Frictional holding pad
View Patent ↗A frictional holding pad for removably attaching items, such as a cell phone or sunglasses, to a vehicle surface, such as a dash or console, to allow storage of items on the pad to prevent the items from shifting or sliding due to the movement of the vehicle. The holding pad includes a top surface having an uppermost contact surface configured to contact and frictionally cling to the item and a bottom surface having a lowermost contact surface configured to contact and cling to the vehicle surface. The top and the bottom surfaces are configured to provide a greater frictional engagement between the lowermost contact surface and the vehicle surface than the uppermost contact surface and the item.
1. A frictional holding device configured to secure an item on a dashboard or console of a vehicle, the device comprising:
a) a pad having top and bottom surfaces, the bottom surface having a lowermost contact surface that is tacky and configured to be disposed on and frictionally cling to the dashboard or console of the vehicle;
b) at least a portion of the top surface being a contoured top surface with a plurality of separate and discrete indentations extending into the pad and having an uppermost contact surface that is tacky and configured to removably and frictionally cling to the item when disposed thereon; and
c) the lowermost contact surface has a greater surface area than the uppermost contact surface.
2. The device of claim 1 , in combination with:
a) the dashboard or console of the vehicle upon which the lowermost contact surface is disposed; and
b) the item removably disposed on and frictionally clinging to the uppermost contact surface of the pad, the item is selected from the group consisting of: a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a writing instrument, a pen, a pencil, sunglasses, eye glasses, a global positioning system, a radio, a two-way radio, a citizens band radio, a walkie-talkie, a camera, a video recorder, a cassette player/recorder, a mini-cassette recorder, a DVD player, a mini-disk player, and a portable television.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of indentations includes an array or matrix of circular indentations, each indentation having a cross-sectional profile with linear sidewalls and a flat bottom.
4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising the bottom surface having a plurality of indentations similar to the indentations of the top surface.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the size of the pad is larger than the size of the item to create a greater contact surface area between the bottom surface and the dashboard or console of the vehicle than the top surface and the item.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of indentations includes an array or matrix of circular indentations, each indentation having a curved cross-sectional profile.
7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
indicia, formed on the uppermost contact surface of the pad, the indicia being selected from the group consisting of: a logo, an advertisement, an instruction, a promotion, a company name, and a product name.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the top surface includes at least two sections, including a first section that is flat and has indicia thereon, and a second section that is contoured and configured to receive the item thereon.
9. A frictional holding device configured to receive and secure an item to a dashboard or console of a vehicle, the device comprising:
a) a pad that having a bottom with a lowermost contact surface that is tacky and configured to be disposed on and frictionally cling to the dashboard or console of the vehicle, and a top;
b) the top having two laterally adjacent and bordering sections, including a first printable section that is flat and has indicia thereon, and a second section that has a contoured top surface;
c) the contoured top surface having a plurality of separate and discrete indentations and having an uppermost contact surface; and
d) the lowermost contact surface has a greater surface area than the uppermost contact surface.
10. The device of claim 9 , in combination with:
a) the dashboard or console of the vehicle upon which the lowermost contact surface is disposed; and
b) the item removably disposed on the uppermost contact surface of the pad, the item is selected from the group consisting of: a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a global positioning system, a radio, a two-way radio, a citizens band radio, a walkie-talkie, a camera, a video recorder, a cassette player/recorder, a mini-cassette recorder, a DVD player, a mini-disk player, and a portable television.
11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of indentations includes an array or matrix of circular indentations, each indentation having a cross-sectional profile with linear sidewalls and a flat bottom.
12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of indentations includes an array or matrix of circular indentations, each indentation having a curved cross-sectional profile.
13. The device of claim 9 , further comprising the bottom surface having a plurality of protrusions or indentations.
14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the size of the pad is substantially larger than the size of the item to create a greater contact surface area between the bottom surface and the dashboard or console of the vehicle than the top surface and the item.