This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201610343990.8 filed on May 23, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The subject matter herein generally relates to protective shells, and more particularly to, a protective shell with a function for supporting an electronic device it protects.
Electronic devices often have protective shells. Protective shells are employed by electronic devices for protection against being scratched. However, such protective shells are too thin and lightweight for any other function.
Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts have been exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented. 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.”
Furthermore, the term “coupled” is defined as connected, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. The connection can be such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably connected. The term “outside” refers to a region that is beyond the outermost confines of a physical object. The term “inside” indicates that at least a gap in of a region is partially contained within a boundary formed by the object. The term “substantially” is defined to be essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape, or other feature that the term modifies, such that the component need not be exact. For example, “substantially cylindrical” means that the object resembles a cylinder, but can have one or more deviations from a true cylinder. The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series and the like.
The present disclosure is described in relation to a protective shell with a function for supporting an electronic device.
The shell body 10 includes a first receiving space 11 and a second receiving space 12. The first receiving space 11 can receive an electronic device protected by the protective shell 100. The second receiving space 12 can receive the support element 20. The size and shape of the first receiving space 11 correspond to those of the electronic device. In the embodiment, the second receiving space 12 is formed on a bottom board 103 of the shell body 10 and faces outside of the protective shell 100. The second receiving space 12 is rectangular.
The support element 20 includes a first support arm 21 and a second support arm 22.
The first support arm 21 includes a first end 210 and a second end 216. The first end 210 is slidably received in the second receiving space 12. The second end 216 can be pulled out of the second receiving space 12 toward the outside of the shell body 10 while the first end 210 slides in the second receiving space 12. An inner surface of the first end 210 is square-shaped and concave. In an alternative embodiment, the inner surface of the first end 210 can be other shape, such as smooth and flat.
In the embodiment, the first end 210 includes two sliders 211. Each slider 211 projects from a sidewall of the two opposite sidewalls of the first end 210. The second receiving space 12 includes two slide grooves 13 (shown in
In the embodiment, the second receiving space 12 is not only located in the outer body 102 of the shell body 10, but also in the inner body 101 of the shell body 10. That is, the second receiving space 12 passes through the outer body 102 and the inner body 101 of the shell body 10. The slide grooves 13 are formed on the inner body 101 of the shell body 10.
In an alternative embodiment, the second receiving space 12 is only formed in the outer body 102 of the shell body 10. The slide grooves 13 are formed on the outer body 102 of the shell body 10.
In other embodiment, the slide grooves 13 are formed between the outer body 102 and the inner body 101 of the shell body 10. For example, in an embodiment, a gap can be created in a sidewall of the second receiving space 12, where the inner body 101 connects to the outer body 102. The two gaps can thus constitute the slide grooves 13. In an alternative embodiment, a width of the second receiving space 12 located in the inner body 101 is greater than that of the second receiving space 12 located in the outer body 102, thus forming a stepped surface at the place where the inner body 101 connects to the outer body 102. The slider 211 can slide on the stepped surface.
Referring to
The second support arm 22 includes a first free end 220 and a second free end 225. The second free end 225 can be rotatably received in the second receiving space 12, as shown in
The first support arm 21 defines a third receiving space 212 for receiving the second support arm 22. As shown in
In the embodiment, the third receiving space 212 is rectangular. The third receiving space 212 is further located in middle of the first support arm 21 toward the second end 216 of the first support arm 21.
Each opposing sidewall of the third receiving space 212 includes one or more limiting holes 2121 corresponding to the sliding elements 221. The limiting holes 2121 can receive and limit the sliding elements 221. The sliding elements 221 can be rotatably received in the limiting holes 2121.
In an alternative embodiment, the limiting holes 2121 on a same sidewall of the third receiving space 212 connect to each other, thus the sliding elements 221 can slide to different positions within the different parts of limiting holes 2121, and the support element 20 can thus support the shell body 10 in different angles. In one embodiment, the limiting holes 2121 on the same sidewall of the third receiving space 212 are arranged to resemble a string of beads.
To install the second support arm 22, the second support arm 22 is deformed, making the rotation elements 223 captive in the receiving holes 14 and the sliding elements 221 captive in the limiting holes 2121. In the embodiment, the second support arm 22 includes a first gap 222 in the first free end 220, and a second gap 224 in the second free end 225. The first gap 222 is located between the sliding elements 221. The second gap 224 is located between the rotation 223. The first gap 222 and the second gap 224 can make the first end 220 and the second end 225 more deformable, thus permitting easier installation of the first free end 220 of the second support arm 22 in the first support arm 21. Likewise for the second free end 225 of the second support arm 22 in the second receiving space 12. In the embodiment, the first gap 222 and the second gap 224 have the same shape, such as U-shaped, square-shaped, or semicircle-shaped. In other embodiment, the first gap 222 and the second gap 224 can be other shape.
The second end 216 of the first support arm 21 includes one or more non-slip pads 213. The non-slip pad 213 can prevent the first support arm 21 from sliding along a support surface such as a desk surface while the first support arm 21 supports the electronic device received in the shell body 10. In other embodiment, the non-slip pad 213 can be a high-friction rubber sleeve, or other material with high-friction properties.
Referring to
The protective shell 100 can be used as follows:
In an initial state, as shown in
As shown in
The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art such as the other features of a protective shell. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure, up to and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2016 1 0343990 | May 2016 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
8483786 | Ramies | Jul 2013 | B2 |
8634887 | Hu | Jan 2014 | B2 |
8640868 | O'Dowd | Feb 2014 | B2 |
8644895 | Heywood | Feb 2014 | B2 |
8675862 | Lin | Mar 2014 | B1 |
8958857 | Kennard | Feb 2015 | B1 |
8977328 | Cheng | Mar 2015 | B2 |
9004275 | Lee | Apr 2015 | B2 |
9014766 | Hu | Apr 2015 | B2 |
9020428 | Meunier | Apr 2015 | B2 |
9026187 | Huang | May 2015 | B2 |
9031623 | Yoo | May 2015 | B2 |
9042950 | Oh | May 2015 | B1 |