Friction Pad Dashboard Mount for Handheld Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for securing handheld electronic devices in vehicles often damage the dashboard, require adhesives that leave residues, or are bulky and unsightly, and fail to securely hold devices during vehicle movement without modifying the device itself.
Innovation Solution
A frictional pad with a repositionable adhesive film and a polyurethane squat dome that adheres to the dashboard, providing a non-slip, non-adhesive surface for devices like cell phones and GPS units, allowing for secure holding without damaging the surface and enabling easy removal of the device while the pad remains in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive is used to mount the device to the dashboard, then the device can be securely held, but the adhesive leaves residue or removes dash covering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a frictional pad as an intermediary between the dashboard and the handheld device. The pad includes a base portion that contacts the dashboard and a friction surface that contacts the device. This intermediary structure provides secure holding through friction between the pad and device, while the base portion can be removed without damaging the dashboard, thus resolving the contradiction between secure mounting and dashboard protection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces adhesive bonding (chemical mechanism) with friction-based mechanical holding. The friction surface is designed with specific properties (coefficient of friction, surface texture) to provide sufficient holding force through friction alone, eliminating the need for adhesives that leave residue or damage the dashboard
2Object-affected harmful factors
If suction cup is used to mount the device, then the device can be held without adhesives, but the suction cup interferes with vision or cannot be mounted on contoured surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The frictional pad employs local quality by having different surfaces with different properties: the base portion has properties optimized for contacting the dashboard (flat, adhesive-free), while the friction surface has properties optimized for contacting the handheld device (high friction, textured). This allows the pad to function effectively on various dashboard surfaces without interfering with vision or requiring suction cups
3Reliability
If weighted ballasts are used to hold the plate, then the plate can be secured without adhesives, but the device becomes bulky and unsightly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the weight function from the mounting structure by eliminating the need for weighted ballasts. Instead, the frictional pad uses friction between its friction surface and the handheld device to provide holding force. This extraction of the weight requirement allows the pad to remain thin and unobtrusive while still providing secure mounting
4Reliability
If the pad is designed to hold the device securely during vehicle movement, then the device remains stable, but the pad may remain on the dashboard while the device is removed
Solution Approach 1:
The frictional pad uses local quality by designing the base portion and friction surface with different properties. The base portion is designed to adhere to or frictionally engage with the dashboard to remain in place, while the friction surface is designed with specific friction characteristics that allow the device to be easily removed while the pad stays on the dashboard. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between secure holding during movement and easy device removal
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 solution securely holds handheld electronic devices on vehicle dashboards without leaving residues, maintains the device's original state, and withstands vehicle movement, ensuring the pad stays on the surface while the device is removed, addressing the issues of damage, residue, and bulkiness in existing solutions.
Implementation Method 1
a repositionable adhesive film releasably and repositionably adhered to an upwardly facing support surface
Implementation Method 2
A frictional pad in combination with an upward facing support surface upon which the frictional pad is adhered and upon which a handheld electronic device is selectively disposed and held in a non-adhesive, non-slip, tacky fashion by the frictional pad
Data Source
AI summary
A frictional pad in combination with an upward facing support surface upon which the frictional pad is adhered and upon which a handheld electronic device is selectively disposed and held in a non-adhesive, non-slip, tacky fashion by the frictional pad. The frictional pad has a repositionable adhesive film releasably and repositionably adhered to the upward facing support surface. A squat dome is affixed to the upward facing support surface by the repositionable adhesive film. The squat dome has a continuous outward facing surface facing and contacting the handheld electronic device. A majority of the outward facing surface is continuous, smooth and parallel with the repositionable adhesive film.