Patent Abstract:
A tablet docking station comprising a tablet dock configured for receiving a tablet, an upper post extending from the tablet dock, and an extension arm extending from the upper post. The spray tubing can be mounted to the extension arm. The spray tubing provides a water mist for cooling a user when the spray is activated. The tablet docking station optionally includes a fan assembly including a fan housing. The spray tubing has one or more spray outlets configured to provide a water mist for evaporative cooling of an area near a user. The tablet docking station may provide an electronic control for the fan assembly providing a fan control speed adjustable by a graphical user interface on the tablet.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is in the field of tablet docking stations. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     Tablet computers have become more popular such as with Android™ and iPad™ panel personal computers since the advent of more powerful and energy-efficient processors and related chipsets. Tablets can be docked to a housing having a charging port and fan, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,058, to inventor Mc Euen, issued Jan. 4, 2005 entitled Tablet Air Cooling Dock the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Tablet docks typically are connected to a wiring harness through an electrical connector and provide battery charging for the tablet computer as well as data transfer to peripherals. The tablet computer typically has a touchscreen which is accessible when the tablet is docked. Smart phones are also tablet computers which now have touchscreen capability as well as CDMA and GSM radio functionality. Smart phones also have docks for charging and providing music functionality since they are also small versions of tablet computers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A tablet docking station comprising a tablet dock configured for receiving a tablet, an upper post extending from the tablet dock, and an extension arm extending from the upper post. The spray tubing can be mounted to the extension arm. The spray tubing provides a water mist for cooling a user when the spray is activated. The tablet docking station optionally includes a fan assembly including a fan housing. The spray tubing has one or more spray outlets configured to provide a water mist for evaporative cooling of an area near a user. The tablet docking station may provide an electronic control for the fan assembly providing a fan control speed adjustable by a graphical user interface on the tablet. 
     Additionally, a canopy shade can be attached to the extension arm for shading a user. A photovoltaic element is preferably formed on an upper surface of the canopy shade. The photovoltaic element provides an electric current for the tablet dock. An LED light can be mounted on the extension arm to provide light for a user. An electronic lighting control for the LED light can allow the electronic lighting control to be adjustable by a graphical user interface on the tablet, such as a slider bar shown on the tablet screen. An optional heat sensor can be mounted on a cooking device such as a smoker or barbecue grill so that the heat sensor sends a temperature signal to the tablet. The central processing unit of the tablet can integrate the temperature signal over time for providing a cooking program that terminates by alerting a user using an alarm that is provided on the tablet by the tablet operating system. Preferably, a niche receives a tablet area for receiving a tablet. The tablet docking station also preferably includes a tablet shade formed on the tablet dock. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a tablet docking station with a fan assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of a tablet docking station with a shade. 
     
    
    
     The following call out list of elements can be a useful guide in referencing the elements of the drawings.
       20  fan assembly     21  fan housing     22  fan blade     23  led light     24  spray tubing     25  spray mist     26  canopy shade     27  spray tubing openings     31  extension arm     32  arm joint     33  upper post     34  insulated chest     35  chest lid     36  base post     37  chest base     38  base footing     40  tablet dock     41  angled resting plank     42  tablet connector base     43  table top     44  towel hook     45  tongs hook     46  towel     47  tongs     48  fork     49  table side     50  bbq grill     51  grill frame     52  grill cover     53  cooking surface     54  flame control knob     55  storage cabinet     56  wheel     57  grill cover handle     58  table arm extension     59  speakers     80  tablet area     81  tablet shade     82  tablet niche     88  tablet     89  heat sensor   

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention is a tablet docking station for a tablet  88  having a tablet dock  40  which has been optimized for barbecue outdoor usage. The tablet dock is preferably an electrical connector that is connected to a wire harness and the wire harness can be powered by a photovoltaic panel on the shade, or by a direct current power supply which has a plug for receiving household electric current in an alternating current standard that is converted to direct current at the tablet dock. The electrical connector can be a standard or proprietary electrical connector and can be recessed as part of the tablet dock  40 , or can be separately formed on the tablet dock  40  with a power cord, data cord or a combination power and data cord. 
     The tablet rests on a tablet area  80  that is defined between an angled resting plank  41  and a tablet connector base  42 . The tablet area  80  is a resting area for the tablet. The angled resting plank  41  is preferably perpendicular to the tablet connector base  42 . The angled resting plank  41  can have a nonslip surface such as a silicone outside layer. The tablet area  80  optionally is covered by a tablet shade  81  for defining a tablet niche  82 . The tablet niche  82  provides shelter from light and water elements to allow a tablet  88  to be used outdoors. 
     The base post  36  supports an upper post  33  that can be telescopically retracted into the base post  36 . The upper post  33  can terminate at an arm joint  32  at an upper end of the upper post  33 . The arm joint  32  is preferably adjustable such as by releasing when a circular button like latch is depressed on a side of the arm joint  32 . The arm joint  32  provides an adjustable angle for an extension arm  31 . The extension arm  31  is likewise telescopically adjustable to provide for different geometric configurations and heights of users. 
     The tablet dock  40  is supported by a base post  36 . The base post  36  has a lower end that acts as a footing on the ground. Additionally, the base post  36  can be structurally stabilized by being connected to an insulated chest  34 . The insulated chest preferably includes a chest base  37  and a chest lid  35 . The chest lid  35  can swivel, or can be a removable lid. The insulated chest  34  can be an ice chest if it is made to hold ice and water. The insulated chest  34  can further include a spigot for draining water. The insulated chest  34  can have a refrigeration feature if supplied with a refrigeration unit such as a thermoelectric Peltier cooler, or a traditional compressor and evaporator refrigeration unit. 
     The base post  36  is preferably hollow and can hold speakers  59  mounted on an outside surface of the base post  36 . The base post  36  has an upper end that supports the tablet dock  40  and also supports a table having a table top  43  and a table side  49 . The table side  49  can include a plurality of hooks including a towel hook  44 , a fork hook, and a tongs hook  45 . The towel hook  44  can hold a towel  46  suspended from the towel hook  44 . The fork hook can hold a fork  48  suspended from the fork hook. The tongs hook  45  can hold a pair of tongs  47  suspended from the tongs hook  45 . The tabletop  43  can be rigidly or swivel mounted to the base post  36  so as to be adjustable in position for allowing a swiveling of the tabletop  43  and optionally a swiveling of the tablet dock  40 . The tablet dock  40  can be connected, or independent of the table top  43 . Optionally, the table is connected to the base post  36  by a table arm extension  58 . The table arm extension  58  can be telescopically mounted or swivel mounted to provide an adjustable configuration. The base post  36  can have a wide bottom portion that terminates as a base footing  38  to provide stability. The base footing  38  can be weighted to provide stability by a metal, or sandbag or water bag weight for example. 
     A canopy shade  26  and/or a fan assembly  20  can be attached to the extension arm  31 . The canopy shade  26  can be at least partially photovoltaic to provide an electrical charging source for the tablet computer  88 . Direct current can be passed from the canopy shade  26  through an electrical cable down to the tablet connector base  42  and optionally mediated by a battery or charge controller. The electrical cable can supply a direct current voltage and provide the tablet  88  with electrical charging through the tablet connector base  42 . The tablet connector base  42  can be made as an electrical connector, or can have an electrical connector that connects the tablet  88  to an electrical cable. The electrical cable can be part of an electrical cable harness that connects to speakers  59  for playing sound files from the tablet  88 . The electrical cable harness can fit inside the base post  36 , upper post  33  and an extension arm  31  when the base post  36 , upper post  33  and the extension on  31  are made as hollow members. The electrical harness can also have an alternating current AC plug for connecting to household current. 
     The canopy shade  26  can be formed as a rectangular member, which can also shade a fan assembly that is underneath the canopy shade  26 . The canopy shade  26  can include a flexible photovoltaic panel mounted on an upper surface of the canopy shade  26  that conforms to a curve of the canopy shade  26 . The canopy shade  26  can be made in other shapes such as an umbrella shape. Spray mist tubing  24  can emit a mist through mist nozzles or small openings formed on the spray mist tubing  24 . 
     The spray mist tubing  24  can be pressurized using garden hose pressure and controlled by a misting valve having a valve handle such as when a garden hose is connected to the spray mist tubing  24  such as at a threaded garden hose adapter socket that is configured to receive a garden hose thread. Alternatively or in conjunction with regular garden hose pressure, AC current can provide power for a water pump that pumps water through a spray tubing  24  to provide spray mist  25 . Spray tubing  24  can have spray tubing openings  27  that direct spray mist or water on or near a user for providing evaporative cooling on a hot dry day. Spray tubing  24  can be disposed around a fan housing  21  such as on a circumferential periphery of the fan housing  21  as seen in  FIG. 1 . The fan housing  21  is preferably a wire grille housing and can be made in a circular configuration to match a circular oriented fan. The fan can have four fan blades  22  that rotate within the fan housing  21  to direct spray mist  25  toward a user when a user is operating a barbecue grill  50  on a hot and dry day. The present invention could work with a variety of different outdoor cooking devices such as a barbecue grill  50 , smoker or the like. The fan assembly  20  includes a fan mounted within a fan housing  21 . The fan assembly  20  is mounted on the extension on  31  and the spray tubing  24  that sprays water can pass through a hollow portion of the extension arm  31 . The spray tubing  24  can be also be externally mounted to the fan housing  21 . The fan assembly  20  optionally includes an LED light  23  that provides a light during dusk hours of barbecue grill  50  operation. 
     The barbecue grill  50  preferably includes a cooking surface  53  mounted on a grill frame  51 . The grill frame  51  also preferably includes a flame control knob  54  mounted on the grill frame  51 . Below the flame control knob  54 , a storage cabinet  55  can store a propane tank. The barbecue grill  50  also has wheels  56  for ease of adjustment. A heat sensor  89  can provide a wired or wireless signal to the tablet  88  so that the tablet optionally has a remote sensor capability to provide barbecue cooking programs on a screen of the tablet  88 . The heat sensor  89  can also be mounted on the grill cover  52  and can be powered by means such as a thermoelectric Peltier module instead of a battery. 
     When the canopy shade  26  is formed as a rectangular sheet as seen in  FIG. 2 , an axial or radial fan can be disposed internally within the extension arm  31  to provide a flow of air toward a user. 
     Alternatively, the fan can be external to the extension arm  31 . For example, the canopy shade can have a slot opening along the extension arm  31  where the slot opening provides an air outlet for air that is driven toward the user by the fan. Alternatively, the canopy shade can provide the spray mist  25  without forced air from the fan. The spray mist  25  provides an evaporative environmental cooling for a user such as a user standing in front of the barbecue grill  50  as shown in  FIG. 2 . An edge of the extension on  31  can attach to an edge of the canopy shade  26 . 
     A program on the tablet  88  can activate the rotation of the fan blades  22 , provide the activation of the light  23 , provide the activation of water passing through the spray tubing  24  and provide an indicator based upon an output of a heat sensor  89 . The tablet  88  has a CPU that can monitor the status of the fan, light, photovoltaic charging, and water delivery through the spray tubing while having a programmed cooking schedule based upon heat sensor  89 . Thus, the tablet  88  provides an environmental control for both a user and cooking device.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1