Adjustable Smartphone Holder With Locking Strut and Removable Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile device holders do not provide a stable, adjustable, and versatile means for hands-free operation, as they often lack adjustability and are not suitable for use in various environments and situations beyond automotive contexts.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device holder with a back plate, strut, and jaws that can be adjusted and locked into desired positions, allowing for secure holding and viewing in different orientations, and can be easily secured to various surfaces using a securing material like a hook-and-loop fastening system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mobile device holder is designed to be permanently attached to a vehicle, then the device can be securely held in a hands-free position, but the holder cannot be easily removed or adapted for use in other environments
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is divided into separable components including a back plate, strut assembly, and mounting elements that can be detached and reconfigured. This segmentation allows the holder to be permanently mounted in vehicles when needed while also being easily removable for portable use in other environments, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder incorporates adjustable and movable elements such as the strut assembly with locking mechanisms that allow dynamic reconfiguration between fixed and portable modes. The ability to transition between permanent and temporary mounting states provides both stable hands-free positioning when mounted and flexibility when relocated, addressing the reliability-versatility contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If expanding grips are used to hold a mobile device, then the device can be held in a hands-free position, but the positioning is not stable and not easily adjustable
Solution Approach 1:
The holder features a movable strut assembly with locking mechanisms that enable easy adjustment to different positions while maintaining stable, locked positioning once adjusted. The dynamic adjustment capability combined with secure locking provides both ease of operation for positioning and reliability for maintaining that position, resolving the contradiction between ease of adjustment and positioning stability.
3Reliability
If a mobile device holder is designed with fixed positioning, then the device can be securely held, but the viewing angle cannot be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The holder incorporates a movable strut assembly with locking mechanisms that allow the viewing angle to be adjusted to different positions while maintaining secure, locked positioning once adjusted. This dynamic design provides both the security of fixed positioning and the adjustability of variable angles, resolving the contradiction between security and adjustability.
Data Source
AI summary
A holder for holding a mobile device may include a back plate. A strut is operatively associated with the back plate so that the strut can be moved with respect to the back plate. A strut lock operatively associated with the back plate and the strut holds the back plate and strut in a desired position. A first jaw operatively associated with the back plate is sized to engage a portion of the mobile device. A second jaw sized to engage a portion of the mobile device is operatively associated with the back plate so that the second jaw can be moved toward and away from the first jaw to hold a mobile device therebetween.