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The Pilot Holster

I had been looking for a case to "ruggedize" my Palm Pilot Professional, but hadn't found anything that met my needs. This question was also raized on the comp.sys.palmtops.pilot newsgroup with no good results. A number of people (including myself) have asked if there is a rubber boot or holster for the Pilot (similar to the ones on Fluke and others' multimeters). Nothing like this is available, so here are some models I have rendered to show my idea of the "ultimate" ruggedized Pilot case.

This was my original design (click on thumbnail for larger image):

Mark I

The holster would be made of a 5mm (nom.) injection molded polyurethane with a Shore A hardness of 70-80. This is comparable to the Fluke holster. There are cutouts to access the stylus and the contrast control. The Pilot must be removed from the holster to hot-synch. The holster has ridges for grip, and a hole to allow the speaker to be heard.

Showing this design to some friends, as few improvements were suggested, leading to:

Mark II

The main change is obvious -- the addition of a cover to protect the screen. In this version, the flip cover is hinged at the top, with the hinge either "dimples and dents" making the cover removable, or a metal hinge pin. Comments on either are welcome. The cover would stay closed by a "dimples and dents" or "tongue and groove" system (friction/flex fit) at the bottom. An additional feature of the cover is the hole over the power switch to allow for turning on/off the unit and backlight without opening. Another minor change to the holster is an increase in the number of hole for the speaker. The cover material is 4mm thick, with a cutout to provide clearance for the cursor keys, following the outer contour of the rubber body.

Another possible feature would be the addition of a belt clip/loop to allow this case to be worn, rather than be tossed into a toolbox/briefcase. Colours other than yellow are also possible (designer colors, anyone?)

Palm, Palm Pilot Professional, Pilot, and Hot-Synch are all property of 3-Com/US Robotics.

Originally created 17 Aug 1998.