Game Ring

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/672,920 filed Apr. 19, 2005 and entitled Game Ring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for the storage and transport of hand held electronic devices, including video game cartridges such as Game Boy® Advance SP Game Paks.

Game Boy® Advance SP Game Paks are electronic game cartridges manufactured for use with the Game Boy Advance SP Game System@. Each cartridge is approximately 2¼×1¼ inches in size and constructed of plastic with a small ( 1/16^th inch diameter) screw holding the Game Pak together.

Game Paks are often stored or carried in pouches and are easily misplaced. Many parents would agree that when a child's small toy or game or part thereof is misplaced or lost, the results can be quite troublesome. Numerous unproductive hours are spent each day looking for the toy or game or part. The loss of a toy or game or part results in a sad child and a frustrated parent. Consequently, parents are at times reluctant to purchase these video games.

Various devices are known in the art for storing video games or software. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,904,620, 5,802,274, 5,611,553, 5,462,328, 5,051,822, 4,327,911, and 3,977,521. However, none of these patents shows or suggests a solution to the aforementioned problem.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a device whereby hand held electronic devices such as video game cartridges may be conveniently and reliably stored, and carried by a child.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a cartridge storing and transporting assembly has a flexible game ring having enlarged ends, each end having a through hole, the ring ends being capable of being positioned side by side so that the through holes are aligned. A separate attachment member is adapted to be secured to each cartridge to be stored or transported. Each attachment member has a game ring receiving hole large enough to receive the enlarged ends of the game ring. A clasp is provided that has a loop that can be opened and closed to engage, retain and lock the game ring by the loop material extending through the aligned holes in the enlarged ends of the game ring. The clasp has means for securing it to another object such as a belt or other article of clothing. Thus the cartridges can be selectively mounted on and dismounted from the game ring and the ring can be locked to prevent loss of a cartridge, and carried by the clasp which in turn can be secured, for example, to the belt of pants being worn by a child.

IN THE DRAWING

Figure A is a side view of a game ring according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure B-1 is a side view of a video game cartridge having an attachment member secured thereto in accordance with the preferred embodiment, the attachment member having a loop portion and an extension portion.

Figure B-2 is an opposite side view of the video game cartridge and attachment member with the extension portion of the attachment member attached to the Game Pak.

Figure C illustrates the linking of the game cartridge attachment member to the game ring by threading an end of the ring through the loop portion of the cartridge attachment member.

Figure D-1 is an isometric view of the clasp of the preferred embodiment.

Figure D-2 is a side view of the clasp shown in Figure D-1, with the loops thereof shown in both their open and their closed positions.

FIG. E illustrates the game ring after securely attaching or locking the aligned end loops of the ring together by threading a detachable end of the loop at the first end of the clasp through the aligned end loops.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a video game cartridge holder assembly having an attachment member adapted to be secured to the cartridge, there being a game ring receiving hole through the attachment member.

A flexible game ring has enlarged ends with a loop member receiving hole through each end. The ring ends are of such a size that they may extend through the game ring receiving hole in the attachment member.

A clasp has a first end in the form of a first loop which can be opened and closed and which comprises a first loop member; and a second end in the form of a second loop which can be opened and closed and which comprises a second loop member.

The first loop member of the clasp is adapted to extend through both loop member receiving holes of the game ring to lock the ring, and the second loop member of the clasp is adapted to extend around a belt or belt loop or other part of an article of clothing.

In use, a number of video cartridges may be mounted on the game ring which is locked by engagement of the first loop member with the loop member receiving holes of the game ring the game ring being suspended from an article of clothing. To detach a cartridge to be used in a toy or game, the first loop is opened, the first loop member is withdrawn from the loop member receiving holes of the game ring, the desired cartridge is removed from the ring, the first loop member is again inserted through the loop member receiving holes, and the first loop is closed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a product that will provide for easy storage and transport of video game cartridges. While the preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with respect to the storage and transport of Game Boy Advance SP® Game Paks, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the invention may be easily adapted to be used with other small hand-held accessories, such as cartridges for other video game players or memory modules for a hand-held computer, personal digital assistant (PDA) or digital music player.

The invention enables the user to transport multiple hand-held electronic accessories, including Game Paks, in an organized, easy accessible manner by linking them together. The invention functions to safely keep the hand-held accessories together for easy transport and storage and to prevent them from being easily lost.

Figure A shows a flexible game ring 10 that is approximately 3″ in diameter. Preferably, the ring 10 is ⅛″ thick and made of plastic, although stainless steel, aluminum or other materials may be used. The ring 10 has an opening with two end loops 11 approximately ¼ inch in diameter. The end loops 11 are capable of being aligned by flexing the ring to place them in juxtaposition so as to enable the ring 10 to be closed and locked as shown in Figure E and discussed in more detail below.

The game ring system can be color-coded (for example, cobalt, flame, onyx or platinum) to coincide with the color of a child's Game Boy Advance System or other video game system.

The same ring system also includes an attachment member comprising, as shown in Figure B-1, an attachment loop 12 and an extension 13. The attachment loop 12 is approximately ½ inch in size and is preferably made of metal. The opening in the attachment loop 12 needs to be large enough so that the end loops 11 of the ring 10 can be inserted through the attachment loop to mount the Game Pak 14 on the game ring 10. Thus the extension 13 is used to attach the game cartridge, or other devices discussed above, to the ring 10 via the attachment loop 12.

The extension may be attached to the cartridge 14 through the mechanical interlocking of various portions of the cartridge and extension, such via a screw or a lip. In addition, the attachment may be accomplished through the use of glues. The extension may vary in size to fit the various devices mentioned.

In the case of Game Boy Game Paks 14, the extension 13 is approximately 0.005 to 0.010 inches thick and approximately ½ inch wide and ⅜ inch in length. The extension 13 has a hole that coincides in position and size to the 1/16 inch diameter Y-shaped screw in the game cartridge. The extension 13 is attached directly to the Game Pak 14 using the existing screw as shown in Figure B-2. The packaging of the game ring system may therefore include a screwdriver enabling the attachment loop 12 to be connected to the game cartridge or Game Pak 14.

Once the game cartridge 14 is attached to the extension 13, the game cartridge 14, extension 13, and attachment loop 12 are linked to the ring 10 by threading an end loop 11 through the attachment loop 12 as shown in Figure C.

Once the game cartridge 14 is linked to or mounted on the game ring 10, the ring 10 can be attached to the clasp 15 shown in Figure D-1.

As seen in Figure D-1, the clasp 15 has a first end 16 and a second end 17. The first end 16 is in the form of a loop having detachably interlocked portions 18 and 19. The loop portion 18 is sufficiently flexible to permit its end part 20 to be moved into and out of engagement with the adjacent end part of the loop portion 19.

The end of the material comprising the loop portion 18 which is opposite the end part 20 is preferably permanently affixed, but can be detachably affixed, to the body of the clasp 15.

By threading the loop portion 18 through both aligned end loops 11 of the ring 10 and then attaching the detachable end of the material of the loop 16 to the clasp 15, the ring 10 can be locked and secured as shown in Figure E.

In addition, the clasp 15 may have a second end 17 comprising a loop that enables the user to attach the ring 10 to another article, such as a child's belt loop or backpack.

The loop at the second end 17 of the clasp 15 comprises a C-shaped part 21 and a retractable pin 22 having an end which is pressed against the adjacent end of the part 21 by a spring (not shown) within the body of the clasp 15; the pin being resiliently retractable by pressing the button 23 and moving it toward the clasp end 16 to compress the spring.

The clasp 15 is approximately 4 inches long and is preferably made of color-coded plastic, although other materials may be used.

Approximately ten Game Paks can be held on each game ring of the aforementioned size. This method is simple and easy for a child to use and will allow the use of a selected game cartridge without having to remove the cartridge from the ring 10.

The video game cartridges, or Game Boy Advance SP Game Paks, can be manufactured with the attachment loop 12 directly attached to the cartridges, enabling the act of linking the cartridges or Game Paks 14 to the ring 10 easier, thereby reducing the cost of production. However, for all existing Game Paks the present invention provides for an inexpensive and easy-to-use device for the storage and transportation of Game Boy Advance SP Game Paks.

While the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure need not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures. For example, the structures need not be attached or linked in the specific order described.