Belt Clip Holder

Abstract

An improved belt-clip holder for various objects is disclosed. The holder may be of unitary construction and includes a belt-clip for securely attaching the holder to a user's belt or other suitable item. The unitary construction reduces the cost and complexity of the holder. The holder has front, back and side panels to hold and protect an object, such as a dipping tobacco tin, or a group of objects, such as a group of credit cards. The holder also may have bottom panels in some embodiments. A retainer, having an integral retaining lip, secures the held object or objects in the holder. A cavity formed by the lower edges of the front, back, and side panels, allows a user to push a held object upward in order to remove the object from the holder. The retainer is configured so that a user my disengage the integral retaining lip using the same hand used to push the held object upward via the cavity. In this manner, the holder allows for the secure retention of an object within the holder, and also for easy, single-handed, removal of the object by a user when such removal is desired.

1 . A holder for a dipping tobacco tin or other small, cylindrical object, comprising:
 a. a belt clip having a resilient upper bend, a resilient lever body, and a retaining member;   b. a back panel connected to the belt clip;   c. two arcuate side panels connected to the back panel;   d. a front panel having an integral retainer and being connected to the two arcuate side panels such that a cavity is formed by lower edges of the back panel, the two arcuate side panels, and the front panel;
 i. wherein the integral retainer and the cavity are configured so that a user may remove a held object from the holder using a single hand; and, 
 ii. wherein the holder is of a unitary construction. 
   
   
   
       2 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein the integral retainer further comprises a retaining lip configured to allow easy insertion of an object into the holder and to securely hold the object once it has been fully inserted into the holder. 
   
   
       3 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein the cavity is at least approximately one inch in width, measured from lower edges of the two side panels. 
   
   
       4 . The holder of  claim 1  wherein the side panels each extend around approximately 60° of the outer circumference of the holder, and the cavity extends around approximately 60° of the circumference of the holder, such that the two side panels and the cavity, taken together, extend around approximately 180° of the circumference of the holder. 
   
   
       5 . A holder for a dipping tobacco tin or other small, cylindrical object, comprising:
 a. a belt clip;   b. a back panel connected to the belt clip;   c. two arcuate side panels connected to the back panel; and,   d. a front panel having an integral retainer and being connected to the two arcuate side panels such that a cavity is formed by lower edges of the back panel, the two arcuate side panels, and the front panel, and wherein the integral retainer and the cavity are configured so that a user may remove a held object from the holder using a single hand.   
   
   
       6 . The holder of  claim 5 , wherein the holder is of unitary construction. 
   
   
       7 . The holder of  claim 5 , wherein the back panel, front panel, and side panels are sized to accommodate a standard-sized dipping tobacco tin. 
   
   
       8 . The holder of  claim 7 , wherein the side panels have an arcuate length so that a side-to-side measurement from an upper edge of a first arcuate side panel to an upper edge of a second arcuate side panel is less than an inside diameter of the holder. 
   
   
       9 . The holder of  claim 5 , wherein the integral retainer further comprises a retaining lip configured to allow easy insertion of an object into the holder and to securely hold the object once it has been fully inserted into the holder. 
   
   
       10 . The holder of  claim 5 , wherein the cavity has a width sufficient to allow an intended user to insert at least one finger into the cavity. 
   
   
       11 . The holder of  claim 5 , wherein the front panel and belt-clip are constructed of a resilient material. 
   
   
       12 . The holder of  claim 5 , wherein the belt clip further comprises a resilient upper bend, a resilient lever body, and a retaining member. 
   
   
       13 . A holder for a dipping tobacco tin or other small, cylindrical object, comprising:
 a. a belt clip;   b. a back panel connected to the belt clip;   c. two arcuate side panels connected to the back panel; and   d. a front panel having an integral retainer and being connected to the two arcuate side panels such that a cavity is formed by lower edges of the back panel, the two arcuate side panels, and the front panel, and wherein the holder is of a unitary construction.   
   
   
       14 . The holder of  claim 13 , wherein the integral retainer and the cavity are configured so that a user may remove a held object from the holder using a single hand. 
   
   
       15 . The holder of  claim 13 , wherein the cavity has a width sufficient to allow an intended user to insert at least one finger into the cavity. 
   
   
       16 . The holder of  claim 13 , wherein the front panel and belt-clip are constructed of a resilient material. 
   
   
       17 . The holder of  claim 13 , wherein the integral retainer further comprises a retaining lip configured to allow easy insertion of an object into the holder and to securely hold the object once it has been fully inserted into the holder. 
   
   
       18 . The holder of  claim 13 , wherein the holder is constructed of nylon. 
   
   
       19 . A holder, comprising:
 a. a back panel, having an integral belt clip;   b. first and second side panels, each side panel connected to the back panel;   c. first and second bottom panels connected to the first and second side panels, respectively, and the bottom panels also connected to the back panel; and,   d. a front panel having an integral retainer, the front panel being connected to the two side panels and the two bottom panels such that a cavity is formed by lower edges of the back panel and front panel and inner edges of the two bottom panels, and wherein the integral retainer and the cavity are configured so that a user may remove a held object from the holder using a single hand.   
   
   
       20 . The holder of  claim 19 , wherein the holder is of unitary construction.