Holder for portable information terminal

Abstract

The present invention is characterized by comprising a case-side band part 7 attached to a portable information terminal case 5 in which a portable information terminal is held, and a hand-side holding part 3 that is attached to the case-side band part 7 and that comes into contact with a finger or the back of a hand, the case-side band part 7 being fixed to the case 5 by elastic force of the case-side band part 7, and the respective end parts of the hand-side holding part 3 being connected to the case-side band part 7 by ring-form members 9a, 9b.

Description

Mobile information terminal holder

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder that can stably hold a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone or tablet and prevent it from falling when the mobile information terminal is held in the hand for use.

[0002] Mobile information terminals such as smartphones are often held and operated in one hand. Conventionally, holders for stably holding a mobile information terminal in one hand have been proposed. Patent Document 1 describes a ring cover for covering a drop prevention ring of a mobile information terminal holder. Patent Document 2 describes a sheet-like holder. Patent Document 3 describes a band that is wrapped around a hard case for a smartphone.

[0003] JP 2022-42096 A JP 2019-125370 A Utility Model Registration No. 3177647

[0004] The portable information terminal holder with a fall prevention ring described in Patent Document 1 and the sheet-like holder described in Patent Document 2 are fixed to the portable information terminal body or the portable information terminal case with adhesive or an adhesive sheet. Therefore, when these holders are replaced, if the original holder is peeled off from the portable information terminal or the portable information terminal case, adhesive may remain on the body or the case. Furthermore, the portable information terminal holder described in Patent Document 1 applies load to the connection between the fall prevention ring and the base, and there is a risk that the connection will break relatively quickly due to wear with repeated use.

[0005] The band described in Patent Document 3 uses an elastic material in the area that comes into contact with the fingers or the back of the hand, so it elastically tightens the hand. This makes it difficult for the hand to slip out of the band and prevents the band from falling, but there is a risk that the tightness will cause pain to the hand if used for a long period of time.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a holder for a portable information terminal that stably holds a portable information terminal, has excellent durability, and does not hurt the hand even when used for a long period of time.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the portable information terminal holder of the present invention comprises a band portion attached to a portable information terminal case that holds the portable information terminal, and a hand-side holding portion attached to the band portion and that comes into contact with the fingers or the back of the hand, wherein the band portion is fixed to the case by the elastic force of the band portion, and each of the two ends of the hand-side holding portion is connected to the band portion by a ring-shaped member.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a holder for a portable information terminal that stably holds a portable information terminal, has excellent durability, and does not cause pain in the hand even when used for a long period of time.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is an external view showing an example of a state in which the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment is used, showing a state in which it is attached to a portable information terminal case. FIG. 8 is an external view showing an example of a state in which the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment is used, showing a state viewed from an angle different from that shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an external view showing an example of a state in which the portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment is used, showing another example of a mechanism for fixing the case side band to the case.

[0010] A portable information terminal holder according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a smartphone will be described as an example of the portable information terminal. FIGS. 1 and 2 are front and rear views of the portable information terminal holder according to the embodiment. FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan and bottom views of the portable information terminal holder according to the embodiment. FIGS. 5 and 6 are left and right side views of the portable information terminal holder according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is an external view showing an example of a usage state of the portable information terminal holder according to the embodiment, showing a state where it is attached to a portable information terminal case. FIG. 8 is an external view showing an example of a usage state of the portable information terminal holder according to the embodiment, showing a state viewed from a different angle than FIG. 7.

[0011] The portable information terminal holder 1 according to this embodiment (hereinafter abbreviated as "holder 1" for ease of explanation) comprises a hand-side holder 3 that comes into contact with the nail side of the finger or the back of the hand, a case-side band 7 for attaching the hand-side holder 3 to a portable information terminal case 5 (see Figures 7 and 8; hereinafter abbreviated as "case 5" for ease of explanation), and a pair of ring-shaped members 9a, 9b for attaching the hand-side holder 3 to the case-side band 7.

[0012] The longitudinal length of the hand-side holder 3 is a length that extends from the vicinity of the lens opening 5a at the top of the case 5 to the vicinity of the cable opening 5b at the bottom when the holder 1 is attached to the case 5 shown in Figures 7 and 8. This length is long enough to cover the width of the second to fifth fingers of an adult's hand. The lateral dimension of the hand-side holder 3 is about one-third of the longitudinal length of the hand-side holder 3.

[0013] The hand-side holder 3 is formed of two overlapping pieces of fabric containing a core material (not shown). Specifically, the ends of a single long piece of fabric containing the core material are sewn or glued together to form a loop, and the looped fabric is then formed into an arc-like shape with two overlapping pieces of fabric, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The overlapping pieces of fabric are then sewn or glued together near each longitudinal end so that each longitudinal end of the fabric forms a first tubular portion 3a and a second tubular portion 3b that penetrate in the short direction. In this embodiment, the overlapping pieces of fabric between the sewn or glued portions near each longitudinal end are not sewn together, but they may also be sewn together. When the holder 1 is attached to the case 5, the hand-side holder 3 has a bow shape that bulges outward from the case 5. The material of the core material is not limited. Various materials, such as metal and paper, can be used. Moreover, the hand-side holding portion 3 may be made of leather instead of fabric containing a core material.

[0014] The case-side band 7 is made of a rubber material. The longitudinal length of the case-side band 7 is the length from the lens opening 5a at the top of the case 5 to the cable opening 5b at the bottom when the holder 1 is attached to the case 5 shown in Figures 7 and 8. The lateral dimension of the case-side band 7 is about one-third the lateral dimension of the hand-side holder 3.

[0015] The case-side band 7 is a single rubber member extending in the longitudinal direction, and at its middle portion, a first cylindrical portion 7a and a second cylindrical portion 7b are formed, which penetrate in the lateral direction, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The distance between the first cylindrical portion 7a and the second cylindrical portion 7b is equal to the longitudinal dimension of the hand-side holder 3.

[0016] A through hole 13 penetrating the case side band portion 7 is formed at one end 11 of the case side band portion 7. In this embodiment, three through holes 13 are formed. A single protrusion 17 is formed at the other end 15 of the case side band portion 7. The protrusion 17 can be fitted into the through hole 13. As will be described later, when the holder 1 is attached to the case 5, the protrusion 17 fits into one of the through holes 13, thereby fixing the holder 1 to the case 5 without any rattle.

[0017] The hand-side holder 3 is attached to the case-side band 7 by a pair of ring-shaped members 9a, 9b. Specifically, the first ring-shaped member 9a is disposed so as to pass through the first cylindrical portion 3a of the hand-side holder 3 and the first cylindrical portion 7a of the case-side band 7, thereby connecting the first cylindrical portion 3a of the hand-side holder 3 to the first cylindrical portion 7a of the case-side band 7. The first ring-shaped member 9a and the first cylindrical portion 3a of the hand-side holder 3 are connected to be rotatable relative to each other. The first ring-shaped member 9a and the first cylindrical portion 7a of the case-side band 7 are connected to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0018] Similarly, the second ring-shaped member 9b is disposed so as to pass through the second cylindrical portion 3b of the hand-side holding portion 3 and the second cylindrical portion 7b of the case-side band portion 7, thereby connecting the second cylindrical portion 3b of the hand-side holding portion 3 and the second cylindrical portion 7b of the case-side band portion 7. The second ring-shaped member 9b and the second cylindrical portion 3b of the hand-side holding portion 3 are connected to be rotatable relative to each other. The second ring-shaped member 9b and the second cylindrical portion 7b of the case-side band portion 7 are connected to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0019] The first and second ring-shaped members 9a, 9b are made of metal and have an openable and closable structure. By using such ring-shaped members 9a, 9b, the hand-side holder 3 can be easily removed from the case-side band 7, and the removed hand-side holder 3 can be easily attached to the case-side band 7. This makes maintenance such as cleaning and replacement of the hand-side holder 3 easy. Note that carabiners can be used for the first and second ring-shaped members 9a, 9b.

[0020] Next, a method for attaching the holder 1 to the case 5 will be described. The case 5 is formed of a material such as synthetic resin or metal. The case 5 is composed of a rectangular plate-shaped main body 21, an upper wall 23 formed on the upper edge of the main body 21, a lower wall 25 formed on the lower edge of the main body 21, and a right side wall 27 and a left side wall 29 that vertically connect both ends of the upper wall 23 and both ends of the lower wall 25. The case 5 is formed into a rectangular dish shape by the main body 21, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 25, the right side wall 27, and the left side wall 29, and accommodates a smartphone, which is a portable information terminal (not shown), inside. Specifically, the smartphone is housed so that the back surface of the smartphone (the surface opposite the screen) abuts against the inner surface of the main body 21, and the upper, lower, right, and left sides of the smartphone abut against the inner peripheral surfaces of the upper wall 23, lower wall 25, right wall 27, and left wall 29 of the case 5, respectively. A lens opening 5a is provided in the portion of the main body 21 that corresponds to the lens of the smartphone. In addition, a cable opening 5b is provided in the lower wall 25.

[0021] To attach the holder 1 of this embodiment to the case 5, first, insert one end 11 of the case side band 7 into the inside of the case 5 through the lens-side opening 5a of the case 5, and then insert the other end 15 of the case side band 7 into the inside of the case 5 through the cable opening 5b of the case 5. Then, inside the main body 21, the convex portion 17 of the other end 15 of the case side band 7 is pressed into one of the through-holes 13 of the one end 11 of the case side band 7 to fit it. At this time, the convex portion 17 and the through-hole 13 are fitted together so that the case side band 7 is elastically deformed in the stretching direction. As a result, the case side band 7 is fixed to the case 5 between the lens-side opening 5a and the cable opening 5b by an elastic restoring force in a direction that brings it into close contact with the outer and inner surfaces of the main body 21. Therefore, the holder 1 is fixed to the case 5 without any rattle. This completes the attachment of the holder 1 to the case 5. Thereafter, the smartphone is placed inside the case 5.

[0022] As described above, when the holder 1 is attached to the case 5, the hand-side holding portion 3 has a bow shape that bulges outward from the case 5. When holding a smartphone (not shown) housed in the case 5, the hand is inserted into the space S between the hand-side holding portion 3 and the case-side band portion 7 located on the outer surface of the main body 21, and the case 5 is held with the fingers and palm. This allows the smartphone to be held stably and prevents it from falling.

[0023] In this embodiment, the holder 1 has a hand-side holder 3 made of a fabric material positioned in the area that comes into contact with the fingers or the back of the hand. Therefore, the hand-side holder 3 does not constrict the hand. Therefore, the hand does not hurt even with prolonged use. Furthermore, the hand-side holder 3 is attached to the case-side band 7 by ring-shaped members 9a and 9b. The first and second through-holes 3a and 3b through which the ring-shaped members 9a and 9b pass are formed by looping a single piece of fabric containing a core, as described above, and then forming an arc-shaped loop with two overlapping pieces of fabric. Because these are formed by both ends of this fabric, the holder 1 is extremely durable. Therefore, the holder 1 is highly durable. Furthermore, because the holder 1 is attached to the case 5 without the use of adhesive or adhesive sheets, no adhesive or adhesive sheets remain on the case 5 even when the holder 1 is removed from the case 5.

[0024] Furthermore, the hand-side holder 3 is relatively resistant to deformation due to the inclusion of a core material. This configuration also allows the holder 1 to be used as a smartphone stand by removing the lower ring-shaped member 9b from the case-side band 7 and grounding it. Furthermore, because the hand-side holder 3 is made of fabric or leather, it can be replaced with a member of your choice in a color or pattern, enhancing fashionability. Furthermore, by providing a pocket or zipper in the hand-side holder 3, storage functionality can be added to the hand-side holder 3.

[0025] As described above, the holder 1 of this embodiment can provide a holder for a portable information terminal that can stably hold a portable information terminal, is highly durable, and does not cause pain in the hand even when used for long periods of time.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. For example, while each end of the hand-side holder 3 is attached to the case-side band 7 by a single ring-shaped member, each end may be attached to the case-side band 7 by multiple ring-shaped members. Furthermore, while the case-side band 7 is fixed to the case 5 by fitting the through-hole 13 into the protrusion 17, it may be fixed by other mechanisms. Other examples of mechanisms for fixing the case-side band 7 to the case 5 are described below.

[0027] 9 is an external view showing an example of a usage state of the portable information terminal holder according to the embodiment, and shows another example of a mechanism for fastening the case side band to the case. As shown in FIG. 9, both ends 111, 115 of the case side band 7 are formed into a cylindrical shape that penetrates in the short direction. The case side band 7 is fastened to the case 5 by connecting these cylindrical ends 111, 115 using a metal C-ring 131. The present invention can also be configured in this way.

[0028] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 portable information terminal holder 3 hand-side holding portion 3a first cylindrical portion 3b second cylindrical portion 5 portable information terminal case 5a lens opening 5b cable opening 7 case-side band portion 7a first cylindrical portion 7b second cylindrical portion 9a first ring-shaped member 9b second ring-shaped member 13 through-hole 17 convex portion 131 C-ring

Claims

1. A portable information terminal holder comprising: a band portion attached to a case for a portable information terminal which holds the portable information terminal; and a hand-side holding portion attached to the band portion and which comes into contact with the fingers or the back of the hand, wherein the band portion is fixed to the case by the elastic force of the band portion, and each of the two ends of the hand-side holding portion is connected to the band portion by a ring-shaped member.

2. The portable information terminal holder according to claim 1, wherein the hand side holding portion is made of a cloth material containing a core material.

3. The portable information terminal holder according to claim 2, characterized in that the hand side holding portion is a single long piece of the cloth member shaped like a loop, which is then formed into an arc shape by overlapping two pieces of cloth.

4. The portable information terminal holder according to claim 3, wherein the ring-shaped member is held by a cylindrical portion formed by both ends of the arc-shaped cloth member.

5. The portable information terminal holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the ring-shaped member is provided with an opening and closing mechanism.

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