Patent ID: 8191848

Claim:
A bracket assembly for detachably retaining a body-carried device having shoulder straps, the bracket comprising: a) a base member for attachment to a suitable surface, the base member including a vertically extending back plate having an upper end, a lower end, and a pair of side edges extending between the upper and lower ends; b) clip means extending from the base member for holding the device in an accessible position; c) strap-supporting means extending from the base member for holding the shoulder straps in a ready-to-wear position, at least a portion of the strap-supporting means being movable from a rest position generally parallel to the base member to a working position generally perpendicular to the base member, the strap-supporting means comprising a pair of horizontally spaced-apart arms, each arm having a proximal end positioned near a side edge of the back plate and a free distal end extending upwardly with respect to the proximal end when the supporting means is in the rest position; and d) biasing means for resiliently urging the movable portion of the strap-supporting means toward the rest position wherein the biasing means comprises a resilient section in each arm that is sufficiently flexible to allow the distal end of the arm to be pivoted downwardly approximately 90° in response to a gravitational force exerted on it by the body-carried device, and to return automatically to its original rest position when the body-carried device is removed from the assembly.