PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROTECTOR WITH POP-UP SUPPORT

Abstract

A protector for portable electronic devices is disclosed comprising an embossed, generally X-shaped frame, and including a portfolio-style protective cover having a “pop-up” kickstand propping element built into it.

Description

This is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 14/078,828 filed Nov. 13, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 13/012,720 filed Jan. 24, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 12/860,808, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,924, the priority of all of which is claimed pursuant to 35 USC 120.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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 INVENTION

According 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.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an exemplary cover of the invention opened to receive an electronic device P such as an Apple iPad®.

FIG. 2 is a sectional taken through the plane 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the outside of the cover shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 with the electronic device P inserted into the cover and the top of the cover partially open.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 closed and secured over the electronic device.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 with the electronic device P inserted into the cover and the top of the cover folded back and secured to the bottom of the cover.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 6 illustrating the utility of a hand strap secured to the inside of the top of the cover.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 with the electronic device P inserted into the cover and the top folded back on itself to tuck into a flap on the outside of the bottom of the cover, so as to create a stand for the electronic device P.

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of the invention shown attached to the back side of electronic device P (shown in phantom).

FIGS. 11-13 are partial perspective views of the back side of the four-legged frame of the invention showing its improved structure.

FIGS. 14-15 are perspective views of lugs 24 providing access to a portable electronic device having, e.g., a port for a jack or an on/off switch.

FIGS. 16, 17 and 19 are various perspective views illustrating an additional built-in “pop-up” kickstand feature whereby an electronic device P incorporated into the protective cover of the invention may be propped up and supported at various angles relative to a tabletop or the like for ease in viewing the device's screen. FIG. 18 is a side view of FIG. 17 taken through the plane 18-18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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 FIG. 1, an X-shape 30 as seen in FIG. 9, or a webbed X-shape 40 as seen in FIG. 10. With respect to the frames 20, 30 and 40 it should be understood that the same may be used free standing alone independently of any cover or portfolio, or may be incorporated into a cover or portfolio by securing the same to, for example, a bottom 10b, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9.

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 FIG. 1, lugs 24 hold device P securely in place against bottom 10b. Lugs 24 also serve to absorb shock in the event the electronic device P is struck or dropped onto a hard surface, whether frame 20, 30 or 40 is incorporated into a portfolio or not.

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 FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively. Preferably such reversible straps 40 are attached to bottom 10b by sewing their ends between layers 11 and 12. Top 10a is further provided with an elastic handle strap 30 on its inside surface 11, which may be deployed by the user to maintain a secure grip on the cover and device P so as to decrease the likelihood of dropping the same.

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 FIG. 8.

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 FIGS. 11-13, and is preferably imparted to the frame by injection molding. Specifically, an injection mold is cast of high temperature material such as steel having multiples of the selected geometric shape in relief, resulting in a raised design from about 0.3 to about 0.6, preferably about 0.5 mm. The grid pattern may be cut into the mold by conventional tooling, by laser or by etching, preferably by etching. The thermoplastic polymer for the frame is then simply heated to its melting point and injected into the injection mold by conventional injection molding techniques, cooled to its set point, and removed from the mold.

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 ½″ 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 FIGS. 11-15, an additional improvement in the design of frame 20, 30 or 40 is one or more access ports in lugs 24, comprising either an aperture 60 or 61 in lug 24, or a discontinuity to form a split or claw-like lug 62, that permits access to a portable electronic device having, for example, port(s) for jack(s) and/or an on/off switch. It is to be understood that this includes the frame being provided with at least any of one or two apertures 60 or 61; one or two claw-like lugs 62; or one aperture 60 or 61 and one claw-like lug 62.

Referring to FIGS. 16-19, there is shown another embodiment of the invention illustrating a “pop-up” kickstand support. FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of portfolio 10 having a support 90 inset into well 91 and connected to top 10a by hinge 90a. Support 90 is manually liftable upwardly and away from well 91 and top 10a in the direction shown by the curved arrow in FIG. 17 with the aid of cutout 90b, into which a finger or thumb may be inserted. Well 91 is provided with a spring-loaded brace 92 that is hingedly attached to well 91 at 92a and that pops up into supporting engagement of support 90 by virtue of an, e.g., elastic band 93 exerting force in the direction of the arrow shown parallel to band 93 when support 90 is lifted upwardly and away from well 91. Strap 94, shown folded in FIG. 16 and fully extended in FIG. 17, is secured on one end to well 91 and on the other end to support 90, and serves to limit the maximum travel of support 90 when support 90 is opened in the direction of the curved arrow in FIG. 17.

Once support 90 is fully open, as shown in FIGS. 18-19, top 10a is opened greater than 90° in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 19 so that bottom 10b and the leading edge of support 90 are both in contact with a planar surface such as a desk top or table, so as to support device P and permit easy viewing of its screen.

To return support 90 and elements 92, 93 and 94 to stowed positions in well 91, brace 92 is pulled laterally away from support 90 while simultaneously folding support 90 down in a direction opposite to the curved arrow in FIG. 17 until it is approximately flush with top 10a.

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: wherein said protector is incorporated into a foldable portfolio that is provided with a prop for supporting said portfolio in an open position, said prop itself being supportable with a spring-loaded secondary prop.

(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 wherein said frame is made of thermoplastic polymer.

7. The protector of claim 6 wherein said polymer is thermoplastic polyurethane.

8. A protector for an electronic device comprising:

a. a top;

b. a bottom;

c. a flexible spine joining said top to said bottom;

d. a retainer associated with said top to retain said device to said top;

e. a first prop attached to said top, deployable into an extended position to support at least a portion of said top above a supporting surface;

f. a substantially stiff second prop deployable into an extended position extending between said first prop and said to hold said first prop in said extended position;

g. wherein said top and said first prop are each defined by margins, said top and first prop each having a central area within said margins, a flexible member extending between said central area of said top and said central area of said first prop.

9. The protector of claim 8 wherein said flexible member prevents deployment of said first prop beyond said extended position.

10. The protector of claim 8 wherein deploying said first prop to the extent of said flexible member positions said second prop in said extended position.

11. The protector of claim 8 wherein said flexible member is a strap.

12. The protector of claim 8 including an elastic member extending between said top and said second prop.

13. The protector of claim 12 wherein said elastic member urges said second prop toward said extended position when said first prop is deployed toward said extended position.

14. The protector of claim 12 wherein said elastic member urges said second prop toward said flexible member when said second prop is in said extended position.

15. A foldable protector for an electronic device comprising:

a. a substantially planar top foldably connected to a bottom;

b. a first prop attached to said to said first prop movable about a hinge from a position substantially co-planar with said top to an extended position out of said plane of said top;

c. a second prop deployable between a first position substantially co-planar with said top to an extended position extending outwardly from said top;

d. said second prop when in said extended position extends between said top and said first prop, holding at least a portion of said first prop away from said top;

e. an elastic member extending between said top and said second prop.

16. The protector of claim 15, wherein said elastic member urges said second prop toward said extended position when said first prop is moved toward said extended position.

17. The protector of claim 15 wherein said second prop in said extended position is substantially perpendicular to said plane of said top.

18. The protector of claim 15 further including a flexible member extending between said top and said first prop.

19. The protector of claim 18 wherein said flexible member limits movement of said first prop away from said plane of said top.

20. The protector of claim 18 wherein said elastic member urges said second prop toward said flexible member when said second prop is in said extended position.