Patent Publication Number: US-2012037673-A1

Title: Clip-on portable case for carrying a portable electronic device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 099126910, filed on Aug. 12, 2010, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a port able case for carrying a portable electronic device, more particularly to a clip-on portable case rotatable relative to an item of apparel to facilitate insertion or removal of a portable electronic device, such as a cell phone, into or from the portable case. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A variety of portable cases are each used to accommodate a portable electronic device, such as a cell phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc., and is clipped on an item of apparel, such as a waist belt or a pocket edge, for facilitating a user to carry it. The conventional portable case generally includes a shell defining an accommodation chamber and an access opening for insertion an electronic device into the accommodation chamber, and a cap disposed to removably cover the access opening. The shell has a surrounding wall configured to be fitted to the electronic device protect the latter from impact or slipping of therefrom. With such a protective measure, the portable case, however, is rendered inconvenient to take the electronic device out. Besides, due to the entire coverage shell, a showy gadget is not readily viewable from outside of the case. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a clip-on portable case which is adapted to easily insert and remove a portable electronic device into and from a receptacle thereof so as to more securely carry the electronic device and which is simple in structure to permit a wearer to show off the electronic device. 
     According to this invention, the clip-on portable case includes a clip-on mounting frame having a first major surface adapted to be clipped onto an item of apparel, and a second major surface opposite to the first major surface in a direction of rotating axis, and a holding frame including a backboard, a bottom holder, and a gate member. The backboard extends in a lengthwise direction transverse to the direction of rotating axis to terminates at holding and access marginal regions, and has a front major surface which defines a receptacle area for a portable electronic device, and a rear major surface which confronts and which is turnable relative to the second major surface about the rotating axis between an unloading position, where the access marginal region faces upwardly, and a loaded position, where a hinge axis of the access marginal region is oriented uprightly. The bottom holder is disposed on the front major surface and adjacent to the holding marginal region, and is configured to permit the portable electronic device to rest thereon. The gate member has a hinged lateral portion hingedly mounted on the access marginal region about the hinge axis, and a gate portion which is opposite to the hinged lateral portion radially relative to the hinge axis, and which is swingable between open and closed positions, where the gate portion is remote from and closer to the bottom holder, respectively. A slidably retaining unit is disposed between the rear major surface and the second major surface to prevent the backboard from moving away from a selected one of the unloading and loaded positions. A transmitting mechanism is disposed to couple the hinged lateral portion with the turning movement of the rear major surface such that, when the rear major surface is turned from the loaded position to the unloading position, the gate portion is swung from the closed position to the open position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective of the preferred embodiment of a clip-on portable case according to this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment when clipped onto a waist belt; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a clip-on mounting frame of the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a partly sectioned view of the preferred embodiment, showing that a holding frame is in an unloading position and a gate member is in an open position; 
         FIG. 5  is a partly sectioned view of the preferred embodiment, showing that the holding frame is in a loaded position and the gate member is in a closed position; and 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary sectional view showing that the gate member is coupled with the holding frame by a transmitting mechanism. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the preferred embodiment of a clip-on portable case according to the present invention is shown to comprise a clip-on mounting frame  2 , a holding frame  3 , a slidably retaining unit, and a transmitting mechanism. 
     The clip-on mounting frame  2  has a first major surface  21  adapted to be clipped on an item of apparel, such as a belt  5 , and a second major surface  24  opposite to the first major surface  21  in a direction of rotating axis (X). A clip-on unit  23  is disposed on the first major surface  21 , and includes a stationary jaw half  231  securely disposed on the first major surface  21 , a movable jaw half  232  confronting and movable relative to the stationary jaw half  231  to grasp the belt  5  therebetween, an a biasing member  235  disposed to bias the movable jaw half  232  toward the stationary jaw half  231 , thereby clipping on the belt  5 . The movable jaw half  232  has tongue  236  which has a slot  233  for accommodating the biasing member  235  in the form of a tension spring, and a plurality of groove-like retained regions  234  arranged in a direction of movement thereof. A socket  241  is disposed in the second major surface  24 , and has a plurality of protuberances  242 , and an axial mount  246  disposed along the rotating axis (X) and having a screw hole  247 . 
     The holding frame  3  includes a rectangular backboard  31  extending in a lengthwise direction transverse to the direction of rotating axis (X) and terminating at holding and access marginal regions  311 ,  316 , and a central plug  32  extending in the direction of rotating axis (X) from a rear major surface  315  of the backboard  31  and configured to be fitted in and rotatable relative to the socket  241  about the rotating axis (X). An axial hole  33  is formed through the central plug  32  such that a screw bolt  36  extends through the axial hole to threadedly engage the screw hole  247  so as to permit the backboard rotate about the rotating axis (X) relative to the mounting frame  2  between an unloading position, as shown in  FIG. 4 , where the access marginal region  316  faces upwardly, and a loaded position, as shown in  FIG. 5 , where a hinge axis defined by two hinge pins  319  on the access marginal region  316  and transverse to the lengthwise direction is oriented uprightly. A decorative cover  310  is disposed to cover the axial hole  33 . A plurality of recesses  323  are formed in the central plug  32  to cooperate with the protuberances  242  to serve as the slidably retaining unit and to permit the protuberances  242  to be slidably engaged therein so as to prevent the backboard  31  from moving away from a selected one of the unloading and loaded positions. The holding frame  3  further includes a limiting wall  34  disposed on the rear major surface  315 , extending angularly about the rotating axis (X), and radially spaced apart from the central plug  32 , and a cutout portion  35  configured to cooperate with the rear major surface  315  to define a limiting passage  351 . Two retaining protrusions  37  are disposed on the limiting wall  34  to engage a selected one of the retained regions  234  so as to enable the mounting frame  2  to be fit for clipping on varying sizes of the apparel item  5 . 
     A plurality of lateral holders  312  and an L-shaped bottom holder  317  are disposed on a front major surface  314  of the backboard  31  adjacent to the long-side regions and the holding marginal region  311  to cooperate with the front major surface  314  to define a receptacle area  313  or an portable electronic device that can be inserted into the receptacle area  313  from the access marginal region  316  to rest on the bottom holder  317 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  6 , a gate member has a hinged lateral portion  422  which has two lugs with two hinged recesses  427  engaging the hinge pins  319  on the access marginal region  316  to be hingedly mounted thereon about the hinge axis, and a gate portion  421  which is opposite to the hinged lateral portion  422  radially relative to the hinge axis to be swingable between open and closed positions, where the gate portion  421  is remote from and closer to the bottom holder  317 , respectively. 
     The transmitting mechanism includes a cam track  243  and a cam follower  41 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the cam track  243  is in the form of a guide slot  243  disposed in the second major surface  24  of the mounting frame  2 , extending in a circumferential direction about the rotating axis (X), and defining first and second cam positions  245 ,  244 . The first and second cam positions  245 ,  244  are disposed to be distanced from the rotating axis (X) by shorter and longer lengths, respectively, so as to correspond to the unloading and loaded positions, respectively. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4 ,  5  and  6 , the cam follower  41  has cam follower end  415  which has a pin  412  slidably engaging in the guide slot  243  to be movable between the first and second compositions  245 ,  244 , an a web portion  411  extending from the cam follower end  415  in lengthwise direction to terminate at an actuating end  414  and passing through the limiting passe to stabilize movement of the cam follower  41  in the lengthwise direction. The actuating end  414  has two pins  413  engaging in two elongate holes  426  in the hinged lateral portion  422  which are aligned along a coupling line that is offset the hinge axis so as to bring the first and second cam positions  245 ,  244  into correspondence with the open and closed positions, respectively. Further, a stop member  25  is disposed on the mounting frame  2  to resist further movement of either one of two recessed ends  341  of the limiting wall  34  when the holding frame  3  is turned to the loaded position, as shown in  FIG. 5 , so as to prevent the holding frame  3  from turning to an undesired position rather than the loaded position. 
     In assembly, the web portion  411  of the cam follower  41  is inserted through the limiting passage  351 , and the hinged lateral portion  422  is hingedly mounted on the access marginal region  316 . Subsequently, the socket  241  of the mounting frame  2  is fitted to the central plug  32  while matingly engaging the protuberances  242  in the recesses  323  such that the can follower  41  leans on the rear major surface  315  while bringing the pin  412  into engagement in the guide slot  243 . Finally, the screw bolt  36  extends through the axial hole  33  to be secured the screw hole  247  in the mounting frame  2  so as to permit rotation of the holding frame  3  between the unloading and loaded positions. 
     When desired to clip on an item apparel, the movable jaw half  232  is pulled away from the stationary jaw half  231  and the item is placed between the jaw halves  231 ,  232  to be clamped by means of the biasing member  235 . In addition, by engagement of one of the protrusions  37  with a selected one of the retained region  234 , the clip-on unit  23  can be firmly clipped on the item. 
     When the holding frame  3  is in the unloading position, the pin  412  is in the first cam position that is closer to the rotating axis (X), and the gate member  42  is in the open position. The wearer can easily insert or remove an electronic device into or from the receptacle area  313  from the access marginal region  316 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , when the holding frame is turned to the loaded position for providing a satisfactory feeling of comfort when the wearer is in walking, sitting or lying, the cam follower  41  is moved with the holding frame  3  to move the pin  412  to the second cam position  244  that is remoter from the rotating axis (X) so that the cam follower  41  can actuate the swinging movement the gate member  41  to the closed position so as to guard against falling of the electronic device the receptacle area  313 . It is noted that at this stage, one of the recessed ends  341  of the limiting wall  34  abuts against the stop member  25  to prevent turning to an undesired position where the access marginal region faces downwardly. On the other hand, when the holding frame turned to unloading position to move the pin  412  to the first cam position  245 , the gate member  41  is swung to the open position by means of the cam follower  41 , thereby render removal of the electronic device from the receptacle area  313  easy and convenient. Besides, by virtue of the configuration of the lateral and bottom holders  312 ,  317 , the electronic device can be securely received in the receptacle area  313  while desirably displaying its showy appearance. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.