Holding aid for a personal, hand-held, tablet-shaped device and methods of use

1. An apparatus for securely holding a personal tablet-shaped device in a user's hand, said personal tablet-shaped device having a substantially planar portion on its back surface, comprising:

a back-panel coupling member configured for attachment to a substantially planar back surface on a personal tablet-shaped device; and

at least one finger-grip member configured for detachable coupling to said back-panel coupling member, wherein:

said at least one finger-grip member can be detachably coupled to said back-panel coupling member in a user-specified position and orientation relative to a substantially planar back surface of said personal tablet-shaped device;

said at least one finger-grip member has a substrate adapted to detachably couple to said back-panel coupling member; and

said at least one finger-grip member has multiple finger-receiving apertures adapted to snuggly engage two or more user fingers on a user hand;

said multiple finger-receiving apertures on said at least one finger-grip member is formed by secure and intermittently spaced attachment of a single strip of elastic material onto said substrate adapted for detachable coupling to said back-panel member, forming a substantially sinusoidal pattern, said secure attachments of elastic material occurring on the side of the substrate opposite of the back-panel-coupling interface of said substrate;

each finger-receiving aperture is oriented such that the longitudinal axis of each finger-receiving aperture is substantially parallel to said substantially planar back surface of said personal tablet-shaped device; and

said snuggly engagement allows a user to securely hold said personal tablet-shaped device without a user having to consciously grip said personal tablet-shaped device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said detachable coupling between said back-panel coupling member and said at least one finger-grip member is selected from the group consisting of hook-and-loop coupling, mechanical-snap coupling, and magnetic coupling.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:

said detachable coupling between said back-panel coupling member and said at least one finger-grip member is a hook-and-loop coupling;

said back-panel coupling member's detachable coupling surface is the “loop” part of a hook-and-loop coupling; and

said at least one finger-grip member's detachable coupling surface is the “hook” part of a hook-and-loop coupling.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said back-panel coupling member is comprised of one or more of pieces of matting, each piece of which can act as a “loop” part of a hook-and-loop coupling.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:

said detachable coupling between said back-panel coupling member and said at least one finger-grip member is a hook-and-loop coupling;

said back-panel coupling member's detachable coupling surface is the “hook” part of a hook-and-loop coupling; and

said at least one finger-grip member's detachable coupling surface is the “loop” part of a hook-and-loop coupling.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said back-panel coupling member is comprised of one or more pieces of matting, each piece of which can act as a “hook” part of a hook-and-loop coupling.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each said finger-receiving aperture is adapted to receive only one user finger.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each at least one finger-grip member has at least one finger-receiving aperture adapted to be adjustably fitted to a user finger.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:

said at least one said finger-grip member finger-receiving aperture is defined by a strap of material that is fixedly coupled at a point along said strap to said finger-grip member;

said strap of material has a “hook” part of a hook-and-loop coupling on one side, and has a “loop” part of a hook-and-loop coupling on the other side; and

said strap of material can be made into a variable-sized aperture by detachably coupling a portion of said “loop” part of said strap to a portion of said “hook” part of said strap.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said at least one finger-receiving aperture is substantially comprised of an elastic material.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is adapted for a user to hold a personal tablet-shaped device selected from the group consisting of e-readers, cellular phones, tablet computers, personal data assistants, and clipboards.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is adapted for a user to hold a personal tablet-shaped device that is at least partially encased within a protective covering.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said protective covering is substantially comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, rubber, and silicone.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said back-panel coupling member is configured for attachment to a substantially planar back surface on a personal tablet-shaped device by being incorporated into the structure of a protective covering that is adapted to substantially encase a personal tablet-shaped device.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one stylus-grip member configured for detachable coupling to said back-panel coupling member, wherein: said at least one stylus-grip member can be detachably coupled to said back-panel coupling member in a user-specified orientation relative to a substantially planar back surface of said personal tablet-shaped device; and

said at least one stylus-grip member is a sleeve of elastomeric material.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising at least one stylus-grip member configured for detachable coupling to said at least one finger-grip member.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said at least one stylus-grip member is configured to receive a stylus selected from the group consisting of pens, pencils, computing-device touch-screen stylus, and elongated pointing devices.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one stylus-grip member configured for detachable coupling to said back-panel coupling member, wherein:

said at least one stylus-grip member can be detachably coupled to said back-panel coupling member in a user-specified orientation relative to a substantially planar back surface of said personal tablet-shaped device and

said at least one stylus-grip member is a substantially rigid clip adapted to receive a stylus by way of interference fit.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said back-panel coupling member substantially covers the entire substantially planar back surface on a personal tablet-shaped device such that a user can detachably couple said at least one finger-grip member to substantially any point located along the back plane of said personal tablet-shaped device.

20. An apparatus for securely holding a personal tablet-shaped device in a user's hand, said personal tablet-shaped device having a substantially planar portion on its back surface, comprising:

a protective covering for a personal tablet-shaped device, said protective covering adapted to substantially cover the back-panel of a personal-tablet-shaped device and presenting a substantially planar outer surface;

a back-panel coupling member configured for attachment to said substantially planar back surface on said protective covering; and

at least one finger-grip member configured for detachable coupling to said back-panel coupling member, wherein:

said at least one finger-grip member can be detachably coupled to said back-panel coupling member in a user-specified position and orientation relative to a substantially planar back surface of said protective covering;

said at least one finger-grip member has a substrate adapted to detachably couple to said back-panel coupling member; and

said at least one finger-grip member has multiple finger-receiving apertures adapted to snuggly engage two or more user fingers on a user hand;

said multiple finger-receiving apertures on said at least one finger-grip member is formed by secure and intermittently spaced attachment of a single strip of elastic material onto said substrate adapted for detachable coupling to said back-panel member, forming a substantially sinusoidal pattern, said secure attachments of elastic material occurring on the side of the substrate opposite of the back-panel-coupling interface of said substrate;

each finger-receiving aperture is oriented such that the longitudinal axis of each finger-receiving aperture is substantially parallel to said substantially planar back surface of said personal tablet-shaped device; and

said snuggly engagement allows a user to securely hold said personal tablet-shaped device without a user having to consciously grip said personal tablet-shaped device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein said detachable coupling between said back-panel coupling member and said at least one finger-grip member is selected from the group consisting of hook-and-loop coupling, mechanical-snap coupling, and magnetic coupling.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein:

said detachable coupling between said back-panel coupling member and said at least one finger-grip member is a hook-and-loop coupling;

said back-panel coupling member's detachable coupling surface is the “loop” part of a hook-and-loop coupling; and

said at least one finger-grip member's detachable coupling surface is the “hook” part of a hook-and-loop coupling.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein said back-panel coupling member is comprised of one or more of pieces of matting, each piece of which can act as a “loop” part of a hook-and-loop coupling.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein:

said at least one finger-grip member has at least one finger-receiving aperture adapted to snuggly engage one or more user fingers on a user hand;

each at least one finger-receiving aperture is oriented such that the longitudinal axis of each said at least one finger-receiving aperture is substantially parallel to said substantially planar back surface of said protective covering; and

said snuggly engagement allows a user to securely hold a personal tablet-shaped device contained in said protective covering without a user having to consciously grip said personal tablet-shaped device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein:

said at least one finger-grip member has a substrate adapted to detachably couple to said back-panel coupling member; and

said at least one finger-receiving aperture on said at least one finger-grip member is formed by secure attachment of a strip of substantially elastic material, on each end of said strip material forming each finger-receiving aperture, to said substrate adapted to detachably couple to said back-panel coupling member, on the side of the substrate opposite of the back-panel-coupling interface of said substrate.

26. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein said protective cover is adapted for attachment to a personal tablet-shaped device selected from the group consisting of e-readers, cellular phones, tablet computers, personal data assistants, and clipboards.

27. The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising at least one stylus-grip member configured for detachable coupling to said back-panel coupling member, wherein:

said at least one stylus-grip member can be detachably coupled to said back-panel coupling member in a user-specified orientation relative to a substantially planar back surface of said protective covering; and

said at least one stylus-grip member is a sleeve of elastomeric material.

28. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein said back-panel coupling member substantially covers the entire substantially planar back surface on a personal tablet-shaped device such that a user can detachably couple said at least one finger-grip member to substantially any point located along the back plane of said personal tablet-shaped device.