The rise in popularity of dashboard-mounted electronic devices such as GPS receivers, music players, and cellular telephones, to name a few, has led to the need for supports for such electronic devices. The supports typically adhere to the dashboard or instrument panel of the vehicle using adhesive or suction cups, and extend by a hinged chain to a desired position. Some supports have swivel bases.
Supports using drag hinges loosen with use, eventually making the support ineffective. Likewise, many supports lack a flexible base and cannot conform to the curvature of a dashboard, making the attachment to the dashboard weak and likely to fail during rapid acceleration or braking.
International patent application WO2008/128586 A1 to Buchhalter describes a flexible mounting plate for conforming to the dash curvature that is functional for mildly concave surfaces, but not for convex or more concave sections of a dash. Buchhalter's base rubs the dash when rotated. Buchhalter recites adjustable drag hinges but does not provide means for adjusting them. Buchhalter has a retaining clip that locks and unlocks the electronic device in place by rotation, allowing a torque during a crash to disconnect the device from the holder. Buchhalter does not disclose wire management guides.
Therefore, a need exists for a device support that can conform to a wider range of concavity and convexity of mounting surfaces, provides means for adjusting the drag hinges, avoids rubbing the dash when rotated, has a more secure retainer mechanism, and provides wire management guides for wires associated with the device to be supported.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds