Abstract:
A holder for a personal computing device (PCD) and method for allowing a user of a PCD to securely hold the PCD with a single finger; to selectively position his or her thumb horizontally, vertically, angularly, and a desired distance away from the PCD, when holding the PCD to more easily reach any point on the touchscreen with the thumb on his same hand without ever needing to resort to using his other hand; and allowing the user, in the alternative, to rest the PCD on a flat surface, such as to read articles or watch videos, and prop the PCD up at a multitude of angles, in both landscape and portrait orientations depending on whether the flat surface is high or low and whether the user is sitting or standing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/546,519, filed on Nov. 23, 2015, which is a divisional of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/529,975, filed on Jun. 11, 2015; and this application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/273,386, filed on Dec. 30, 2015. All such applications are incorporated herein by this reference thereto. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to devices that can be used for both holding a personal computing device (PCD) in one&#39;s hand and propping up the PCD when placed on a flat surface. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    One embodiment of the present invention comprises a PCD holder device utilizing a method of allowing a user of a PCD, such as a smartphone, computer tablet, mini-tablet, phablet, etc., to securely hold the PCD with a single finger when holding it and prop up the PCD when resting it on a flat surface. Some embodiments allow the user, when holding the PCD, to selectively position his or her thumb horizontally and vertically with respect to the touchscreen surface of the PCD, as well as angularly in relation to the touchscreen surface of the PCD. Some embodiments also allow the user to select the distance away from the PCD&#39;s touchscreen surface, all to more easily access with one&#39;s thumb any point on the touchscreen surface and to more easily input text using a keyboard region of the touchscreen surface, such as to email, text, or surf the web without the user ever needing to resort to his or her other hand. 
         [0004]    Some embodiments allow the user, when resting the PCD on a flat surface, such as to read articles or watch videos, to select a multitude of angles, in both landscape and portrait orientations, at which to prop up the PCD. This could allow the user to view the screen of the PCD whether the flat surface is high or low and whether the user is sitting or standing. 
         [0005]    Still other embodiments allow the user to securely hold the PCD in one hand so as to facilitate use of the finger or fingers of the other hand, or a stylus or other similar indicating device held in the other hand to select options on and input information through the touchscreen portion of the PCD. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a PCD holder in keeping with the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the embodiment in  FIG. 1  showing tactile regions  350  on opposite ends of a body member  300 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present invention in which first and second finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500  have a slight constriction or tapering  440  in the medial portions  424  between. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention in which first and second finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500  each have a slight inward protruding lip. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a PCD holder in keeping with the present invention in which the outer surface  320  of the body member  300  has a lengthwise slit  340  as one way to make the first and second finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500  expandable to accommodate fingers of several different diameters. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a PCD holder in keeping with the present invention in which the first and second finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500  are accompanied by first and second finger-receiving recesses  402 ,  502  for the user&#39;s adjacent finger. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment includes a holder  100  for a personal computing device (PCD) that comprises a mounting mechanism  200 , and a body member  300  that is rigid and is rotatably connected to the mounting mechanism  200 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the body member has a first finger-receiving recess  400 . This recess is generally cylindrical with a diameter D 1  sized to receive a portion of a human finger. The fit is preferably snug, securely holding the finger in a press-fit fashion. The opening of the recess may have a slight inwardly protruding lip  422  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) so that one of the knuckles of the user&#39;s finger can be used to securely retain the holder  100  and thereby hold and control the PCD without risking the rest of the finger getting stuck due to friction with the surface(s)  520  of the recess  400 . 
         [0014]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4 , there may be a second finger-receiving recess  500  as well. In one embodiment, the second finger-receiving recess  500  points in the opposite direction of the first finger-receiving recess  400 , and it may be shorter than the first finger-receiving recess  400 . Since the body  300  is fully rotatable, 360 degrees, these two recesses  400 ,  500  provide the user with twice the number of available hand—and thereby thumb—positions. The second finger-receiving recess  500  also could comprise a second diameter D 2  (not shown), different than the first, so that the user could use a different finger with this second finger-receiving recess  500  than the first finger-receiving recess  400  and still feel roughly the same snugness with this different finger as when the user&#39;s preferred finger is in the first finger-receiving recess  400 . Or this second finger-receiving recess  500  could comprise, together with the first finger-receiving recess  400 , a single generally cylindrical recess, as is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
         [0015]    The first and second finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500  may also have padding  450  along the recess walls  520 . Furthermore, the padding  450  could be covered with a breathable surface  452  material to add to this comfortable fit so that the user&#39;s finger will be comfortable in the recess(es) for even long periods of time. Also, the padding  450  and surface  452  could be advantageously configured to impose a very consistent compressive force over a large range of compression. In this way, the padding  450  and surface  452  could make a single recess diameter D 1  feel comfortably snug for a large variety of finger widths and diameters, with both large and small fingers encountering approximately the same compressive forces when inserted into the finger-receiving recess, such as, for example, when the padding  450  comprises air, gel, or other lightly compressive material, and the surface  452  is a heavy material, such as leather or the like. Alternatively, the cushion could be an elastomeric material or some other stuffing, and the breathable surface could be cotton cloth or the like. 
         [0016]    On the outside of the rotatable body member  300 , there may be one or more outward facing support surfaces  320 . The purposes of the outward facing support surfaces  320  include supporting the body member  300 , and thereby the PCD, when the user rests the body member  300  on a desk, table, countertop, or other generally flat surface. 
         [0017]    By being between the outward facing support surface  320  and the PCD, the body member  300  causes the PCD to rest on the generally flat surface at an angle between 10 degrees to 80 degrees from the flat surface, and more preferably, between 25 degrees and 65 degrees. That is, when the outward support surface  320  is set on a flat surface, the PCD rests at a noticeable angle away from the flat surface, which is often convenient and preferable to users, such as when watching a video, operating the touch sensitive surface of the PCD, or communicating with another person through the PCD. The outward facing support surface  320  may also have one or more tactile regions  350  to make the holder  100  resistant to sliding around when resting it and the PCD on the generally flat surface. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the body  300  also has a recessed region  600  for holding and retaining one or more accessories so that accessories, such as a Bluetooth earpiece, may be removably retained by the holder  100  between those times when the user wishes to use the accessory(ies). Also, or alternatively, the body member  300  has a connection region for the purpose of removably connecting the body member  300  to an external structure (not shown), such as a louvre of an air vent, a credit card or the like.  FIG. 5  illustrates just one such connection region, in this case, a slit  340  extending the length of the body  300 . Alternatively, the connection structure could be in the form of a snap or other clip mechanism for attaching to a key ring, or a mating mechanism formed on or into a briefcase, belt, or other article of clothing. 
         [0019]    The mounting mechanism  200  can selectively grip and hold onto a PCD, usually, depending on the PCD, at many different points. It can do so nearly anywhere the PCD has two parallel edges. As a result, the user may selectively and removably mount the holder  100  to the PCD at a desired location, and, since the body  300  is rotatable, the user may selectively orient the body  300  so that a desired finger-receiving recess can be directed in a desired angular orientation (when the user wishes to hold the PCD with a finger) or so that the outward facing surface  320  of the body  300  can be directed in a desired angular orientation (when the user wishes to prop up the PCD on a generally flat surface). 
         [0020]    That is, in some embodiments, the fact that the mounting mechanism  200  may mount to the PCD at many points, to be chosen by the user, that the body  300  is rotatably connected to the mounting mechanism  200 , that this rotatable connection is offset by the distance of O 1  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) to one side or the other of the centerline CL 1  of the PCD when the holder  100  is mounted to the PCD, and that the second finger-receiving recess  500  is shorter than the first finger-receiving recess  400 , the user has nearly an unlimited number of ways to laterally position and then angularly orient one or the other finger-receiving recess to precisely the position needed or desired to optimize the holding of the PCD, whether it is for reaching and manipulating any point on the touchscreen surface of the PCD, comfortable holding the PCD in a way that frees up the user&#39;s other hand and even the user&#39;s other fingers and thumb of the same hand by which he or she is holding the PCD. 
         [0021]    Add to this the fact that the body  300  is configured not only to allow the user to hold the PCD with a single finger when desired, but also to allow the user to prop up the PCD on a generally flat surface when desired, these above-mentioned degrees of movement and positioning afford for the user a great number of choices for propping up the PCD, as well as orienting the PCD in either landscape or profile. In this way, the tactile surface  350  on the outward facing support surface  320  of the rigid body member  300 , in combination with a selected one of the tactile regions  266  on the first and second outward facing support surfaces  244 ,  264  form a bipod or tripod base for resting the PCD on a flat surface in the desired propped up angle. 
         [0022]    Since the mounting mechanism  200  is removably mountable to the PCD, it may also be flipped over, and thereby reversible, and mounted to the PCD in a manner that swaps where the longer and shorter finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500 , respectively, are so as to provide the user with twice the number of positions for the holder  100 . 
         [0023]    The mounting mechanism  200  shown in  FIG. 1  has two opposing inward facing surfaces  242  and  262 , a biasing means or mechanism  250  for biasing the two opposing inward facing surfaces  242 ,  262  toward one another, and second outward facing support surfaces  266  in communication with either of these two opposing inward facing surfaces. In this embodiment shown, the biasing mechanism  250  may comprise one or more springs (not shown) that pull one part  240  of the mounting mechanism  200  towards another part  260  of the mounting mechanism  200 , thereby biasing inward facing surface  242  toward inward facing surface  262 . 
         [0024]    In some embodiments, these inward facing surfaces  242 ,  262  may be retractable while not in use so that the overall profile of the PCD holder  100  may be as small as possible when not in use to better fit in, for example, a pocket or purse. In some embodiments, the body member  300  also may be collapsible while not in use, such as, for instance, like a series of hoops that can flatten like a series of dominoes. By having a body member  300  that is collapsible and inward facing members  242 ,  262  that are collapsible, the overall profile of the holder  100  may be as small as possible when not in use so as to better fit in a pocket. 
         [0025]    Also, in some embodiments, a fin (not shown), which itself may be retractable or foldable, extends from the body  300  in a direction generally away from the mounting mechanism  200  so that a large PCD may be propped up at desirable angles in a manner as discussed above. In some embodiments for large PCD, there are two first finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  402  (and possibly two second finger-receiving recesses  500 ,  502 ) as shown in  FIG. 6  so that the large PCD can be securely held and controlled by two of the user&#39;s adjacent fingers rather than by just one finger. The two first finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  402  could be generally parallel, and the two recesses could be the same diameter, or one of these recesses could be of a smaller diameter to take into consideration that most adjacent fingers have two different diameters. 
         [0026]    Also, embodiments that are configured for large PCDs may also have a second pair of inward facing surfaces, biased or otherwise, which may be generally perpendicular to the first pair of inward facing surfaces. 
         [0027]    The method of providing the user with the option of either holding the PCD with a single finger or propping up the PCD on a flat surface is therefore described here. As a threshold question, the user decides whether he wants to hold the PCD or rest it on a generally flat surface. When the user wants to hold the PCD, he then decides where, vertically and horizontally, and at what angle he wants his holding finger so as to place the thumb of his same hand in an advantageous position in relation to the operating surface of the PCD. 
         [0028]    The user then chooses where he wants either the first or the second finger-receiving recess  400  or  500 , respectively. There are a number of configurations to select from. First, due to the fact that the axis of rotation C 1  for the body member  300  is offset O 1  to one side or the other from the centerline CL 1  of the PCD, the user can change the configuration simply by flipping around the mounting mechanism  200 . Second, since the first finger-receiving recess  400  is longer and thereby extends away from the axis of rotation C 1  further than the second finger-receiving recess  500  does, the user can further change the configuration simply by rotating the body member  300  around the axis of rotation C 1  by 180 degrees. That is, if the user wants his thumb closer to the touchscreen surface, he may rotate the holder 180 degrees so that the shorter, second finger-receiving recess  500  instead is in the desired position and orientation for the user&#39;s finger. 
         [0029]    Third, the user can choose to insert his index, middle, ring, or pinky finger into the chosen finger-receiving recess, again, all to find the most comfortable PCD holding arrangement, which will most likely change from time to time, or to best position for the thumb on the same hand in relation to the touchscreen surface of the PCD. And, fourth, since the two opposing inward facing surfaces  242 ,  262  of the mounting mechanism  200  are parallel to each other, they can be mounted to almost any two generally parallel edges of the PCD and can then be slid up and down the two generally parallel edges of the PCD until the user arrives at the desired position of the chosen finger-receiving recess  400  or  500  for whatever the user wants to do with the PCD. 
         [0030]    The user therefore chooses whether or not to flip the holder  100  around, mounts it onto the PCD in roughly the desired place for the desired location and orientation of the chosen finger-receiving recess, then chooses to use the longer, first finger-receiving recess  400  or rotate the body member 180 degrees to use the shorter, second finger-receiving recess  500 , and chooses among his fingers to insert into the recess for the desired result, and then slides the mounted holder  100  up and down the PCD and tests whether his thumb (the thumb on the same hand as the selected holding finger) is optimally positioned to reach all of the touchscreen surface, or as much of the touchscreen surface as possible, with ease, preferably making accessible to his thumb at least all of the keyboard keys or other touch-sensitive input fields on the touchscreen surface. 
         [0031]    For example, the user may want to slide the holder down the PCD and rotate the body member  100  to roughly 45 degrees from horizontal to get his or her thumb in just the right position to be the most proficient for data input on a virtual keyboard that happens to be displayed on the touchscreen surface of the PCD. 
         [0032]    The user may then insert a finger from his other hand into the other finger-receiving recess to switch the PCD to the other hand, if for instance, the original holding hand gets tired or the user has to reach for something with the original holding hand. And then, the user can simply rotate the body member 90 degrees so as to keep the same orientation of the viewing screen of the PCD in relation to the user&#39;s eyes. 
         [0033]    Or, the user may want to rotate the body member  300  to 90 degrees from horizontal to comfortably balance the PCD on his holding finger as he walks through a line in a coffee shop or carries a briefcase with his thumb and one or more of his free fingers on the same holding hand. These are just a few ways the combination of options allow for a variety of arrangements for mounting the holder  100  onto the back of the PCD in order to position the holder  100  so that the first finger-receiving recess  400  will be roughly where and in what angular orientation he wants. 
         [0034]    One immediate benefit of the first finger-receiving  400  is that the user can securely hold the PCD with little effort and completely control and manipulate the PCD due to the rigid nature of the body member and the surfaces of the finger-receiving recess. As a result, the user can reach any part of the active touchscreen surface, and since user&#39;s finger is snugly fit into the finger receiving recess and since the recess and body member is rigid as is the rotatable connection between the body member and the mounting mechanism, the user can control the orientation of the PCD and thereby input information anywhere on the touchscreen surface with the thumb of the same hand as the finger with which he is holding the PCD, all the while securely holding the PCD with a single finger. Another immediate benefit of the first-finger receiving recess  400  is that the user can securely hold the PCD with the single finger, which is press-fit into the recess up to at least the first knuckle, and so carry and transport the PCD with ease, not having to consciously maintain a grip on the PCD the common and pervasive way, with both a thumb and finger using up both hand muscles as well as forearm muscles. 
         [0035]    An immediate benefit of having a second finger-receiving recess  500  pointing in roughly the opposite direction as the first finger-receiving recess is that the user has twice as many combinations of placement options, vertically and horizontally. Another benefit of having a second finger-receiving recess  500  pointing in roughly the opposite direction as the first finger-receiving recess  400  is that the user can pass the holder from one hand to the next with ease, thereby switching hands, moving the PCD from one hand to the other, so that the user can use the newly freed hand for any given task, like reaching into a pocket for a wallet, car keys, or the like. That is, embodiments having two finger-receiving recesses provide the added benefit of allowing the user to easily move the holder, and thereby the PCD, from one hand to the other, such as if the user needs the one hand, for example, to sign a receipt or to shake someone&#39;s hand. 
         [0036]    When, alternatively, the user wants to rest the PCD on a flat surface, he first determines whether he wants to rest the PCD in landscape or profile orientation and rotates the body member  300  perpendicular to the long dimension of the mounting mechanism  200  for landscape viewing or parallel to the long dimension of the mounting mechanism  200  for portrait viewing. 
         [0037]    The user then decides what angle he wants for his screen. This will likely depend on the angle between the PCD and the user&#39;s eyes. He then mounts the holder to the PCD where he wants in order to achieve this angle. For profile viewing, the user can then slide the holder up or down to adjust this propping angle. For landscape viewing, the user can at least choose from a low angle and a higher angle. This is because the axis of rotation C 1  for the rotatable connection between the body member  300  and the mounting mechanism  200  is offset a distance of O 1  from the centerline CL 1  of the PCD when mounted to the holder  100 , as depicted in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0038]    Indeed, in some embodiments, when holding the PCD with a single finger using the holder  100 , the user may insert up to only the first or second knuckle of his holding finger into the finger-receiving recess  400 . This allows the user to choose to place the rest of his holding hand, and thereby his thumb on this hand, a significant distance from the touchscreen surface. In many circumstances, this is best position for the thumb, freeing the thumb up to reach the most remote keys, input fields, or touch points on the touchscreen surface. 
         [0039]    In some embodiments of the present invention, the finger-receiving recesses  400 ,  500  are rigid and in the form of roughly cylindrical tunnels and sized to snugly receive an average sized human finger, typically the middle finger or the ring finger up to the first knuckle or a little bit more. There may be a slight inward facing lip  422  at the end of one or both of the recesses, such as a slight inward-facing ridge or bulge so that the user&#39;s knuckle can do most of the work of holding the PCD without the other portions of the extremity of the user&#39;s finger being stuck in the recess. In some embodiments, there is a constriction or tapering  440  at or near the medial portion of the finger-receiving recesses. This would allow a single recess to successfully serve fingers of many different sizes and diameters in a snug press-fit fashion. Also, the recess could be cushioned and padded with a material that is substantially breathable to increase comfort for the user while he or she is holding the PCD with the one finger. 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, the body member is rotatable 360 degrees, but with resistance between discrete angular positions so that the user may maintain a desired angular orientation of the finger-receiving recesses without effort. The end of the first recess  400  may be farther from the axis of rotation C 1  than the end of the second recess  500 . Also, the axis of rotation C 1  itself may be offset from the centerline CL 1  of the PCD when the holder  100  is mounted on the PCD, and the holder itself is removably, slideably, and reversibly attached to the PCD. As a result, the holder allows many different holding angles to choose from when holding the PCD with a finger. This, in turn, allows for many different placements to choose from for positing the user&#39;s thumb over the touchscreen surface of the PCD. Also, as a result, the holder allows for a number of different screen angles to choose from when setting the PCD and holder down on a flat surface, either in landscape or portrait orientation, to optimize hands-free viewing of the screen. Furthermore, by being removably attachable to the PCD, the mounting mechanism  200  does not require the user to permanently affix the holder  100  to the PCD or otherwise to alter the PCD itself. 
         [0041]    In some embodiments, the connection between the body member and the mounting mechanism is magnetic—that is, where one of the two members comprises a strong magnetic pull, such as a neodymium magnet, or the like, and the other comprises a steel or other metal surface suitable for reacting favorably to the magnetic pull. The magnetic attraction is designed to be strong enough to avoid the chance that the two members would get separated unintentionally, but such that the two may be easily separated if the user pulls on the body member hard enough, possibly with a slight angular motion to aid in the removal. In some such embodiments, a portion of the outer surface of the body member is generally cylindrical and a portion of the mounting mechanism comprises a cylindrical indentation configured to mate with the cylindrical portion of the outer surface of the body member. 
         [0042]    Alternatively, in some such embodiment, the interface between the body member and the mounting mechanism may comprise a conical surface (or truncated conical surface) on one member and a mating conical recess on the surface of the other. In other such embodiments, the interface is more generally spherical. In some such embodiments, the two mating surfaces may further comprise mating saw-toothed surface structures that divide the circumference of the interface into 36, 72, or the like teeth, for example, to give the user several discrete positions in which to place the body member relative to the mounting mechanism. 
         [0043]    The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by this detailed description, but by the claims and the equivalents to the claims appended hereto.