Patent Application
20170196327
The emergence and popularity a mobile computing has made portable computing devices a staple in today's marketplace, due to their compact design and light weight. Tablet computers are examples of portable computing devices that are widely used. Tablet computers generally employ a touchscreen on a display surface of the tablet that may be used for both viewing and input. Users of tables may interact with the touchscreen via finger or stylus gestures. As an example, an on-screen keyboard may be illustrated on the touchscreen surface for entering characters.
Some examples of the present application are described with respect to the following figures:
While using a portable computing device such as a tablet computer (or any other computing device), it may be desirable to protect the tablet computer via a protective case, such that the tablet computer is suitable for tough environments, for example. As an example, the protective case may prevent damage to the tablet computer from accidental drops and other external environmental conditions such as water, dirt, and debris. The protective case may be used to cover various portions of the tablet computer, such as the display surface and/or the back surface opposite the display surface and the sidewalls of the tablet computer.
In addition to protecting the tablet computer, it may be desirable to expand the functionalities of the tablet computer, for example, by providing expansion slots for electronic devices such as a smart card or a universal serial bus (USB) device in the protective case. One of the challenge encountered with existing protective cases (e.g., ruggedized jackets) is the ability to protect electronic devices (e.g., smart card and USB) attached to the tablet computer and the tablet computer from external environment. For example, a USB device may be sticking out of the tablet computer (or exposed) via the protective case while in use, thereby causing damage to both the USB dongle and the tablet computer when dropped or hit by external objects. in addition, size restrictions on tablet computers make it difficult to provide multiple ports for multiple electronic devices.
Examples disclosed herein address the above challenges by providing a protective case for a computing device. The protective case includes a cavity to receive a plurality of electronic devices and a cover removable coupled to the cavity to seal the cavity and to protect the electronic devices from external factors.
In one example, a protective case for a portable computing device includes a cavity in the case to house a plurality of electronic devices. The cavity includes a first recess to receive a first electronic device and a second recess to receive a second electronic device. The case also includes a cover removable coupled to the cavity.
In another example, a protective case for enclosing a back surface and sidewalls of a portable computing device includes a cavity in the case to house a plurality of electronic devices. The cavity includes a first recess to receive a first electronic device, where the first recess includes a first connector to connect the first electronic device to the computing device. The cavity also includes a second recess to receive a second electronic device, where the second recess includes a second connector to connect the second electronic device to the computing device. The case also includes a cover removably coupled to the cavity, where the cover rotates to unlock the cover from the case.
In yet another example, a system includes a portable computing device including a display surface and a back surface opposite the display surface. The system includes a protective case for enclosing the back surface and sidewalls of the device. The case includes a cavity in the case to house a plurality of electronic devices. The cavity includes a first recess to receive a first electronic device, where the first recess includes a first connector to connect the first electronic device to the computing device. The cavity also includes a second recess to receive a second electronic device, where the second recess includes a second connector to connect the second electronic device to the computing device. The case includes a cover removably coupled to the cavity.
Referring now to the figures,
Device 100 can include a back surface opposite a display surface. In between the display surface and the back surface, the device 100 may include sidewalls around a perimeter of the device 100. As an example, the device 100 may include four (4) sidewalls (e.g., a left sidewall, a right sidewall, a top sidewall, and a bottom sidewall 108). Device 100 can be fitted with a case 102 for enclosing at least the back surface and sidewalls. For example, a portion of the bottom sidewall 108 may be exposed via at least one of a removable cover 118a and a hinged cover 118b of the case 102. The exposed portion of the sidewall 108 may include ports and/or connectors of the device 100 such as USB, HDMI, power, etc.
In addition to protecting device 100, case 102 can expand the functionalities of device 100. For example, case 102 includes a cavity 104 to house a plurality of electronic devices, and a cover 106 to protect the electronic devices in the cavity 104 from external environment. Cavity 104 includes a first recess 114 to receive a first electronic device and a second recess 124 to receive a second electronic device. In certain examples, the first electronic device includes a smart card and the second electronic device includes a universal serial bus (USB) dongle.
The first recess 114 includes a smartcard reader 116 to connect to the smart card. The smartcard reader 116 can be located at one end of the first recess 114 with the electronic contacts of the smartcard reader 116 facing upwards to make contact with the smartcard. The second recess 124 includes a USB connector 126 (e.g., a USB host connector/port or a USB female connector/port) to connect to the USB dongle. The USB connector 126 can be located at one end of the second recess 124. The smart card reader 116 and the USB connector 126 can be connected to a printed circuit board (PCB) of the device 100, where the PCB (not shown) is located inside the device 100. In certain examples, the first recess 114 and the second recess 124 are arranged such that either one of the smart card and the USB dongle can be used at one time.
In certain examples, cavity 104 is a round-shaped cavity. However, cavity 104 can be any shape. In some examples, an edge of the cavity 104 can include an O-ring 134 or molded with soft material such as silicon rubber to protect the cavity 104 from external factors such as water and dust.
Cover 106 can be removably coupled to the cavity 104. For example, cover 106 can be magnetically coupled to the cavity 104 or mechanically coupled to the cavity 104. For example, cavity 104 can include L-shaped locking features 110 that removably couple with corresponding L-shaped locking features within the cover 106. Alternately, or in addition, cavity 104 can include magnetic members that removably couple with magnetic members disposed within the cover 106. Cover 106 can be dome-shaped such that the cover 106 accommodates the shape and length of the USB dongle while maintaining sufficient pressure on the smart card to enable contact with the smart card reader 116 and provide a good read of the smart card.
In
Case 102 can further include a light emitting diode (LED) 204 to indicate that one of the USB dongle 202 and a smart card 210 is present in the cavity. In some examples, the LED 204 may display a first color to indicate that the USB dongle 202 is in use or present in the cavity 104 and a second color to indicate that the smart card 210 is in use or present in the cavity 104. Case 102 can include one or more openings to reveal a rear facing camera 206 and an earphone port 218 of the device 100.
In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these details. While the present disclosure has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of examples, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US14/36189 | 4/30/2014 | WO | 00 |
