Patent Application
20140246340
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to portable electronic devices, and more particularly to a protective cover for a tablet computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Tablet computers can be protected by protective covers. Some protective covers can also function as a stand to support the tablet computer at an angle relative to a surface. However, it is difficult to adjust an angle of the tablet computer relative to the surface with such protective covers. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.
Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one”.
Referring to
The bottom cover 10 includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate 11, a pivoting sidewall 12 extending up from one side of the bottom plate 11, and three sidewalls 13 extending up from the other three sides of the bottom plate 11. The bottom plate 11, the pivoting sidewall 12, and the sidewalls 13 cooperatively bound a receiving space 18 for receiving the portable electronic device 200. A recess 111 is defined in a middle of an inner surface of the bottom plate 11. A first attraction member 15 is received in the recess 111. An adhesive member 17 is adhered to the inner surface of the bottom plate 11 to sandwich and fix the first attraction member 15 to the bottom plate 11. In other embodiments, the first attraction member 15 can be fixed to the inner surface of the bottom plate 11 by any other fixing method, such as screwing, for example.
The pivoting sidewall 12 defines two spaced cutouts 121. Two ribbed plates 123 are connected between the pivoting sidewall 12 and the bottom plate 11 and bound each of the cutouts 121. Each ribbed plate 123 forms a sloped surface 124. The sloped surface 124 defines a pivot slot 125 and an opening 126 communicating with the pivot slot 125.
The top cover 20 is a foldable segmented flap having a first segment 21, a second segment 22 foldably connected to a side of the first segment 21, and a third segment 23 foldably connected to a side of the second segment 22 opposite to the first segment 21. The first segment 21, the second segment 22, and the third segment 23 are made of various materials, such as plastic, leather, or cloth. The first segment 21, the second segment 22, and the third segment 23 each include a core piece for reinforcing the corresponding segment, and a packaging member packaging the core piece. In this embodiment, the core piece of the first segment 21 is a second attraction member 211. The core piece of the second segment 22 is a reinforcing plate 221, and the core piece of the third segment 23 is a reinforcing plate 231. The reinforcing plates 221 and 231 are both made of rigid materials, such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, hard plastic, or aluminum. The first to third segments 21-23 are connected by the packaging members. A junction between every two adjacent packaging members of the first to third segments 21-23 is flexibly connected.
The third segment 23 forms a sleeve 25 at a side opposite to the second segment 22. A shaft 27 is pivotably received in the sleeve 25, such that opposite ends of the shaft 27 extend out of opposite ends of the sleeve 25, respectively.
Each connecting member 30 includes an arc-shaped main body 31. A substantially columnar first pivoting side 33 and a second pivoting side 35 are formed at opposite sides of the main body 31, respectively. Two pins 351 extend out from opposite ends of the second pivoting side 35, respectively. A pivot hole 331 is axially defined in the first pivoting side 33.
In assembly, opposite ends of the shaft 27 are pivotably received in the pivot holes 331 of the connecting members 30. The connecting members 30 are received in the cutouts 121, such that the pins 351 of each connecting member 30 are received in the corresponding pivot slot 125 through the opening 126. Thus, the first pivoting side 33 of each connecting member 30 is pivotably connected to the top cover 20, and the second pivoting side 35 of each connecting member 30 is pivotably connected to the pivoting sidewall 12 of the bottom cover 10.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the first attraction member 15 is a magnetic sheet, and the second attraction member 211 is a sheet made of material, such as steel, that can be attracted by the magnet. In other embodiments, the first attraction member 15 is a sheet made of material that can be attracted by a magnet, and the second attraction member 211 is a magnetic sheet. The first attraction member 15 and the second attraction member 211 can be both made of magnets to attract each other.
In this embodiment, each pivot slot 125 communicates with an opening 126, which is used for detachably assembling the top cover 20 to the bottom cover 10. When a tablet computer is received in the bottom cover 10, the back of the tablet computer blocks the openings 126 for preventing the pins 351 of the connecting members 30 from releasing from the openings 126. In other embodiments, the pivot slots 125 can be pivot holes for pivotably receiving the pins 351.
In this embodiment, the top cover 20 is pivotably attached to the bottom cover 10 by the two connecting members 30. In other embodiments, the top cover 20 can be pivotably attached to the bottom cover 10 by other methods, such as by using a flexible belt, for example.
In this disclosure, the first segment 21 is attracted to a back of the bottom cover 10 and is slidable along the back of the bottom cover 10 to adjust the angle between the tablet computer and the platform.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the description or sacrificing all of their material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013100646851 | Mar 2013 | CN | national |
