Magnetic Expandable Mobile Grip for Low-Profile Stand Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a thin mobile device accessory that provides a stable and comfortable grip and can be easily expanded to prop up a phone for viewing, while maintaining a minimal thickness and not interfering with wireless charging.
Innovation Solution
An expandable grip device with a magnetically attractive base and elastic elements that can be quickly expanded and contracted, using magnetic forces and elastic expansion to provide a stable grip and kickstand functionality, with a design that integrates into the phone's case or housing for minimal thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a larger accessory is used to provide more gripping volume and stability, then the grip comfort and mechanical stability are improved, but the accessory adds bulk to the phone, makes the surface uneven, and prevents easy wireless charging
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory transitions from a thin, flat state to a three-dimensional expanded state when needed. The elastic elements allow the accessory to dynamically change its profile, providing bulk only when the user needs grip stability or kickstand functionality, while maintaining a sleek profile for wireless charging and pocketability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic elements are nested within the accessory housing in a compressed state, allowing the accessory to maintain a thin profile. When activated, these nested elements expand outward to provide the necessary grip volume and structural support without permanently increasing the accessory's baseline size.
2Volume of moving object
If a thin accessory is used to maintain sleek profile and enable wireless charging, then the wireless charging compatibility and pocketability are improved, but the gripping utility and stability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory dynamically transforms its physical characteristics based on user interaction. In its default thin state, it maintains sleekness and wireless charging compatibility. When the user activates it, the elastic elements expand to provide a comfortable, bulky grip that is easy to hold and manipulate.
Solution Approach 2:
The accessory automatically provides grip enhancement when needed through the elastic elements' inherent expansion property. The user simply needs to press or manipulate the accessory, and it self-transforms from a thin profile to an expanded gripping state without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If the accessory is expanded quickly to provide grip stability, then the ease of operation is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic elements are pre-loaded and stored within the accessory housing, ready to expand immediately upon user activation. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for motors, batteries, or complex actuation systems, achieving rapid expansion through simple elastic physics while keeping the overall mechanism relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical actuation systems with a passive elastic mechanism. Instead of using motors, solenoids, or complex linkages to expand the accessory, it uses pre-stored elastic elements that naturally expand when released, substituting a simple elastic response for a complex mechanical control system.
4Force
If magnets are used to hold the top and base together in the retracted position, then the retention force is improved, but the interference with wireless charging may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic elements are strategically positioned and sized to provide sufficient retention force only where needed - at the interface between the top and base in the retracted position. By localizing the magnetic function to specific areas rather than distributing it throughout the entire accessory, the design minimizes the overall magnetic interference with wireless charging while maintaining adequate holding force.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device offers a thin, lightweight solution that provides a secure grip and easy one-handed expansion to a comfortable grip or kickstand position, maintaining a low profile and allowing for wireless charging, enhancing user interaction with mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of elastic elements are configured to provide an expansion force that biases the top away from the base towards a neutral position when in the collapsed position
Implementation Method 2
The base and the top are configured to produce a magnetic force that biases the top and the base towards one another
Data Source
AI summary
An extendable grip for a mobile device includes a base configured to couple with a mobile device or a case of the mobile device. The plurality of elastic elements are coupled with the base at a first end. The plurality of elastic elements are coupled with a top at a second end. The plurality of elastic elements are configured to provide an expansion force that biases the top away from the base towards a neutral position when in the collapsed position. The base and the top are configured to produce a magnetic force that biases the top and the base towards one another. The extendable grip has the neutral position and a collapsed position. A distance between the top and the base is greater in the neutral position than in the collapsed position. The magnetic force is stronger than the expansion force in the retracted position.