Patent Application
20230210234
The present disclosure relates generally to carrying cases. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to laptop computer carrying cases. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to laptop computer carrying cases having an internal elevatable support for the laptop computer.
The embodiments disclosed herein will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only typical embodiments, which will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Carrying cases are used to transport laptop computers or other electronic devices between places of work, school, or entertainment. In certain instances, the laptop computer may remain within the carrying case while it is used. Elevating the laptop at angle may provide an ergonomic orientation to improve a user's experience and effectiveness when using the laptop computer.
Embodiments herein describe a laptop carrying case including an elevating support device for a laptop computer. The carrying case includes an upper portion and a lower portion with a selective closure member (e.g., zipper) coupled to the upper portion and the lower portion and configured to be used to selectively open and close the carrying case. A laptop tray elevating device is disposed within the lower portion. The laptop tray elevating device can include a laptop tray to support the laptop computer. An elevating portion is coupled to the laptop tray and includes first, second, third, and fourth folding panels configured to be folded in a manner to elevate the laptop tray at an angle. A webbing is coupled to the fourth folding panel and is pulled by a user to displace the fourth folding panel relative to the laptop tray and to fold the second and third folding panels. The elevating portion may include one or more pulleys to decrease a pull force required to elevate the laptop tray. A hook member is coupled to the laptop tray to prevent the laptop computer from sliding off the laptop tray when elevated. A webbing gripping member is coupled to the webbing and configured to grip the webbing to maintain the laptop tray in the elevated state and to release the webbing to allow the laptop tray to be elevated and to return to a non-elevated state.
In use, in embodiments within the scope of this disclosure, the laptop carrying case can be opened and the laptop computer placed on the laptop tray. The webbing gripping member may be actuated to release the webbing and the webbing can be pulled by the user. When the webbing is pulled, the fourth folding panel slides along a bottom surface of the laptop tray. The fourth folding panel pulls the third folding panel into a vertical orientation and then into alignment with the fourth folding panel against the bottom surface of the laptop tray. The third folding panel pulls the second folding panel into a vertical orientation having an angle relative to a bottom surface of the lower portion ranging from about 0 degrees to about 70 degrees and resulting in an angled elevation of the laptop tray of from about minus 2 degrees to about 60 degrees. The webbing gripping member can be de-actuated such that the webbing gripping member grips the webbing to hold the laptop tray in the elevated state.
Embodiments may be understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the components of the embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of various embodiments, as represented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, but is merely representative of various embodiments. While the various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.
The illustrated laptop carrying case 100 includes a cut n′ sew construct. In other embodiments, the laptop carrying case 100 may include a molded ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) construct. Other types of constructs are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. A handle 104 may be coupled to the laptop carrying case 100 to facilitate handling of the laptop carrying case 100 during transport.
The illustrated laptop carrying case 100 is configured to transport a laptop computer. In other embodiments, the laptop carrying case 100 can transport any personal electronic computing device. For example, the laptop carrying case 100 may transport a tablet, a e-reader, smartphone, etc. In certain embodiments, the laptop carrying case 100 may include additional features, such as external pockets, a shoulder strap, etc.
The laptop tray elevating member 110 is disposed within the lower portion 101 in a pre-elevated state. That is, the laptop tray elevating member 110 is collapsed to be substantially flat and oriented parallel with the inside surface of the lower portion 101. As depicted, a laptop tray 111 is disposed facing upward such that a laptop computer can be placed on the laptop tray 111. A webbing 129 extends from the laptop tray elevating member 110 to make it available to be easily grasped by a user to actuate the laptop tray elevating member 110, as will be described below. A webbing gripping member 170 is fixedly coupled to an inner surface of the lower portion 101 and configured to selectively grasp or hold the webbing 129 in place relative to the laptop tray 111. A hook member 140 is fixedly coupled to a top surface of the laptop tray 111 and configured to prevent the laptop computer from sliding off the laptop tray 111 when the laptop tray 111 is in an elevated state.
The first folding panel 121 is coupled to a lower edge 112 of the laptop tray 111 via a first living hinge 125. The second folding panel 122 is coupled to first folding panel 121 via a second living hinge 126 such that the first folding panel 121 is disposed between the laptop tray 111 and the second folding panel 122. The third folding panel 123 is coupled to the second folding panel 122 via a third living hinge 127. The fourth folding panel 124 is coupled to the third folding panel 123 via a fourth living hinge 128 such that the third folding panel 123 is disposed between the second folding panel 122 and the fourth folding panel 124.
Each of the laptop tray 111 and the folding panels 121, 122, 123, 124 include a layered structure including a first layer of a material such as a polyurethane film manufactured by a wet polyurethane process; a second layer of a stiff board made from fiberglass or polypropylene; and a third layer of a smooth, low friction material such as a polyurethane faux leather material. The first layer and the third layer can be extended between the folding panels 121, 122, 123, 124 to form the living hinges 125, 126, 127, 128. The first layer may include a color or pattern. The first and third layers can be stitched together around a perimeter of the second layer to retain the second layer between the first and third layers.
The laptop tray 111 can be sized to support a laptop computer or other portable personal computing device. For example, a width of the laptop tray 111 can range from about 325 millimeters to about 425 millimeters and may be about 375 millimeters. A height of the laptop tray 111 can range from about 230 millimeters to about 300 millimeters and may be about 265 millimeters. A width of the folding panels 121, 122, 123, 124 may be approximately equivalent to the width of the laptop tray 111.
In other embodiments, the width of the folding panels 121, 122, 123, 124 may be less than the width of the laptop tray 111. A height of the first and second folding panels 121, 122 can range from about 100 millimeters to about 130 millimeters and may be about 115 millimeters. A height of the third folding panel 123 may range from about 7.5 millimeters to about 12.5 millimeters and may be about 10 millimeters. A height of the fourth folding panel 124 may range from about 50 millimeters and about 70 millimeters and may be about 60 millimeters.
The laptop tray 111 includes a webbing window 114 disposed in the lower edge 112. The webbing window 114 is sized to allow passage of the webbing 129 through the webbing window 114 without binding or pinching. The hook member 140 is coupled to the upper surface of the laptop tray 111, as shown in
The elevating portion 120 also includes a first pulley 131 coupled to the first folding panel 121 and a second pulley 132 coupled to the fourth folding panel 124. Each of the first and second pulleys 131, 132 may comprise a D-loop having a roller sized to allow the webbing 129 to pass through the D-loop and operably couple with the roller. The second pulley 132 is disposed within a window 133 of the fourth folding panel 124. The webbing 129 can be fixedly coupled to the fourth folding panel 124 and extend toward and through the first pulley 131, extend from the first pulley 131 toward and through the second pulley 132 and through the window 133, and extend toward and through the webbing window 114, as shown in
The webbing 129 can be a woven flat or tubular webbing formed from any suitable material, such as canvas, acrylic, nylon, polypropylene, polyester, cotton twill, etc. A width of the webbing 129 can range from about 20 millimeters to about 38 millimeters and may be about 25 millimeters.
The first folding panel 121, the second folding panel 122, and the third folding panel 123 are aligned and disposed against the inner surface of the lower portion 101. The fourth folding panel 124 is folded over the third folding panel 123 and partially over the fourth folding panel 124. The fourth folding panel 124 is disposed against the bottom surface of the laptop tray 111. Living hinges 126, 127 are straight and living hinges 125, 128 are bent at an angle of approximately 180 degrees.
The webbing 129 is fixedly coupled to the fourth folding panel 124 and routed to and through the first pulley 131, to and through the second pulley 132 and window 133, to and through the webbing window 114, and to and through the webbing gripping member 170. A restraining strap 134 is coupled to the second folding panel 122 and the inner surface of the lower portion 101 in a collapsed state.
As illustrated in
As the webbing 129 is pulled, it moves toward the user through the webbing gripping member 170, through the webbing window 114, through the second pulley 132 and window 133, through the pulley 131 as it displaces the fourth folding panel 124 and folds the third folding panel 123 to a vertical orientation. The restraining strap 134 is coupled to the second folding panel 122 and the inner surface of the lower portion 101 in a collapsed state.
As illustrated in
Any methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for performing the described method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the embodiment, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modified. For example, a method of elevating a laptop computer may include one or more of the following steps: placing a laptop computer on a laptop tray of a laptop elevating device, wherein a portion of the laptop computer is disposed against a hook member; pulling on a webbing to displace a fourth folding panel relative to and in parallel with the laptop tray; pulling of the webbing to fold a third folding panel from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation; pulling on the webbing to fold the third folding panel from the vertical orientation to an orientation in alignment with the fourth folding panel; and pulling on the webbing to fold a second folding panel to a vertical orientation, wherein the laptop tray is displaced to an elevated state. Other steps are also contemplated.
Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “the embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the quoted phrases, or variations thereof, as recited throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that any claim requires more features than those expressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in a combination of fewer than all features of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment.
The phrase “coupled to” refers to any form of interaction between two or more entities, including mechanical, electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, fluid, and thermal interaction. Two components may be coupled to each other even though they are not in direct contact with each other. For example, two components may be coupled to each other through an intermediate component.
References to approximations are made throughout this specification, such as by use of the term “substantially.” For each such reference, it is to be understood that, in some embodiments, the value, feature, or characteristic may be specified without approximation. For example, where qualifiers such as “about” and “substantially” are used, these terms include within their scope the qualified words in the absence of their qualifiers. For example, where the term “substantially flat surface” is recited with respect to a feature, it is understood that in further embodiments, the feature can have a precisely flat surface.
The terms “a” and “an” can be described as one, but not limited to one. For example, although the disclosure may recite a laptop tray elevating device having “a hook member,” the disclosure also contemplates that the laptop tray elevating device can have two or more hook members.
Unless otherwise stated, all ranges include both endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints.
Recitation in the claims of the term “first” with respect to a feature or element does not necessarily imply the existence of a second or additional such feature or element.
The claims following this written disclosure are hereby expressly incorporated into the present written disclosure, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. This disclosure includes all permutations of the independent claims with their dependent claims. Moreover, additional embodiments capable of derivation from the independent and dependent claims that follow are also expressly incorporated into the present written description. Without further elaboration, it is believed that one skilled in the art can use the preceding description to utilize the invention to its fullest extent. The claims and embodiments disclosed herein are to be construed as merely illustrative and exemplary, and not a limitation of the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, with the aid of the present disclosure, that changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the disclosure herein. In other words, various modifications and improvements of the embodiments specifically disclosed in the description above are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the order of the steps or actions of the methods disclosed herein may be changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the embodiment, the order or use of specific steps or actions may be modified. The scope of the invention is therefore defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
