Clip Mounting External Device to Smartphone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting systems for external devices on smartphones and tablets often face challenges in ensuring proper alignment with the device's features, leading to inefficient use of external devices like projectors.
Innovation Solution
A device-and-clip system that includes a clip with movable arms and a screen marker application on the electronic device, allowing for precise alignment and mounting of external devices by displaying a screen marker on the display screen, ensuring the external device is correctly positioned and oriented with the device's features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a mounting system is provided for external devices on smartphones, then the functionality of external devices is enhanced, but it is difficult to ensure proper alignment with the smartphone features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mounting clip as an intermediary component between the external device and smartphone. The clip includes alignment features that interface with both the external device and the smartphone, serving as a mediator to ensure proper positioning. The clip's alignment features act as intermediate elements that bridge the gap between the external device mounting holes and the smartphone camera/features, enabling precise alignment without requiring direct integration between the external device and smartphone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary alignment actions through the clip design. The mounting clip is pre-configured with alignment features that automatically guide the external device into the correct position before final attachment. The clip's structural design includes pre-positioned alignment elements that engage with corresponding features on the smartphone, ensuring proper alignment is established before the external device is fully mounted, thereby eliminating alignment issues.
2Ease of operation
If a clip with movable arms is used to mount external devices, then the ease of attachment is improved, but the alignment precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into distinct functional components: the clip structure with movable arms for attachment, and integrated alignment features for positioning. The clip is divided into the main body, movable arms, and alignment features as separate functional segments. This segmentation allows the movable arms to provide easy attachment through mechanical action while the alignment features independently ensure precise positioning, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the alignment function directly into the mounting clip structure. The alignment features are integrated as part of the clip's movable arms or body, combining the attachment mechanism and alignment function into a single unified component. This merging ensures that when the movable arms attach the external device, the alignment features simultaneously guide and secure the device in the correct position, eliminating the trade-off between ease of attachment and alignment precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
In an aspect, a device-and-clip system is provided for an electronic device (12). The system includes an external device (22) that cooperates with at least one electronic device feature (20) on the rear face (18) to perform a selected function. The system includes a clip (32) including a first clip arm (34) having an arm marker (36) thereon and which is engageable with the front face (14) of the electronic device (12) and a second clip arm (38) that is engageable with the rear face (18) of the electronic device (12). The system further includes an application that is executable to instruct the electronic device (12) to display a screen marker (44) on the display screen (16) in a selected position and in a selected orientation such that positioning and orienting of the first clip arm (34) on the display screen (16) of the smart phone with the arm marker (36) aligned with the position and orientation of the screen marker (44) positions the external device (22) in alignment with the at least one electronic device feature (20).