Protective Cover
A protective cover comprises a holding component, a front plate and at least a soft gel strip. The holding component can hold a portable electronic device and expose at least part of a glossy surface located on a portable electronic device or the holding component. The front plate is adjacent to the holding component, has an inner surface and can be folded relative to the holding component, so as to cover a display surface of the portable electronic device. The soft gel strip is fixed on the inner surface, and an attaching surface thereof is distant from the inner surface and formed as an uneven surface. The attaching surface and the glossy surface can be attached together by pressing the soft gel strip toward the glossy surface to exhaust at least some of the air therebetween when the inner surface covers the display surface.
Latest Patents:
- FOOD BAR, AND METHOD OF MAKING A FOOD BAR
- Methods and Apparatus for Improved Measurement of Compound Action Potentials
- DISPLAY DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF THE SAME
- PREDICTIVE USER PLANE FUNCTION (UPF) LOAD BALANCING BASED ON NETWORK DATA ANALYTICS
- DISPLAY SUBSTRATE, DISPLAY DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR DRIVING DISPLAY DEVICE
The present invention generally relates to a protective cover, and more particularly to a protective cover for a portable electronic device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ARTWith the development of technology, various portable electronic devices, such as a multimedia player (MP3, MP4 and so on), a cell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a hand-held game console, an electronic book (E-book), a tablet personal computer (tablet PC), a netbook, a notebook and so on, have become an integral part of modern life to many people. To compare with the traditional desktop personal computer (desktop PC), a main advantage of the portable electronic device is easy to get carried. Therefore, in recent years, we can see people operating the portable electronic devices anytime and anywhere.
The above-mentioned portable electronic devices can be roughly categorized into two types: foldable portable electronic devices (such as a foldable cell phone, a Nintendo Dual Screen (NDS), a netbook, a notebook and so on) and tablet portable electronic devices (such as a multimedia player (MP3, MP4 and so on), a smart phone, a PDA, a E-book, a tablet PC and so on). Herein, the tablet portable electronic devices are usually carried and stored in a protective cover or a protective sheath by the users, so as to prevent the surface of the liquid crystal displayer (LCD) of the tablet portable electronic device from being scratched since it is unable to be folded when it is not in use.
A foldable protective cover is a kind of the commercially available protective covers commonly used for the tablet portable electronic devices because it can be rapidly folded to cover and to protect the LCD of the tablet portable electronic device, and rapidly unfolded to enable the users to immediately operate the tablet portable electronic device again. Hence, the foldable protective cover is quite convenient to the users. In addition, the commercially available foldable protective covers are usually equipped with a magnetic button set, a snap button set or a piece of elastic for keeping the foldable protective covers being folded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a protective cover without a magnetic button set, a snap button set or a piece of elastic commonly used in the conventional art.
The present invention provides a protective cover for a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device has a display surface, a first rear surface opposite to the display surface, a first side surface adjacent between the display surface and the first rear surface and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, and the protective cover comprises a holding component, a front plate and at least a soft gel strip. The holding component is capable of holding the portable electronic device from the first rear surface and has at least a glossy surface. The front plate is adjacent to the holding component, has an inner surface and is capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the inner surface to cover the display surface and the glossy surface. The soft gel strip is fixed on the inner surface, and an attaching surface of the soft gel strip distant from the inner surface is formed as an uneven surface. When the inner surface covers the display surface and the glossy surface, the attaching surface is capable of being attached to the glossy surface by pressing the soft gel strip toward the glossy surface to exhaust at least some air between the glossy surface and the attaching surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holding component is a silicon case, a leather case or a plastic case, and the glossy surface is formed on at least one of a front surface of the holding component corresponding to the display surface, a third side surface of the holding component corresponding to the second side surface and a second rear surface of the holding component corresponding to the first rear surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holding component comprises a rear plate and a holding portion, wherein the front plate is adjacent to the rear plate, the holding portion comprises at least one of a silicon case, a leather case, a plastic case, at least a piece of elastic, at least a combination of a crochet belt and a velour belt (commonly known as Velcro® strap) and at least an adhesive unit disposed on the rear plate and at least a hook disposed on part of a peripheral of the rear plate, and the glossy surface is formed on a third rear surface of the rear plate opposite to the holding portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the soft gel strip is made of at least one of epoxy resin, polyurethane (PU, commonly known as PU glue), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU, commonly known as TPU glue), polysiloxanes (commonly known as silicone) and rubber.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover further comprises at least one of a thin keyboard, a thin paper speaker, a touch pad and a pocket disposed on the inner surface.
The present invention further provides a protective cover for a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device has a display surface, a rear surface opposite to the display surface, a first side surface adjacent between the display surface and the rear surface, a second side surface opposite to the first side surface and at least a glossy surface formed on at least one of the display surface, the rear surface and the second side surface, and the protective cover comprises a holding component, a front plate and at least a soft gel strip.
The holding component is capable of holding the portable electronic device from the rear surface and exposing at least a portion of the glossy surface. The front plate is adjacent to the holding component, has an inner surface and is capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the inner surface to cover the display surface. The soft gel strip is fixed on the inner surface, and an attaching surface of the soft gel strip distant from the inner surface is formed as an uneven surface. When the inner surface covers the display surface, the attaching surface is capable of being attached to the glossy surface by pressing the soft gel strip toward the glossy surface to exhaust at least some air between the glossy surface and the attaching surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the glossy surface is formed on the display surface, and the front plate comprises a first folding plate and a second folding plate. The first folding plate is adjacent to the holding component and capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to cover the first side surface. The second folding plate is adjacent to the first folding plate, has the inner surface, and is capable of being folded relative to the first folding plate, so as to cover the display surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the glossy surface is formed on at least one of the display surface and the second side surface, the inner surface has a first inner surface, a second inner surface and a third inner surface, and the front plate comprises a first folding plate, a second folding plate and a third folding plate. The first folding plate is adjacent to the holding component and has the first inner surface, wherein the first folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the first inner surface to cover the first side surface. The second folding plate is adjacent to the first folding plate and has the second inner surface, wherein the second folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the first folding plate, so as to enable the second inner surface to cover the display surface. The third folding plate is adjacent to the second folding plate and has the third inner surface, wherein the third folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the second folding plate, so as to enable the third inner surface to cover the second side surface, and the soft gel strip is fixed on at least one of the second inner surface and the third inner surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inner surface has a first inner surface, a second inner surface, a third inner surface and a fourth inner surface, and the front plate comprises a first folding plate, a second folding plate, a third folding plate and a fourth folding plate. The first folding plate is adjacent to the holding component and has the first inner surface, wherein the first folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the first inner surface to cover the first side surface. The second folding plate is adjacent to the first folding plate and has the second inner surface, wherein the second folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the first folding plate, so as to enable the second inner surface to cover the display surface. The third folding plate is adjacent to the second folding plate and has the third inner surface, wherein the third folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the second folding plate, so as to enable the third inner surface to cover the second side surface. The fourth folding plate is adjacent to the third folding plate and has the fourth inner surface, wherein the fourth folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the third folding plate, so as to enable the fourth inner surface to cover the rear surface, and the soft gel strip is fixed on at least one of the second inner surface, the third inner surface and the fourth inner surface.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the holding component comprises a rear plate and a holding portion, wherein the front plate is adjacent to the rear plate, and the holding portion comprises at least one of a silicon case, a leather case, a plastic case, at least a piece of elastic, at least a combination of a crochet belt and a velour belt (commonly known as Velcro® strap) and at least an adhesive unit disposed on the rear plate and at least a hook disposed on part of a peripheral of the rear plate.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the soft gel strip is made of at least one of epoxy resin, polyurethane (PU, commonly known as PU glue), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU, commonly known as TPU glue), polysiloxanes (commonly known as silicone) and rubber.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover further comprises at least one of a thin keyboard, a thin paper speaker, a touch pad and a pocket disposed on the inner surface.
Accordingly, the soft gel strip of the protective cover of the present invention can be used for attaching the front plate on at least one of the display surface, the side surface and the rear surface of the portable electronic device formed as a glossy surface and/or the front surface, the side surface and the rear surface of the holding component formed as a glossy surface, and thus the magnetic button set, the snap button set or the piece of elastic commonly used in the conventional art can be replaced by the soft gel strip.
Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments of the present invention. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with these specific embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. In fact, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process operations are not described in detail in order not to obscure the present invention.
Referring to
Further, the protective cover 10 comprises a holding component 100, a front plate 200 and at least a soft gel strip (there are four soft gel strips 310, 320, 330 and 340 exemplarily illustrated in
Moreover, the front plate 200 in the present embodiment is composed of, for example but not limited to, a plurality of folding plate (there are four folding plates 210, 220, 230 and 240 exemplarily illustrated in the present embodiment). Herein, the folding plate 210 is adjacent to the holding component 100 and capable of being folded relative to the holding component 100, so as to enable an inner surface 212 thereof to cover whole of the side surface 102 of the holding component 100 corresponding to the side surface 28. In addition, the folding plate 220 is adjacent to the folding plate 210 and capable of being folded relative to the folding plate 210, so as to enable an inner surface 222 thereof to cover whole of the display region 22d and whole of the front surface 104. Furthermore, the folding plate 230 is adjacent to the folding plate 220 and capable of being folded relative to the folding plate 220, so as to enable an inner surface 232 thereof to cover whole of the side surface 106. Besides, the folding plate 240 is adjacent to the folding plate 230 and capable of being folded relative to the folding plate 230, so as to enable an inner surface 242 thereof to cover at least part of the glossy surface located on the rear surface 108.
Furthermore, the soft gel strips 310 and 320 are respectively fixed on a left region and a right region of the inner surface 222, while the soft gel strips 330 and 340 are respectively fixed on central regions of the inner surfaces 232 and 242, and attaching surfaces of the soft gel strips 310, 320, 330 and 340 distant from the inner surfaces 222, 232 and 242 are uneven surfaces. Therefore, when those folding plates 210, 220, 230 and 240 as illustrated in
For example, the soft gel strip 310 in the present embodiment is made of at least one of the materials with fine texture and well elasticity such as epoxy resin, polyurethane (PU, commonly known as PU glue), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU, commonly known as TPU glue), polysiloxanes (commonly known as silicone) and rubber. Furthermore, a peripheral region of the attaching surface of the soft gel strip 310 can be an even surface, while a central region of the attaching surface of the soft gel strip 310 can be slightly dented toward the inner surface 222, so as to enable the attaching surface as an uneven surface. Therefore, when the soft gel strip 310 contacts with the glossy surface located on the right region of the front surface 104, there is an enclosed space formed between the glossy surface and the attaching surface. Next, a user can further press the soft gel strip 310 toward the glossy surface, so as to exhaust the air between the glossy surface and the attaching surface. It should be noted that after the user releases the soft gel strip 310, the external air can neither pass through the soft gel strip 310 with the fine texture nor the glossy surface on the front surface 104. As a result, the soft gel strip 310 is attached on the glossy surface by a vacuum adsorption formed between the attaching surface and the glossy surface. Moreover, the principles that the other three soft gel strips 320, 330 and 340 being respectively and correspondingly attached on the other glossy surfaces of the holding component 100 are all the same as the above mentioned description and thus omitted herein.
However, the present invention is not limited to the above mentioned embodiment.
For example, the attaching surface can further be an uneven surface with a plurality of dents. Even further, in a micro view, a substantially even surface can have a plurality of micro dents as well, i.e. the attaching surface can further be a substantially even surface with a plurality of micro dents as well. Furthermore, in the other non-illustrated embodiments, the protective cover can further be at least one of a thin keyboard, a thin paper speaker, a touch pad and a pocket disposed on the inner surface.
Moreover, in the other embodiment, the front plate 200 can be merely attached on the front surface 104, i.e. the front plate 200 does not include the folding plates 230 and 240 as illustrated in
In detail, recently, the display surfaces of most of the commercially available portable electronic devices are made of a glass material, so as to form as glossy surfaces, even whole of the outer surfaces of the portable electronic device except the display surface are made to form as glossy surfaces. Hence, the soft gel strip can directly adsorb on the display surface and/or the other outer surfaces of the portable electronic device. For example, the glossy surface in the present embodiment can be directly formed on the display region 22d of the display surface, the rear surface 24 and the side surface 26, and thus it is unnecessary to form any glossy surface on the holding component 100. In addition, when whole of the display surface 22d is formed as a large glossy surface, it is able to provide the same adsorption force as the previous embodiment by removing the soft gel strip 310 and enlarging a size of the soft gel strip 310. Further, in the present embodiment, the holding component 100 is composed of, for example but not limited to, a rear plate 120 and a holding portion 130. Herein, the rear plate 120 is adjacent to the front plate 200 and has an opening 122 capable of exposing the left region of the rear surface 24 of the portable electronic device 20. Furthermore, the holding portion 130 is composed of, for example but not limited to, two hooks disposed on two opposite side edges of the rear plate 120, so as to hold the portable electronic device 20 on the rear plate 120 from two opposite directions. Moreover, whole of the display region 22d, even most of the peripheral region 22p as well, is exposed by the holding portion 130.
Similarly, when all of the folding plates 210, 220, 230 and 240 are folded toward the portable electronic device 20 to respectively enable the inner surfaces 212, 222, 232 and 242 to cover the side surface 28, the display surface 22, the side surface 26 and the rear surface 24 exposed by the opening 122 as illustrated in
Besides, in the other non-illustrated embodiments, the holding portion can further be a silicon case, a leather case, a plastic case, at least a piece of elastic, at least a combination of a crochet belt and a velour belt (commonly known as Velcro® strap) or at least an adhesive unit disposed on the rear plate, at least a hook disposed on part of the peripheral of the rear plate, or a combination thereof. Moreover, similar to the previous embodiment, the glossy surface can be formed on the rear surface of the rear plate opposite to the holding portion and/or the side surface of the holding portion as well.
In summary, in the present invention, after the user presses the soft gel strip toward the glossy surface to exhaust the air between the glossy surface and the attaching surface, a vacuum adsorption force will be formed between the glossy surface and the attaching surface. As a result, the soft gel strip is attached on at least one of the display surface, the side surface and the rear surface of the portable electronic device formed as a glossy surface and/or the front surface, the side surface and the rear surface of the holding component formed as a glossy surface. Therefore, the magnetic button set, the snap button set or the piece of elastic commonly used in the conventional art can be replaced by the soft gel strip.
Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that there are other embodiments that are equivalent to the described embodiments. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrated embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A protective cover for a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device has a display surface, a first rear surface opposite to the display surface, a first side surface adjacent between the display surface and the first rear surface and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, and the protective cover comprises:
- a holding component, capable of holding the portable electronic device from the first rear surface and having at least a glossy surface;
- a front plate, adjacent to the holding component, having an inner surface and capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the inner surface to cover the display surface and the glossy surface; and
- at least a soft gel strip, fixed on the inner surface, and an attaching surface of the soft gel strip distant from the inner surface being formed as an uneven surface, wherein when the inner surface covers the display surface and the glossy surface, the attaching surface is capable of being attached to the glossy surface by pressing the soft gel strip toward the glossy surface to exhaust at least some air between the glossy surface and the attaching surface.
2. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding component is a silicon case, a leather case or a plastic case, and the glossy surface is formed on at least one of a front surface of the holding component corresponding to the display surface, a third side surface of the holding component corresponding to the second side surface and a second rear surface of the holding component corresponding to the first rear surface.
3. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding component comprises a rear plate and a holding portion, the front plate is adjacent to the rear plate, the holding portion comprises at least one of a silicon case, a leather case, a plastic case, at least a piece of elastic, at least a combination of a crochet belt and a velour belt and at least an adhesive unit disposed on the rear plate and at least a hook disposed on part of a peripheral of the rear plate, and the glossy surface is formed on a third rear surface of the rear plate opposite to the holding portion.
4. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soft gel strip is made of at least one of epoxy resin, polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polysiloxanes and rubber.
5. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of a thin keyboard, a thin paper speaker, a touch pad and a pocket disposed on the inner surface.
6. A protective cover for a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device has a display surface, a rear surface opposite to the display surface, a first side surface adjacent between the display surface and the rear surface, a second side surface opposite to the first side surface and at least a glossy surface formed on at least one of the display surface, the rear surface and the second side surface, and the protective cover comprises:
- a holding component, capable of holding the portable electronic device from the rear surface and exposing at least a portion of the glossy surface;
- a front plate, adjacent to the holding component, having an inner surface and capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the inner surface to cover the display surface; and
- at least a soft gel strip, fixed on the inner surface, and an attaching surface of the soft gel strip distant from the inner surface being formed as an uneven surface, wherein when the inner surface covers the display surface, the attaching surface is capable of being attached to the glossy surface by pressing the soft gel strip toward the glossy surface to exhaust at least some air between the glossy surface and the attaching surface.
7. The protective cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the glossy surface is formed on the display surface, and the front plate comprises:
- a first folding plate, adjacent to the holding component and capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to cover the first side surface; and
- a second folding plate, adjacent to the first folding plate, having the inner surface and capable of being folded relative to the first folding plate, so as to cover the display surface.
8. The protective cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the glossy surface is formed on at least one of the display surface and the second side surface, the inner surface has a first inner surface, a second inner surface and a third inner surface, and the front plate comprises:
- a first folding plate, adjacent to the holding component and having the first inner surface, wherein the first folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the first inner surface to cover the first side surface;
- a second folding plate, adjacent to the first folding plate and having the second inner surface, wherein the second folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the first folding plate, so as to enable the second inner surface to cover the display surface; and
- a third folding plate, adjacent to the second folding plate and having the third inner surface, wherein the third folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the second folding plate, so as to enable the third inner surface to cover the second side surface, and the soft gel strip is fixed on at least one of the second inner surface and the third inner surface.
9. The protective cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the inner surface has a first inner surface, a second inner surface, a third inner surface and a fourth inner surface, and the front plate comprises:
- a first folding plate, adjacent to the holding component and having the first inner surface, wherein the first folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the holding component, so as to enable the first inner surface to cover the first side surface;
- a second folding plate, adjacent to the first folding plate and having the second inner surface, wherein the second folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the first folding plate, so as to enable the second inner surface to cover the display surface;
- a third folding plate, adjacent to the second folding plate and having the third inner surface, wherein the third folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the second folding plate, so as to enable the third inner surface to cover the second side surface; and
- a fourth folding plate, adjacent to the third folding plate and having the fourth inner surface, wherein the fourth folding plate is capable of being folded relative to the third folding plate, so as to enable the fourth inner surface to cover the rear surface, and the soft gel strip is fixed on at least one of the second inner surface, the third inner surface and the fourth inner surface.
10. The protective cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the holding component comprises a rear plate and a holding portion, the front plate is adjacent to the rear plate, and the holding portion comprises at least one of a silicon case, a leather case, a plastic case, at least a piece of elastic, at least a combination of a crochet belt and a velour belt and at least an adhesive unit disposed on the rear plate and at least a hook disposed on part of a peripheral of the rear plate.
11. The protective cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein the soft gel strip is made of at least one of epoxy resin, polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polysiloxanes and rubber.
12. The protective cover as claimed in claim 6, further comprising at least one of a thin keyboard, a thin paper speaker, a touch pad and a pocket disposed on the inner surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 30, 2012
Publication Date: Dec 5, 2013
Applicant: (New Taipei City)
Inventor: Fu-Yi Hsu (New Taipei City)
Application Number: 13/561,119
International Classification: B65D 85/00 (20060101);