BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electronic device holders, and more particularly, to hands-free holders for electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, mobile devices, etc. (collectively referred to herein as “device(s)”), which allow the user to connect a device to a belt and to have the device held away from the body when in use and close to the body when not in use.

Background

Electronic devices are carried and used by many people today for both work and leisure. Because of their portability and usefulness, people in many different industries use portable electronic devices while on the job. In many professions, a person needs to be able to view his or her electronic device while performing various duties. This can present challenges in those jobs and industries where the work involves physical labor and/or the use of one's hands. In those situations, it can be difficult to hold an electronic device while working. Similarly, continuously stowing and removing an electronic device from one's pocket, belt, bag, etc. is inefficient and can increase the likelihood that the device will be dropped.

There are many technologies on the market today that attempt to address this problem with various electronic device holders. Some of those device holders utilize a flexible gooseneck mechanism or structure, which allows the phone to be held away from the user's body so that it is easier to see the phone without having to hold it in one's hands. One drawback of many of the existing technologies though, is that they lack a simple way to move the electronic device into a secure or close-to-the-body position when the user does not need to see it and, particularly when the user is moving.

For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/577,883 entitled Hand-Free Electronic Device Holder discloses a belt with a gooseneck attachment for holding a cell phone. The structure of the belt is different from the present invention in several ways, including but not limited to, the fact that the invention in Ser. No. 14/577,883 does not have a structure to hold the gooseneck and the phone closer to the body nor in a fixed position when not in use.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,159,329 entitled Side Arm discloses a hands-free mounting apparatus that has at least three rotational degrees of freedom. This invention provides for a mobile/adjustable belt-worn support device that could be moved into a position that is close to the body or away from the body. However, the design of this apparatus is significantly more cumbersome than the current invention and it does not allow for close-to-the-body, unobtrusive storing and wearing of the electronic device when not in use.

Overall, the technologies currently on the market have several shortcomings. Some do not allow for the secure, hands-free holding of the phone away from the body in a manner that enables the user to view the device without holding it in his/her hands. Some existing technologies utilize a gooseneck structure but do not enable the user to move the electronic device into a stored or fixed position that is secure, close to the body, and easily accessible. Still other technologies do not provide a mechanism for securing the stored electronic device in a manner to enable the user to move around while the device remains attached to his/her belt and not in use. The present invention solves all of these difficulties by providing an electronic device belt holder that: (1) securely holds the electronic device away from the user's body when the device needs to be viewed; (2) holds the device close to the user's body when the device does not need to be viewed; (3) secures the device and the gooseneck structure to the belt with a simple design that keeps the device in the stored and fixed position while the user moves; and (4) is designed to enable an easy transition of the device from the stored or stowed position to the in-use position.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention is a belt clip that has a front plate, a back plate connected to the front plate and a gooseneck. The gooseneck of this embodiment has a base at one end that connects to the front plate and an inflexible portion adjacent to the base. The inflexible portion includes an angled portion such that the angled portion and the inflexible portion stabilize the gooseneck. This embodiment also has an electronic device holder attached to the end of the gooseneck opposite the base.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a belt clip having a front plate, a back plate connected to the front plate, and a flexible gooseneck with a base at a first end and a second end opposite the base, the gooseneck connected at the base to the front plate, wherein the gooseneck has an inflexible portion adjacent to the base and wherein the inflexible portion includes an angled portion such that the angled portion and the inflexible portion stabilize the gooseneck and wherein the gooseneck moves near the base to transition from an in-use position to a stowed position. This embodiment also has an electronic device holder attached to the second end of the gooseneck opposite the base and configured to detachably hold an electronic device. In operation the gooseneck moves near the base to transition between an in-use position to a stowed position or between a stowed position and an in-use position and the in-use position presents an attached electronic device at a position for interaction with a user of the electronic device.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a belt clip having a front plate, a back plate connected to the front plate and a rest attached to the front plate, which rest is designed to securely hold a gooseneck close to the front plate when the gooseneck is in a stowed position.

An additional embodiment of the present invention is an electronic device support system having a gooseneck belt clip and a stowing belt clip. The gooseneck belt clip has a gooseneck belt clip front plate, a gooseneck belt clip back plate connected to the gooseneck belt clip front plate and a flexible gooseneck with a base at a first end and a second end opposite the base, the gooseneck connected at the base to the front plate, wherein the gooseneck has an inflexible portion adjacent to the base and wherein the inflexible portion includes an angled portion such that the angled portion and the inflexible portion stabilize the gooseneck and wherein the gooseneck moves near the base to transition from an in-use position to a stowed position. Additionally, an electronic device holder is attached to the second end of the gooseneck opposite the base and configured to detachably hold an electronic device. This system also has at least one stowing belt clip having a stowing belt clip front plate, a stowing belt clip back plate connected to the stowing belt clip front plate and a rest attached to the stowing belt clip front plate, which rest is designed to securely hold a gooseneck close to the stowing belt clip front plate.

