ELECTRONIC DEVICE CASE FOR SELECTIVELY TILTING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE
An electronic device case for selectively tilting an electronic device. The case includes at least one panel, a frame configured to receive an electronic device, and a tilting subassembly. The tilting subassembly includes a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the at least one panel. Pulling of the tether component selectively transforms the tilting subassembly from a first configuration in which the lift component lies substantially flat upon the panel into a second configuration in which the lift component bows into an arch, thereby tilting the frame and an electronic device positioned within the frame. One or more fasteners may be coupled to a second end of the tether component to secure the tilting subassembly in the second configuration.
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The invention is related to a holder or case for an electronic device such as a tablet computer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONPortable or handheld electronic devices, such as eReader devices, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, tablet computers and the like, have internal circuitry, delicate components, and screens that are prone to damage. Thus, there are holders, covers or cases for such devices that protect such devices from the environment. Further, it is often desirable to stand these electronic devices at various orientations and angles to use the electronic devices various functions, such as watching video programming, viewing still images, typing on a touch-screen keypad/keyboard that appears on the device screen, and video-chatting with another user at a remote location, such as through FaceTime® or Skype®. In order to protect their device and serve all viewing preferences, users often purchase protective holders or cases with viewing stands. However, many conventional cases available for mobile phones, PDAs, portable video/music players, and table computers, have rather limited functionality. Although they generally succeed in protecting the portable electronic device, they can detract from its portability, usability and/or aesthetic appearance, and fall short of the needs of the user in many other ways. Thus, there is a need for a case for electronic devices which can conveniently hold the electronic device in various desirable viewing configurations.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments hereof relate to an electronic device case for selectively tilting an electronic device. The case includes at least one panel, a frame configured to hold an electronic device, and a tilting subassembly disposed between the panel and the frame. The frame is hingedly coupled to the panel adjacent a first edge of the panel. The tilting subassembly includes a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the panel. A first end of the lift component is coupled to the panel and a second end of the lift component is coupled to the tether component. The tilting subassembly is operable to selectively alternate between a first configuration in which the lift component lies substantially flat upon the panel and a second configuration in which the lift component bows into an arch when the tether component is selectively pulled such that the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted with respect to the panel.
Embodiments hereof relate to an electronic device case including at least one panel and a tilting subassembly. The tilting subassembly includes a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the panel. A first end of the lift component is coupled to the panel and a second end of the lift component is coupled to a first end of the tether component. The lift component is substantially planar and lies flat upon the panel when the tilting subassembly is in a first configuration such that an electronic device positioned on the tilting subassembly also lies substantially flat upon the panel and wherein the lift component bows into an arch when the tilting subassembly is in a second configuration such that an electronic device positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted with respect to the panel.
Embodiments hereof relate to an electronic device case including a first panel, a second panel, a spine, a frame configured to hold an electronic device, and a substantially planar tilting subassembly disposed between the second panel and the frame. The first panel includes a first panel outer surface and a first panel inner surface, the second panel includes a second panel outer surface and a second panel inner surface, and the spine connects the first panel to the second panel. The frame is hingedly coupled to the second panel inner surface adjacent a first edge of the second panel. The tilting subassembly includes a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the second panel. A first end of the lift component is coupled to the second panel inner surface and a second end of the lift component is coupled to a first end of the tether component. Pulling of the tether component selectively transforms the tilting subassembly from a first configuration in which the lift component lies substantially flat upon the second panel into a second configuration in which the lift component bows into an arch such that the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted with respect to the second panel. A fastener is coupled to a second end of the tether component, wherein the fastener is operable to selectively couple to an edge of the second panel to secure the tilting subassembly in the second configuration such that the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted at an angle between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to the second panel.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention. The drawings are not to scale.
Specific embodiments of the present invention are now described with reference to the figures, wherein like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Although the description of the invention is in the context of tilting electronic devices, the invention may also be used to tilt other devices as it is deemed useful. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description.
Embodiments hereof relate to an electronic device holder or case 100 for protecting and selectively tilting an electronic device. In the embodiment depicted in
Case 100 may be formed from a relatively hard or rigid material that operates to protect the electronic device from breakage or damage. More particularly, front panel 102A, back panel 102B, and spine 103 may be formed from any relatively hard or stiff protective material including but not limited to cardboard, bamboo, fiberboard, wood, wood fiber, metal, polymer, synthetic textiles, nylon, polyurethane, wool, polyester, and other suitable materials as would be known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the outer or exterior surfaces of front and back panels 102A, 102B may include a covering for aesthetic purposes. The covering may be canvas, cloth, synthetic leather, leather, or tarpaulin. Further, in one embodiment, inner or interior surface 122A of front panel 102A may include an inner lining of a soft, non-scratch microfiber material and/or a thin padding of approximately 2-3 mm thickness between the lining and the hard protective material of front panel 102A to protect the electronic device when electronic device case 100 is closed.
In the embodiment shown in
As previously stated, tilting subassembly 104 coupled to back panel 1202B is operable to selectively tilt a portion of frame 120 and an electronic device received therein in order to provide a more convenient viewing configuration or angle. Thus, in order for frame 120 to tilt, frame 120 is hingedly connected to inner surface 122B of back panel 102B adjacent inner edge 126B of back panel 102B.
Tilting subassembly 104 includes a bendable lift component 106 and a tether component 112 that is slidingly disposed between the lift component and back panel 102B. As will be explained in more detail herein, lift component 106 lies substantially flat against or upon back panel 102B and tether 112 is pulled to selectively curve or bow lift component 106 into an arch, thereby lifting or tilting one edge of frame 120 and an electronic device received therein. With additional reference to
Tether 112 of tilting subassembly 104 has a shape of an elongated ribbon or strip. A first end 114 of tether 112 is coupled to second end 107 of lift component 106, and a second end 116 of tether 112 may include one or more fasteners 118 used to secure or lock tilting subassembly 104 into place as will be described in more detail herein. As shown in
As best shown in the cross-sectional view of
To achieve the flat profile discussed above, i.e., to change from the stretched out configuration of
Tilting subassembly 104 is operable to selectively alternate between a first configuration in which lift component 106 lies substantially flat upon back panel 102B as described above with respect to
In
When it is desired to tilt electronic device 140, second end 116 of tether component 112 is pulled in a direction away from case 100 to transform or change tilting subassembly 104 into the second or arched configuration. Second end 116 of tether component 112 may thus be considered a pull tab. Pulling tether component 112 causes second end 107 of lift component 106, which is not attached to back panel 102B, to move towards first ends 111A, 111B of lift component 106, which are attached to back panel 102B. With first ends 111A, 111B of lift component 106 fixed or stationary, pulling tether component 112 and second end 107 of lift component 106 causes the lift component to bend, curve, or bow into an arch as the opposing ends of lift component 106 are moved closer together. Lift component 106 bends or bows with its concavity directed towards back panel 102B. When lift component 106 bows into an arch, frame 120, as well as electronic device 140 received therein, are tilted with respect to back panel 102B. Outer edge 142 of electronic device 140 is lifted or forced away from inner surface 122B of back panel 102B by bowed lift component 106. In an embodiment hereof, frame 120 and electronic device 140 received therein are tilted at an angle Θ between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to back panel 102B as best shown on
The degree of angle Θ may vary according to application and depends upon the location or position of the lift component relative to the hinged edge as well as the distance or amount that tether component 112 is pulled. In general, placing tilting subassembly 104 closer to hinge connection 170 results in a higher or larger degree of tilt angle or inclination as compared to placing it closer to the edge opposite hinge connection 170. Thus, the location of tilting subassembly 104 may vary according to application. In addition, in general, greater distance or amount of travel by tether component 112 results in a higher or larger degree of tilt angle or inclination.
As best shown in the perspective view of
When it is no longer desired to have electronic device 140 tilted, fastener 118 is released or removed from the edge of back panel 102B and tilting subassembly 104 is permitted to return to its natural, flat configuration. Pulling and releasing tether component 112 may be repeated as desired to alternate tilting subassembly between the first, flat configuration and the second, arched configuration.
In another embodiment hereof, a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart fasteners may be coupled to the tether component in order to provide multiple tilting angle options. More particularly, with reference to
While various embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of illustration and example only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, case 100 includes two panels 102A, 102B but those skilled in the art would recognize that the case may include other accessory case or holder configurations. Essentially, only a single panel, i.e., back panel 102B, is required, while front panel 102A and spine 103 are optional components that provide case 100 with a book-like configuration. In addition, the hinge connection 170 between frame 120 and back panel 102B is not required to be located adjacent to inside edge 126B of back panel 102B. For example, it may be desirable to locate the hinge connection adjacent to bottom edge 132B of back panel 102B such that top edges of the frame and electronic edge, that is the edges adjacent to top edge 130B of back panel 102B, are selectively lifted or tilted via operation of the tilting subassembly. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents. It will also be understood that each feature of each embodiment discussed herein, and of each reference cited herein, can be used in combination with the features of any other embodiment. All patents and publications discussed herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Claims
1. An electronic device case for selectively tilting an electronic device, the case comprising:
- at least one panel;
- a frame configured to hold an electronic device, wherein the frame is hingedly coupled to the panel adjacent a first edge of the panel; and
- a tilting subassembly disposed between the panel and the frame, the tilting subassembly including a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the panel, wherein a first end of the lift component is coupled to the panel and a second end of the lift component is coupled to the tether component,
- wherein the tilting subassembly is operable to selectively alternate between a first configuration in which the lift component lies substantially flat upon the panel and a second configuration in which the lift component bows into an arch when the tether component is selectively pulled such that the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted with respect to the panel.
2. The electronic device case of claim 1, wherein the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted at an angle between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to the panel.
3. The electronic device case of claim 1, wherein the panel is a back panel and the case further includes a front panel connected to the back panel via a spine in the manner of a book.
4. The electronic device case of claim 1, wherein the lift component has a shape of the letter Y with a stem and two arms and the tether component extends underneath the stem and underneath a space formed between the two arms of the lift component.
5. The electronic device case of claim 4, wherein a first end of the tether component is coupled to the second end of the lift component and the tether component is folded back under the lift component such that a second end of the tether component is adjacent to the first end of the lift component that is coupled to the panel.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second end of the lift component is not coupled to the panel.
7. The electronic device case of claim 1, wherein a first end of the tether component is coupled to the second end of the lift component and the electronic device case further comprises:
- a fastener coupled to a second end of the tether component, wherein the fastener is operable to selectively couple to an edge of the panel to secure the tilting subassembly in the second configuration.
8. The electronic device case of claim 7, further comprising
- at least a second fastener coupled to the second end of the tether component and longitudinally spaced apart from the first fastener, wherein second fastener is also operable to selectively couple to an edge of the panel.
9. The electronic device case of claim 1, wherein the tilting subassembly is positioned adjacent to a second edge of the panel, the second edge of the panel being opposite the first edge of the panel.
10. An electronic device case for selectively tilting an electronic device, the case comprising:
- at least one panel; and
- a tilting subassembly including a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the panel, wherein a first end of the lift component is coupled to the panel and a second end of the lift component is coupled to a first end of the tether component,
- wherein the lift component is substantially planar and lies flat upon the panel when the tilting subassembly is in a first configuration such that an electronic device positioned on the tilting subassembly also lies substantially flat upon the panel and wherein the lift component bows into an arch when the tilting subassembly is in a second configuration such that an electronic device positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted with respect to the panel.
11. The electronic device case of claim 10, further comprising:
- a frame configured to hold the electronic device, wherein the frame is hingedly coupled to the panel adjacent a first edge of the panel and the tilting subassembly is disposed between the panel and the frame.
12. The electronic device case of claim 10, wherein the panel is a back panel and the case further includes a front panel connected to the back panel via a spine in the manner of a book.
13. The electronic device case of claim 10, wherein the lift component has a shape of the letter Y with a stem and two arms and the tether component extends underneath the stem and underneath a space formed between the two arms of the lift component.
14. The electronic device case of claim 13, wherein the tether component is folded back under the lift component such that a second end of the tether component is adjacent to the first end of the lift component that is coupled to the panel.
15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the second end of the lift component is not coupled to the panel.
16. The electronic device case of claim 10, further comprising:
- a fastener coupled to a second end of the tether component, wherein the fastener is operable to selectively couple to an edge of the panel to secure the tilting subassembly in the second configuration.
17. The electronic device case of claim 16, further comprising:
- at least a second fastener coupled to the second end of the tether component and longitudinally spaced apart from the first fastener, wherein second fastener is also operable to selectively couple to an edge of the panel.
18. The electronic device case of claim 10, wherein the tilting subassembly is positioned adjacent to a second edge of the panel, the second edge of the panel being opposite the first edge of the panel.
19. The electronic device case of claim 10, wherein the electronic device positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted at an angle between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to the panel.
20. An electronic device case for selectively tilting an electronic device, the case comprising:
- a first panel including a first panel outer surface and a first panel inner surface;
- a second panel including a second panel outer surface and a second panel inner surface;
- a spine connecting the first panel to the second panel;
- a frame configured to hold an electronic device, wherein the frame is hingedly coupled to the second panel inner surface adjacent a first edge of the second panel;
- a substantially planar tilting subassembly disposed between the second panel and the frame, the tilting subassembly including a bendable lift component and a tether component slidingly disposed between the lift component and the second panel, wherein a first end of the lift component is coupled to the second panel inner surface and a second end of the lift component is coupled to a first end of the tether component, wherein pulling of the tether component selectively transforms the tilting subassembly from a first configuration in which the lift component lies substantially flat upon the second panel into a second configuration in which the lift component bows into an arch such that the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted with respect to the second panel; and
- a fastener coupled to a second end of the tether component, wherein the fastener is operable to selectively couple to an edge of the second panel to secure the tilting subassembly in the second configuration such that the frame positioned on the tilting subassembly is tilted at an angle between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to the second panel.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 8, 2013
Publication Date: May 14, 2015
Applicant: (Vancouver)
Inventor: Luis Quehl (San Anselmo, CA)
Application Number: 14/075,775
International Classification: B65D 5/52 (20060101);