My Smartphone Dashboard Attachment

I often need to use GPS when driving. Where I live in Southern California, I just don't know where everything is. Since my car doesn't have built-in GPS, I use the Google Maps GPS on my phone. Until today, I had to set the phone low, near the drink holders. So, when I needed to glance at it to see how far until the next turn or how much longer it would take to get to my destination, I had to take my eyes off the road. Of course, this didn't give me a lot of time to read anything, and it wasn't exactly the safest.

On my dashboard, right above the clock and radio, are two adjustable air vents that blow in nice cool air when I have the AC on. I'm sure you've seen these in many cars. I figured, why not use my Cube 3 3D printer to make a case for my phone that will attach to those vents? Well, after two prototypes, I made one that works great. It fits in there securely and puts the the phone just slightly below eye level. I can now look at it and still see the traffic.

Here's what it looked like fresh from the 3D printer.

Here, you can see the back. The bars put it at a slight distance out from the vents, allowing the air to get through without a problem. The clip parts on the closest bar allow it to hold onto the vents securely. One prototype had those clip parts on each of the two bars, but I found that they were only necessary on the top one.

Here's what it looks life, with all the supports removed (they came out very easily) and the unit attached to the vents.

I do have to be somewhat gentle with it, but the phone snaps in nicely and I can put on Pandora, and my GPS, and I'm good to go. I also have a USB power plug below the radio and can plug the phone into that so it charges as I go. (Or, really, so the GPS doesn't deplete the battery quite so fast. The thing is a power hog.) To remove the phone, I carefully angle the phone forward from the left and push through the camera opening.

This may be the first thing I've invented, and I'm really happy with it! It's very cool being able to 3d print something like this.

Is anyone interested in one of these? I have templates for other phone cases. (This one's for my LG G2.) As long as you have the same type of vents, and I have the template for your phone case, I could sell an .obj or .stl file, or print and sell you the case. I don't know what kind of demand is out there. Anyone like this idea?