Protective cell phone case with retractable tether

Abstract

A protective cell phone case with retractable tether disposed to secure a cell phone to a user and prevent impact of the cell phone with a ground surface should a user inadvertently drop the cell phone during use, or otherwise while porting said cell phone, wherein a retractable tether member secures endwise to a user and forcibly retracts into a discoid housing exteriorly disposed upon a base whenever tension upon the tether member is released, whereby a cell phone is secured about a user and maintained proximal and suspendable thereto to prevent impact of a falling cell phone with the ground, as desired.

Claims

1. A protective cell phone case with retractable tether comprising: a case disposed for protective portage of an extant cell phone therein; a tether member disposed upon the case, said tether member extendible from the case against action of a spring member; a clip member disposed endwise upon the tether member, said clip member attachable to a user and securable seated into the case when the tether member is disposed in a retracted position; and a pretensional brake mechanism disposed arresting extension of the tether member when abrupt action is deployed thereto; wherein the case is securable to a user by attachment of the clip member and the case is distally deployable upon the tether member against action of the spring member, whereby said case is retractably housable upon a user and inadvertent contact of a cell phone with a ground surface is preventable.

2. The protective cell phone case with retractable tether of claim 1 wherein the tether member is disposed upon a rotatable spool, said rotatable spool rotatable in each of a first direction and a second direction.

3. The protective cell phone case with retractable tether of claim 2 wherein the rotatable spool is disposed exteriorly upon the case interior to a discoid housing.

4. The protective cell phone case with retractable tether of claim 3 wherein rotation of the rotatable spool in the first direction effects tensioning of the spring member and said spring member thereby elastically effects responsive rotation of the rotatable spool in the second direction, whereby the tether member is responsively retractable subsequent extension of the tether member.

5. The protective cell phone case with retractable tether of claim 4 wherein the clip member is releasably securable interior to a clip seating recess disposed upon the case when said tether member is disposed in the retracted position.

6. The protective cell phone case with retractable tether of claim 5 wherein the case further comprises: a base disposed to contact a rear surface of as the extant cell phone positioned interior to said case; a plurality of side walls disposed perimetrically upon the base enclosing an aperture into which said extant cell phone is insertable for securement therein; a plurality of reinforcing members disposed exteriorly cornerwise upon each of the plurality of side walls; and a plurality of reinforcing panels disposed exteriorly upon the base.

7. A protective cell phone case with retractable tether comprising: a case appropriate for protective portage of an extant cell phone therein, said case including: a base disposed to contact a rear face of a cellphone positioned within the case; a plurality of side walls disposed perimetrically upon the base enclosing an aperture into which said extant cell phone is insertable for securement therein; a plurality of reinforcing members disposed exteriorly cornerwise upon each of the plurality of side walls; a plurality of reinforcing panels disposed exteriorly upon the base; a discoid housing disposed exteriorly upon the base; a rotatable spool disposed within the discoid housing, said rotatable spool rotatable in each of a first direction and a second direction; a spring member disposed within the discoid housing, said spring member responsively tensioning against action of the rotatable spool when said spool is rotated in the first direction, said spring member thereby elastically effective of rotation of the rotatable spool in the second direction; a tether member disposed upon the rotatable spool and extensible therefrom from a retracted position, said tether member extensible when the rotatable spool is rotated in the first direction, said tether member retractable when the rotatable spool is rotated in the second direction; a clip member disposed endwise upon the tether member, said clip member attachable to a user; a clip seating recess disposed exteriorly upon the case proximal the discoid housing, said clip seating recess disposed to accommodate the clip member releasably engaged therein when the tether member is disposed in the retracted position; and a pretensional brake mechanism disposed in operational communication with the rotatable spool, said pretensional brake mechanism arresting rotation of the rotatable spool when abrupt action is deployed thereto; wherein the clip member is attachable to a user to maintain the case proximal the user when said clip member is seated within the clip seating recess, said clip member thence releasable from the seating recess for extension of the tether member, wherein the case is distally deployable and retractably housable upon a user whereby inadvertent contact of a cell phone with a ground surface is preventable.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figures

(1) FIG. 1 is an front view with a tether member partially extended from a discoid housing.

(2) FIG. 2 is a rear view with the tether member partially extended from the discoid housing.

(3) FIG. 3 is a rear view with a clip member seated within a clip seating recess.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(4) With reference now to the drawings, and in particular FIGS. 1 through 3 thereof, example of the instant protective cell phone case with retractable tether employing the principles and concepts of the present protective cell phone case with retractable tether and generally designated by the reference number 10 will be described.

(5) Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 a preferred embodiment of the present protective cell phone case with retractable tether 10 is illustrated.

(6) The present protective cell phone case with retractable tether 10 has been devised to securably house a cell phone 70 and prevent contact of said cell phone 70 with a ground surface should the cell phone 70 be inadvertently dropped by a user.

(7) The present protective cell phone case with retractable tether 10, therefore, includes a protective case 20, into which an extant cell phone 70 is releasably securable. A tether member 22 is retractably disposed upon the case 20, said tether member 22 attachable to a user whereby the case 20 is suspendable from the user and thereby prevented from contacting the ground should a user inadvertently drop the cell phone 70 during use, or when otherwise porting said cell phone 70 within the case 20.

(8) The case 20 includes a base 24 disposed to contact the rear face of an extant cell phone 70 when said cell phone 70 is secured into the case 20. A plurality of side walls 26 is disposed perimetrically upon the base 24, each of said plurality of side walls 26 enclosing an aperture into which an extant cell phone 70 is insertable for securement therein.

(9) Each of a plurality of reinforcing members 28 is disposed exteriorly cornerwise upon each of the plurality of side walls 26. A plurality of reinforcing panels 30 is likewise exteriorly disposed upon the base 24. The plurality of reinforcing members 28 and panels 30 provide additional protection for the cell phone 70 positioned into the case 20.

(10) A rotatable spool 38 is exteriorly disposed upon the base 24 within a discoid housing 32. The tether member 22 is extensible from within the discoid housing 32 when the spool 38 is rotated in a first direction. A spring member is disposed within the discoid housing 32 in tensional engagement with the spool 38, whereby the spring member is tensioned when the spool 38 is rotated in the first direction. Thus, extension of the tether member 22 from within the discoid housing 32 tensions the spring member.

(11) The action of the spring member upon the spool 38 forces the spool 38 in a second direction. Once extended from the discoid housing 32, release of the tether member 22 thereby causes retraction of the tether member 22 into the discoid housing 32 as the spring member forces rotation of the spool 38 in the second direction. The tether member 22 is thus retractable into the discoid housing 32 and storable in a retracted position.

(12) A clip member 34 is disposed endwise upon the tether member 22, said clip member 34 disposed for releasable attachment to a user. The clip member 34 thereby releasably secures the tether member 22 to a desired item of clothing, or other accoutrement or object disposed upon or proximal a user, and enables suspension of the case 20 therefrom.

(13) A user is thereby enabled to retrieve the phone 70 and position the phone 70 appropriate for use while maintaining attachment of the case 20 to the user. The extensible tether member 22 enables positioning of the phone 70, as desired, within a range delimited by extension of the tether member 22, while the case 20 remains attached to the user by means of the clip member 34 disposed endwise upon the tether member 22. Thus, should a user inadvertently drop the phone 70 during use, or otherwise when porting the phone 70, the tether member 22 retracts and prevents contact of the phone 70 with the ground.

(14) A pretensional brake mechanism is contemplated as part of the invention 10, said pretensional brake mechanism disposed to arrest the tether member 22 when abrupt action is deployed thereto. The tether member 22 is thus prevented from extending during locomotion of a user, for example, by inertial forces acting against the tether member 22 under the acceleration of gravity.

(15) When a user drops the phone 70, the tether member 22 is immediately slackened whereby action of the spring member forces rapid rotation of the spool 38 in the second direction to recoil the tether member 22 and prevent contact of the cell phone 70 with the ground. Sudden force against the tether member 22, as when the weight of the cell phone 70 engages against the tether member 22, is arrested by the pretensional brake mechanism and further extension of the tether member 22 from the discoid housing 32 is prevented.

(16) The case 20 also includes a clip seating recess 36 exteriorly disposed proximal the discoid housing 32, wherein the clip member 34 releasably engages for storage when not in use. The clip member 34 seats into the seating recess 36 when the tether member 22 is moved to the retracted position.

(17) A user may thus attach the clip member 34 to a belt, for example, or other item of clothing or accoutrement of the user, and maintain the case 20 proximal the user with the clip member 34 seated in the seating recess 36. When the cell phone 70 is desired for use, a user may retrieve the cell phone 70, release the clip member 34, and pull against the tether member 22, thereby tensioning the spring member and extending the tether member 22 from the discoid housing 32. After use of the cell phone 70 is completed, the user may return the cell phone 70 to a position with the clip member 34 engaged within the seating recess 36. The tether member 22 is expediently retracted into the discoid housing 32 during replacement of the cell phone 70 to its position proximal the clip member 34.

(18) The present invention 10, therefore, enables convenient portage of a cell phone 70 in a protective case 20 while preventing impact of the phone 70 with the ground, or other surface, when the cell phone 70 is inadvertently dropped by a user.