Patent Application
20210013918
The present disclosure relates to user removable protective cases and enclosures for mobile devices and, more particularly, to such cases that have a storage compartment.
Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the like are known to sustain damage from impact and from contamination as a result of the ingress of water or other fluids. Such damage may result, for example, in a cracked screen, scratches on a finished surface, lost or damaged buttons or controls, cracked or bent external body components, and/or failed or malfunctioning electrical components. Protective cases can protect mobile devices from such damage and other types of damage.
While some protective cases for mobile devices include storage compartments, such cases often are bulky, accentuate the shape and existence of the compartment, and lack durability. The cases may also include panels and drawers that can be relatively difficult or costly to manufacture. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved mobile device case with a storage compartment that has a superior configuration to prior art cases and that is more readily constructed and assembled.
A protective case for a mobile device having a molded multi-layered construction is disclosed herein. The case includes a mobile device cavity that is configured to receive and retain a mobile device and an internal storage compartment. The exterior back surface of the case may be configured to conceal the existence of the storage compartment or may alternatively be transparent to facilitate scanning of personal items held in the storage compartment without requiring removal therefrom.
Each drawing is generally to scale and hence relative dimensions of the various layers may be determined from the drawings.
Protective cases that are configured to receive, retain, and protect a mobile device, providing both a high level of protection and a storage compartment, are disclosed herein.
Mobile devices suitable for use with the disclosed protective cases typically include flat front and back faces that define the height or thickness of the mobile device and a perimeter defined by sides extending between the front and back faces on the top, bottom, right, and left sides of the mobile device, so as to define corners at the intersecting regions of the sides, where the corners may be rounded. The case may be configured for a mobile device that is in the form of a tablet, a mobile phone, a gaming device, or another portable handheld electronic device. Various aspects of the structure, construction, configuration, use, and manufacture of the disclosed protective cases are summarized below.
The case may be formed of a molded integrated construction that defines the interior and exterior surfaces of the case, front and opposing back face walls of the case, and left, right, bottom, and top side walls of the case. The interior surface of the front face wall is configured to be in contact with and extend over the perimeter edge of the front face of the mobile device when the mobile device is fully received within the case so as to retain the mobile device within the case. The front face wall includes an aperture that has nearly the same dimensions as but is slightly smaller than the front face of the mobile device that it is configured to retain, such that a mobile device may be readily inserted into or removed from the case and also may be properly retained and secured within the case after it is inserted into the case. The interior surface of the back face wall is configured to be in contact with the back face of the mobile device and cover the back of the device and the interior surfaces of the sidewalls are configured to be in contact and protect the corresponding sides of the mobile device.
The interior surfaces of the walls of the case thus define a mobile device compartment or cavity that is configured to receive and retain a mobile device within the case. The interior surface also defines a storage compartment that may be formed into the back face wall of the case. The storage compartment may be dimensioned to receive credit cards, personal identification such as a driver's license, or other similar personal items and may open, partially or entirely, into the mobile device compartment/cavity.
The back face wall of the case includes a flat exterior surface region that extends along a first plane and a perimeter exterior surface region that extends around that flat exterior surface region. The flat exterior surface region of the back face wall is configured so as to not extend to the perimeter of the mobile device. Rather, the perimeter surface region includes a transition surface that is configured to extend from the external flat surface to the intersection between the back face of the device and the top, bottom, right, and/or left sides of the mobile device. The transition surface extends away from the plane that defines the flat exterior surface region toward the front face wall of the case and does not include surfaces that are parallel to the flat exterior surface. The storage compartment residing thereunder is thereby capable of being concealed by the exterior shape of the back face wall.
In some embodiments, the case includes an upper portion and a lower portion, where the lower portion is coupled to the upper portion at the back face wall. In some embodiments, the lower portion may be coupled to the upper portion by a hinge. In such embodiments, the lower portion is smaller than the upper portion and is integrally coupled to the upper portion at the hinge but disconnected from the upper portion at the sidewalls. The disconnection between the upper and lower portions may be imparted by the molding process or may be mechanically imparted after molding during the finishing process by mechanical or laser cutting or another suitable process.
In such embodiments, the upper and lower portions and hinge are configured to allow the lower portion to rotate backward over the exterior surface of the back face wall of the upper portion of the case but limit forward rotation. When the lower portion is rotated backwards, the storage compartment becomes accessible to the user. The flat exterior surface and surrounding transition surface may extend to both the upper and lower portions of the case and are defined by the exterior surface of the back face wall on each of those portions.
In some alternate embodiments, the case includes a fixed portion and a removable portion, where the removable portion is coupled to the fixed portion at the back face wall. Such embodiments are shown in
The channel of each primary groove may preferably extend outward toward the left and right sides of the case. The rails may preferably protrude inward from the outside edges of the left and right sides of the removable portion, respectively.
In some embodiments, each of the left and right side walls may have a secondary groove with a tab situated close to the bottom side wall of the case. In such embodiments, the removable portion may have a detent on each of the left and right sides of the interior surface of the removable portion that is aligned with the corresponding tabs on the left and right side walls. The rails may preferably be discontinuous at the location of the detents on the left and right sides of the interior surface of the removable portion to facilitate use of the case. Each side detent may interface with the corresponding tab on the same side during operation of the case to prevent the removable portion from being separated from the case under normal use.
In such embodiments, the removable portion is integrally coupled to the fixed portion at the primary grooves but is disconnected from the fixed portion at the outside edges of the left and right side walls. The disconnection between the fixed and removable portions may be imparted by the molding process or may be mechanically imparted after molding during the finishing process by mechanical or laser cutting or another suitable process. The flat exterior surface and surrounding transition surface may extend to both the fixed and removable portions of the case and are defined by the exterior surface of the back face wall on each of those portions.
In some such embodiments, the interface between the fixed portion and the removable portion along the left, right, and bottom side walls may preferably be positioned within the transition surface, such that a portion of the transition surface is part of the fixed portion and a portion of the transition surface is part of the removable portion. In some alternate embodiments, the interface between the fixed portion and the removable portion along the left, right, and bottom side walls may be positioned at the interface of the transition surface with the exterior surfaces of the left, right, and bottom side walls.
In some embodiments, the removable portion may have a center detent at the bottom that interfaces with a center tab at the bottom of the fixed portion to reversibly lock the case in a closed position when the removable portion is not being extended to access the storage compartment.
In some embodiments, the removable portion includes an interior wall at the top of the removable portion that causes the contents of the storage compartment to be moved as the removable portion is extended to open the storage compartment. In such embodiments, the contents held in the storage compartment may be accessed from the front of the case when the removable compartment is extended.
In other embodiments, the removable portion does not include an interior wall at the top of the removable portion, such that the contents of storage compartment remain in place as the removable portion is extended to open the storage compartment. In such embodiments, the contents held in the storage compartment may be accessed from the back of the case when the removable compartment is extended.
Both the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed and removable portions of the case may be formed of a relatively rigid first layer and a relatively less rigid (or softer) second layer co-molded to the more rigid first layer. Thus, for example, the first layer may be formed of a rigid polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), fiber-reinforced plastic, and/or metal, or the like, and the second layer may be formed of thermoplastic urethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), silicone, and/or natural or synthetic rubber, or the like.
Alternatively, the upper portion or fixed portion may be formed of the relatively rigid first layer co-molded to the relatively less rigid second layer, and the lower portion or removable portion may be formed of the relatively less rigid second layer without the relatively rigid first layer or alternatively may be formed of the relatively rigid first layer without the relatively less rigid second layer.
The first layer may be made of a first material that has a first hardness and the second layer may be made of a second material that has a second hardness that is less than the first hardness. The first layer may have a Shore A durometer hardness that is 50% or more greater than the second layer, 40% or more greater than the second layer, 30% or more greater than the second layer, 20% or more greater than the second layer, or 10% or more greater than the second layer, all ±5%, as measured using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D2240. The first layer may have a Shore A durometer hardness of 100±15, 100±10, or 100±5, or 100, as measured using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D2240. The second layer may have a Shore A durometer hardness of 45±15, 45±10, 45±5, or 45, as measured using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D2240. It should be understood that the two layers may have a Shore A hardness that comprises any combination of hardnesses described above that is consistent with the teachings herein.
In some embodiments, the first and second layers may be formed of a composition comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate, thermoplastic urethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), nylon, metal, silicone rubber, or any combination thereof. For example, the first layer, which is the harder of the two layers, may be formed of a composition comprising polycarbonate, a combination of polycarbonate and ABS, nylon, fiber reinforced plastic, and/or metal. The second layer, which is the softer of the two layers, may be formed for example of a composition comprising TPU, TPE, silicone rubber, a combination thereof, or other suitable materials. In some embodiments, the second layer may preferably be an elastic material.
In some preferred embodiments, the first layer may be formed of polycarbonate (PC) and the second layer may be formed of thermoplastic urethane (TPU).
The second layer may further form buttons that are configured to reside over control buttons of the mobile device. In embodiments including a hinge, the second layer may also form the hinge that connects the upper portion and lower portion together. The second layer may also form the some or all of the interior surface of the case including the device and storage compartment. The second layer is further configured to form the front face wall of the case, the interior regions of the side walls of the case, and the exterior regions of the side walls of the case to allow for greater flexibility in the case, which can facilitate insertion and removal of a device into and out of the case.
The interior surface of the case, formed by said second layer, may include a pattern of elevated walls that define apertures capable of providing additional impact zones and hence added protection to the device if the case is dropped with the device secured therein. The pattern of elevated interconnected walls may comprise any arrangement of shapes selected, for example, from the group consisting of a square, octagon, pentagon, rectangle, triangle, circle, hexagon, and heptagon, or a combination thereof. For example, the interconnected walls may comprise walls that form hexagons or portions thereof, which together create a honeycomb wall pattern.
The pattern of elevated interconnected walls may be contiguous or dis-contiguous, may or may not extend to the perimeter regions of the second layer or interior surfaces of the case, may be positioned in discrete regions, or may be grouped and spaced apart from one another in one or more discrete regions. Various patterns comprising one or more shapes may be employed alone or in combination with other patterns, such that one region of the inner surface of the second layer may have one pattern and another region of the inner surface of the second layer may have another pattern.
The first layer may form the flat exterior surface region of the back face wall of the case on both the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed and removable portions of the case. The first layer may also form the perimeter region including the transition surface of the back face wall of the case on both the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed and removable portions of the case. In embodiments including a groove-rail system, the first layer may also form the components of the groove-rail system. Alternatively, the lower portion or the removable portion, including the flat exterior surface and transition surface extending therefrom, may be formed without the first layer or solely by the less rigid second layer.
An additional decorative third layer may be overlaid to form the external surface of one or both of the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed and removable portions to provide additional flexibility in achieving the desired finish. For example, the third layer may be an in-mold-labeling (IML) layer that is textured and/or colored with patterns or graphics to provide a desired finish such as the look of leather or metal or other desired finish.
In some embodiments, the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed and removable portions of the case may further include an insert that may be formed from a fourth layer. The fourth layer may be formed of a relatively less rigid material such as thermoplastic urethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), silicone, and/or natural or synthetic rubber, or the like.
Apertures may be formed in the second layer and a plurality of protrusions may be formed in the first layer that mate with the apertures formed in the second layer and thereby may provide greater integration between the layers.
The case may also include one or more apertures that extend through one or more walls of the case to allow for functionality and facilitate the intended use of the mobile device. For example, the back face wall may include a camera lens aperture that extends through the back face wall and is configured to extend around the outside of a camera lens window on the back face of the mobile device. Similarly, one or more of the side walls may include an aperture to allow for manipulation of switches or access to electrical ports or connectors on the mobile device.
Methods of manufacturing a protective case that includes one or more of the various foregoing features are also disclosed herein. Manufacturing steps for a case may, for example, include: (1) molding a first rigid layer in a mold that is configured to define the exterior shape of a first layer, the first layer comprising a back wall and side walls of only an upper portion or fixed portion of the case or of both an upper and lower portion or alternatively a fixed and removable portion of the case; (2) co-molding a second softer layer to the first rigid layer in a mold that is configured to define the exterior shape of the second layer, the second softer layer comprising the interior surfaces of both the back wall and side walls of both the upper and lower portion or alternatively the fixed and removable portion of the case; (3) imparting a separation between the upper portion and lower portion or alternatively the fixed portion and removable portion of the case by molding and/or mechanically cutting the walls between the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed and removable portions adjacent to opposing ends of the areas where the upper and lower portions or fixed and removable portions are coupled. The exterior configuration and construction of the case and components thereof as described above and elsewhere herein may be further incorporated into the foregoing manufacturing and molding process. Also, the case may be removed from the mold and finished with a latex-based outer coating such as those marketed as Soft-Touch coatings or other lipophobic or oleophobic coatings to mitigate against fingerprint residues remaining on the case and to provide a desirable feel to a user of the case.
In operation, the mobile device is inserted into the case. Insertion may be facilitated either directly through the aperture in the more flexible front face wall or, in embodiments with a hinge, by rotating the lower portion backward about the hinge and sliding the mobile device into the case and then rotating and fitting the lower portion about the bottom end region of the inserted mobile device. Rotating the hinge backward also allows access to the storage compartment concealed in the back face wall, such that credit cards, personal identification, or the like may slide in and out through the hinged lower portion, where the hinged lower portion effectively serves as a door to the storage compartment.
In some embodiments, the shape of the exterior of the case including the back wall of the case may be configured to mitigate against accentuating the existence of the storage compartment so that the storage compartment is less noticeable by others. The case may also be formed from one or more opaque materials. In such embodiments, valuable items such as credit cards or personal identification held in the storage compartment may therefore be more secure if the case and mobile device contained therein is lost or stolen.
In some alternate embodiments, both the first and second layers may be transparent or translucent, such that credit cards, personal identification, or other personal items may be visible through the storage compartment and may be readily scanned using a bar code scanner or other electronic scanner. This may facilitate payments or other transactions, such that the credit card, personal identification, or other personal item that a user desires to have scanned does not have to be removed from the storage compartment to be scanned. For example, a user may place an Apple Card™ in the storage compartment which may be scanned for payment without removing the card from the storage compartment. In such embodiments, the first and second layers may preferably be formed of a composition comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate, thermoplastic urethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), nylon, silicone rubber, or any combination thereof. For example, the first layer may be formed of a composition comprising a transparent polycarbonate, and the second layer may be formed a composition comprising a transparent TPU.
In embodiments with a groove-rail configuration, credit cards, personal identification, or the like that are stored in the storage compartment may be accessed by extending the removable portion. In embodiments where the removable portion does not include an interior wall at the top of the removable portion, the contents held in the storage compartment may be accessed from the back of the case when the removable compartment is extended, as shown in
In addition, the case is configured to be capable of being charged using a charging dock. In embodiments with a hinge, rotating the lower portion of the case backward allows for the lower portion of the mobile device (e.g., where the charging and data ports are located) to be directly inserted into a docking or charging cradle without requiring the mobile device to be removed from the case. Moreover, in some embodiments, the large aperture configuration of the case is capable of providing a low profile fit at the bottom end of the case and thereby allows a better fit within the cavity of the docking or charging cradle that may allow the mobile device to fit and functionally dock/charge within the cradle without removal of the case or rotation of the lower portion of the case in embodiments where such rotation is possible.
Each of the walls in the illustrated embodiments include control buttons and/or apertures formed therein. It should be understood however, that the number of buttons and apertures may vary (increase or decrease) and their shape and placement vary to correspond with controls on the mobile device for which the case is configured.
The case is configured and constructed with sufficient flexibility to allow the user to install and remove a mobile device within the case without damaging the case or the mobile device. The flexibility may be implemented via the materials used to construct the case and the configuration of the layers or components.
An additional decorative finishing layer may be included on one or more external surfaces of the case to provide additional flexibility in achieving the desired finish. For example, an in-mold-labeling (IML) layer that is textured and/or colored with patterns or graphics to provide a desired finish such as the look of leather, metal, or another desired finish may be included during the manufacturing process.
Manufacturing steps for the cases disclosed herein may, for example, include: (1) molding a first rigid layer in a mold that is configured to define the exterior shape of a first layer, the first layer comprising a back wall and side walls of only an upper portion or fixed portion of the case or of both an upper and lower portion or alternatively a fixed portion and removable portion of the case; (2) co-molding a second softer layer to the first rigid layer in a mold that is configured to define the exterior shape of the second layer, the second softer layer comprising the interior surfaces of both the back wall and sidewalls of both the upper and lower portion of the case; (3) imparting a separation between the upper portion and lower portion or alternatively the fixed portion and removable portion of the case by molding and/or mechanically cutting the walls between the upper and lower portions or alternatively the fixed portions and removable portions adjacent to opposing ends of the areas where the upper and lower portions or fixed and removable portions are coupled.
The exterior configuration and construction of the case and components thereof as described in the written specification and drawings may be further incorporated into the foregoing manufacturing and molding process. An IML type finish may be included in the manufacturing process during molding. The manufacturing process may also include applying a spray or dipped coating over the molded case construct. For example, a latex based outer coating such as those marketed as Soft-Touch coatings or other lipophobic or oleophobic coatings may be applied to the molded case to mitigate against fingerprint residues and provide a desirable feel to the user.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention disclosed herein. Although the various inventive aspects are disclosed in the context of certain illustrated embodiments, implementations, and examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number of variations of various inventive aspects have been shown and described in detail, other modifications that are within their scope will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art based upon reviewing this disclosure. It should be also understood that the scope of this disclosure includes the various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such that the various features, modes of implementation, and aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be combined with or substituted for one another. The generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Similarly, the disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intent that any claim set forth below requires more features than are expressly recited in that claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects may reside in a combination of fewer than all features of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment.
Each of the foregoing and various aspects, together with those set forth in the claims and summarized above or otherwise disclosed herein, including the figures, may be combined without limitation to form claims for a device, apparatus, system, method of manufacture, and/or method of use.
All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/723,718, filed on Feb. 10, 2020, which is a divisional of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/631,305, filed on Dec. 28, 2017 and issued as U.S. Design Pat. No. D875,089 on Feb. 11, 2020; this application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/353,960, filed on Mar. 14, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/295,316, filed on Oct. 17, 2016 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,236,928 on Mar. 19, 2019, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/274,567, filed on Jan. 4, 2016; and this application also claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/906,076, filed on Sep. 25, 2019; the entireties of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62274567 | Jan 2016 | US | |
| 62906076 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29631305 | Dec 2017 | US |
| Child | 29723718 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15295316 | Oct 2016 | US |
| Child | 16353960 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29723718 | Feb 2020 | US |
| Child | 17033677 | US | |
| Parent | 16353960 | Mar 2019 | US |
| Child | 29631305 | US |
