Patent Application
20070235492
This invention relates generally to cases for portable electronic devices, and relates more particularly to such cases that provide support as well as protection.
Advancing technology has made portable electronic devices increasingly popular and has given such devices an ever increasing array of capabilities. Some portable electronic devices, such as cell phones, MP3 players, and the like, are capable of displaying video images. While it is possible to view the video images while holding such video-capable devices in one's hand, it would often be more convenient and more comfortable to set such devices down and have them maintain a position in which the video images can be easily seen. Accordingly, there exists a need for a case for a portable electronic device, especially a video-capable electronic device, that both protects the device and allows it to maintain a hands-free viewing position.
An invention that in various embodiments satisfies one or more of those needs, provides one or more improvements over the art, and provides still other benefits has now been developed. In various embodiments this invention provides, for example, various cases for portable electronic devices. For instance, in some embodiments, a case may include a first panel having an upper portion and a lower portion separated from each other by a hinge line, a second panel spaced apart from and coupled to the upper portion of the first panel by a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a third panel spaced apart from and coupled to the lower portion of the first pane; by a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall. In certain embodiments, the first panel is capable of being folded along the hinge line into a flexed position, the first panel, the second panel, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall form a first compartment capable of receiving at least a portion of the portable electronic device, and the first panel, the third panel, the third sidewall, and the fourth sidewall form a second compartment capable of receiving at least a portion of the portable electronic device.
In such an embodiment, a strap may extend from the first panel and the strap may include a first attachment feature such as a snap coupled thereto, and an attachment region containing a second attachment feature such as another snap coupled to the first panel. In this embodiment, the first panel may be capable of being folded along the hinge line into a flexed position, the first attachment feature or snap and the second attachment feature or snap may be capable of being coupled to each other so as to maintain the first panel in the flexed position. In some embodiments, an attachment region also contains a third snap capable of mating with the first snap.
Further, in some embodiments, the hinge line divides the first panel into two portions that are substantially equal to each other in size. In particular embodiments, the second panel comprises a first viewing window, and in some embodiments, the third panel comprises a second viewing window. In various embodiments, the first compartment comprises a lower end that is open and an upper end that is at least partially enclosed. Even so, in some embodiments the second compartment comprises a lower end that is open and an upper end that is open. Further, some embodiments include a clasp coupled to the third panel.
In other or the same embodiments, a case may include a first panel comprising: a first layer, a second layer adjacent to the first layer, and a hinge line, a second panel spaced apart from and coupled to the first panel by a first sidewall and a second sidewall. In this particular embodiment, the second panel may include a third layer and a fourth layer adjacent to the third layer. Such a case may also include a third panel spaced apart from and coupled to the first panel by a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall.
Further, in some embodiments, the first panel is capable of being folded along the hinge line into a flexed position. Still further, in some embodiments, the first panel further comprises a fifth layer adjacent to the second layer, a sixth layer adjacent to the fifth layer, and a seventh layer adjacent to the sixth layer, for example. In some embodiments, the first layer, the fourth layer, and the fifth layer are continuous across the hinge line, and the second layer and the third layer separate at the hinge line. Further, in certain embodiments, the first layer comprises leather, the second layer comprises cardboard, the fifth layer comprises acrylonatrile butadiene styrene, the sixth layer comprises a foam spacer, and the seventh layer comprises suede. Still further, in some embodiments, the second panel further comprises: an eighth layer adjacent to the fourth layer, and a ninth layer adjacent to the eighth layer. In various embodiments, the third layer comprises leather, the fourth layer comprises polyvinyl chloride, the eighth layer comprises acrylonatrile butadiene styrene, the ninth layer comprises suede.
This invention also provides, in the same or yet another embodiment, a case that may include a first panel comprising a first layer, a second layer, a third layer, a fourth layer, a fifth layer, and a hinge line, and a second panel spaced apart from and coupled to the first panel by a first sidewall and a second sidewall. In this embodiment, the second panel may include a sixth layer, a seventh layer, an eighth layer, and a ninth layer. Further, a third panel may be spaced apart from and coupled to the first panel by a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall. In such an embodiment, a strap may extend from the first panel and the strap may include a first attachment feature such as a snap coupled thereto, and an attachment region containing a second attachment feature such as another snap coupled to the first panel. In this embodiment, the first panel may be capable of being folded along the hinge line into a flexed position, the first attachment feature or snap and the second attachment feature or snap may be capable of being coupled to each other so as to maintain the first panel in the flexed position, and the attachment region may be coupled to the first panel via stitching that extends through the attachment region, the first layer, and the second layer.
In some embodiments, the hinge line divides the first panel into an upper portion and a lower portion, and the upper portion and the lower portion are substantially equal to each other in size. In various embodiments, the first layer, the fourth layer, and the fifth layer are continuous across the hinge line, and the second layer and the third layer separate at the hinge line. Various embodiments contain different combinations of these elements.
Various objects, advantages, and benefits exist for many of the different embodiments of the invention described herein. Such objects, advantages, and benefits may include at least partially satisfying one or more of the various needs or room for improvement over the art described herein. Other objects, advantages, and benefits will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Not all of the embodiments necessarily address all or any of the needs or objects or provide the advantages or benefits specifically described herein.
The invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description of examples of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures in the drawings in which:
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprise,” “include,” “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The terms “left ,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in an electrical, mechanical, or other manner. The phrase “adjacent to,” as used herein, encompasses the meanings of “next to,” “close to,” “lying near,” “adjoining,” and the like, whether or not the elements described as being adjacent to each other are in physical contact with each other.
This invention provides, among other things, cases for portable electronic devices, including such cases that provide support as well as protection. In certain embodiments, cases may be configured to contain a video-capable electronic device, for example. Particular embodiments of cases both protect the device and allows it to maintain a hands-free viewing position.
Referring now to the figures,
As illustrated in
In this embodiment, hinge line 113 divides panel 110 into two portions, i.e., portions 111 and 112, that are substantially equal to each other in size. Further, in this embodiment, and as illustrated in
As shown in
In some embodiments, attachment feature or region 146 is made of a soft PVC material, which has the advantages of being inexpensive and of being capable of protecting the surface on which case 100 is placed. In other embodiments, soft rubber, silicon, or the like may be used in place of the soft PVC material.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, layers 301, 302, 303, 304, and 305 comprise, respectively, a covering made of leather (for example, split leather), PVC, polyurethane, fabric, or the like, a body layer made of acrylonatrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or the like, a stiffener layer made of cardboard or the like, a spacer layer made of foam or the like, and a covering and cushioning layer made of suede or the like. It should be understood that layers 301-305 can also have other uses and perform functions other than the ones mentioned above, and that different combinations or arrangements may be found in different embodiments. Attachment feature or region 146 may be stitched to layers 301 and 302. In the embodiments illustrated, the dashed lines in the figures represent stitching, and the locations of the dashed lines in the figures illustrate one embodiment of where such stitching may be located. In some embodiments, some or all of the different layers may be attached with an adhesive, for example, instead of or in addition to stitching. In some embodiments, the cardboard or other material of layer 303 lends rigidity to case 100, and also acts as a place to attach layer 302. ABS is a suitable material for layer 302 in many embodiments because it, like layer 303, lends stiffness to case 100 while maintaining its shape better at lesser thicknesses than, for example, polyethylene, although polyethylene may be used in its place in some embodiments, if desired.
In the illustrated embodiment, layers 301, 304, and 305 are continuous across hinge line 113, while layers 302 and 303 separate at hinge line 113. Providing a separation or break in layers 302 and 303 at hinge line 113 allows case 100 to be more easily flexed at hinge line 113 in some embodiments. In other embodiments, any one or more of layers 301, 304, and 305 may be separated at hinge line 113 or elsewhere instead of or in addition to layers 302 and 303. In the same or another embodiment, attachment feature or region 146 may be coupled to panel 110 via stitching that extends through attachment feature or region 146, layer 301, and layer 302, for example.
As illustrated in
It was mentioned above that snap 136 and snap 147 are capable of interacting by connecting to each other in the embodiment illustrated. Such interaction allows case 100 to be maintained in a flexed position in many embodiments. The maintenance of case 100 in a flexed position via the interaction of snaps 136 and 147 is illustrated in
In this particular embodiment, if desired, the viewing angle shown in
In this embodiment, in order to place portable electronic device 601 in case 100 as is shown in
A clip, snap link, or carabiner 710 may be attached to case 100, for example by clipping carabiner 710 through strap 135 as shown in
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative of the scope of the invention and is not intended to be limiting. It is intended that the scope of the invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims. For example, to one of ordinary skill in the art, it will be readily apparent that the case discussed herein may be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and that the foregoing discussion of certain of these embodiments does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Rather, the detailed description of the drawings, and the drawings themselves, disclose at least one preferred embodiment of the invention, and may disclose alternative embodiments of the invention.
All elements claimed in any particular claim are essential to the invention claimed in that particular claim. Consequently, replacement of one or more claimed elements constitutes reconstruction and not repair. Additionally, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described with regard to specific embodiments. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element or elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced, however, are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all of the claims.
Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicated to the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/or limitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are or are potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations in the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.
