Patent Publication Number: US-2010127152-A1

Title: Remote control carrier

Description:
This invention relates to a carrier for a remote control unit of the kind adapted to be held in the hand of a person for operating an electronic device from a remote location. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A remote control unit commonly is used by a person to control various electronic apparatus such as televisions, radios, audio recording and playing devices, power point display operators, and the like. In some instances the person who operates a remote control has infirmities which make difficult the positioning or adjustment of the control in condition for convenient operation. In other instances, and particularly in those cases wherein the remote control operation is required to be interactive with the apparatus to be controlled, such as performing exercise routines, or in participating in a pro-active game, the necessity of the person&#39;s operating the control unit to move about sometimes results in the person dropping or otherwise losing control over the unit. 
     A principal object of the invention is to provide a carrier for a remote control device which enables the aforementioned disadvantages to be overcome without imposing a burden on the user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A remote control carrier constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a support section for attachment to a person&#39;s hand and a sleeve in which the remote control body is accommodated. The support section is of such area and configuration as to overlie the palm portion of a person&#39;s hand and has at one end thereof an attaching strap which removably encircles the user&#39;s wrist. The opposite end of the support section is of such length as to extend beyond the palm so as partially to overlie the person&#39;s fingers. The support section has attaching straps which may extend over the back of the person&#39;s hand so as to secure the support section in place on the person&#39;s hand. 
     The carrier also includes a sleeve having a configuration complementary to that of the remote control device which is to be accommodated in the sleeve. The sleeve is of such size as snugly, but slideably, to accommodate the remote control unit. The sleeve which is adapted to overlie the user&#39;s palm has adjacent one end thereof an opening for the accommodation of a retaining projection forming part of the remote control body. Such projection may, in many cases, constitute a trigger or switch which forms part of the circuitry of the remote control. 
     Remote control units conventionally have manually operable keys which are operable by a user&#39;s thumb and bear indicia indicative of the function to be controlled by a particular switch. To enable the keys to be visible to the user of the carrier disclosed herein the sleeve has at least a portion thereof which is transparent and overlies the keys. The material from which the transparent sleeve portion is formed should be sufficiently pliable and deformable as to enable a force applied externally of the sleeve to be transmitted through the transparent sleeve portion to the underlying key. 
     The supporting section of the attachment carries on its exposed surface one part, either the hooks or the loops, of a hook and loop fastener. That part of the sleeve which is separate from the transparent portion carries the other part of the hook and loop fastener. The remote control unit, encased in the sleeve, may be placed in the palm portion of the attachment&#39;s support section so that the hook and loop fastener portions will cooperate with one another and securely, but removably, couple the remote control unit to the support section. 
    
    
     
       THE DRAWINGS 
       A carrier construction according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view illustrating a carrier attachment applied to the hand and wrist of a person with the remote control body within a sleeve which is secured to that portion of the attachment which overlies the person&#39;s palm; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric, exploded view of the remote control unit and its accommodating sleeve; and 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the attachment portion of the carrier. 
     
    
    
     THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT 
     Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention comprises an attachment  1  having a support section  2  formed of a pliable material such as textile, leather, or a suitable plastic and being of such area and configuration as to overlie the palm area of a person&#39;s hand and at least a portion of the fingers adjacent the palm. At one end of the section  2  is a first securing means  3  comprising a flexible strap  4  having opposite ends  5  and  6 . One end  5  has a known loop or hook fastener section  7  affixed to one surface thereof, whereas the other end  6  has the other hook or loop section fastener section  8  secured to one side thereof. The strap is of such length as to encircle a person&#39;s wrist adjacent the hand and be secured in wrist-encircling condition by placing the loop and hook sections in overlying positions and pressing them against each other. 
     One surface of the support section  2  has secured thereto a loop or hook portion  9  of a loop and hook fastener. 
     Spaced from the attaching strap  4  and approximately midway between the opposite ends of the support section  2  is a second securing means comprising two straps  10  and  11  which are secured to and extend in opposite directions from the support section  2 . Adjacent the free end of the strap section  10  is the first part of a loop and hook fastener section  12  and adjacent the free end of the strap  11  is the second part  13  of the loop and hook fastener. The straps  10  and  11  are of such length that, in conjunction with the support section  2 , they encircle the hand of the person so that the support section  2  overlies the person&#39;s palm and the ends of the straps overlie the back of the person&#39;s hand. The fastener sections  12  and  13  cooperate with one another to provide a releasable attachment of the attachment  1  to the person&#39;s hand and wrist as is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The apparatus thus far described is adapted to support a remote control unit  15  comprising an elongate body or housing  16  within which is accommodated electrical circuitry (not shown) adapted to operate an electronic device (not shown), such as a television set, a radio, a monitor, or any other device adapted for control from a remote position. 
     The remote control unit body is thicker at one end  17  than at the opposite end  18  and at the juncture of the different thickness ends is a projection  19  which may constitute a control, such as a switch actuator or trigger, useful in connection with the operation of the remotely controlled device. The remote control unit is formed of durable, rigid, suitable material of conventional construction. 
     A typical remote unit has a plurality of manually operable switches or keys such as those illustrated at  20  and  21  and which are so located as to be operable by a person&#39;s thumb or forefinger. Such keys or actuators conventionally bear indicia (not shown) indicative of the function resulting from the operation of such keys. The keys are so located that, when the remote control unit is held in a person&#39;s hands, the keys will be within comfortable reach of such person&#39;s thumb or forefinger. 
     The carrier apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention includes a sleeve  22  that is adapted to accommodate the remote control body  15 . The sleeve has a configuration complementary to that of the remote control body in that it includes one end  23  of such size as snugly to correspond to the size of the larger end  17  of the remote control body and, at the opposite end  24 , a configuration complementary to that of the smaller end  18  of the remote control body. The end  24  of the sleeve also has therein an opening  25  of such size and so located as snugly to accommodate the projection  19  of the remote control body  16 . The arrangement is such that the remote control unit  15  may be accommodated in the sleeve  22  by sliding the control unit into the sleeve in the direction of the arrow  26  shown in  FIG. 2 . As the unit slides into the sleeve the projection  19  will extend through the opening  25  so as to be accessible to the user who will be able to operate the projection if, as is customary, it constitutes a displaceable switch actuator or trigger. The extension of the projection through the opening  25  also functions to preclude inadvertent separation of the remote control body and the sleeve by preventing relative movement of the body  15  and the sleeve  22  in the direction opposite that indicated by the arrow  26 . 
     It is desirable that the keys  20  and  21 , as well as their indicia, be visible when the remote control body is within the sleeve  22 . Accordingly, one side of the sleeve is a window  27  formed of a suitable, transparent plastic material of known kind which is sufficiently pliable and deformable as to enable a force applied externally on the window  27  to be transmitted to the underlying keys  20  and  21 , thereby enabling them to function in the same manner as if they were wholly exposed to the touch of a person&#39;s thumb or fingers. 
     The remaining material forming the sleeve  22  includes a section  28  which carries on its exterior either the loop or hook portion of a loop and hook fastener assembly. The support section  2  of the attachment  1  overlies the side  28  of the remote control body when the latter is within the sleeve so as to be in a position to be engaged by the loop or hook fastener section carried by the support section, thereby enabling the sleeve to be fastened securely to the user&#39;s hand as is shown in  FIG. 1 . The remote control body thus will be securely, but releasably, secured to the attachment  1  by the cooperative loop and hook fastening pairs, and the remote control body will be securely, but removably, secured within the sleeve by the projection  19  which can be actuated in such manner as to enable removal of the control body from the sleeve when desired. 
     The separability of the sleeve from the overlying palm portion of the support section makes it possible for the user to place the sleeve and the remote control unit therein in any selected one of a number of adjusted positions which is the most comfortable and adaptable to the size of the hand and fingers of the user. The carrier thus is capable of being used by adults and children whose physical sizes vary considerably. 
     The secure retention of the remote control body in the sleeve and the secure retention of the sleeve by the support section of the attachment, coupled with the ability of the thumb and fingers of the user to grip the sleeve, as is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , provides an extremely secure, but separable, attachment of the remote control unit to a person&#39;s hand. The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.