PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROTECTOR
A protector for portable electronic devices is disclosed comprising an embossed, generally X-shaped frame, and including a portfolio-style protective cover having a “kickstand” propping element built into it, the cover also adapted to accommodate the embossed frame.
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®. 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 an improved 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 a cover 1 designed to accept an electronic device P, the cover comprising a foldable portfolio 10 having a top 10a, a bottom 10b, and a spine 10c. The top 10a and bottom 10b preferably comprise a three-ply lamination of a soft layer 11 such as felt on the inside of the portfolio that is in contact with the electronic device P, a durable outside layer 12 such as leather, and a stiff middle layer 13 to provide structural support to the top and bottom of the cover. Spine 10c preferably comprises only two plies 11 and 12 so as to maintain flexibility on opening and closing. Portfolio 10 is preferably provided with longitudinal creases 14, 15 and 16 to further facilitate flexing, with crease 16 being created by a discontinuity in middle layer 13.
A prominent feature of cover 1 is a four-legged frame that may be in a variety of configurations such as in an O-shape 20 as seen in
Frame 20, 30 or 40 is provided with four legs 22 integral with the frame extending radially outwardly and oriented in an X-shaped configuration relative to each other. Legs 22 terminate in four resilient lugs 24 with two pairs of lugs diametrically opposed to each other, the lugs being in an arcuate shape so as to capture the four corners of electronic device P. A preferred material for lugs 24 is silicone rubber. When frame 20, 30 or 40 is secured to a cover such as shown in
Top 10a is preferably provided at its corners with reversible elastic straps 40 that may be secured to bottom 10b at corresponding corners to secure cover 1 in a closed or open position, best seen in
Bottom 10b is preferably provided with a flap 50 designed to capture the outside edge of top 10a when the same is folded back on itself along crease 16 at an angle θ of about 90° so as to create an easel or stand for the entire arrangement, best seen in
Frame 20, 30 or 40 may also be secured to a resilient backing (not shown), such as silicone rubber, by, e.g., gluing or lamination, which combination may in turn be secured to a cover or portfolio.
The preferred manufacturing technique of frame 20, 30 or 40 is injection molding of thermoplastic polymers, with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) most preferred. Such a technique has been discovered to have inherent drawbacks caused by uneven flow of the molten polymer, chief among which are flow line marks, corner deformations, discontinuities and warping, causing an average rejection or failure rate of about 20%. The inventors have discovered an improvement in the manufacturing process that results in a substantial improvement in the failure rate, on the order of 75%, which at the same time imparts a substantial improvement in tensile strength to the frame 20, 30 or 40, which in turn provides greater protection for the portable electronic device when the frame is applied to the device.
The improvement lies in the discovery that superimposition of an embossed grid pattern on one or both sides of frame 20, 30 or 40 both reduces failure rate and imparts much greater tensile strength to the frame, which leads to greater protection of the portable electronic device.
The embossed grid pattern may be multiples of virtually any regular geometric shape, such as a polygon, triangle, circle or rectangle as illustrated in
A lot of 30 frames 20 were made according to the above procedure with TPU and having a honeycomb-like grid embossed on their back sides comprising multiple hexagons, each approximately 0.5 mm high and 5 mm wide. The failure rate was reduced to 5%, an improvement of approximately 75% from the failure rate norm of about 20%. Several frames from this lot were selected at random, sewn onto portfolios 10 fitted to Apple iPads®, and subjected to the standard Transit Drop Test (MIL-STD-810G, Method 516.6, Procedure VI). The parameters and protocol for this test were as follows: the drop surface was concrete with a 1/2″ steel plate over the concrete and 2″ thick plywood over the steel plate; three series of 10 drops each were conducted from heights of 4, 5 and 6 feet; each series of 10 drops was onto the four corners, four edges and both faces of the combined folio/iPad®; following each of the 30 drops, the device was inspected and its function checked by booting up a Windows® software program. The results after all drops were that the device retained its function and the device's screen did not break or crack, but the device's corners had scratches in the paint and minor dents after the 6 foot drops.
Referring to
Referring to
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® 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) a four-legged frame;
- (b) the four legs of said frame oriented in an X-shaped configuration relative to each other; and
- (c) resilient corner-engaging arcuate lugs integral with each of said four legs wherein said frame has embossed thereon a pattern comprising multiples of at least one regular geometric shape.
2. The protector of claim 1 wherein said frame is X-shaped with said legs intersecting each other.
3. The protector of claim 2 wherein said frame is webbed where said legs intersect with each other.
4. The protector of claim 1 wherein said frame is O-shaped with said legs oriented radially outwardly therefrom.
5. The protector of claim 4 wherein said O-shaped frame is generally rectangular
6. The protector of any of claims 2-5 incorporated into a foldable portfolio.
7. The protector of any of claims 2-5 secured to a resilient backing.
8. The protector of any of claims 2-5 wherein said regular geometric shape is selected from polygons, triangles, rectangles and circles.
9. The protector of claim 8 wherein said frame is embossed on its back side.
10. The protector of claim 8 wherein said frame is embossed on its front side.
11. The protector of claim 8 wherein said frame is embossed on both sides.
12. The protector of claim 8 wherein said polygon is a hexagon.
13. The protector of claim 8 wherein said frame is embossed on its back side.
14. The protector of claim 8 wherein said frame is embossed on its front side.
15. The protector of claim 8 wherein said frame is embossed on both sides.
16. The protector of any of claims 2-5 having one or more access ports in said lugs.
17. The protector of any of claims 2-5 wherein said frame is made of a thermoplastic polymer.
18. The protector of claim 17 wherein said polymer is thermoplastic polyurethane.
19. The protector of any of claims 2-5 secured to a resilient backing.
20. The protector of claim 1 incorporated into a foldable portfolio having a top, a bottom spine and a leading edge proximal to said spine, wherein said frame is secured to said bottom and said bottom has a longitudinal hinge at about its midpoint that permits said bottom to be folded back against itself and said leading edge to engage the inside of said top.
21. The protector of claim 20 having longitudinal grooves on the inside of said top, said grooves being situated so as to engage said leading edge.
22. The protector of claim 21 wherein said longitudinal grooves are in spaced apart discrete sets.
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: 14/078,828
International Classification: A45C 13/02 (20060101); A45C 11/24 (20060101);