UNIVERSAL PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROTECTOR
A protector for portable electronic devices is disclosed, including a portfolio-style protective cover having device-capturing lugs attached to stretchable legs of an X-shaped frame capable of accommodating a wide variety of sizes.
The development of devices incorporating electronic devices has been explosive over the past decade, resulting in many new genres of battery-powered products such as so-called “smart phones,” electronic readers, and, more recently, the Apple iPad® and Kindle Fire® tablet computers. All such devices are relatively lightweight and portable, owing to the miniaturization of electronic components and circuitry. One shortcoming of such small scale is that the circuitry is relatively fragile and so subject to damage by, for example, impact with a hard surface caused by dropping and/or exposure to moisture. There is therefore a need in the art for protection of such devices from such damage. This need is met by the present invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the present invention, there is provided a protector for portable electronic devices that has a number of unique and useful features that protect such devices from damage and provide support for operating such devices from a desktop or similar flat surface.
Referring to the drawings, wherein the same numerals generally refer to the same elements, there is shown in
Referring to
Lugs 24 in all of the embodiments shown in
In all of the embodiments shown in
Thus, the protector of the invention may be secured to any of a wide variety of portable, generally rectangular electronic devices, including, without limitation, “smart phones,” e-readers, e-planners, e-calendars, and e-tablets such as the Apple iPad® or Kindle Fire® to protect the device while maintaining easy access to the device by the user.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in this specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
Claims
1. A protector for generally rectangular electronic devices comprising:
- (a) an expandable four-legged frame secured to a generally planar rectangular backing having four corners;
- (b) the four legs of said frame being elastic and oriented in a generally X-shaped configuration relative to each other; and
- (c) resilient corner-engaging arcuate lugs integral with each of said four legs.
2. The protector of claim 1 wherein said frame is X-shaped with said legs intersecting each other and is secured to said backing at the intersection of said legs.
3. The protector of claim 1 wherein said frame is X-shaped with said legs having discontinuities.
4. The protector of claim 1 wherein said legs are stretchable longitudinally outwardly toward said four corners.
5. The protector of claim 4 wherein said frame is overlaid with a soft material attached to said backing.
6. The protector of claim 5 wherein said overlaid soft material is generally rectangular and has cutouts in its four corners to expose said lugs.
7. The protector of any of claims 2-6 incorporated into a foldable portfolio cover.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 13, 2013
Publication Date: Mar 6, 2014
Inventors: Joseph Westrup (Vancouver, WA), Kwong Chi Kei (Hong Kong), Lui Suen Yuen (Hong Kong)
Application Number: 14/078,967
International Classification: A45C 11/00 (20060101);