Patent Publication Number: US-2013249227-A1

Title: Portable Stand for a Portable Electronic Device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 101205416, filed on Mar. 26, 2012, 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a portable stand for a portable electric device, and more particularly to a portable stand having a clamp and a handle rod foldable over the clamp. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Generally, tablet computers and personal digital assistants (PDA) are designed for portable use. However, the tablet computers and the personal digital assistants have a size not suitable for holding over a long period of time and cannot stand on a table on their own. 
     For overcoming the aforesaid disadvantage, Taiwanese Utility Model No. M419011 discloses a portable stand adapted for clamping a portable electronic device so as to be held by a user or to inclinedly stand on a table. However, when the portable electronic device clamped by the portable stand is turned off for storage together with the portable stand, the portable electronic device cannot intimately abut against the portable stand and thus, the portable electronic device and the portable stand as a whole take up too much space. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a portable stand that is suited for use with a portable electronic device, and that can alleviate the aforesaid drawback of the prior art. 
     According to the present invention, a portable stand for a portable electronic device includes a handle rod, a clamp, and a connecting mechanism. 
     The clamp includes a clamp wall that has two opposite clamping portions for detachably clamping the portable electronic device and that has abase portion interconnecting the clamping portions. 
     The connecting mechanism interconnects pivotally the handle rod and the clamp such that the handle rod is foldable and rotatable to various angles relative to the clamp. The connecting mechanism includes a socket member that is disposed on one of the handle rod and the clamp, and an engaging member that is disposed on the other one of the handle rod and the clamp. The socket member has a socket wall that has an open end edge and at least one slit extending from the open end edge in a direction away from the open end edge, and that defines a receiving space, which opens at the open end edge. The engaging member has a ball part that is rotatably mounted in the receiving space and a stem that is connected to the ball part and that is extendable into the slit when the handle rod is folded over the clamp. 
    
    
     
       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 with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of a portable stand according to the present invention assembled with a portable electronic device; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary, partly sectional front view showing the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary side view showing the preferred embodiment; and 
         FIG. 4  is a partly sectional front view showing the preferred embodiment in a state for storage. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the preferred embodiment of a portable stand according to the present invention is adapted for clamping a portable electronic device  1  that has two opposite lateral sides  11 . The portable stand includes a handle rod  2  for holding by a user, a clamp  3  for detachably clamping the portable electronic device  1 , and a connecting mechanism  4  that pivotally interconnects the handle rod  2  and the clamp  3  such that the handle rod  2  is foldable and rotatable to various angles relative to the clamp  3 . 
     In this embodiment, the handle rod  2  is exemplified as a cylindrical rod but the present invention is not limited thereto. 
     The clamp  3  includes a clamp wall  31  that has two opposite clamping portions  311  for detachably clamping the portable electronic device  1  and that has a base portion  312  interconnecting the clamping portions  311 . In this embodiment, the base portion  312  is plate-shaped, and the clamping portions  311  are respectively configured as hooks. The base portion  312  of the clamp  3  has a back side  313  facing the handle rod  2 . 
     Preferably, the clamp  3  further includes two cushion pads  32  respectively disposed on the clamping portions  311 . 
     In this embodiment, the connecting mechanism  4  includes a socket member  41  that is disposed on the handle rod  2 , and an engaging piece  42  that is disposed on the clamp  3 . Alternatively, the socket member  41  may be disposed on the clamp  3 , and the engaging piece  42  may be disposed on the handle rod  2 . The socket member  41  has a socket wall  412  that has an open end edge  413  and two opposite spaced-apart slits  414  that extend from the open end edge  413  in a direction away from the open end edge  413 . The socket wall  32  defines a receiving space  411 , which opens at the open end edge  413 . In this embodiment, the socket member  41  is integrally formed in one end of the handle rod  2 . The open end edge  413  is proximate to the back side  313  of the clamp  3 . The two slits  414  extend from the open end edge  413  along a longitudinal direction of the handle rod  2 . Each slit  414  has a wide segment  415  that is proximate to the open end edge  413 , and a narrow segment  416  that is distal from the open end edge  413 . In actual implementation, the design of each slit  414  makes it possible for the socket wall  412  to be resilient for facilitating engagement with the engaging member  42 . Although the number of the slits  414  in this embodiment is two, the present invention is not limited in this respect. 
     The engaging member  42  has a ball part  421  that is rotatably mounted in the receiving space  411  of the socket member  41  and a stem  422  that is connected to the ball part  421  and that is extendable into one of the slits  414  of the socket member  41  when the handle rod  2  is folded over the clamp  3 . In this embodiment, the stem  422  of the engaging member  42  integrally projects from the back side  313  of the clamp  3 , and interconnects the ball part  421  and the back side  313 . The stem  422  of the engaging member  42  has a stem diameter that is greater than a width of the narrow segment  416 , and that is smaller than or equal to a width of the wide segment  415 . 
     In use, the two opposite lateral sides  11  of the portable electronic device  1  are respectively clamped by the clamping portions  311  and respectively abut against the corresponding cushion pads  32  of the clamping portions  311  so as to prevent the portable electronic device  1  from slipping off. A user is able to hold the handle rod  2  and to adjust the same to various angles relative to the clamp  3 . The viewing angle of the portable electronic device  1  may also be adjusted based on the relative angle between the handle rod  2  and the clamp  3  to facilitating viewing. Besides, by virtue of the connections among the handle rod  2 , the connecting mechanism  4 , and the clamp  3 , the handle rod  2  is able to support the portable electronic device  1  to stand on a table. 
     Further referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , when the portable stand is converted from an extended state as shown in  FIG. 3  to a storage state as shown in  FIG. 4 , the clamp  3  is first rotated relative to the handle rod  2  such that the back side  313  and the slits  414  of the socket member  41  are parallel with each other in their longitudinal directions. When the stem  422  of the engaging member  42  is moved to be close to and then extends into the wide segment  416  of one of the slits  44 , the handle rod  2  is folded over the base portion  312  of the clamp  3  in a parallel manner. Therefore, the portable electronic device  1  is able to be clamped by and to intimately abut against the portable stand of this invention so as to reduce the occupied space for storage. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical 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 interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.