Patent Publication Number: US-2006011688-A1

Title: Hands free device holder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to holders for personal articles. More specifically, the invention is a hands free device holder for small electronic articles, such a cell phone, music player or the like.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Small, handheld cellular telephones have become widespread in use and popularity, along with numerous other types of small personal electronic devices, including personal music players, such as MP3 digital players and portable CD players. Various devices have been devised to carry such small electronic devices on, or in close proximity to, the user&#39;s body.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,704, issued on Dec. 24, 1996 to T. Alexander et al., discloses a shoulder holster and method of carrying a portable telephone. The shoulder holster includes a shoulder strap that extends over the user&#39;s shoulder and under the user&#39;s arm in a complete loop. A second strap is worn diagonally across the user&#39;s body, extending from the shoulder strap to a belt or other fastening point on an article of clothing worn by the user. A pocket for holding a cellular telephone is attachable to a mounting pad on the shoulder strap using a hook and loop fastener.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,031, issued on Jan. 6, 1987 to F. Frankhouse, discloses an article carrier in the form of a plurality of individual compartments connected together to form a contiguous loop, and worn across the user&#39;s torso in the manner of a sash. U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,917, issued on Jan. 13, 1976 to D. Zellmer, discloses a personal materials carrier that includes a chest overlaying portion, a shoulder portion, a back portion, and a side portion all connected together to form a loop. The carrier is worn across the user&#39;s torso in the manner of a sash.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,347, issued on Nov. 24, 1953 to L. Finney, discloses a receptacle, for holding hairpins or similar articles, which is capable of being draped over a person&#39;s shoulder. U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,527, issued on Nov. 11, 2003 to T. Karenga, discloses a strap pack carrier that is another example of a sash-style article carrier, worn diagonally around a person&#39;s torso in the manner of a sash. A counter-weight is provided to stabilize the carrier against unequal loading of articles. U.S. Design Pat. No. 408,137, issued on Apr. 20, 1999 to T. Leininger, illustrates a design for shoulder saddlebags.  
      None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a hands free device holder solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The hands free device holder is a device to be worn over a user&#39;s shoulder to provide at least one pocket for holding a small electronic article, such as a cell phone, music player or the like. The hands free device holder is constructed of a flexible material and fashioned to lie over a user&#39;s shoulder. A holder portion lies over the user&#39;s chest, and has at least one pocket for holding a small electronic device. An anchor portion extends from the shoulder down, and somewhat across, the user&#39;s back, extending across a shoulder blade of the user. The hands free device holder is easily worn by a seated user, positioned over the user&#39;s shoulder with the anchor portion simply held in place between the user&#39;s back and a seat back, thus anchoring the hands free device holder in place and preventing it from slipping off from the user&#39;s shoulder.  
      The hands free device holder is made from a flexible material, such as cloth, leather, plastic, rubber, or other such flexible materials. A bottom surface of the hands free device holder preferably has a relatively high coefficient of friction to prevent slipping. A non-slip bottom surface may be formed by embossing or otherwise forming a pattern of grooves in the bottom surface. Alternatively, a non-slip backing material may be applied. The non-slip backing material may be a continuous layer of a high-friction material laminated or sewn to the back-side of the hands free device holder. In another variation, the non-slip backing may be a pattern, such as a pattern of numerous small dots, of a high-friction material, such as rubber, to increase the bottom surface friction. Further, the hands free device holder may be made entirely of a material, such as rubber, suede, or the like, that has a high surface friction as an inherent characteristic.  
      Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a hands free device holder to hold one or more electronic devices.  
      It is another object of the invention to provide a hands free device holder that is simply worn over a user&#39;s shoulder.  
      It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
      These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a hands free device holder according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of a hands free device holder according to the present invention, having a single pocket.  
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of a hands free device holder according to the present invention, having multiple pockets.  
       FIG. 4  is an environmental front view of an alternate embodiment of a hands free device holder according to the present invention. 
    
    
      Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention is a hands free device holder, designated generally as  10  in the figures. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the hands free device holder  10  is a shoulder worn holder that provides at least one pocket  24  to hold small electronic articles, such as a cell phone, music player or the like.  
      The hands free device holder  10  is an elongated and generally “L” shaped article made of a pliable material, such as fabric, leather, plastic, or the like, having a top surface  12  and a bottom surface  14 . A lengthwise central portion, or shoulder portion  30 , is placed over a user&#39;s shoulder, the bottom surface  14  lying against the user&#39;s body. A holder portion  20  extends forward from the shoulder portion  30  to lie against the user&#39;s upper chest. One or more pockets  24  are disposed on the holder portion  20  on the top surface of the, hands free device holder  10 . The holder portion  20  is generally rectangular in shape, and has a major axis  22  oriented generally lengthwise of the hands free device holder  10 . The pockets  24  may be rectangular, round, or a variety of shapes suited to various small electronic articles, such as cell phones, CD players, etc.  
      An anchor portion  40  extends rearward from the shoulder portion  30  to lie against the user&#39;s back. The anchor portion  40  is generally rectangular in shape, and has a major axis  42  oriented generally normal to the major axis  22  of the holder portion  20 , to give the hands free device holder  10  its generally “L” shaped form. The anchor portion  40  is so-called because, when the device holder  10  is used by a user in a seated position, the holder  10  is anchored in place between the user&#39;s back and a seat back to prevent the holder  10  from sliding off of the user&#39;s shoulder. Additionally, the anchor portion  40  provides additional bottom surface area to increase the amount of friction available to prevent the holder  10  from sliding out of place.  
      The shoulder portion  30  is a length of material having a generally constant width, joining the holder portion  20  to the anchor portion  40 . The shoulder portion  30  is contoured to fit a user&#39;s shoulder, for example by having a curved inside edge  32 .  
      It is desirable for the bottom surface  14  to have a relatively high coefficient of friction, so that the device holder  10  does not slip from place during use. This may be achieved by forming a pattern of grooves, ridges, or the like in the bottom surface  14  of the holder  10 . For example, a device holder  10  made of leather may have a pattern embossed or tooled into the bottom surface  14 . Alternatively, a non-skid material may be added to the bottom surface  14 , either in the form of an additional ply of a non-skid material, such as suede or rubber, or in the form of a pattern of rubber or the like applied to the bottom surface  14  as dots, lines or similar protrusions. The non-skid material may be applied to the bottom surface  14  of the entire device holder  10 , or may be confined to the shoulder portion  30  or to the anchor portion  40 .  
      Turning to  FIG. 4 , an embodiment of the hands free device holder  10  is shown including a front strap  26  and a back strap  46  to secure the device holder  10  about the user&#39;s body in order to maintain the holder  10  in place during more vigorous activities. The front strap  26  extends from the holder portion  20  of the holder  10 , and the back strap  46  extends from the anchor portion  40 , each strap  26  and  46  being generally a thin and elongated length of the same or similar material as the other portions of the device holder  10 . A clasp  50  joins the free ends of the straps  26  and  46  together, the clasp  50  having a first half disposed on the free end of the front strap  26  and a second half disposed on the free end of the back strap  46 .  
      It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.