Mobile video entertainment system

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates generally to mobile video systems, and more specifically, to a mobile video system having a pivotable display attached to a video player.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] As society becomes more mobile and therefore spends a greater amount of time traveling and away from home, demand rises for electronic appliances and devices once traditionally confined to the home environment to be mobile as well. As such, portable and wireless devices such as cellular phones, portable TVs and DVD players, and laptop computers have become increasingly popular. Recently, consoles having video cassette players and screens have been mounted on the floors of vehicles, facilitating video entertainment on the road. In addition, consoles having video players and monitors have been mounted to the ceilings of vehicles for viewing by passengers. In both cases, the video player and monitor cannot be removed from the console or interior of a vehicle. Thus, videos may only be viewed with such systems when occupying the vehicle. This can be inconvenient on family trips for example, where a movie the passengers are watching might be interrupted when stopping at a motel without a VCR, and could not be continued until the trip is resumed. There is also a risk of theft of the video system and corresponding damage to the vehicle when the vehicle is unattended.

[0005] Although portable or small TVs with video cassette players can be used inside cars, it is difficult to affix such devices to the interior of a vehicle. When not secured, such devices can become a hazard inside a moving vehicle.

[0006] Accordingly, a portable video display and video player which can be conveniently viewed and operated in a variety of environments, including inside vehicles, is highly desirable.

[0007] The present invention is directed to a mobile video system having a pivotable display attached to a video player which can be housed and transported by and operated from within a bag.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, a mobile video system is provided which comprises a video player for facilitating play of a video medium, the player having a hinge; and a display pivotally attached to said video player from the hinge for facilitating viewing of the display when the video player is disposed in different positions. The video player and display are preferably housed in and operated from within a bag. In addition, the video player includes an input jack for external input from video game players, camcorders, DVD players or computers. The video medium includes a video cassette or a DVD. The display comprises an LCD type monitor or a flat-panel display.

[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, the hinge is disposed on a top portion of the video player and the display is pivotable from a stowed position wherein the display lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the control panel, to continuously variable positions about an axis defined by the hinge. The control panel includes controls for operating the video player and an opening for receiving a video medium, for example, a VHS cassette.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the bag includes a flap cover being partially removable for opening and closing a portion of the bag, wherein said flap cover is opened for accessing the video player and display.

[0011] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the bag also includes fastening means for suspending the bag to objects inside a vehicle, such as the front seats, to dispose the video player in an upright position with a control panel facing a ceiling of the vehicle and the display pivots at an angle for viewing by passengers; in this embodiment, the display is pivoted at greater than 90 degrees from the control panel of the player. The fastening means includes one or more of straps, velcro, buckles, snaps, buttons, or hooks.

[0012] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the bag includes extensible panels for tilting the suspended video player at an angle to facilitate viewing by a rear passenger of the vehicle. The extensible panels are preferably constructed of a mesh or a netting material for allowing air circulation around the video player. In this embodiment, the display is pivoted to about greater than 120 degrees from the control panel of the video player.

[0013] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the bag includes a belt strap for insertion of a safety belt therethrough to secure the bag to a seat of a vehicle such that a panel of the bag is positioned on a horizontal portion of a seat, wherein the display is pivotable to a position viewable by passengers of the vehicle. According to this embodiment, the display is pivoted to an angle greater than 120 degrees from the control panel of the video player.

[0014] In yet another aspect of the present invention, the video system includes a receiver for receiving control signals from a remote control device.

[0015] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be described or become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 1, a diagram illustrates an example of the components of a mobile video system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Video unit 100 includes a hinge 117, and a pivotable display 103 pivotally attached to a video player 105 on the hinge 117 for enabling the display to be flipped up and adjusted to a desired viewing angle by a user when in use, and folded down flat against a control panel 104 of the video player 105 when not in use. When folded, the display 103 lies along a plane parallel to the plane of the control panel 104 of the video player 105.

[0022] The hinge 117 allows the display 103 to be positioned at various angles for facilitating viewing of the display when the video player 105 is set up in different positions. For example, if the video player is in an upright position (with the control panel being horizontal relative to the ground and facing up), the display 103 is preferably positioned at about a 90 degree angle from the control panel. In another example, if the video player is in a horizontal position (with the control panel in a vertical position relative to the ground), the display is preferably adjusted to about a 180 degree angle from the front control panel of the video player.

[0023] The pivotable display 103 comprises an LCD type monitor or flat-panel display. The control panel 104 includes a plurality of control buttons 119 for controlling the functions of the video player, for example, volume control, tape functions such as fast forward, rewind, pause, eject and play, and a power on/off button. The control panel also includes an opening for receiving a video medium, such as a video cassette or a DVD.

[0024] For illustrative purposes, the control panel 104 includes, for example, a tape deck 106 for insertion of a video cassette to be viewed, video input jack 107 for optional hookup with outside video sources such as video game players, camcorders, DVD players, or computers, and audio R input jack 109 and audio L input jack 111 for audio input. Headphone 1 jack 113 allows a user to listen to audio with headphones. Using headphone 2 jack 115 allows a second user to listen with headphones. It is to be appreciated that the video player can be equipped to play other video mediums, such as DVD. In addition, it is to be appreciated that the video player can include a receiver for receiving control signals from a remote control device.

[0025] FIG. 2 depicts an example of a set up of a mobile video unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The video unit can be suspended from objects affixed inside a vehicle, for example, between a pair of seats, for viewing by rear seat passenger viewers. For illustrative purposes, FIG. 2 shows the video unit 100 suspended between front seats 204 of a vehicle in a substantially upright position by a bag 203, which includes a compartment for containing the video unit. In this position, a panel 211 of the bag faces the viewers and the control panel of the video player faces a ceiling of the vehicle.

[0026] The bag 203 includes a flap cover 205 which is partially removable and can be opened or closed by a user. The flap cover is preferably held closed by Velcro type material 240 disposed at an upper portion of panel 211 of the bag. The flap cover 205 is peeled open from the Velcro, and when opened, permits access to the video player 104 and exposes the display 103. With the bag suspended in the position as shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 2, the display 103 is pivoted to around 90 degrees from the control panel for viewing. When the display 103 is closed, the flap cover 205 can be closed against the Velcro material 240 and the video player 104 and the display 103 cannot be accessed.

[0027] In one embodiment, the bag can partially open at an edge 220 to reveal extensible panels 210 for facilitating tilting of the video player at an angle away from the front seats. The tilting of the video player towards a rear passenger viewer facilitates a larger tilting angle of the display 103, for example, at greater than 120 degrees or in this embodiment, around 130 degrees from the control panel of the video player 105 for better viewing for the viewer. The extensible panels are preferably constructed of a mesh or a netting material (not shown) for allowing air circulation around the video player 105.

[0028] The bag also includes a ventilation panel 230 for further facilitating air circulation through a side panel 201 of the bag.

[0029] The bag 203 preferably includes adjustable upper fastening means 206 to secure and suspend the video bag from, for example, each headrest of front seats 204, and adjustable lower fastening means 207 to secure and suspend the video bag from, for example, each leg of front seats 204, thus positioning the video unit 100 securely between the front seats for viewing. The adjustable upper and lower fastening means includes straps, velcro, buckles, snaps, buttons, or hooks. The bag 203 also includes a carrying strap 212 for carrying the video unit during transport. FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary installation of a mobile video system on a seat of a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention. The bag 203 includes a belt strap 301 for facilitating insertion of a safety belt therethrough to secure the bag to a horizontal portion of a seat 300. The panel 211 of the bag is positioned on the horizontal portion of seat 300. The flap cover 205 of the bag can be opened for access to the display of the video player by a user. In this embodiment, the display 103 is pivoted to about greater than 120 degrees from the control panel of the video player 105 for viewing.

[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary power connection of a mobile video system to a wall outlet. A top face 410 of the bag 203 includes an opening 406 to facilitate insertion of an electrical cord 404 into the video player. The electrical cord may include, for example, an AC-DC adapter 405 for connection to a wall outlet 407.

[0031] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary power connection of a mobile video system to a cigarette lighter of a vehicle in an aspect of the present invention. The opening 406 can facilitate connection, for example, to a DC 12V jack 502 of a cord 503. A DC 12V adaptor 504 on cord 503 connects with a cigarette lighter of a vehicle for supplying power to the video unit.

[0032] It is to be appreciated that a mobile video system according to the present invention is easily removable from and can be operated outside of a vehicle, for example, in home or office environments. In addition, the bag for containing the video unit can be attached to and thus suspend the video unit from various other objects, such as chairs, walls, doors, etc. It is also to be appreciated that the video unit can be operated when removed from the bag 203.

[0033] Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.