Reset device

Abstract

A reset device for an electronic device, the reset device having a housing 101 for receiving a device connector 103, and a pin 106 secured to the housing; where the pin is positioned relative the hous

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001 ] Technology is always advancing and has done so at a rapid pace for the last several decades. Technology has become sophisticated, smaller, and accessible across the globe. This has led to technology becoming integral in everyday life. As with any integral element of life, the demand is high. This high demand has led to a rise in the cost of technological devices.

[0002] In addition to high demand, the simple replacement of devices can be expensive. If one merely discards older equipment or equipment with minor defects for a brand-new piece the cost can escalate quickly. If, however, technology is upgraded, or repaired this process can be much more cost effective for both the company and consumer.

[0003] One industry which has taken full advantage of the ability to repair, reset, upgrade, and reuse a device is the cable and internet providing industry. This industry has developed logistics to allow and in most cases demand that consumers return older or unneeded equipment such that this equipment can be renewed and reused. These processes include testing and resetting the equipment back to original factory settings. However, in many cases the reset process can be time consuming. There is often only one reset process which requires the holding in of a button and waiting the prescribed amount of time. This process works perfectly fine for the home user who may need to reset the device once and move on. However, this can create a significant backlog when one person may need to reset hundreds of devices in a single day.

[0004] Many companies have been taking advantage of the repair instead of discard philosophy. This philosophy not only limits waste but increases the life of a device and helps profitability. However, these processes come with new challenges in order to remain effective. Consequently, there is always a need for an improvement in the art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention provides a reset device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when resetting numerous electronic devices at once.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the electronic device reset device includes a housing which is configured to have device connector secured thereto. A pin is secured to the housing. The pin may protrude from the housing and the housing may be configured so that the device connector is arranged at a desired position relative to the pin and / or to a body of the housing when secured to the housing at a predetermined secured position. The housing may be configured to receive the device connector at the predetermined secured position. The pin and the device connector may both protrude from the housing in a like direction.

[0007] The pin may be secured to one side of the housing. The housing may be configured such that when the device connector is secured to the housing it is at a predetermined secured position relative to the housing.

[0008] The housing may be configured such that when the device connector is secured to the housing in the secured position, the device connector protrudes from the housing.

[0009] The housing may be configured such that when the device connector is secured to the housing in the secured housing a socket arrangement of the device connector is accessible to a plug connector of a complementary device connector.

[0010] The electronic reset device may comprise an arm secured to the housing which protrudes from one side of the housing. The arm is configured to hold the pin in place.

[0011] The housing may include a channel configured to secure the device connector therein. The channel may be configured to receive the device connector in the predetermined secured position. The arm may be connected to the housing via a hinge. The hinge may be operable to vary an angle of orientation of the arm around an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the device connector when secured at the secured position and / or to vary an angle of orientation of the arm around an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing.

[0012] The arm may further comprise a mechanism operable to vary a spacing between the pin and a body of the housing. The mechanism may comprise a sliding mechanism.

[0013] The pin may be secured to the arm via a sleeve.

[0014] The pin and the device connector may be parallel to one another.

[0015] The channel may have a stopper and a protrusion located within the channel at opposite ends of the channel from each other. The stopper and the protrusion may secure the device connector within the channel.

[0016] The device connector may comprise an ethemet connector. The device connector may comprise an HDMI connector or a co-axial cable connector. The device connector may comprise a telephone connector and / or an RJ45 / RJ11 connector.

[0017] The channel may have edge protrusions which are configured to secure the device connector therein.

[0018] In a further aspect, which may be provided independently, there is provided an electronic device reset system comprising an electronic device reset device as claimed or described herein; and a device connector secureable to the housing of the electronic device reset device.

[0019] In a further aspect, which may be provided independently, there is provided a method of resetting an electronic device comprising connecting a device connector to a complementary device connector of the electronic device, wherein the device connector is secured to a housing of an electronic reset device as claimed or described herein, and the connecting of the device connector to a complementary device connector of the electronic device is such that the pin of the electronic reset device contacts a reset button of the electronic device.

[0020] In a further aspect, which may be provided independently, there is provided an electronic device reset device or system substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. [0021 ] Ina further aspect, which may be provided independently, there is provided an electronic device reset device comprising: a housing which is configured to have a device connector secured thereto; and a pin secured to one side of the housing, wherein the pin and the device connector both protrude from the housing in a like direction.

[0022] Features in one aspect may be provided as features in any other aspect, as appropriate. For example, any one of apparatus, system or method features may be provided as any one or more other of apparatus, system or method features.

[0023] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and are to be considered part of the present specification. These drawings are meant to aid the reader’s understanding and comprehension of the present disclosure and are depictions of various example embodiments. The drawings are not to be considered limiting upon the disclosure. It should specifically be noted that the drawings are examples and may not necessarily be drawn to scale.

[0025] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a reset device.

[0026] FIG. IB shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the reset device.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the reset device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, a preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for the reset device. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 1A and FIG. IB, there is shown various view of an embodiment of a reset device. The reset device includes a housing 101. In the shown embodiment the housing 101 is a rectangular shaped housing. In other embodiments, however, the housing may be of different geometric shapes. The housing 101 includes channel 102. The channel 102 is configured to hold a device connector 103.

[0030] The shown device connector 103 is an ethernet connector. The ethernet connector includes a plastic housing 103a, a set of metal connectors 103b, and a locking tab 103c. Using the device connector 103, the reset device can be secured to a connector on a device to be reset which is adjacent to a reset button. In other embodiments other connectors may be used such as HDMI connectors or co-axial cable connectors or telephone cable connectors. The ethernet cable may, for example, be a cable that is any accordance with a standard under the IEEE 802.3 collection of standards and / or that or usable with a device that is in accordance with a standard under the IEEE 802.3 collection of standards. Any other suitable other device connector may be used in embodiments. [0031 ] In various embodiments the channel 102 is configured to prevent the device connector 103 from exiting the front end of the channel 102. In different embodiments this can be done in different ways without departing from the scope of the invention. In one embodiment a protrusion 102a is used to secure the device connector 103. In addition in the shown embodiment the channel 102 includes edge protrusions 102b over the top edges of the channel 102. Once the device connector 103 is placed within the channel 102 a stopper 104 is placed behind the device connector 103. In one embodiment the stopper 104 is held within the channel 102 via friction fit. In another embodiment the stopper 104 is held within the channel via an adhesive.

[0032] Figure 1A shows the device connector 103 secured to the housing by insertion into the channel 102 and held at a predetermined secured position by the stopper 104 and the protrusions 102a, 102b. When the device connector 103 is in the predetermined secured position it is at a desired position relative to the pin.

[0033] The housing 101 includes an arm 105 which protrudes from one side of the housing 101. In one embodiment the arm 105 protrudes at a fixed angle as compared to the housing 101. In another embodiment the arm 105 is connected to the housing 101 via a hinge connector. This will allow the angle at which the arm 105 protrudes from the housing 101 to be adjustable. In various embodiments, the hinge is operable to vary an angle of orientation of the arm around an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the device connector when secured at the secured position and / or to vary an angle of orientation of the arm around an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing

[0034] The arm 105 is configured to have a pin 106 secured to one end. The pin 106 is generally parallel to the device connector 103. This relationship will be more fully described in the description of FIG. 2. The position of the pin 106 will also be more fully described below. In one embodiment the pin 106 is held within the arm via a friction fit. In another embodiment the pin is secured to the arm via a sleeve 107. The sleeve 107 is configured to fit over at least part of the pin 106 and a portion of the arm 105. In one embodiment the sleeve 107 is held in place via a friction fit. In another embodiment the sleeve 107 is held in place via an adhesive.

[0035] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the reset device. In use the device connector 103 is secured to a like receptacle 201a of an electronic device 201. In this use case the reset button 201b for the electronic device 201 is located directly adjacent to at least one receptacle 201a.

[0036] In this embodiment the pin (cannot be seen in this FIG), which protrudes forward from the arm 105 and the sleeve 107 will contact the reset button 201b. In this embodiment the pin is generally parallel to the device connector 103. This allows the reset button to be properly engaged. The device connector 103 will hold the reset device in place having the pin engaged with the electronic device 201 reset button 201a. This will reset the electronic device 201 without having to hold the reset button by hand. In different embodiments this could save a technician 30 seconds or more per device. Further many devices may be able to be in the rest process at one time.

[0037] The arm 105 can include a hinge in some embodiments, as discussed above. In some embodiments, the arm 105 alternatively or additionally includes a sliding mechanism or other mechanism that is operable to vary a spacing between the pin and a body of the housing. The hinge and / or the sliding mechanism can for example be used to adjust the relative position of the pin 106 and the housing such that when a device connector is secured to the housing at a predetermined secured position, a relative positioning of the device connector and the pin is such that the pin contacts a reset button of an electronic device when the device connector is connected to the electronic device. Thus, the electronic device reset device can be adapted for us with electronic devices that have different spacings and / or orientations of connector and reset button.

[0038] In the embodiment of Figures 1 A, IB and 2 the device connector protrudes from the housing when in the secured position. In alternative embodiments, the device connector may not protrude from the housing when in the secured position. For example, in some embodiments the device connector may comprise a socket arrangement, and the housing may be configured such that when the device connector is secured to the housing in the secured housing a socket arrangement of the device connector is accessible to a plug connector of a complementary device connector.

[0039] It is therefore submitted that the methods, systems, and devices have been shown and described in what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments along with specific examples. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope and these present examples are not intended to be limiting. One of ordinary skill the art will be able to discern that obvious modifications can be made without departing from the scope.

[0040] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Similarly, it is to be realized that, it is not intended for any method set forth herein to be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order, unless otherwise set forth in the claims.

[0041] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, are deemed to fall within.

Claims

1. An electronic device reset device comprising:a housing which is configured to have a device connector secured thereto; anda pin secured to the housing, whereinthe pin protrudes from the housing and the housing is configured so that the device connector is arranged at a desired position relative to the pin when the device connector is secured to the housing at a predetermined secured position.

2. The electronic reset device of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured such that the pin and the device connector both protrude from the housing in a like direction when the device connector is secured to the housing.

3. The electronic device reset device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing includes a channel configured to secure the device connector therein.

4. The electronic device reset device of claim 3, wherein the channel has a stopper and a protrusion located within the channel at opposite ends of the channel from each other; wherein the stopper and the protrusion secure the device connector within the channel.

5. The electronic device reset device of any preceding claim, further comprising an arm secured to the housing which protrudes from one side of the housing;wherein the arm is configured to hold the pin in place.

6. The electronic device reset device of claim 5, wherein the arm is connected to the housing via a hinge.

7. The electronic reset device of claim 5 or 6, wherein the arm further comprises a mechanismoperable to vary a spacing between the pin and a body of the housing.

8. The electronic device reset device of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the pin is secured to the arm via a sleeve.

9. The electronic device reset device of any preceding claim, wherein the housing is configured such that the pin and the device connector are parallel to one another when the device connector is secured to the housing10. The electronic device reset device of any preceding claim, wherein the device connector comprises an ethernet connector.

11. The electronic device reset device of any preceding claim, wherein the channel has edge protrusions which are configured to secure the device connector therein.

12. An electronic device reset system comprising an electronic device reset device according to any of claims 1 to 11; anda device connector secureable to the housing of the electronic device reset device.

13. A method of resetting an electronic device comprising connecting a device connector to a complementary device connector of the electronic device, whereinthe device connector is secured to a housing of an electronic reset device according to any of claims 1 to 11, andthe connecting of the device connector to a complementary device connector of the electronic device is such that the pin of the electronic reset device contacts a reset button of the electronic device.T +44(0)30 0300 2000Search report under Section 17 of the Patents Act 1977Application No.: GB2415620.0Claims searched: 1-13Date search completed: 9 March 2026International classificationSubclass and subgroup Valid from G06F1 / 24 01 / 01 / 2006 G06F3 / 02 01 / 01 / 2006 H01H13 / 00 01 / 01 / 2006Field of searchWorldwide search of patent documents classified in the following areas of the IPC: G06F, H01HDatabases used in the preparation of this search report:INTERNET; SEARCH-PATENTDocuments considered to be relevantPatent literatureCategory Relevant to claims Document of relevance X 1-13 CN 214409774 U ((SOUTH CHINA NORMAL UNIVERSITY)) - See paragraphs 23-41 and figures. X 1, 12-13 DE 10026888 A1 (ZIMMERMANN) - See whole document.Non-patent literatureCategory Relevant to claims Document of relevanceT +44(0)30 0300 2000Category Relevant to claims Document of relevance X 1, 12-13 MARK WATT TECH, 25 / 05 / 2023, Do You Need A Fingerbot in 2023?, https: / / www.youtube.com / watch?v=TVxJM_xa5Ic, See whole document.CategoriesLetter or symbol Description X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step, if combined with another document of the same category. & Member of the same patent family. A Document indicating technological background. P Document published on or after the priority date but before the filing date of the present application. E Earlier application published on or after the filing date of the present application.

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