DEVICE WITH A LANYARD FOR MOBILE DEVICES

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/713,520, filed Oct. 29, 2024, by Meir Avganim, and entitled “DEVICE WITH A LANYARD FOR MOBILE DEVICES,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a lanyard for mobile devices such as a mobile phone.

Lanyards for mobile devices are known. In one variation, a pad having an engagement loop is adhesively attached directly to a mobile device or the protective casing of a mobile device. A lanyard having an engagement means such as a clip or the like engages the engagement loop whereby the lanyard is coupled to the mobile device indirectly via the adhesively attached pad.

Also, known are computer lock devices with a cable having a loop at one end and a computer lock at the other end. A computer may be secured to, for example, a desk by passing the computer lock through the loop to devise a lasso that can be secured to a part of the desk, for example, and locking the computer lock to the computer.

One type of computer lock disclosed in US 2023/0203850 (incorporated by reference) has components that fit inside of a small slot and engage the walls of the slot in order to lock the computer lock in the slot. The slot may be as small as a charging and data port of a mobile device such as a USB port of a smart phone or may be a charging and data port of a mobile device such as a USB port of a smart phone.

In addition, devices having retractable cables are known. Such a device has a casing and two cable sections housed in the casing. Each cable section may be extracted from the casing while loading, for example, a spring, and retracted into the casing aided by the loaded spring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lanyard for a mobile device in particular a mobile phone such as a smart phone. In one respect, the lanyard of the present invention protects the mobile device, e.g., a mobile phone, from being snatched from its owner's hands by would be thieves, or from falling to the ground.

A device according to the present invention has a lanyard with a lock at one end configured to be engaged in the charging and data port (e.g. a USB port) of a mobile device such as a smart phone

The lanyard according to the first embodiment of the present invention may have a tether portion with the lock at one end thereof and a loop at another end thereof, the loop having an opening large enough to permit the passage of the lock.

In a second embodiment, the lanyard may be extractable from and retractable into a casing.

In the second embodiment, another tether or another tether section that has a clip at one end is extractable from and retractable into the casing.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a device with a lanyard according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a device with retractable cable sections according to the prior art.

FIG. 3 is a device with lanyard according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a device 10 according to the present invention includes a lanyard with a tether 12 having a loop 14 at one end thereof and a lock 16 at the other end thereof.

The tether 12 may be any type of flexible body such as a flexible cable, a rope, or even fishing wire.

The loop 14 may be a ring that is fixedly attached to the tether 12, or may be a portion of the tether 12 that is formed into a loop. The opening 18 of the loop 14 is large enough to permit the lock 16 to pass there through and/or its interior size may be adjustable buy pulling on the one side of the loop.

The lock 16 is configured to enter and engage a charging and data port (e.g. a USB port) of a mobile device such as a smart phone in the same manner as shown in US 2023/0203850 except that the lock 16 does not need features so that it may be locked/unlocked with a key or the like. A simple lever or the like may be used to cause engagement/disengagement of the lock in the charging and data port of the mobile device.

To use the device 10, a lasso may be formed by passing the lock 16 through the opening 18. The lasso so formed may secure the tether 12 to a person's wrist. The lock 16 is then secured to the charging and data port of a mobile device such a smart phone.

FIG. 2 shows a typical device 20 having retractable cables according to the prior art. Device 20 has a casing 22. Two cable sections 24, 26 may be housed in the casing 22. Each cable section 24, 26 may be extracted from the casing 20 while loading, for example, a spring, and retracted into the casing 20 aided by the loaded spring, similar to the retracting mechanism shown in U.S. patent publication number 2003/0184521, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

Referring to FIG. 3, a device 28 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may have two tether sections 30, 32 or a single tether with two sections 30,32, each being extractable from or retractable into a casing 34 in the same or similar manner as the cable sections 24,26 of the device 20.

The first tether section 30 has a lock 16 fixed at its end, which engages the charging and data port of a mobile device (e.g. a smart phone), and serves as a lanyard.

The second tether 32 may have clip 36 or the like fixed at its end so that it may be coupled to the user's belt or belt loop. Once the lock 16 and the clip 36 are engaged the mobile device is coupled to the person.

It should be noted that instead of the charging and data port, the lock 16 in each embodiment could engage an appropriately configured slot defined in the housing of a mobile device, or a slot defined in the protective casing for the mobile device.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.