Abstract:
A shock and vibration resistant platform for mounting sensitive electronic devices on person vehicles. Shock attenuation is provide by a spring loaded central shaft bearing the electronic device platform. Vertical movement is dampened by the spring action. In a preferred embodiment, a weight is used to bring the platform back to a preferred location to prevent rotation of the platform.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates in general to the mounting of electronic devices and in particular to a shock resistant and vibration dampening platform for mounting electronic devices on personal vehicles.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    With the popularity of electronic equipment such as compact disc players, MP3 players, GPS Units, radar detectors, mini-TV&#39;s, etc., there is a desire to use these electronic devices while operating personal vehicles such as bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, jet skis, or the like. The use of such electronic devices on a vehicle which may turn sharply, accelerate, de-accelerate or be subjected to jars or impact due to the terrain, places high demands on the electronic devices which may cause them to skip tracks, or not operate properly or otherwise damage the electronic devices. What is needed is a mounting platform for sensitive electronic devices on personal vehicles providing attenuation of shock and vibration.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Accordingly, the present invention is a shock resistant and vibration dampening electronic platform designed to be mounted on personal vehicles for road or off-road use. It is comprised of a mounting bracket designed primarily to be attached to the handlebar of a personal vehicle. The bracket may be held in place by an action which grips around or is squeezed between a part of the personal vehicle such as a handle bar. A shock dampening platform is secured to the mounting bracket. The shock dampening platform employs a spring action shock absorber surrounding a central, generally vertical, shaft. The central shaft is mounted on a distal end of the universal mounting bracket.  
           [0004]    A sleeve is attached to the distal end of the mounting bracket. The sleeve has no range of motion and can be incorporated as a part of the mounting bracket. A central shaft is tightly fit through the sleeve allowing for movement up and down but not side to side. Above and below the sleeve and curled around the shaft are springs. The springs are kept under compressive tension to resist vertical movement of the shaft. When the shaft travels up and down in the sleeve, the springs extend on the bottom and compress on the top (or visa versa). This spring action absorbs energy caused by shock such as hitting a pothole on a bicycle. The springs then return to a state of equal pressure on the top and the bottom of the sleeve to center the shaft vertically on its mounting.  
           [0005]    A platform secured to the top of the shaft is used as a mount for the attachment of electronic devices. The platform can be a separate unit secured to the shaft using conventional hardware or it can be a unitary part of the shaft. Rubber, foam or other vibration dampening material can be incorporated into the design of the platform. The platform may also have a counter weight wherein the platform is returned to the lowest center of gravity preventing the platform from rotating. This prevents entanglement of any wires attached to the electronic devices and provides easier use of the electronic equipment. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in, and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
         [0007]    In the drawings:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 a  is a perspective drawing showing a mounting bracket according to the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 b  is a drawing showing an alternative mounting bracket according to the present invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shock attenuating platform of the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 illustrates the use of a counter weight to further stabilize the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0012]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0013]    Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a mounting bracket  10  having a support arm  12  on which the shock dampening platform can be attached. The mounting bracket  10  can be mounted to a portion of a personal vehicle  14  by use of cross bars  16  which are clamped to the personal vehicle  14  by use of bolts  18 , washers  20 , and nuts  22 . A spacer  24  can be used to position the support arm  12  at various heights and promote a tighter clamp of the support arm  12  to the personal vehicle  14 . The cross bars  16  may have a strip of vibration dampening material, such as foam  26 , between the personal vehicle  14  and the cross bars  16 . A hole  11  is positioned at the distal end of the support arm  12  for holding the electronic device mounting platform. Support arm  12  may be bent in a shape to position the electronics platform in a preferred manner.  
         [0014]    An alternative mounting bracket specially adapted for mounting to the handle bar of a personal vehicle is shown in FIG. 1 b . Mounting clamp  30  may be secured to the handle bar of a personal vehicle (not shown) with a bolt  32  and nut  34 . Vibration dampening material  36 , such as a foam rubber, may be placed on the clamp  30  to increase the vibration dampening between the vehicle and the mounting bracket. A bolt and nut  36  and  38 , respectively, secures the support arm  12  onto the mounting clamp. At the distal end of support arm  12  is a hole  11  to receive the electronics platform.  
         [0015]    An exploded view of the electronics platform is shown in FIG. 2. The electronic device mounting platform is designed to be attached on the distal end of the support arm  12  through hole  11 . A threaded sleeve  41  having an outer diameter of substantially the size of the hole  11  and an inner diameter of substantially the size of bolt  40  used to form the central shaft is positioned in the support arm  12  through hole  11 . Knurl nuts  46  and  48  or the like can be threaded onto the threaded sleeve  41  to secure its position on the support arm  12 .  
         [0016]    A central shaft, positioned substantially in a vertical direction, is formed by a bolt  40  inserted through the threaded sleeve  41 . A first spring  42  and second spring  44  are positioned on bolt  40  below and above the threaded sleeve. A nut  52  can be used to secure the bolt  40  onto threaded sleeve  41 . This allows shaft  40  upward and downward movement through the mounting bracket. The springs are placed under compressive tension to resist movement of the central shaft in either an upward or downward direction to thereby absorb shock upon the central shaft. Attached on the threaded end of bolt  40  is a platform upon which electronic devices can be mounted.  
         [0017]    The platform  50  can be mounted using nut  53  and washers  54 . The platform  50  can be made of aluminum or it can be made of plastic and is designed to support personal electronic devices.  
         [0018]    In a preferred embodiment, secondary platform  56  is attached to platform  50 , spaced apart by vibration dampening material  55 , such as a foam rubber, which further dampens vibration and absorbs shock. The secondary platform  56  may be plastic, aluminum or other metal and secured to the first platform  50  by bolts  58 , washers  60  and nuts  62 .  
         [0019]    Another feature of the present invention is the addition of a weight  64  which may be attached to either platform  50  or platform  56  using a bolt  66  having a nut and a washer (not shown) or alternatively the weight could be held on by glue or epoxy. The operation of the weight is shown in FIG. 3 wherein the weight brings the platform to a centered, lowest point of gravity position. If the shaft is generally at an angle of slightly less than 90 degrees from the ground, there will be a gravitational pull on the weight  64  to bring the platform  50  back to a specific position. This will prevent the electronics mounted on the platform from spinning and avoid any entanglement of electrical wires, such as earphone wires or power supply wires, and allows easier use of the electronic device whose operational controls will generally be in the same position.  
         [0020]    A cap  70  can be placed over the electronics platform as protection for the platform or as a decorative cap. The cap may be out of plastic or metal and could be chrome plated for decorative purposes. The cap can be mounted to the secondary platform  56  via interlocking fastening tape  72  such as Velcro™. It is envisioned that Velcro™ can also be used on the top surface of the cap to hold electronic equipment. The Velcro™ shown as element  74  allows quick fastening and removal of components.  
         [0021]    While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. For example, the materials used can be metal or various types of plastic. The means of securing the parts together can be bolts, welds, glues, rivets or the like. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.