the opposing walls has an opening to facilitate receipt of the vehicle structure into the longitudinal slot. The clamping member is movably positionable along at least a portion of the beam between the first and second ends thereof. The clamping member clamps the vehicle structure there between. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,124 to Wang discloses a hanger including a base plate having a plurality of transverse slots at different elevations and a hanging member at a front side for holding things. Each transverse slot has two pairs of vertically spaced tongues and an opening between the tongues, a plurality of clamps coupled to the tongues. Each clamp has a mounting rod at one end and a clamping plate at an opposite end for clamping on the louvers of an automobile&#39;s air conditioner, the mounting rod has a neck for coupling to one pair of tongues, and a plurality of stop rods coupled to the pairs tongues and stopped against the instrument board of the automobile. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,843 to Chandler discloses a beverage holder for mounting in an automobile which includes a substantially U-shaped jacket having a curved front portion, an open back portion, and a top opening for receiving a conventional beverage container. A pair of hooks or similar fasteners is provided on the free ends of the jacket for demountably securing the holder to the louvers of the air conditioning and heating unit of the automobile. Spacing is provided between the beverage container and the jacket to allow cooled or heated air from the air conditioning and heating unit to circulate around the beverage. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,773 to Wade discloses a liquid scent deodorant dispenser which has a structural body defining a fill cavity in which a threaded stem closure is rotatably positioned. A fill chamber is in communication with the cavity, as well as a dispensing reservoir and a wick lining an air chamber. Liquid scent deodorant is placed in the fill cavity and enters the fill chamber and reservoir where the wick is saturated, allowing accelerated evaporation into a conditioned forced airstream of an automobile. The dispenser is attached to a grille or register by the use of either a “U” clip, an “S” clip, or parallel brackets 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,690 to McDowell discloses an air freshener device is disclosed herein in combination with a forced air source and which has a carrier with scented emitting ingredients arranged in separate spaced-apart cells or compartments in rows and/or columns. The carrier includes breakable walls for each cell or compartment adapted to release the stored ingredient into a stream of oncoming forced air. Attachment elements secure the carrier to supporting structure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a wire configured to form a wire rack for mounting an electronic device onto a car air vent comprising: two downward bends at each end of the wire where the distance between the bends is greater than the width of a horizontal louver of a car air vent; 
         [0016]    the wire rack having a left half, and a right half which is symmetrical with the left half; 
         [0017]    at least one wire loop in each half where the loop is formed by two contiguous bends connected with a wire segment there between; and 
         [0018]    a first wire loop in the left half and a corresponding first wire loop in the right half for supporting a lower side of an electronic device in a vertical position. 
         [0019]    The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals. 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  is a rear view of a wire rack for mounting an electronic device such as a cell phone, an IPod, a blackberry, etc in either a vertical position or a horizontal position on a car air vent in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a view of the wire rack of  FIG. 1  coupled to a car air vent with an electronic device, shown in a vertical position in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a view of the wire rack of  FIG. 1  coupled to a car air vent with an electronic device, shown in a horizontal position in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a front view of another embodiment of a wire rack for mounting an electronic device such as a cell phone, an IPod, a blackberry, etc in a horizontal position on car air vent in accordance with the principles of the invention; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a front view of another embodiment of a wire rack for mounting an electronic device such as a cell phone, an IPod, a blackberry, etc in a horizontal or vertical position on a car air vent in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a rear view of a wire rack for mounting an electronic device such as a cell phone, an IPod, a blackberry, etc in either a vertical position or a horizontal position on car air vent in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
         [0027]    The wire rack disclosed is configured for mounting to any conventional car air vent of the type that has movable louvers which extend horizontally. 
         [0028]    The wire rack  10  is made of a single flexible or semi-flexible metallic wire  12  which has been coated with a suitable plastic material. The wire rack is symmetrical about its center vertical axis. Therefore, the description of the various bends in the wire rack which appears below is from one end  14  of the wire of the wire rack to the center of the wire rack for the front right half, it being understood that the description of the various loops which are formed by two contiguous bends connected with a wire segment there between in the front left half of the wire rack is the same for the description for the front right half of the wire rack. 
         [0029]    An end  14  of the wire is bent to form a down projecting hook which is adapted to be inserted between adjacent horizontal louvers of a car air vent and engage a rear edge of the lower louver. At a distance which is slightly greater than the width of the horizontal louver, the wire is bent at a right angle  16  and extends downward to right angle bend  18  for a distance which is less than the height of the electronic device that is to be received. At bend  18  the wire is bent to the front and is then bent upward at bend  20  where the distance between bends  18 ,  20  is greater than the thickness of the electronic device that is to be mounted in the wire rack. At some convenient distance from end  20 , such as three eighths of an inch, more or less, the wire is bent at a right angle  22  to the right. Then, at location  24  the wire is bent at a right angle toward the back, and at location  26 , the wire is bent at a right angle to the left. The distance between bends  24 ,  26  is substantially equal to the distance between bends  18 ,  20 . At a location  28  which is spaced from bend  26  at a distance which is substantially equal to the distance between bends  22 ,  24 , the wire is bent upward and toward the right at an angle of between 20 degrees and 60 degrees to location  30  where it is bent at ninety degrees toward the front. At location  32  the wire is bent ninety degrees to the left and then, at location  34 , it is bent down at an angle of ninety degrees. At location  34 , it is then bent down at a right angle to location  36 , where it is bent toward the back to location  38  where the distance between bends  36 ,  38  is substantially equal to the distance between bends  30 ,  32  At location  38  the wire is bent upward at an angle toward the center of the rack where a loop  40  having a turned down end  42  is formed to engage and hold the top of an electronic device. 
         [0030]    As noted above, the left half of the wire rack from downward projecting hook  14  to loop  40  is symmetrical about its right half from downward projecting hook  14  to loop  40 . Therefore, the various bends in the left half are given similar reference numbers as their corresponding bends in the right half. Furthermore, as the left and right half of the wire rack are similar, in the interest of brevity a description of the various bends in the left half of the wire rack, which would be a repeat of the right half, is deemed not necessary and, therefore, is not here again repeated. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , there is shown a view of the wire rack of 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  coupled to a car air vent and holding an electronic device, shown in a vertical position in accordance with the principles of the invention. The bottom of the electronic device is supported by the segments of the wire rack between bends  18 ,  20  of the left and right half, and the lower left and right corners of the electronic device are held captive in wire loops formed by bends  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  of the left and right half of the wire rack. Loop  40  engages the top of the electronic device. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , there is shown a view of the wire rack of  FIG. 1  coupled to a car air vent with an electronic device, shown in a horizontal position in accordance with the principles of the invention. The bottom of the electronic device is supported by the segments of the wire rack between bends  36 ,  38  of the left and right half, and the lower left and right corners of the electronic device are held captive in wire loops formed by bends  30 ,  32 ,  34 , and the wire from bends  28 ,  30  of the left and right half of the wire rack. Loop  40  engages the top of the electronic device. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a front view of another embodiment of a wire rack for mounting an electronic device such as a cell phone, an IPod, a blackberry, etc in a horizontal position on car air vent in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
         [0035]    Referring to the left half of the wire rack, an end  50  of the wire is bent to form a down projecting hook which is adapted to be inserted between adjacent horizontal louvers and engage a rear edge of a lower louver. At a distance which is slightly greater than the width of the horizontal louver, the wire is bent at a right angle  52  and extends downward to where the wire is bent at a right angle  54  toward the left. The distance between bends  52 ,  54  is less than the width of the electronic device that is to be mounted horizontally. The wire is then bent toward the front at  56 , and then toward the right at  58 . At location  60  the wire is bent downward at a right angle to location  62  where it is bent at a right angle toward the back. At location  64 , the wire is bent upward at an angle toward the center of the rack where a loop  68  having a turned down end  70  is formed to engage and hold the end of an electronic device that is mounted horizontally. The distance between bends  56 ,  58  is greater than the thickness of the electronic device and the distance between bends  56 ,  58  on the left and right sides of the wire rack is slightly greater than the length of the electronic device that is to be mounted in the wire rack. 
         [0036]    The right half of the wire rack from downward projecting hook  50  to loop  68  is similar to the left half from downward projecting hook  50  to loop  68 . 
         [0037]    Therefore, the various bends in the right half of the wire rack are given similar reference numbers as their corresponding bends in the left half. Furthermore, as the left and right half of the wire rack are similar, in the interest of brevity a description of the various bends in the right half of the wire rack, which would be a repeat of the left half, is deemed not necessary and is not here again repeated. 
         [0038]    In use, the wire rack of  FIG. 4  is coupled to a car air vent and an electronic device, not shown, is mounted to the wire rack, in a horizontal position. The bottom of the electronic device is supported by the segments of the wire rack between bends  62 ,  64  of the left and right half, and the lower left and right corners of the electronic device are held captive in wire loops formed by bends  60 ,  58 ,  56 , and the wire from bend  56  of the left and right half of the wire rack to the loop  68 . Loop  68  engages the top side of the electronic device. 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a front view of another embodiment of a wire rack for mounting an electronic device such as a cell phone, an IPod, a blackberry, etc. where the wire rack of  FIG. 4  for mounting an electronic device in a horizontal position is connected to a wire rack for mounting the electronic device in a vertical position in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
         [0040]    Referring to the wire rack for holding an electronic device in a vertical position, shown in  FIG. 5 , an end  80  is bent to form a U shaped hook which is located around the bend  54  of the wire rack for holding an electronic device in a horizontal position. From, the U shaped hook  80  on the right half of the wire rack, the wire extends downward to location  82  where it is bent at a right angle to the front. At location  84  the wire is bent up at a right angle to location  86  where it is bent at a right angle to the right. From bend  86 , and at location  88 , the wire is bent at a right angle toward the back, and then at a right angle  90  to the left. From bend  90  on the right hand side of the wire rack, it extends to bend  90  on the left hand side of the wire rack. 
         [0041]    In the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 5 , the left half of the wire rack from hook  80  to bend  90  is similar to its right half and, therefore, the various bends in the left half of the wire rack are given similar reference numbers as the corresponding bends in the right half of the wire rack. Furthermore, as the left and right half of the wire rack are similar, in the interest of brevity a description of the various bends in the left half of the wire rack, is deemed not necessary and is not here again repeated. 
         [0042]    In use, the wire rack of  FIG. 5  is coupled to a car air vent and an electronic device, not shown, is mounted in the wire rack, in either a horizontal position or a vertical position. When the electronic device is mounted in a horizontal position, the bottom of the electronic device is supported by the segments of the wire rack between bends  62 ,  64  of the left and right half, and the lower left and right corners of the electronic device are held captive in wire loops formed by bends  60 ,  58 ,  56 , and the wire from bend  56  of the left and right half of the wire rack to the loop  68 . Loop  68  engages the top side of the electronic device. 
         [0043]    When the electronic device is to be mounted in a vertical position, the bottom of the electronic device is supported by the segments of the wire rack between bends  82 ,  84  of the left and right half, and the lower left and right corners of the electronic device are held captive in wire loops formed by bends  86 ,  88 , and  90 , and the wire from bend  90  of the left and right half of the wire rack. Loop  68  engages the top side of the electronic device. 
         [0044]    While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled.