Case for Portable Computing Device

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a protective case for portable computing devices. More specifically, the present specification discloses a case with structural patterns around corners and edges to effectively absorb and to defuse force from impact and thus to better protect the device in which it encases.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Portable computing devices, such as laptops, phones, and tablets, strive to be lighter and thinner, yet more powerful in speed and computing capacity. For a case to protect a portable device, it needs to balance a combination of factors among weight, structural integrity, thickness, heat dissipation, etc. The present specification discloses structural patterns around corners and edges to effectively absorb and to diffuse forces of impact.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a protective case for portable computing devices. More specifically, the present specification discloses a case with a unique frame structure to defuse force from impact, to facilitate ventilation of heat generated by the device, and thus to better protect the device in which it encases.

A protective case for a portable computing device, comprising a plurality of generally concentric rings of openings configured around each corner. The concentric rings are configured to adhere to an overall curvature of an edge region of each corner. Each ring further comprises a plurality of openings, with a preset shape and size, arranged along its circumference with a preset spacing from one another. The openings from adjacent rings are configured in a staggered manner.

At least two rings of openings are configured around each corner of the case.

Openings from adjacent rings can also be configure in an in-line manner.

The shape, size, and spacing for openings from adjacent rings are configure independently from one another.

A protective case for a portable computing device comprising a plurality of generally concentric rings of openings configured around each corner, wherein the concentric rings are configured to adhere to an overall curvature of an edge region of each corner. Each ring further comprises a plurality of openings, with a preset shape and size, arranged along its circumference with a preset spacing from one another. The openings from adjacent rings are configured in a staggered manner. A plurality of openings are configured in a staggered manner along at least one straight edge of the case.

Openings along the straight edge of the case can be configured in an in-line manner.

Other features and aspects of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the features in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. The summary is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined solely by the claims attached hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments of the disclosure. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosure and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

Some of the figures included herein illustrate various embodiments of the disclosure from different viewing angles. Although the accompanying descriptive text may refer to such views as “top,” “bottom” or “side” views, such references are merely descriptive and do not imply or require that the disclosure be implemented or used in a particular spatial orientation unless explicitly stated otherwise.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a case with an enlarged corner region.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary corner pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary corner pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary corner pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary corner pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6a-c illustrate simulation results of impact for a case with a corner region configured with a plurality of hex openings. Translational displacement vectors are plotted with colored arrows with displacement in mm.

FIGS. 7a-c illustrate simulation results of impact for a case with a corner region configured with a single ring of openings with a decorative oval pattern. Translational displacement vectors are plotted with colored arrows with displacement in mm.

FIGS. 8a-c illustrate simulation results of impact for a case with a corner region configured with a single ring of openings. Translational displacement vectors are plotted with colored arrows with displacement in mm.

FIGS. 9a-c illustrate simulation results of impact for a case with a corner region configured with two rings of openings in a staggered manner. Translational displacement vectors are plotted with colored arrows with displacement in mm.

FIGS. 10a-c illustrate simulation results of impact for a case with a corner region configured with three rings of openings in a staggered manner. Translational displacement vectors are plotted with colored arrows with displacement in mm.

FIGS. 11a-c illustrate simulation results of impact for a case with a corner region configured with three rings of openings in an in-line manner. Translational displacement vectors are plotted with colored arrows with displacement in mm.

FIG. 12 is a table of comparison among six conditions simulated in FIGS. 6-11.

FIG. 13 a schematic illustration of a case with corner and edge regions enlarged.

FIG. 14 is a variation of a case shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary case with a lid portion and a base portion.

FIG. 16 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary case for a tablet showing openings configured around the edges and corners on the screen side.

FIG. 18 is an exemplary case for a tablet showing openings configured around the edges and corners on the back side.

The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the disclosure can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

From time-to-time, the present disclosure is described herein in terms of example environments. Description in terms of these environments is provided to allow the various features and embodiments of the disclosure to be portrayed in the context of an exemplary application. After reading this description, it will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art how the disclosure can be implemented in different and alternative environments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. All patents, applications, published applications and other publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. If a definition set forth in this section is contrary to or otherwise inconsistent with a definition set forth in applications, published applications and other publications that are herein incorporated by reference, the definition set forth in this document prevails over the definition that is incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a case with an enlarged corner region. FIGS. 2-5 shows a variety of corner arrangements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Various geometric shapes in these figures depict openings or cut outs which penetrate all layers of the case.

Openings around the corner region are arranged in a concentric fashion with an overall fan like profile delineated between two dash-dot-dash lines. In FIG. 2, three imaginary sections of rings (in dash lines) are labeled as ring 1, ring 2, and ring 3. They adhere to the overall curvature of the corner edge of the case. Rings 1-3 are generally arranged in a concentric manner, with ring 1 closer to the corner edge, ring 2 in the middle, and ring 3 at the inner most location. A plurality of openings are configured along the circumference of each ring (or along each imaginary dash line). There is no exact shape limitation, other than that they are spaced out along the circumference. The spacing between the rings are determined so as to accommodate the size and shape of the openings on each of them. The openings are arranged in a staggered manner between rings. For instance, a center of an opening on ring 2, roughly corresponds to a gap between two openings along ring 1 and/or along ring 3. In FIG. 3, for instance, a hex opening is roughly next to the gap of two circle openings along the neighboring ring. A schematic of a stagger arrangement vs. an in-line arrangement can be compared and appreciated between FIGS. 9a and 11a. Exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5 are for illustrating the general principle of arrangements of openings around corners of a protective case.

While large and small openings and/or slits reduce weight and facilitate heat dissipation, the main function of a protective case's spatial and structural configuration is to absorb and/or dissipate physical force generated by impacts. A case, whether to deform to absorb impact, or to deform to the point of cracking are both considered to have served its purpose by shielding the computing device itself.

We used CATIA V5 (Computer-Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application Version 5), developed by Dassault Systèmes SE, to simulate impact of a corner region across six conditions with progressive rings of openings as a structural variant.

FIG. 12 is a summary table of data shown in FIGS. 6-11. A laptop with a case, ˜1.5 kg together in weight, is simulated to drop from 1 meter of height onto a hard surface at the corner. The case with six different types of openings arrangements are: Nested Hex openings (Nested Hex), One ring with a non-through design (One Ring+), One ring of openings (One Ring), Two rings of openings (Two Ring), Three Rings of Openings arranged in a staggered manner (Three Ring Stager), and Three Rings arranged in an in-line manner (Three Ring In-Line). Among the six conditions, one ring of openings (One Ring) is used as a baseline reference, against which all other five conditions are compared.

We measured a field of translational displacement vectors of points on the case during a simulation of impact to demonstrate the amount and direction of deformation. The length of each vector represents the amount of displacement or deformation. The direction of the arrow represents the direction of the displacement or deformation. In FIG. 6b, a frontal view of a nested hex arrangement, a maximum translational displacement is measured at 2.32 mm, which is colored in red. 0 mm displacement is colored in dark blue. FIG. 6c shows a slightly rotated side view of FIG. 6b to give a more 3D understanding of the structural deformation.

FIG. 7a-c shows a translational displacement vector field of the One Ring+ arrangement, with a maximum measured at 2.91 mm. FIG. 8a-c shows a translational displacement vector field of the One Ring arrangement, with a maximum measured at 2.87 mm. FIG. 9a-c shows a translational displacement vector field of the Two Ring arrangement, with a maximum measured at 4.27 mm. FIG. 10a-c shows a translational displacement vector field of the Three Ring Stagger arrangement, with a maximum measured at 5.08 mm. FIG. 11a-c shows a translational displacement vector field of the Three Ring In-Line arrangement, with a maximum measured at 5.45 mm.

It should be noted that although we use a dark blue to red colored representation, the scale, or the compression of the color spectrum is different. Red is always used to represent the maximum value of translational displacement, which changes based on whichever structural arrangement we simulated. In other words, the maximum value of 5.45 mm in FIG. 11b and the maximum value of 2.87 mm in FIG. 8b are both represented by the same color of red. They are, however, different in absolute value. Dark blue to Red in FIG. 8b represent a range from 0 to 2.87 mm. Dark blue to Red in FIG. 11b represent a range from 0 to 5.45 mm.

If we identify the overall distribution of red arrows (or longest arrows) across six simulated conditions, they appear at statistically similar locations. This means that deformation of the case, or displacement of vectors, happens in similar regions clustered around the corner for obvious reason. The amount of deformation, or the absolute maximum values of the displacement vector, are significantly different. FIG. 12 is a table of summary of simulation results across six conditions. If we use the One Ring as a baseline comparison, percentage of deformation (or displacement) increases by 45% or more when two or more rings of openings are present. More plainly summarized: Having at least two generally concentric rings of openings around a corner protects the corner more effectively, because such a structure allows the case to take up more deformation as reflected by higher displacement values.

For impact force to propagate, the rigidity of the material needs to be taken into consideration. Slightly softer materials, such as silicone or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), can provide shock resistance by deformation as simulated. Deformation of harder material, such as polycarbonate (PC), can often lead to cracking or shattering. Either scenario serves its purpose, so long as the force of impact is effectively dissipated by the case via its structure and thus protects the computing device that it encases.

FIGS. 13-18 illustrate variations of the case design configured for laptops and/or tablets. Alternating or staggering openings alongside straight edges of the case can be incorporated together with the corner arrangements. For a laptop, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a lid portion and a base portion can each have its own cover with same or different arrangements of openings around its corners and edges. For a tablet, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, edges along the screen side and along the back side can each have its own arrangement of openings around the corner and edges. A combination of different shape pattern could also work so long as the arrangement of openings follow the general pattern as illustrated previously.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the disclosure, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the disclosure. The disclosure is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but the desired features can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning and configurations can be implemented to implement the desired features of the present disclosure. Also, a multitude of different constituent module names other than those depicted herein can be applied to the various partitions. Additionally, with regard to flow diagrams, operational descriptions and method claims, the order in which the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order unless the context dictates otherwise.

Although the disclosure is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosure, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open United as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. The use of the term “module” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether control logic or other components, can be combined in a single package or separately maintained and can further be distributed across multiple locations.

It is appreciated that certain features of the disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the disclosure, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the disclosure. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.

Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

Case for Portable Computing Device

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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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