HOLSTER FOR VIRTUAL REALITY CONTROLLER

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates generally to the field of virtual reality system accessories, and more particularly to holsters for virtual reality controllers.

BACKGROUND

[0002]Conventionally, a person engaging with virtual reality devices must hold a handheld controller in each hand while wearing a virtual reality headset or other visual device which blocks user vision into the surrounding room or area in which the user is undergoing the virtual reality experience. While the user wears the headset, it may be difficult for them to locate the controllers in the surrounding room or physical area. If the user places the controllers down in a particular location, the user may have difficulty picking the controllers up again because the user is unable to see the exact location of the controllers while the headset is being worn. Therefore, the person wearing the headset may need to remove the headset to visually locate the controllers or may need to ask for assistance in retrieving the controllers. Additionally, a user wearing the headset may drop the controllers in an undesirable location or onto a fragile object, damaging the object or the controllers, themselves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003]The present disclosure provides a holster and a holster belt assembly for virtual reality video controllers. The holster belt assembly may include a belt and one or more holsters connected to the belt. The holsters can be optionally used as standalone holsters without the belt, such that a user can attach the holsters to the belt, to the user's belt of choice, or to the user's clothing, for example. The holsters include shaped retention cups into which at least bottom regions of the controllers can be inserted and/or rested upon. The holsters attach to the belt at a suitable angle for the user to insert and remove the controllers from the retention cups while the user is wearing the holster belt assembly comfortably and easily. Therefore, the user can easily rest from holding the controllers while their headset is on or have a place to put their controllers before donning the headset, for example.

[0004]According to an aspect of this disclosure, a holster for a virtual reality controller includes: a shaped receiving cup; a belt connector; and a spacer between the shaped receiving cup and the belt connector. The shaped receiving cup is configured to support the virtual reality controller; and the shaped receiving cup includes a recessed portion reflecting a shape of at least a bottom portion of the virtual reality controller.

[0005]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the holster may include a pad connected to the belt connector.

[0006]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the holster may include a hook.

[0007]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the spacer may have a length separating the shaped receiving cup and the belt connector.

[0008]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the length of the spacer may be adjustable.

[0009]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the spacer may include an angled face upon which the shaped receiving cup is mounted.

[0010]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, an orientation of the angled face may be adjustable.

[0011]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the shaped receiving cup may include a slot on a side of the shaped connector cup.

[0012]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the shaped receiving cup may include a hole located on a bottom region of the shaped receiving cup; and the hole may be contiguous with the slot.

[0013]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the holster may include a textured region on the bottom portion of the shaped receiving cup.

[0014]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the shaped connector cup may include an interior recession shaped to receive at least a portion of a button of the virtual reality controller.

[0015]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the belt connector may be a clip.

[0016]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, a pad may be mounted between the belt connector and the shaped receiving cup.

[0017]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the belt connector may be a belt loop.

[0018]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the shaped receiving cup may have a longer side and a shorter side along a shaped receiving cup axis.

[0019]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, a hook may be located on an outside of the shorter side of the shaped receiving cup.

[0020]According to an aspect of this disclosure, a holster belt assembly for a virtual reality controller comprising: a belt; and one or more of the holsters couplable to the belt.

[0021]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the belt may include a belt fastener.

[0022]According to an embodiment of any paragraph(s) of this disclosure, the holsters may be movable along a length of the belt.

[0023]A holster belt assembly for virtual reality controllers includes: a belt; and two holsters couplable to the belt. The two holsters each include: a shaped receiving cup that can support the virtual reality controller; a belt connector removably connecting the shaped receiving cup to the belt; a cup connector coupling the shaped receiving cup and the belt connector; and a hook supporting a strap coupled to the virtual reality controllers. The shaped receiving cup may be molded to reflect the shape of at least a bottom portion of the virtual reality controller; the shaped receiving cup further includes a slot that can receive the strap during insertion of the virtual reality controller into the shaped receiving cup; the shaped receiving cup is angleable such that a user can insert the virtual reality controller into the shaped receiving cup and remove the virtual reality controller from the shaped receiving cup while the user is wearing the holster belt assembly; ends of the belt are removably fastenable to each other; and the cup connector can couple the shaped connector cup to the belt connector at a suitable distance such that the user can grasp the virtual reality controller while the user is wearing the holster belt assembly and while the virtual reality controllers are in the shaped receiving cups.

[0024]The foregoing and other features of the holster and holster belt assembly are hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail one or more illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments, however, are but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention can be employed. Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a holster belt assembly.

[0026]FIG. 2 is a front view of the holster belt assembly.

[0027]FIG. 3 a front left perspective view of the holster belt assembly.

[0028]FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the holster of the holster belt assembly.

[0029]FIG. 5 is a front view of the holster.

[0030]FIG. 6 is a front view of the holsters attached to the holster belt.

[0031]FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the holsters attached to the holster belt.

[0032]FIG. 8 is a back view of the holsters attached to the holster belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033]A holster belt assembly of the present disclosure can provide for convenient setup or rest from a virtual reality experience. A user can wear the holster belt assembly, for example around their hips, while experiencing virtual reality systems devices, such as with Meta Quest™ VR headsets, controllers, and other devices. The user can insert virtual reality controllers (or “controllers”) into shaped receiving cups connected to the holster belt assembly at an angle suitable for ease of removal and insertion of the controllers. The user can wear the holster belt assembly with virtual reality controllers inserted prior to donning a virtual reality headset, for example, which can prevent the user from seeing their physical surroundings. When the user wishes to rest from the virtual reality experience, the user can conveniently insert the virtual reality controllers into the shaped receiving cups connected to the holster belt assembly, allowing the user to both to have free hands and to know the precise location of the controllers.

[0034]Turning now to FIGS. 1-3, a holster belt assembly 100 is shown. The holster belt assembly 100 includes a holster belt (or “belt”) 105 and holsters. The holsters 110 include shaped retention cups (or “cups”) 115 connected to clips 120 or any other suitable connector, such as a belt loop or a hook-and-loop closure. The shaped retention cups 115 are configured to hold and support handheld virtual reality controllers (or “controllers”) 125 at a suitable angle for the user to easily insert and remove the controllers 125 from the cups 115. The clips 120 secure the holsters 110 around the belt 105 or otherwise attach the holsters 110 to the belt 105. A user can wear the holster belt assembly 100 around their hips or waist, for example, by fastening the belt around their body using the belt fastener 130.

[0035]The belt 105 can be made of nylon, leather, polyester, cotton, or any other suitable material, such as a braided material or fabric. The belt 105 is of a suitable length such that a user can easily wear the belt 105 in a closed state around the user's waist and/or hips, preferably in an adjustable manner. For example, the belt 105 may include multiple holes through which a buckle may be secured. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1, the belt fastener 130 can include means, such as a ratchet for adjusting the wearable length of the belt 105 without the use of holes along the length of the belt 105.

[0036]A spacer 135 can separate the clips 120 and the cups 115 at a suitable distance and angle from each other such that the user can easily use the holster belt assembly 100. For example, the spacer 135 can space the cups 115 from the belt connector 120 at a distance suitable for a user's hand to fit between the belt connector 120 and the cups 115 during insertion and removal of the controllers 125. The spacer 135 can either be a single contiguous piece with the cups 115 or be attachable to the cups 115.

[0037]A pad 140 can be situated between the cup 115 and the clip 120. The location of the pad 140 allows the user to wear the holster belt assembly 100 while the controllers 125 are inserted into the cups 115 without pressing buttons 145 on the controllers 125 or otherwise contacting the controllers 125 with the user's body in an undesirable manner disrupting the virtual reality experience. The pad 140 can fit on an inside 150 of the belt 105, on an outside 155 of the belt 105, for example. The pad 140 can be fixed or otherwise attached to the holsters 110, for example using any suitable method and/or attachment means. The pad 140 may be made of fabric-covered foam, composite, or any other material suitable to protect the controller 125 from being disturbed while the controllers 125 are seated within the cups 115 and suitable to provide wearable comfort to the user. For example, foam or composite within the pads 140 may be covered in a mesh, polyester fabric, nylon fabric, cotton fabric, or any other suitable fabric material.

[0038]The cups 115 can include slots 160 through which straps 165 on the controllers 125 can be fed while or before the controllers 125 are being inserted and removed from the cups 115. The straps 165 can be hung on hooks 170 situated on an outside 175 of the cup 115. The hooks 170 can prevent the controllers 125 from being dropped while the user is inserting or removing the controllers 125 from the cups 115. The straps 165 can be hung on the respective hooks 170, and then a remaining length of the straps 165 can be fed through the slots 160. This allows for the controllers 125 to be secured to the cups 115 via the hooks 170 prior to the user inserting the controllers. Further, the controllers 125 can be placed into the cups 115 before the straps 165 are hooked onto the respective hooks 170. The cups 115 can be made of plastic, rubber, composite, or any other suitable material. The material of the cups 115 may be recyclable.

[0039]The clips 120 can adjustably connect the holsters 110 to the belt 105 or to a belt of the user's choice. Alternatively or additionally, the holsters 110 can include any other suitable fastening means. For example, the belt connectors 120 can include a loop through which the belt 105 can be fed such that the location of the holsters can be varied according to the preferences and body shape of the user. Once the belt connectors 120 are located according to the preferences of the user, the user can secure the belt using a belt fastener 130 such as a buckle, clip, or other fastening means, which may be attached to or contiguous with the belt 105. The belt 105 and connectors 120 can be adjusted such that the user can wear it comfortably and securely enough for frequent insertion and removal of the controllers 125 into the cups 115. The clips 120 may be made of metal, plastic, or any other suitable material.

[0040]FIGS. 4-7 illustrate the holsters 110 in further detail. As shown in FIG. 4, while the controller 125 is mounted within the cup 115, the strap 165 can hang beneath the hole 180 on a bottom region 185 of the cup 115 and be hung on the hook 170. The bottom region 185 can be textured, such as with a ridged texture, a grooved texture, or a pebbled texture. The hook 170 can be located on an outside of a short side of the cup 115. Alternatively or additionally, the hook 170 can be located anywhere else on the holster 110 such that a user can hook the strap 165 onto the hook 170 while the controller 125 is mounted within the cup 115 and the strap 165 is fed through the hole 180. The hook 170 can be angled approximately perpendicularly to the surface of the cup 115, or at any other suitable angle.

[0041]As shown in FIG. 6, the slot 160 can be located on the cup 115 at an angle of approximately 75 degrees or 105 degrees relative to the planar orientation of the pad. Therefore, when the user wears the holster belt assembly 100 and arranges the holsters 110 appropriately on their hips, the user will be able to comfortably arrange the strap through the slot 160 and onto the hook 170 located on the short side 187 of the cup 115. Alternatively or additionally, the hook 170 can be located on a long side 188 of the cup.

[0042]A recession 190 on an inside 195 of the cup 115 can be shaped or molded to reflect the shape of buttons 145 on the controller 125. As shown in FIG. 7, this shape can include indicators 200 indicating which controller 125 is to be placed within which cup 115. In FIG. 7, the respective cups 115 include indicators 200 on the recession 190 indicating whether the cup 115 corresponds to the left or right controller. Alternatively or additionally, the cups and/or the holsters 110 may include a different type of indicator such as a color, a printed letter or word, or any other suitable indicator to allow a user to readily determine what controller 125 each cup 115 is shaped to receive.

[0043]FIG. 8 illustrates a back view of the holster assembly 100. As shown, the belt connectors (or “clips”) 120 are attached to backsides 205 of the respective pads 140. The clips 120 can be attached to and removed from the belt 105. Alternatively belt loops or other attaching means can be used instead of clips 120.

[0044]A holster 110 for a virtual reality controller 125 includes: a shaped receiving cup 115, a belt connector 120, and a spacer 135 between the shaped receiving cup 115 and the belt connector 120. The shaped receiving cup 115 supports the virtual reality controller 125 and includes a recessed portion 190 reflecting a shape of at least a bottom portion 185 of the virtual reality controller 125. A holster belt assembly 100 includes one or more of the holsters 110 couplable to a belt 105.

[0045]All features disclosed herein, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed herein, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0046]Although the invention defined by the following claims has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment, equivalent alternations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described integers (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such integers are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any integer which performs the specified function of the described integer (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been described above with respect to only one of several illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.