Portable electronic device positioning apparatus
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a Personal Electronic Device (PED) positioning apparatus that stows within a tray table. An articulated holder includes a crossbar arm that slides on at least one support shaft to a position where a crossbar can be rotate to provide an angled surface relative to the tray table to support a PED. When stowed, the crossbar presents a minimal profile with respect to the tray table. The exposed surface of the crossbar can be made to match the color and appearance of the tray table so that the apparatus has minimal visual impact.
1. A Personal Electronic Device (PED) positioning apparatus, comprising:
at least one guide shaft disposed internally in a tray table;
a crossbar;
at least one crossbar arm connected to the crossbar at a first position and attached to an inner arm by a hinge at an opposing second position, wherein the crossbar arm, the hinge and the inner arm are all configured to fit within the guide shaft;
wherein the crossbar arm is configured to be stowable within the guide shaft when in a stowed position;
wherein the crossbar arm is configured to extend from the guide shaft and beyond the tray table in a deployed configuration, wherein the crossbar atm is further configured to rotate at the hinge so as to dispose the crossbar at an angle with respect to a surface of the tray table that is effective to retain the PED in a viewing position.
2. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the crossbar forms a portion of an edge of the tray table when in a stowed position.
3. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the crossbar is flush with an edge of the tray table when in a stowed position.
4. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tray table is disposed in a passenger aircraft.
5. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the tray table is a seat back tray table.
6. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the tray table is a bi-fold tray table.
7. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 6 wherein the hinge is configured to allow the crossbar arm to position the crossbar at an angle with respect to the surface of the tray table that is effective to retain a PED in a viewing position when either the bi-fold tray table is in a fully deployed configuration or a half deployed configuration.
8. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 1 wherein a portion of the crossbar that is exposed when in a stowed position has a color matching a color of the tray table.
9. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hinge is a friction hinge providing a continuous resistance to rotation allowing the crossbar to be configured at a range of angles.
10. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hinge has a plurality of detents allowing the crossbar to be configured at a set of pre-defined angles.
11. A Personal Electronic Device (PED) positioning apparatus, comprising:
a tray table having formed therein a first and second guide shaft;
a first and second crossbar arm each having a first end attached to a crossbar and an opposing second end attached to an inner arm by a hinge;
wherein each of the first and second crossbar arms, the hinges and the inner arms are configured to fit within one of the first and second guide shafts;
wherein in a stowed position, the crossbar arms are configured to be stowed within the respective associated guide shaft;
wherein in a deployed position, the first and second crossbar arms are configured to extend from the first and second guides shafts beyond the tray table to position the crossbar so that it may support a PED disposed so a display of the PED is at a viewing angle relative to a surface of the tray table.
12. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the crossbar forms a portion of an edge of the tray table when in a stowed position.
13. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the crossbar is flush with an edge of the tray table when in a stowed position.
14. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the tray table is a seat back tray table.
15. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the tray table is a bi-fold tray table.
16. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the hinge is a friction hinge providing a continuous resistance to rotation allowing the crossbar to be configured at a range of angles.
17. The PED positioning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the hinge has a plurality of detents allowing the crossbar to be configured at a set of pre-defined angles.
18. A method of positioning a PED, comprising the steps of:
providing a tray table having at least one guide shaft disposed internally;
providing at least one crossbar arm having a first end attached to an inner arm by a hinge and a second end interconnected with a crossbar;
wherein in an initial state the crossbar arm is disposed within the guide shaft and the crossbar sits against the edge of the tray table;
extending the crossbar arm outward from the guide shaft and beyond the tray table to an extended position wherein the inner arm is disposed within the guide shaft;
rotating the crossbar arm via the hinge so that the crossbar arm is disposed at an angle from a surface of the tray table; and
placing a PED against the crossbar such that a display of the PED is presented at a viewing angle.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the hinge is a friction hinge providing a continuous resistance to rotation allowing the crossbar to be configured at a continuation range of angles.
20. The method of claim 18 wherein the hinge has a plurality of detents allowing the crossbar to be configured at pre-defined angles.