SmartTray International has received grants for six additional utility patents for Personal Electronic Device (PED) holders in passenger seats and tray tables for use in aviation and other modes of transportation.
The company now has 18 granted patents including a design patent.
Patented claims encompass integrated slot/groove, integrated kick-stands, independent and biased rotatable walls, self-adjusting mechanisms that expand and retract automatically to the thickness of PED’s firmly gripping mobile devices when placed in SmartTray proprietary PED holders.
According to SmartTray, its patented mobile device holders make it more ergonomic, convenient, safer, and easier to use travellers’ smartphones and electronic tablets on airplanes. There are more than 200 patented claims to PED holders in seatback tray tables (SBT), in-arm-tray (IAT) tables, and PED holders in passenger seats covering broad range of integrated PED holder geometries, including USB and wireless charging. Proprietary PED holders are conveniently located within arm’s reach of each passenger and in full sight.
“Adding new parts to the already certified passenger seats require that modified seats be recertified, a significantly more costly option. New parts add extra weight and extra weight costs more to fly around. Replacing existing seats with new or modified seats requires that airplanes be taken out of service at significant loss of revenue to airline operators. Therefore, SmartTray’s focus is on solutions that can be installed in minutes per passenger seat, require no disruption in service, or costly recertification,” said Nick Pajic, Founder, President & CEO of SmartTray.
“To expand our global footprint as quickly as possible, SmartTray works with suppliers to mass transit like OEM’s, MRO’s, IFE providers as well as FAA/EASA approved repair stations,” added Pajic.
“We can play a small or a larger role in supporting our customers through direct patent licensing agreements or manufacturing SmartTray proprietary PED holders in tray tables and passenger seats through SmartTray approved supply chain,” added Pajic.
To assist SmartTray with licensing and protection of its extensive patent portfolio, SmartTray has appointed intellectual property law firms, Niro McAndrews and Weiss & Moy.
“We are very excited to represent SmartTray in the licensing and enforcement of its important intellectual property rights,” said Raymond Niro, Jr., a Founding Partner at Niro McAndrews. “Our firm specializes in intellectual property and technology law, with an emphasis on the trial and appeal of complex disputes. We are hopeful that companies are amenable to accepting licenses for the use of SmartTray’s technology, but we are also prepared to initiate litigation if necessary,” added Niro.
