Handheld device cradle with a substantially semicircular clip assembly and an advertising method

Abstract

A device cradle having a clip assembly for attaching the cradle to an external tube-shaped object. The cradle has an open receptacle sized and configured to removably hold a handheld electric device therein. The clip assembly has a substantially semicircular body with opposing first and second ends. The first end is pivotally connected to a flat surface of the cradle with the clip body. The second end is resiliently biased toward the flat cradle surface so as to form a substantially semicircular clipping aperture between the clip body and the flat cradle surface for releaseably and perpendicularly holding the external tube-shaped object therethrough.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to and is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 10 / 754,154, filed on Jan. 09, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and hereby claims the benefit thereof.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a device cradle removably holding an electrical device, such as a BMI calculator, and having a substantially semicircular clip assembly formed on a rear surface thereof for releaseably clipping an elongated cylindrical object such as a stethoscope tube. The present invention also relates to a method of advertising wherein the device housing is used as an advertising vehicle by disposing advertising material on an outer surface of the device cradle. [0003] In hospitals, doctors frequently need to perform various types of calculations, right on the spot while consulting patients or reviewing test results or medical records of patients, regarding patient's cu...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a clip that is easily attached and removed from an external cylindrically shaped object without tools or excessive force.

[0010] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a clip shaped so as not to unnecessarily and undesirably compress ,and thus potentially impair, soft rubber cylindrical tubing.

[0011] Still another object of this invention is to provide a spring biased clip upon a cradle for holding a medical device such as a BMI calculator, that will removably attach the cradle to stethoscope tubing without compressing the tubing or impairing the function of the stethoscope.

[0012] Yet another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive way to place multicolor advertising upon a device housing to attract the attention of the user and other viewers.

Problems solved by technology

Those usually medical devices, usually kept in pockets of doctors' gowns or held in their hands are at a risk of loss or misplacement.

A problem with these types of flat clips is that they do not work well, if at all, when used to secure a device to a cylindrically shaped object, for example, tubing or hoses.

The tubing, when clipped under such clips, is easily dislodged from the clip, and further, may be undesirably compressed by the flat spring biased surface of the clips.

These are not designed to be integrated into a device housing.

Furthermore, although these may grip a hose or tubing, they are not readily removable without tools.

Therefore these hose clamps are inappropriate for attaching to a device housing.

Those types of clips, however, do not have a substantially semicircular body that can form a substantially circular aperture on a flat device surface for holding cylindrical tubing therein, and further, are not pivotally openable for removing the tubing with ease.

Further, the biasing force of those clips comes not from a separate biasing member, such as a spring, but from inherent resilience of their composing material, that is, resilient metal, and thus, the gripping force of such clips become weaker faster, due to metal fatigue, than the clips using a separate biasing member.

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