U.S. patent application number 14/280004 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-04 for cradle for mobile phones.
This patent application is currently assigned to Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.. The applicant listed for this patent is Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.. Invention is credited to Jan Kettula, Yossef Schvetz, Ralf Tomasini.
Application Number | 20140248923 14/280004 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36692004 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140248923 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tomasini; Ralf ; et
al. |
September 4, 2014 |
Cradle for Mobile Phones
Abstract
A cradle for a mobile phone, comprising: a rear bearing surface;
left and right side walls each connected to the rear bearing
surface; a bottom portion also connected to the rear bearing
surface and comprising a receiver formed therein; a connector for
mechanically and electrically engaging a bottom connector of the
mobile phone, the connector configured to mechanically engage the
mobile phone to retain the mobile phone inside the cradle, and two
guide rails formed respectively on the front side of the left and
right side walls, and protruding laterally from the side walls. The
rear bearing surface, the side walls and the guide rails define
left and right slots extending parallel to the side walls.
Inventors: |
Tomasini; Ralf; (Haldenwang,
DE) ; Kettula; Jan; (Espoo, FI) ; Schvetz;
Yossef; (Milano, IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l. |
Luxembourg |
|
LU |
|
|
Assignee: |
Core Wireless Licensing
S.a.r.l.
Luxembourg
LU
|
Family ID: |
36692004 |
Appl. No.: |
14/280004 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13476565 |
May 21, 2012 |
8744540 |
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14280004 |
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11814537 |
Apr 2, 2008 |
8224408 |
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PCT/IB2005/000159 |
Jan 24, 2005 |
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13476565 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/557 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/04 20130101; Y10T
29/49002 20150115; B60R 2011/0075 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/557 |
International
Class: |
H04M 1/04 20060101
H04M001/04 |
Claims
1. A cradle for a mobile phone, comprising: a rear bearing surface;
left and right side walls each connected to the rear bearing
surface; a bottom portion also connected to the rear bearing
surface and comprising a receiver formed therein; a connector for
mechanically and electrically engaging a bottom connector of the
mobile phone, the connector configured to mechanically engage the
mobile phone to retain the mobile phone inside the cradle, and two
guide rails formed respectively on the front side of the left and
right side walls, and protruding laterally from the side walls,
wherein the rear bearing surface, the side walls and the guide
rails define left and right slots extending parallel to the side
walls configured to: receive left and right side sections of the
mobile phone, guide the mobile phone to the connector, and retain
the mobile phone received in the cradle against forces acting in a
direction substantially perpendicular to the slots.
2. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the connector is
removably connected to the receiver to allow the connector to be
exchanged.
3. The cradle according to claim 1, further comprising at least one
release element configured to disengage mechanical engagement
between the connector and the mobile phone when actuated.
4. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the guide rails are
tapered in thickness from the exchangeable unit towards their upper
ends.
5. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the guide rails each
have a step defining upper and lower sections in the slots for
receiving corresponding upper and lower sections of a mobile phone
of the slide type in its open configuration.
6. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one
release element, upon being actuated, pushes a mobile phone
received in the cradle upwards to assist in removing the mobile
phone from the cradle.
7. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one
release element is spring-loaded for assisting in disengaging a
mobile phone received in the cradle from the connector and pushing
the mobile phone away from the bottom portion.
8. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one
release element is integrally formed with the connector in a single
unit.
9. The cradle according to claim 1, further comprising an interface
in the cradle for electrically connecting the connector with
accessory devices.
10. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the rear bearing
surface, the side walls and the guide rails are integrally formed
in a single unit.
11. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the connector
comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) based connector.
12. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the guide rails are
spring-biased for applying a force to a mobile phone received in
the cradle in a direction perpendicular to the slots.
13. The cradle according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting
means for installing the cradle in a vehicle.
14. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the guide rails are
tapered such that a mobile phone comprising two halves may be
substantially closed around at least a portion of the guide rails
while received in the cradle.
15. The cradle according to claim 3, wherein the at least one
release element comprises two spring-loaded plungers that are
configured to release upon activation of the release element to
push a mobile phone received in the cradle upwards to disengage the
connector from the mobile phone.
16. The cradle according to claim 1, wherein the receiver formed in
the bottom portion further comprises at least one slot configured
to receive the exchangeable unit along a direction substantially
parallel to the guide rails.
Description
[0001] Embodiments relate to a cradle for mobile phones, and
particularly to a cradle for being installed in a vehicle.
[0002] Holder devices or so-called cradles for mobile phones are
often used in vehicles, both for mechanically supporting the device
and for electrically connecting it with hands-free devices and/or
external antennas that are installed in the vehicle. There are also
other accessory devices a phone can be connected with through such
a cradle, for example an external speaker set. Such cradles have to
meet various requirements, substantially relating to the handling
by the user, the mechanical reliability of the cradle, the
supporting properties for the mobile device and the reliability of
electrical contacts.
[0003] The mechanical reliability mainly concerns the robustness of
the cradle. The cradle should be designed to withstand various
handling actions by a user. Further the cradle should be designed
to suitably withstand the stresses it is subjected to because of
the operation of the vehicle it is installed in. This particularly
concerns vibrations and shocks as well as acceleration forces,
which for example may occur during impacts because of
accidents.
[0004] By suitably designing the supporting properties of the
cradle the mechanical connection between cradle and mobile device
must in principle be ensured. On the other hand the supporting or
retaining forces also affect the usability, because they have to be
overcome when releasing the mobile device from the cradle.
[0005] The connection between components being installed in the
vehicle and the mobile device must be provided in a reliable
manner. The aforementioned stresses because of the operation of the
vehicle have to be taken into consideration here. Also the
electrical contacts should be designed such that they an electrical
connection can be established even after a high number of
actuations, i.e. insertion and releasing actions.
[0006] There are a number of different phones and mobile devices
concerning the housing concept, e.g. the conventional "brick type"
or monoblock phones and also the newer fold and slide type phones.
These phone types require different cradle configurations because
of their special and different properties.
[0007] Conventional cradles make use of fixing pins on the cradle
which engage corresponding fixing holes in the mobile phone. Thus
insertion and release is not an easy task, particularly when the
user only has one hand available for this action, as the fixing
pins must exactly be aligned with the fixing holes in order for the
phone to fit in the cradle. Further this conventional solution
requires very strict design rules for both phone housing and
cradle, i.e. it is not flexible with respect to form and location
of fixing holes and pins. Providing the receptions in the housing
is cost intensive and strongly limits the possibilities for
designing corresponding mobile phones.
[0008] Therefore it is goal of some embodiments to propose a new
cradle structure providing a cradle that is easy to use, fulfilling
the above discussed requirements, and though offering more
flexibility with respect to design of both cradle and corresponding
mobile devices.
[0009] According to an aspect of some embodiments a cradle for a
mobile phone is provided. The cradle comprises a rear bearing
surface, left and right side walls, two guide rails being located
on the front side of the left and right side walls and protruding
laterally from the side walls, and a bottom part comprising a
connector for mechanically and electrically engaging a bottom
connector of the mobile phone. The rear bearing surface, the side
walls and the guide rails define left and right slots extending
parallel to the side walls and are intended for receiving the left
and right side sections of a mobile phone, for guiding a phone
being inserted on the top side of the cradle to the bottom part,
and for retaining a mobile phone received in the cradle against
forces acting in a direction substantially perpendicular to the
slots. The connector comprises means for locking onto a bottom
connector of a mobile phone received in the cradle for retaining
the mobile phone inside the cradle against forces acting in a
direction substantially parallel to the slots. A cradle according
to some embodiments can be used for the main three principle types
(also called form factors) of mobile phones currently used, which
are the conventional monoblock type, the flip or fold type and also
the slide type.
[0010] The cradle of some embodiments enables to omit special
fixing pins for engaging fixing holes provided on a mobile phone,
thus it is particularly useful for phones which do commonly not
have such holes, e.g. fold phones. Some embodiments enable a great
deal of flexibility for design and support of a mobile phone holder
device/cradle at the same time. The latter means that all
requirements of retaining capabilities can be fulfilled with the
cradle which may be required for crash safety and the like. It
further offers the possibility to reduce costs in the mobile phone
development process by reducing the costs for the required tooling
(inter alia because of the fixing holes which can be omitted at
all), and also by greatly simplifying the development work for
electrical components. Through a modular design some embodiments
also enables to use standard components (e.g. connector) together
with individual phone-specific components to provide a cradle
perfectly adapted for a particular mobile phone that can though be
manufactured with reduced effort and/or costs.
[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment the guide rails are
tapering from the bottom part towards their upper ends. As some
embodiments are particularly useful when used for receiving a
mobile phone of the fold type this feature enables to keep the fold
phone almost fully closed even while received in the cradle. To
achieve this it is necessary to keep the guide rails particularly
slim to allow the two halves of the phones housing to close as much
as possible. As can be seen in FIG. 4 this is, because of the
geometry of such phones, best achieved by providing guide rails
which are formed tapering.
[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment the guide rails
comprise a step defining upper and lower sections in the slots for
receiving corresponding upper and lower sections of a mobile phone
of the slide type in its open configuration. As mobile phones of
this specific form factor have become rather popular it is
advantageous to provide a universal cradle concept with the some
embodiments which in this embodiment is suited for these phones.
The step structure allows to receive the lower section of a (slid
open) slide phone in the lower section of the slots and the upper
section of the phone in the upper section of the slots.
[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment the connector is fitted
in the bottom part in an exchangeable manner. This allows a modular
structure of the cradle according to this embodiment, wherein for
example a standardized connector is used together with a
phone-specific cradle main body.
[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment the cradle further
comprises at least one release element, wherein the release
element, upon being actuated, disengages the locking between the
connector and the bottom connector of the mobile phone. Depending
on the type of connector, i.e. if it for example comprises locking
hooks or clamps, such a release element is required for unlocking
the engagement with the bottom connector. However, also in case the
locking action does rely on friction between mechanically biased
parts for example such a release element eases up the removal
action of the mobile phone from the cradle.
[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment the release element,
upon being actuated, further pushes a mobile phone received in the
cradle upwards to assist in removing the phone from sad cradle.
Particularly if the cradle is designed such that a mobile phone
completely fits in, i.e. the phone does not protrude from the top
side of the cradle, this feature assists the user in the removal
action.
[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment the at least one
release element is spring-loaded for assisting in disengaging the
mobile phone from the connector and pushing the mobile phone
upwards. Using a spring-loaded element, for example metallic
springs or elastomer elements, can help to reduce the force
necessary to actuate a release button or like actuating means by
the user.
[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment the release element is
formed integrally with the connector. This enables an advantageous
modular design of the cradle.
[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment the cradle further
comprises an interface for electrically connecting the connector
with accessory devices. As the cradle is intended mainly for being
installed in a vehicle it has to comprise an interface to connect
with a hands-free kit, an external antenna, a battery charger or
other accessory devices. This interface can be implemented for
example by a fixed cable with a plug for such devices, or a socket
for a connection plug.
[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment the rear bearing
surface, the side walls and the guide rails are formed integrally.
Together with an also integral connector/release element unit for
example this provides for an advantageous structure offering a
great flexibility with respect to design.
[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment the connector comprises
a USB connector. The Universal Serial Bus is a widely accepted bus
system for connecting electronic devices of many kinds, like PCs,
digital cameras, multimedia devices etc. Thus this embodiment can
provide the connection capability that will be required for mobile
phones comprising such a connector.
[0021] According to an exemplary embodiment the guide rails are
spring-biased for applying a force to a mobile phone received in
the cradle in a direction perpendicular to the slots. If for
example the guide rails are at least partly resilient they can
assist in retaining the mobile phone inside the cradle. As the
abutment area is rather big this does not require large forces
which would have to be overcome by a user upon the insertion of a
mobile phone.
[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment the cradle further
comprises mounting means for installing the cradle in a vehicle.
Different mounting means can be provided with the cradle of some
embodiments in order to adapt it for being installed in various car
models.
[0023] In the following the embodiments shall be explained in
detail, with reference to the attached drawings, which show
exemplary embodiments provided purely by way of example and are not
to be understood as limiting to any specific embodiments
illustrated. In the drawings:
[0024] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the cradle together with a
mobile phone to be received in the cradle;
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the cradle with an
exchangeable connector;
[0026] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the cradle in a partial
cut-away view; and
[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment particularly designed for
being used with a mobile phone of the flip-type.
[0028] In FIG. 1 a three-dimensional view of a cradle according to
embodiments is shown, as a whole indicated by the reference sign 2.
The cradle is designed for receiving a mobile phone 4, which is to
be inserted on the top side of the cradle. The cradle is basically
constituted by a rear bearing surface 6, two left and right side
walls 8, two guide rails 10 (in this figure shown as integral guide
rails) and a bottom part 12. The rear bearing surface 6, the side
walls 8 and the guide rails 10 define slots for receiving the side
sections of a mobile phone 4. The mobile phone 4 is inserted on top
of the cradle as indicated by the arrow, and is then guided down to
the bottom part of the cradle in the slots. It should be noted that
in this figure a mobile phone of the fold or flip type is depicted.
Such a phone must of course be usable while it is received in the
cradle. In order to enable the phone to be folded open into its
operable configuration inside the cradle only the rear (closed
position) or lower part 18 (open position) of the phone is to be
inserted into the slots. Thus the phone of this type is both
supported well and may still be operated by the user. However it is
to be noted that because of the guide rails 10 the phone cannot be
closed completely while inside the cradle. As such flip-phones
usually comprise some kind of sensor for detecting if the phone is
in its open or closed position the guide rails 10 will have to be
formed such that the two sections of the housing may still be
closed enough for the sensor to detect a closed state. To achieve
this the guide rails 10 may be arranged such that they do not
extend all the way from the bottom part up to the top side of the
cradle, and additionally (as can be seen better in FIG. 4) they may
be formed tapering towards to top side of the cradle. In both cases
they will have to be formed being as slim as possible to support
fold phones. However the cradle can also be used with phones of the
monoblock type and of the slide-type. After the phone is inserted
and guided down to the bottom part 12 a connector 14 mechanically
and electrically engages the bottom connector of the phone. The
connector 14 (which may be part of an exchangeable module 16 to be
explained in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 2) acts as a main
retaining element of the cradle. The slots formed by the rear
bearing surface 6, the side walls 8 and the guide rails 10 act as
retaining elements against forces acting on the mobile phone in a
direction substantially perpendicular to the slots. In most
embodiments these slots will act as passive retainers, i.e. without
applying pressure to the phone housing, are just provided for
guiding the phone in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis
of the phone. However the guide rails 10 may also be designed such
as to apply a certain force to the phone housing to support the
retaining function, e.g. spring-biased or partially elastic.
[0029] The connector 14 acts as the main mechanical locking element
of the cradle of some embodiments. A number of means may be used
such as clamps or hooks. The connector 14 acts as a locking element
retaining against forces acting on the phone in a direction
parallel to the slots, through a force-fit engagement with the
bottom connector of the mobile phone. To ensure this it may be
necessary to employ rigid (e.g. metal) parts for the mechanical
connection with the bottom connector of the phone, also it may be
necessary for the corresponding phone to comprise corresponding
rigid parts (e.g. e metal frame) in the bottom connector for
engaging with the connector 14. Securing the mobile phone safely in
the cradle is important to meet the requirements for crash-, bump-
and shock tests (as for example ECE 16R and ECE 21R
guidelines).
[0030] It is to be noted that the connector 14 in FIG. 1 is only
representative for different connectors, which may also comprise
hooks or clamps or the like not explicitly depicted. Only as
examples the trapezoidal mini USB type B connector or the
Nokia.RTM. Pop-Port.TM. connector can be mentioned as being
comprised in the connector.
[0031] In FIG. 2 a cradle similar to the one depicted in FIG. 1 is
illustrated in a three-dimensional view. The cradle shown here
comprises a rear bearing surface 6, left and right side walls 8,
and guide rails 10 being located on the inner front side of the
side walls 8. The guide rails 10 protrude laterally from the side
walls 8 in a direction towards each other. The rear bearing surface
6, the left and right side walls 8, and the guide rails 10 are
formed as an integral part in this exemplary embodiment. In this
figure an embodiment of the cradle in which the connector 14 is
contained in an exchangeable unit 16.
[0032] This unit 16 can be fitted in the main cradle body by any
suitable means, for example with screws or a kind of snap-in
attachment, which are in itself known and shall thus not be
discussed in depth here. Such a modular configuration of the cradle
provides great flexibility with respect to the design rules, as the
connector 14 and the main cradle body comprising the guiding slots
can be designed independently of each other. Usually a family of
mobile phones comprises a compatible bottom connector throughout a
series of phone models. However the actual design of the phone
housing may differ, particularly with respect to size and geometry.
Therefore such a modular configuration enables the manufacturer of
the cradle to use an identical connector for all phones belonging
to a certain family with identical or similar bottom connector,
together with model-specific main cradle bodies. This concept may
of course also be applied vice versa. The connector module 16 will
also comprise an interface 20 for connecting with certain accessory
devices like hands-free kits or the like.
[0033] The interface 20 may be implemented as a cable being fixed
on the module 16, or a socket for an, external cable. Thus this
module 16 will probably be the most cost-intensive single part of a
cradle according to this embodiment. It is therefore especially
advantageous for a manufacturer to be able to limit necessary
design changes to the main cradle body only. In this context it may
also be envisaged to provide a release element (not shown) in this
module 16, such that the main cradle body may be made without
comprising any movable parts. The advantage of this should be
evident. Release elements will be explained in more detail in
conjunction with FIG. 3.
[0034] FIG. 3 shows another example embodiment. The bottom part is
illustrated in a cut-away fashion here. The cradle consists
basically of the same elements as already described in conjunction
with FIGS. 1 and 2, so for a description of those parts reference
shall be made to these figures. Shown here are two release elements
which are intended to assist in releasing a mobile phone from the
cradle. For that purpose two small plungers 22 are provided that
can be actuated to push the mobile phone upwards to disengage from
the connector 14 such that the phone can easily be removed from the
cradle. To reduce the required actuating force these plungers 22
may be designed with resilient properties, as depicted here for
example by providing respective springs 24. The spring-loaded
release element can be actuated by a push button 26 (wherein the
connection to the element is not explicitly depicted as it will be
located inside the cradle body here). A preferred embodiment of the
release elements could be configured such that the springs are
forced down when the phone is inserted, and become locked as soon
as the phone has securely engaged with the connector. This could be
achieved using some already known mechanism. The push button 26
would then be provided to unlock the springs again, and the
plungers 22 would be driven upwards by the spring force so that the
phone would disengage from the connector. The phone could then be
removed from the cradle without much effort. Depending on the type
of connector 14 the described release mechanism can also be used
for releasing locking elements which are provided within the
connector itself, like hooks or clamps. If such are integrated in
the connector 14 engaging with the bottom connector of the mobile
phone they must of course be unlocked/released before applying a
force directed upwards for removing the mobile phone from the
cradle.
[0035] It should be noted that other means with resilient
properties may also be used instead of springs, e.g. some elastomer
elements. Further the release mechanism can also be designed
without means for assisting in the removal of the phone. For
example the push button could, through a deflection or lever
mechanism, directly actuate the plungers 22. This would simplify
the release mechanism. However depending on the involved retaining
forces of the connector 14 such a solution could require more
effort from the user to disengage the phone. As already mentioned
before (see description of FIG. 2) a release element or elements
could be comprised in a module together with the connector, to even
further support a modular design of the cradle.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the cradle 2
particularly for a mobile phone 4 of the fold or flip type. On the
left side of this figure it can be seen that the guide rails 10 are
formed tapered in the direction towards their upper ends, such that
the two sections of the housing can nearly be closed while the
phone 4 is inside the cradle 2. For example the guide rails 10 can
have a substantially conical form. In the closed configuration of
the phone the two halves of the housing will thus enclose an angle
a which is very small, e.g. 3.5.degree.. In this manner it can be
ensured that a sensor provided in the phone for detecting if the
phone is closed still operates as required. The phone can be
received in the cradle and stay closed while it is not in use, but
it can also be folded open to be operated by a user.
[0037] The cradle also enables using yet another type of phone
which has become rather famous recently, the slide phone. To be
able to receive such a phone the guide rails must be designed such
that they comprise a step defining upper and lower sections,
respectively, for receiving the upper and lower sections of the
slide phone. However, in contrast to a foldable phone, a phone of
the slide type can only be received in a cradle according to some
embodiments in its slid open position. Otherwise a secure hold of
the phone could not be ensured for this phone type.
[0038] As can be taken from the above description a cradle
according to some embodiments can be used for the main three
principle types (also called form factors) of mobile phones
currently used, which are the conventional monoblock type, the flip
or fold type and also the slide type. The cradle of some
embodiments does not make use of special fixing holes provided on a
mobile phone, thus it is particularly useful for phones which do
commonly not have such holes, e.g. fold phones. Some embodiments
enable a great deal of flexibility for design, and support of a
mobile phone holder device/cradle at the same time. This means that
all requirements of retaining capabilities of the cradle can be
fulfilled as may be required for crash safety and the like. It
further offers the possibility to cut down costs in the mobile
phone development process by reducing the costs for the required
tooling (inter alia because of the fixing holes which can be
omitted at all), and also by greatly simplifying the development
work for electrical components. Through a modular design some
embodiments also enable use of standard components (e.g. connector)
together with individual phone-specific components to provide a
cradle perfectly adapted for a particular mobile phone that can
though be manufactured with reduced effort and/or costs.
* * * * *