DIGITAL APPLIANCE COVER

Abstract

A digital appliance cover article formed of a thermoplastic elastomeric film that compressively and conformably encloses a digital appliance. The cover defines a pocket with an opening that is offset from an edge of the cover, with overlapping edges at the opening, whereby the digital appliance is compressively and conformably enclosed by the digital appliance cover article when inserted through such opening and reposed in an interior volume of the cover article.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The benefit under 35 USC 119 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/492,363 filed Jun. 1, 2011 in the names of Tilak M. Shah and Kimberly Ogburn for DIGITAL APPLIANCE COVER is hereby claimed. The disclosure of such U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/492,363 is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to cover articles for digital appliances, e.g., cellular telephones, PDAs, electronic tablets, sub-notebook computers, barcode scanners, walkie-talkies, two-way radios, remote control units, electronic games, and electronic books.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

The current proliferation of electronic devices of all types includes a wide variety of digital appliances, such as cellular telephones, PDAs, electronic tablets, sub-notebook computers, barcode scanners, walkie-talkies, two-way radios, remote control units, electronic games, and electronic books. The ubiquity of such devices involves their presence and use in a variety of environments, in which they may be handled by multiple users, and exposed to ambient conditions and contaminants that may adversely affect their utility and operational status.

Many of such devices, as a result of their programmed or programmable character, and their storage of electronic information or connectability to sources of electronic information, possess a value to their owners or users that far transcends the replacement costs of such devices.

While such digital appliances are manufactured to provide significant service life in all potential venues of use, and may be even be “ruggedized” or otherwise engineered for use in adverse conditions such as high humidity, impact or vibration conditions, exposure to water or other liquids, dusty environments, widely varying temperatures, etc., the fact remains that such conditions may severely adversely impact the digital appliance. In addition, repeated handling of such devices may result in oils, lotions and other substances carried by the skin accumulating on and penetrating into components of the appliance.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to cover articles that are usefully employed to contain and protect digital appliances.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a digital appliance cover article formed of a thermoplastic elastomeric film that compressively and conformably encloses a digital appliance, with the cover defining a pocket with an opening that is offset from an edge of the cover with overlapping edges at the opening, whereby the digital appliance is compressively and conformably enclosed by the digital appliance cover article when inserted through such opening and reposed in an interior volume of the cover article.

In another aspect, the disclosure relates to a digital appliance cover, comprising superposed first and second panels of thermoplastic elastomeric film, wherein the first panel has a length dimension greater than that of the second panel, forming a flap that is overfolded and extends inwardly under and beyond an upper edge of the second panel, and with the overfolded first panel in registration with the second panel along side and bottom edges of the second panel, with the first and second panels being sealed to one another along said side and bottom edges of the second panel to form a pocket with an interior volume containing said flap, with the pocket having an opening bounded by said upper edge of the second panel, and wherein said overfolded first panel is sealed along at least a portion of its perimeter including side edges and a top edge of the overfolded first panel, such that the opening is generally aligned with but inwardly spaced from the top edge of the overfolded first panel, so that a digital appliance can be inserted through said opening into the interior volume of said digital appliance cover and reposed therein with the flap of the first panel underlying an upper edge portion of the second panel to enclose the digital appliance in the interior volume of the digital appliance cover.

Other aspects, features and embodiments of the disclosure will be more fully apparent from the ensuing description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a digital appliance cover article, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a digital appliance cover article, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a graphic depiction of a cover article according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, of the type as schematically shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a cover article according to a further embodiment of the disclosure, as including a handle structure enabling carrying of the digital appliance in the cover article.

FIG. 5 is a graphic depiction of a portion of a digital appliance cover article of the type shown in FIG. 3, showing details of the structure thereof.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a digital tablet as installed in a cover article according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to cover articles that are usefully employed to contain digital appliances, and to protect such appliances from direct exposure to the elements or other contaminants, materials or conditions in the ambient environment of the digital appliance.

The cover article is formed of a thermoplastic elastomeric film material that is adapted to compressively and conformably hold a digital appliance in the pocket of the article, as hereinafter more fully described.

The thermoplastic elastomer utilized to fabricate the cover article of the present disclosure can be of any suitable type, including, without limitation, styrenic block copolymers, polyolefin blends, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic copolyesters and thermoplastic polyamides. Block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer products include materials commercially available under the trademarks of ARNITEL (Koninklijke DSM N.V., Heerlen, Netherlands), ENGAGE (Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.), HYTREL (E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.), KRATON (Shell Chemical Company, Houston, Tex.), PEBAX (Arkema, Inc., Philadelphia Pa.), PELLETHANE and RITEFLEX (Ticona, Florence, Ky.) and STYROFLEX (BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany). Elastomer alloys potentially useful in the broad practice of the disclosure include, without limitation, elastomer alloys commercially available under the trademarks ALCRYN (E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.), DRYFLEX and EVOPRENE (AlphaGary, Charlotte, N.C.), FORPRENE and GEOLAST (Monsanto Chemical Company, St. Louis, Miss.), and MEDIPRENE, SANTOPRENE and SARLINK (Koninklijke DSM N.V., Heerlen, Netherlands).

Thermoplastic elastomers of any suitable type may be employed, having the ability to be stretched to moderate elongations, and on removal of the deforming stress, to return to approximately original shape, as materials processable as melts at elevated temperature, and characterized by the absence of significant creep.

In various aspects, the disclosure contemplates a digital appliance cover article formed of a thermoplastic elastomeric film that compressively and conformably encloses a digital appliance, with the cover defining a pocket with an opening that is offset from an edge of the cover with overlapping edges at the opening, whereby the digital appliance is compressively and conformably enclosed by the digital appliance cover article when inserted through such opening and reposed in an interior volume of the cover article.

In one illustrative configuration, the digital appliance cover the present disclosure comprises superposed first and second panels of thermoplastic elastomeric film, wherein the first panel has a length dimension greater than that of the second panel, forming a flap that is overfolded and extends inwardly under and beyond an upper edge of the second panel, and with the overfolded first panel in registration with the second panel alongside and bottom edges of the second panel. The first and second panels are sealed to one another along side and bottom edges of the second panel, to form a pocket with an interior volume containing the flap. The pocket has an opening bounded by the upper edge of the second panel. The overfolded first panel is sealed along at least a portion of its perimeter including side edges and a top edge of the overfolded first panel, such that the opening is generally aligned with but inwardly spaced from the top edge of the overfolded first panel, so that a digital appliance can be inserted through the opening into the interior volume of the digital appliance cover and reposed therein with the flap of the first panel overlying an upper edge portion of the second panel. In such manner, the digital appliance is enclosed in the interior volume of the digital appliance cover.

The digital appliance may be fabricated of thermoplastic elastomeric film selected from the group consisting of styrenic block copolymers, polyolefin blends, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic copolyesters and thermoplastic polyamides. In a preferred implementation, the thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises thermoplastic polyurethane.

In the illustrative digital appliance cover article, the overfolded first panel is sealed along its side edges, and may optionally additionally be sealed along its top edge, e.g., at a top fold line of such first panel.

In specific embodiments, the digital appliance cover article may comprise a handle attached to an edge of the cover, such as a handle attached to the top edge of the overfolded first panel. The handle may comprise an outer overfolded portion of the overfolded first panel, or may be a separately supplied part or assembly that is secured to the cover. The handle may be configured in any suitable manner, and may for example have an opening therein for manual grasping of the handle.

The digital appliance cover may be formed, as described above, from two superposed panels of the thermoplastic elastomeric film material. The respective panels may be sealed at their sealed edges in any suitable sealing manner. For example, the seals may comprise heat seals, RF welded seals, or alternatively sonic welded, laser welded or infrared radiation welded seals. As a further alternative, the seals may comprise adhesive bonded seals, solvent bonded seals or seals that are formed in any other suitable manner to effect consolidation of the respective edges or edge portions of the thermoplastic elastomeric film panels or sheets utilized in the construction of the digital appliance cover article.

In digital appliance covers in accordance with the present disclosure, the flap and the upper edge portion of said second panel overlap. The extent of the overlap is dimensionally selected to provide a desired extended barrier path to the digital appliance in the cover article when the cover article contains a digital appliance and is compressively and conformably engaged with such appliance. In a specific embodiment, the digital appliance cover may include a second overlapped flap opening, either on a same main face as the first overlapped flap opening, e.g., at the top and bottom portions of such face, or on opposite faces of the cover article, e.g., both at a top portion on opposite faces (i.e., panels) of the cover or both at a bottom portion on opposite faces of the cover, or one on a top portion of one face and the other at the bottom portion on the opposite face of the cover article.

In a further embodiment, the cover article may further comprise a further edge compartment on one or both faces, circumscribing the periphery of the cover article at such face(s), with the compartment(s) being selectively inflatable to provide a cushioned cover article that protects the digital appliance from impact when inadvertently dropped or bumped into another article.

In one embodiment, for example, the flap and the upper edge portion of the second panel overlap by at least 0.25 inch (0.635 cm). In another embodiment, the flap and the upper edge portion of the second panel overlap by a distance of from 0.25 inch (0.635 cm) to 2 inches (5.08 cm).

The thickness of the thermoplastic elastomeric film employed in the cover article can be varied as necessary or desirable in specific embodiments of the disclosure. The film may for example have a thickness in a range of from 0.00004 inch (0.0001 cm) to 0.010 inch (0.025 cm). In other applications of the cover article, the thermoplastic elastomeric film can have a thickness in a range of from 0.0005 inch (0.0013 cm) to 0.002 inch (0.005 cm). In still other embodiments, the thermoplastic elastomeric film can have a thickness in a range of from about 0.001 inch (0.0025 cm) to about 0.002 inch (0.005 cm).

The thickness and type of the film material are such as to permit the cover article to be dimensionally sized to compressively and conformably engage a digital appliance reposed in the pocket thereof. In a specific embodiment, the digital appliance cover is dimensionally sized to compressively and conformably engage an iPhone® cellular telephone reposed in the pocket thereof. In another embodiment, the digital appliance cover is dimensionally sized to compressively and conformably engage an iPad® digital tablet reposed in the pocket thereof.

The cover article in still other embodiments may employ a thermoplastic elastomeric film that comprises at least one color in and/or on such film. The cover article in other implementations can utilize a thermoplastic elastomeric film that comprises a graphic pattern in and/or on such film. The film may also comprise various additives, e.g., at least one additive selected from the group consisting of stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers, fillers, antimicrobial ingredients, dies, colorants and pigments.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a digital appliance cover article 10, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The cover article 10 includes a front panel 12 that is sealed at its edges 14 to a corresponding rear panel (not visible in the FIG. 1 drawing) to form an enclosed interior volume 16. The rear panel is folded over the front panel in the article illustrated, so that a flap is provided. The flap extends through the opening 18 of the cover, into the interior of the cover article, terminating at a flap edge 20 in the drawing.

The opening 18 of the cover article in the FIG. 1 drawing therefore is bounded by the upper edge of the front panel, and there is an overlap between the upper edge portion of the front panel and the lower portion of the flap in the illustrated position. The cover of the FIG. 1 embodiment can be formed of a suitable material such as a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer film, which can be sealed at the side edges and bottom edges of the FIG. 1 structure by heat sealing or ultrasonic bonding or other suitable technique.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a digital appliance cover article 24, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The top, bottom and right-hand edges of the superposed front and back panels of the article (back panel not visible in the FIG. 2 drawing) are sealed. The rear panel is folded over the front panel, with the free end 32 of the flap 28 overlapping with the opening 30 of the article, so that a digital appliance in the interior volume 34 of the article is protected from the ambient environment by the stretchably compressively fitting cover article.

FIG. 3 is a graphic depiction of a cover article 24 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, of the type as schematically shown in FIG. 2, and wherein the same reference numerals denote the same parts and features of the cover article as in FIG. 2. In the FIG. 3 article, the rear panel 42 is shown, which is sealed at its side and bottom edges 26 to the front panel 40. The flap 28 is folded over and extends through the opening 30 to a lower free end 32. The flap may be sealed at its side edges, or over both its side and top edges (the edge at the top fold line of the flap). The flap 28 underlying the upper end portion of the front panel may be sealed at its sides to the side seams of the cover article, or the side edges may be unsealed free edges.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a cover article 24 according to a further embodiment of the disclosure, as including a handle structure 60 enabling carrying of the digital appliance in the cover article. The cover article includes a flap 28 that is folded over at its upper end, and extends downwardly through the opening 30 at the top edge of the front panel of the cover article to a lower edge 32 that is disposed in the interior volume of the cover article. The front and back panels of the cover article are sealed at their edges 26, so as to form a seam that extends around each of the four edges (top, bottom and two sides) of the article, as shown.

The handle 60 includes an opening 62 enabling a user to extend fingers of a hand through the opening to manually grasp the handle, to thereby enable carrying of the cover article 24 containing a digital appliance (not shown in FIG. 4). The opening 62 is bounded by seal 66, and the handle likewise may have a seal 64 extending around its periphery. The handle may comprise a further upper foldover portion of the rear panel of the cover article, and thus be formed integrally of two plies of the film material of which the cover article is fabricated. Alternatively, the handle may be a non-integral element that is separately bonded or otherwise secured to the main body of the cover article.

FIG. 5 is a graphic depiction of a portion of a digital appliance cover article of the type shown in FIG. 3, showing details of the structure thereof, wherein all parts and features are correspondingly numbered with respect to the numbering of FIG. 3. In the FIG. 5 embodiment, the front panel 40 is shown partially broken away to reveal the rear panel 42, and the details of the entrant flap structure are shown in close-up view.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a digital tablet as installed in an interior volume 34 of a cover article 24 according to the present disclosure. The cover article includes a panel 40 that is sealed at its edges to a same type panel that is coextensive in edge registration with the panel 40 at its side edges and bottom edges. The rear panel (not visible in the view shown) is of greater longitudinal extent than the front panel and is folded over to form the flap 28 extending through the opening 30 to the lower free end 32, so as to form an overlapped structure.

The disclosure relates in another aspect to an assembly comprising a digital appliance, e.g., selected from among cellular telephones, PDAs, electronic tablets, sub-notebook computers, barcode scanners, walkie-talkies, two-way radios, remote control units, electronic games, and electronic books, and a cover article of the present disclosure, in which such digital appliance is disposed, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

The cover article of the present disclosure thus provides a protective sheathing of the digital appliance that is reposed in its interior volume, thereby serving to prevent contaminants from directly contacting the digital appliance. The thin film material of the cover article accommodates ready manual interaction of a user with the digital appliance, and the thin film material permits voice, text, image and music transmission therethrough, so that the functionality of the digital appliance is not adversely affected by the cover article.

While the disclosure has been has been set out herein in reference to specific aspects, features and illustrative embodiments, it will be appreciated that the utility of the disclosure is not thus limited, but rather extends to and encompasses numerous other variations, modifications and alternative embodiments, as will suggest themselves to those of ordinary skill in the field of the present disclosure, based on the description herein. Correspondingly, the invention as hereinafter claimed is intended to be broadly construed and interpreted, as including all such variations, modifications and alternative embodiments, within its spirit and scope.

Claims

1. A digital appliance cover article formed of a thermoplastic elastomeric film that compressively and conformably encloses a digital appliance, with the cover defining a pocket with an opening that is offset from an edge of the cover with overlapping edges at the opening, whereby the digital appliance is compressively and conformably enclosed by the digital appliance cover article when inserted through such opening and reposed in an interior volume of the cover article.

2. The digital appliance cover of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises material selected from the group consisting of styrenic block copolymers, polyolefin blends, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic copolyesters and thermoplastic polyamides.

3. The digital appliance cover of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises thermoplastic polyurethane.

4. A digital appliance cover, comprising superposed first and second panels of thermoplastic elastomeric film, wherein the first panel has a length dimension greater than that of the second panel, forming a flap that is overfolded and extends inwardly under and beyond an upper edge of the second panel, and with the overfolded first panel in registration with the second panel along side and bottom edges of the second panel, with the first and second panels being sealed to one another along said side and bottom edges of the second panel to form a pocket with an interior volume containing said flap, with the pocket having an opening bounded by said upper edge of the second panel, and wherein said overfolded first panel is sealed along at least a portion of its perimeter including side edges and a top edge of the overfolded first panel, such that the opening is generally aligned with but inwardly spaced from the top edge of the overfolded first panel, so that a digital appliance can be inserted through said opening into the interior volume of said digital appliance cover and reposed therein with the flap of the first panel underlying an upper edge portion of the second panel to enclose the digital appliance in the interior volume of the digital appliance cover.

5. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises material selected from the group consisting of styrenic block copolymers, polyolefin blends, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic copolyesters and thermoplastic polyamides.

6. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein the thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises thermoplastic polyurethane.

7. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein the overfolded first panel is sealed along its side edges.

8. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein the overfolded first panel is sealed along its side edges and its top edge.

9. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, further comprising a handle attached to an edge thereof.

10. The digital appliance cover of claim 9, wherein the handle is attached to the top edge of the overfolded first panel.

11. The digital appliance cover of claim 10, wherein the handle comprises an outer overfolded portion of said overfolded first panel.

12. The digital appliance cover of claim 11, wherein the handle has an opening therein for manual grasping of the handle.

13. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said seals comprise heat seals.

14. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said seals comprise RF welded seals.

15. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said seals comprise sonic welded, laser welded or infrared radiation welded seals.

16. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said seals comprise adhesive bonding seals.

17. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said seals comprise a solvent bonded seals.

18. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said flap and the upper edge portion of said second panel overlap by at least 0.25 inch (0.635 cm).

19. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said flap and the upper edge portion of said second panel overlap by a distance of from 0.25 inch (0.635 cm) to 2 inches (5.08 cm).

20. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric film has a thickness in a range of from 0.00004 inch (0.0001 cm) to 0.010 inch (0.025 cm).

21. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric film has a thickness in a range of from 0.0005 inch (0.0013 cm) to 0.002 inch (0.005 cm).

22. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric film has a thickness in a range of from about 0.001 inch (0.0025 cm) to about 0.002 inch (0.005 cm).

23. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, dimensionally sized to compressively and conformably engage a digital appliance reposed in the pocket thereof.

24. The digital appliance cover of claim 23, wherein the digital appliance cover is dimensionally sized to compressively and conformably engage an iPhone® cellular telephone reposed in the pocket thereof.

25. The digital appliance cover of claim 23, wherein the digital appliance covers dimensionally sized to compressively and conformably engage an iPad® digital tablet reposed in the pocket thereof.

26. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises at least one color in and/or on said film.

27. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises a graphic pattern in and/or on said film.

28. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric film comprises at least one additive selected from the group consisting of stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers, fillers, antimicrobial ingredients, dies, colorants and pigments.

29. The digital appliance cover of claim 1, comprising a second opening of corresponding configuration, on a same or an opposite face of the cover.

30. The digital appliance cover of claim 4, comprising a second opening of corresponding configuration, on a same or different one of said first and second panels.