Abstract:
Flash grip system is used to securely retain a USB flash drive or thumb drive and provide a comfortable, gripping surface. Further, the flash grip system may use an article-fastener such that the USB flash drive may be removably attached to a variety of articles (such as a keychain, a belt loop, a bag strap, etc). The holding surface may further include decorative indicia for decorating the USB flash drive.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is related to and claims priority from prior provisional application Ser. No. 61/686,315, filed Apr. 3, 2012 which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of USB holding devices and more specifically relates to a holding assembly for a USB flash/thumb drive. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Today, USB flash drives are a popular and portable data storage device. A USB drive may be used in place of other storage mediums such as floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, zip drive disks, etc, and may conveniently fit in one&#39;s pocket. In most cases, the USB drive is a plug and play device that includes Flash memory for storing data and a USB connector for connecting to a host device. While these devices work well, they are limited in the operations that they can perform. These devices are only configured for storing and transporting stored data (similar to other portable storage mediums) and therefore they do not include processing components, batteries for powering the processing components, or a user interface that enable users to communicate with the processing components. 
     Due to growing use of flash drives and thumb drives in today&#39;s technology-fueled era, it is important that USB drives are conveniently accessible throughout the day. Often times, people forget to take their USB drive with them because it is not yet considered an essential item (such as a wallet, cell phone, keys). As such, people may often discover that a USB drive would be extremely handy in unanticipated situations. However, because it is quite easy to forget a USB drive since they are small, lightweight, and inexpensive, it is not uncommon to be without a USB drive when such an unanticipated situation arises. 
     Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. and Pub. Nos. 2012/0239836 to Babak Enayati; U.S. Pat. No. 8,316,492 to Launce R. Barber; U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,858 to Brandon Emerson et al; U.S. Pat. No. 7,630,204 to Itzhak Pomerantz; U.S. Pat. No. 7,544,073 to David Nguyen et al; and U.S. Pat. No. D522,519 to Bennett S. Rubin et al. This prior art is representative of flash drive grips having an attachment mechanism to a key ring. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. 
     Ideally, a flash grip system should provide a retro-installable holding assembly for a USB flash/thumb drive which may comprise a grip having an article-fastening clip attached thereto so that the flash drive may be easily attached to a belt loop, purse strap, key chain, brief case, etc., for convenient accessibility. Thus, a need exists for a reliable flash grip system and to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known USB flash drive holding grip art, the present invention provides a novel flash grip system comprising a flash grip assembly which may include a rectangular gripping strip, a pair of USB drive attachers, and a clip fastener for clipping the rectangular gripping strip holding a USB drive to a separate article or object. 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a “FLASH GRIP” with carabiner snap hook key ring which allows a flash drive to be easily attached to a belt loop, purse strap, brief case, etc., for convenient accessibility. As an added feature, the sides may be trimmed for a “custom fit” to various sized USB thumb drives. 
     Flash grip systems are disclosed herein in a preferred embodiment comprising a flash grip assembly, which may comprise a rectangular strip with dimensions of approximately 1½″ width by 4″ height manufactured of a pliable material comprising a foam sheet or other suitable pliable material. The foam sheet may provide a cushiony, ergonomic surface. Further, the rectangular strip has a first-end, a mid-point, and a second-end. The flash grip assembly further comprises a first-attacher preferably comprising a first-adhesive, a second-attacher preferably comprising a second-adhesive, a first-eyelet and a second-eyelet, an article-fastener comprising a carabineer clip, and an article-fastener-securer comprising a loop. 
     Relationally, the first-end of the rectangular strip is connected to the mid-point, and the mid-point of the rectangular strip is connected to the second-end. The first-end comprises the first-attacher, and the second-end comprises the second-attacher. The first-eyelet and the second-eyelet each may comprise a through-hole. The first-eyelet and the second-eyelet may each comprise a ring about a perimeter of the through-holes for providing a buffer between the article-fastener-securer and the pliable (foam) material of the rectangular strip. Further, the first-eyelet is located between the first-end and the mid-point of the rectangular strip, and the second-eyelet is located between the second-end and the mid-point of the rectangular strip. The rectangular strip is foldable in half about the mid-point such that the first-eyelet and the second-eyelet line up evenly. 
     The article-fastener-securer may comprise a loop, which may pass through the first-eyelet and the second-eyelet when the rectangular strip is folded in half. The loop is interconnected to the article-fastener. The article-fastener is fastenable to a clippable-article, such as a keychain, a strap of a carrying bag, a brief case, a backpack, a belt loop, or the like. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the rectangular strip may or may not comprise at least one decoration. The decoration may comprise an adornment (such as a design, insignia, jewel, picture, etc). In use, the flash grip system decorates to personalize the USB flash drive, thereby protecting the USB flash drive from abrasive damage, and improves portability of the USB flash drive via the article-fastener of the flash grip assembly. As such the present invention is convenient to ‘take along’ and its design causes it to be remembered. 
     A method of use for a flash grip system is also disclosed herein and may comprise the steps of: removing an adhesive sheet from a first-attacher of a first-end of a rectangular strip; placing a USB flash drive on an adhesive surface of the first adhesive; removing the adhesive sheet from a second adhesive of a second-end of the rectangular strip; folding the rectangular strip in half along a mid-point and pressing firmly the second-end of the rectangular strip on the USB flash drive; and attaching the flash grip system to a clippable article via the article-fastener. The method of use may further comprise the optional step of customizing the size of the rectangular strip to best fit the USB flash drive. 
     The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a flash grip system. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, flash grip systems, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention discussed herein. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view illustrating a user sitting at a desk using a computer showing a flash grip system in an ‘in-use’ condition holding a USB flash drive according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a top portion of the flash grip system comprising a rectangular strip having a carabineer clip according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view a bottom portion of the flash grip system comprising a pair of adhesive-based fasteners for attaching the rectangular strip to the USB flash drive according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 3A-3D  are perspective views showing how the flash grip system may conveniently be applied to the USB flash drive according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view illustrating the flash grip system used to attach the USB flash drive to a keychain according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view illustrating the flash grip system used to attach the USB flash drive to a belt loop of a pair of pants according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4C  is a perspective view illustrating the flash grip system used to attach the USB flash drive to a strap of a handbag according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of use of the flash grip system according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4C . 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a flash grip system and more particularly to a retro-installable holding assembly for a USB flash/thumb drive which may comprise a grip having an article-fastening clip attached thereto so that the flash drive may be easily attached to a belt loop, purse strap, key chain, brief case, etc., for convenient accessibility. 
     Generally speaking, the flash grip system may comprise a “FLASH GRIP” with carabineer snap hook key ring which allows a flash drive to be easily attached to a belt loop, purse strap, brief case, etc., for convenient accessibility. As an added feature, the sides may be trimmed for a “custom fit” to various sized USB thumb drives. 
     Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in  FIG. 1 , flash grip system  100  during ‘in-use’ condition  150  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown, flash grip system  100  may comprise flash grip assembly  102 . Flash grip assembly  102  may comprise rectangular strip  200  having first-end  202 , mid-point  204 , and second-end  206 , first-attacher  225 , second-attacher  230 , first-eyelet  215 , second-eyelet  220 , article-fastener  120 , and article-fastener-securer  125 . Flash grip system  100  may be used to hold USB flash drive  110  such that USB flash drive  110  is fastenable to a clippable-article via article-fastener  120  of flash grip assembly  102 . By way of example as illustration in  FIG. 1 , flash grip systems  100  during ‘in-use’ condition  150  may be used by user  140  to attach USB flash drive  110  to keychain  105  also holding keys  115 . As shown, USB flash drive  110  may be inserted into a USB port on a computer, such as laptop  130 , while USB flash drive  110  is still attached to keychain  105 . In such a manner, user  140  has improved accessibility to USB flash drive  110  as it is conveniently available in keychain  105 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2A  showing a perspective view of a top portion of flash grip systems  100  comprising rectangular strip  200  having carabineer clip  260  attached thereto according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . As discussed, rectangular strip  200  comprises first-end  202 , mid-point  204 , and second-end  206 . As shown in  FIG. 2A , first-end  202  of rectangular strip  200  is connected to mid-point  204  and mid-point  204  is connected to second-end  206  of rectangular strip  200 . 
     In continuing to refer to  FIG. 2A , flash grip systems  100  may further comprise first-eyelet  215  and second-eyelet  220 . First-eyelet  215  and second-eyelet  220  may each comprise a through-hole. Further, first-eyelet  215  and second-eyelet  220  may each comprise a ring around a perimeter of the through-holes thereby providing a buffer between article-fastener-securer  125  and rectangular strip  200 . 
     First-eyelet  215  is located between first-end  202  and mid-point  204  of rectangular strip  200 , and second-eyelet  220  is located between second-end  206  and mid-point  204  of rectangular strip  200 . Preferably, first-eyelet  215  and second-eyelet  220  are orientated on rectangular strip  200  such that when rectangular strip  200  is folded in half about mid-point  204 , the through-holes of first-eyelet  215  and second-eyelet  220  line up evenly, thereby enabling article-fastener-securer  125  to pass there-through. In one embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , article-fastener-securer  125  may comprise a loop. The loop of may pass through first-eyelet  215  and second-eyelet  220  when rectangular strip  200  is folded in half. Further, article-fastener-securer  125  is interconnected to article-fastener  120 , and article-fastener  120  is fastenable to a clippable-article. 
     In a preferred embodiment, rectangular strip  200  may comprise dimensions of approximately 1½ inch width by 4 inches height. However, it should be appreciated that rectangular strip  200  may comprise smaller or larger dimensions to fit USB flash drive  110  of varying sizes. Rectangular strip  200  may be formed of a pliable material. In one embodiment, rectangular strip  200  may comprise a foam sheet. The foam sheet may provide a lightweight, cushiony, ergonomic surface for holding flash grip system  100 . However, it should be noted that rectangular strip  200  may also be formed of leather, felt, vinyl, plastic, or a lightweight metal material. 
     In still referring to  FIG. 2A , rectangular strip  200  may comprise decorative indicia  210 . In one embodiment, decorative indicia  210  may comprise indicia such as a picture, an insignia, or the like. In other embodiments, decorative indicia  210  may comprise an adornment, such as a jewel, gem, or other artistic construction such that the present invention is more likely to be remembered for ‘taking it along’ when travelling. It should be appreciated that flash grip systems  100  decorates to personalize USB flash drive  110 , protects USB flash drive  110  from abrasive damage, and improves portability of USB flash drive  110  via article-fastener  120  of flash grip assembly  102 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2B  showing a perspective view of a bottom portion (inside in relation to the USB when attached thereto) of rectangular strip  200  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . As shown, first-end  202  of rectangular strip  200  comprises first-attacher  225  and second-end  206  of rectangular strip  200  comprises second-attacher  230 . As may best be seen in  FIG. 2B , first-attacher  225  may be fixedly attached to first-end  202  of rectangular strip  200  via first-attacher fastener  227  and second-attacher  230  may be fixedly attached to second-end  206  of rectangular strip  200  via second-attacher fastener  232 . In one embodiment, first-attacher fastener  227  and second-attacher fastener  232  may each comprise hook-and-loop fasteners. In alternative embodiments, first-attacher fastener  227  and second-attacher fastener  232  may comprise a bonding substance (high-grade glue, adhesive, or the like). 
     In continuing to refer to  FIG. 2B , article-fastener  120  of flash grip assembly  102  may comprise carabineer clip  260 . Carabineer clip  260  may comprise a metal loop with a sprung gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components. This type of clip is useful for easily connecting and disconnecting clippable-articles to article-fastener  120 . In other embodiments, article-fastener  120  may comprise a ring fastener, connectors, or the like. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3A-3D  illustrating perspective views showing how the flash grip system  100  may conveniently be applied to USB flash drive  110  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3A , user  140  may first peel off a top layer of first-attacher  225  of rectangular strip  200  revealing adhesive surface  305 . As shown in  FIG. 3B , user  140  may next place USB flash drive  110  in a middle area of adhesive surface  305  of first-attacher  225 . It should be noted that USB flash drive  110  should be positioned such that the input port is facing outward from first-end  202  of rectangular strip  200 . Next, as shown in  FIG. 3C , user  140  may peel off a top layer of second-attacher  230  revealing adhesive surface  305 . User  140  may then fold rectangular strip  200  constructed if a pliable material in half about mid-point  204  such that adhesive surface  305  of second-attacher  230  comes into contact with USB flash drive  110 . Next, as shown in  FIG. 3D , user  140  may apply a downward force onto second-end  206  of rectangular strip  200 , thereby adhering adhesive surface  305  of first-attacher  225  and second-attacher  230  to USB flash drive  110 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4A  showing a perspective view illustrating flash grip systems  100  used to attach USB flash drive  110  to keychain  105  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . As shown, flash grip assembly  102  comprising rectangular strip  200  having decorative indicia  210  and retains USB flash drive  110  during ‘in-use’ condition  450  via first-attacher  225  and second-attacher  230 . As shown, article-fastener  120  comprising carabineer clip  260  may attach to keychain  105  having a plurality of keys  115 . In such a manner, USB flash drive  110  is taken whenever user  140  takes keychain  105  which likely has essential keys  115 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4B  showing a perspective view illustrating flash grip systems  100  used to attach USB flash drive  110  to belt loop  412  of pants  410  worn by user  140  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, clippable-article may comprise belt loop  412 . In such a manner, article-fastener  120  comprising carabineer clip  260  may be removably fastenable to belt loop  412  of pants  410 . As such, user  140  may comfortably and conveniently carry USB flash drive  110  attached to belt loop  412  for easy accessibility to USB flash drive  110  throughout the day. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4C  showing a perspective view illustrating flash grip systems  100  used to attach USB flash drive  110  to strap  422  of handbag  420  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . As shown, clippable-article may comprise strap  422  of handbag  420 . It should be appreciated that strap  422  may also be a brief-case, luggage, backpack, carrying bag, or the like. In such a manner, article-fastener  120  comprising carabineer clip  260  may be removably fastenable to strap  422  of handbag  420  for convenient access to USB flash drive  110  throughout the day. A kit may comprise the present invention with an assortment of decorative indicia  210 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , showing flowchart  550  illustrating method of use  500  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4C . Method of use  500  for flash grip systems  100  may comprise the steps of: step one  501 , removing an adhesive sheet from first-attacher  225  of first-end  202  of a rectangular strip  200 ; step two  502 , placing USB flash drive  110  on adhesive surface  305  of first-attacher  225 ; step three  503 , removing an adhesive sheet from second-attacher  230  of second-end  206  of rectangular strip  200 ; step four  504 , folding rectangular strip  200  in half along mid-point  204  and pressing firmly second-end  206  of rectangular strip  200  on USB flash drive  110 ; and step five  505  attaching flash grip assembly  102  to a clippable article via article-fastener  120 . 
     In continuing to refer to  FIG. 5 , method of use  500  may further comprise the optional step of customizing the size of rectangular strip  200 . This may be accomplished by cutting the sides of rectangular strip  200  such that rectangular strip  200  does not overlay on USB flash drive  110 . 
     It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.