US20090120980A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20090120980A1
Application number: US12/349,584
Authority: US
Inventors: Mitchell Vicera Calayo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-09
Filing date: 2009-01-07
Publication date: 2009-05-14

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a cover structured and dimensioned to house an electronic handheld device. A clip is attached in relation to the cover. The clip comprises first and second portions with a hinged connection therebetween. The second portion is movable in relation to the first portion at the hinge connection. The clip further comprises a stop that limits the travel of the second portion, whereby upon moving of the second portion to engage the stop, the second portion functions as a stand upon which the cover leans for supporting the cover in an upright position on a supporting surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/937,540, filed Nov. 9, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to handheld electronic devices and more particularly accessories for handheld electronic devices.

People of all ages now use a wide variety of handheld electronic devices. Cellular telephones, including smart phones, portable media players, personal digital assistants, handheld computers, digital cameras and digital camcorders are just some of the handheld electronic devices presently carried and used by many. These devices quite often play media content, both in vertical and horizontal views. The devices are often quite expensive and the risk of damage to them from dropping is significant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus for use with an electronic handheld device. The apparatus comprises a cover structured and dimensioned to house the device. A clip is attached in relation to the cover. The clip comprises first and second portions with a hinged connection therebetween. The second portion is movable in relation to the first portion at the hinge connection. The clip further comprises a stop that limits the travel of the second portion, whereby upon moving of the second portion to engage the stop, the second portion functions as a stand upon which the cover leans for supporting the cover in an upright position on a supporting surface.

Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the opaque phone case (delivered overnight) with stand and leash.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the transparent media player case (in photos) with stand and leash.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded, rear perspective view of the case shown inFIG. 1 with the hinged back panel open and the clip and leash removed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly for the hinged back panel shown inFIG. 3, assembled in full and partially assembled in broken line.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view of an exemplary lock for the hinged back panel shown inFIG. 3, locked in full and unlocked in broken line.

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a case showing a mounting point for the clip.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial sectional view of mounting point shown inFIG. 6 with a clip mounted thereto.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of mounting point and clip taken along the lines8-8 inFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the clip shown in full in a horizontal position and in broken line in a vertical position.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side elevational view of the clip opened to form a stand, with a stop at the top of the clip limiting the opening travel of the clip.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view in side elevation view of the clip closed and locked in a closed position.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the leash attachment to the clip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated inFIG. 1 an apparatus, generally indicated at10, for use with a device, such as a telephone, such as a cellular telephone, including, for example, a smart phone, such as the iPhone® manufactured by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. A similar apparatus, generally indicated at10′, may be used with a device, such as a portable media player, including, for example, an MP3 player, such as the iPod® manufactured by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., shown inFIG. 2. A similar apparatus may be used with a device, such as a personal digital assistant, handheld computers, digital cameras, digital camcorders, or like device.

Theapparatus10 may include acover12, aclip14, and a tether or leash16, or the like, which may be removably or releasably attached in relation to thecover12. Thecover12 may be provided for housing or covering at least a portion of the device to provide protection for the device. Theleash16 may be provided for attachment to a person so that the person can wear the device and have it readily available.

Thecover12 may be substantially transparent or clear, translucent or opaque, and may be colored or colorless. For example, thecover12 may be clear and colorless so that a colored device, such as an iPod Nano Chromatic manufactured by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., can be seen through thecover12.

It should be appreciated that thecover12 and theclip14 may be of like appearance (e.g., substantially transparent or clear, translucent or opaque, and colored or colorless) so as to blend in or be substantially indiscriminate.

Thecover12 may be in the form of a hard shell case formed from polycarbonate plastic or other suitable material. A similar cover (not shown) may be in the form of a skin formed from high-grade silicon rubber. Regardless of its form, thecover12 may be light, durable, and aesthetically appealing, and may provide an assuring, soft gel, anti-slip feel, which may facilitate handling. Thecover12 may have a slim protective design that does not add any significant weight or volume to the device.

A hardshell case cover12 may have a displaceable portion, such as a slideable or hingedback panel18, which, when displaced, provides an opening, generally indicated at20 inFIG. 3, or other suitable access to the interior of thecover12 for insertion of the device therein.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, thecover12 may have aback panel portion18 that may be hinged in relation to a lower back portion of thecover12. This may be accomplished with a living hinge (not shown), integrally formed, for example, by a weakened area of the cover. Alternatively, theback panel portion18 may be hinged in relation to a lower back portion of thecover12 by amechanical hinge22, wherein theback panel portion18 and the lower back portion of thecover12 form separate cooperating parts. The illustratedhinge22 may have aportion24 that extends from theback panel portion18, and which cooperates with a recessed area or a relief, generally indicated at26, in the lower bottom portion. For example, opposing ends of the extendingportion24 may be provided with protrusions ornodules28 that cooperate with recesses or dimples30 in the recessed area orrelief26, so as to form pivot points of thehinge22.

Thehinge22 may have acam surface32 that aids in assembly of theback panel portion18 in relation to the lower pack portion, as illustrated inFIG. 4. For example, a first one of thenodules28 may be inserted into a first one of thedimples30, and while pivoting theback panel portion18 and thefirst nodule28 in relation to thefirst dimple30, a second one of thenodules28′ may engage thecam surface32 and be guided, in the direction of arrow A when viewingFIG. 4, into a second one of thedimples28′ to form thehinge22.

Theback panel portion18 may be held in a closed position in relation to an upper portion of thecover12, for example, by a latch or lock, generally indicated at34. For example, either one of thecover12 or theback panel portion18 may be provided with acantilevered portion36 that supports abutton38, and the other one of thecover12 or theback panel portion18 may be provided with a recess or opening40 for receiving thebutton38. Upon closing theback panel portion18, for example, in the direction of Arrow B shown inFIG. 5, thebutton38 may cam on against a surface structure adjacent the recess or opening40, deflecting the cantileveredportion36. When thebutton38 reaches the recess or opening40, thecantilevered portion36 may bias thebutton38 into engagement with the recess or opening40. In this position, thebutton38 may be substantially flush and unobservable with the surface structure about theopening40, as shown.

A skin may have an opening and may be sufficiently resilient or pliable to allow the skin to be stretched to allow the device to be inserted into the skin through the opening.

Thecover12 may be formed, or may define an interior that may be formed substantially in the shape of the device, and be sized to fit substantially snuggly or tightly about the device. This may permit the device to be held substantially firmly within thecover12, so that the device does not encounter substantial movement with thecover12, which may cause chaffing or rattling of the device therein.

Thecover12 may have holes, slots, slits, reliefs, perforations, or other suitable openings or recesses to facilitate unhindered use of one or more functions of the device, such as, for example, the functions of screens or pads, which may include, for example, touch screens or touch pads, or the functions of speakers or headset jack, microphones, connectors or connections, camera, IR beaming, or other functions of the device.

Thecover12 may be ergonomically sized and/or shaped, for example, with curved or rounded edges and/or corners, to fit comfortably in a person's hand.

The front of thecover12 may have a built-in, touch-throughscreen42, which may be provided for protecting a touch screen or a touch pad of the device while facilitating use of the touch screen or the touch pad. Thescreen42 may be substantially clear or transparent, and may be colored or colorless, and/or function to provide antiglare or ultraviolet (UV) for the screen or pad of the device. Thecover screen42 may be formed from polycarbonate plastic or other suitable material.

The back of thecover12, opposite the front of thecover12, may be provided with raised or protruding surfaces, nodules, feet or the like, which may include restingpoints44 for making minimal contact with a supporting surface, such as a desktop or table top, or mounting points, such as a mountingpoint46 for theclip14 or other suitable mountable features.

A mountingpoint46 for theclip14 may take on any suitable form. For example, the mountingpoint46 may include a transverse recess orrelief48 and/or one or more recesses oropenings50, such as those axially spaced inFIG. 6. The recesses oropenings50 may be substantially T-shaped, so as to include afirst portion52 and asecond portion54, which is reduced in dimension in relation to thefirst portion52.

The back of theclip14 may support features that cooperate with the transverse recess orrelief48 and/or T-shaped recesses oropenings50. For example, the back of theclip14 may include atransverse protrusion58 that may engage, or otherwise cooperate with the transverse recess orrelief48 and/or one ormore protrusions58 that may engage, or otherwise cooperate with the T-shaped recesses oropenings50, as shown inFIG. 7. Theprotrusions58 may have anenlarged dimension portion60 that may engage thefirst portion52 of the T-shaped recesses oropenings50 and a reduced dimensioned, or necked downportion62 that may slideably engage the secondreduced dimension portion54 of the T-shaped recesses oropenings50, as shown inFIG. 8. Upon sliding the necked downportion62 into engagement with the secondreduced dimension portion54 of the T-shaped recesses oropenings50, thetransverse protrusion58 may engage the transverse recess orrelief48, thus forming a snap fit. Theenlarged dimension portion60 may be held captive by the reduceddimension portion54. In this way, theclip14 may be releasably held or attached in relation to thecover12.

Theclip14 may function as a belt clip and a stand, and may swivel to allow theclip14 to be selectively oriented longitudinally (i.e., lengthwise) and laterally (i.e., widthwise) in relation to thecover12, as shown inFIG. 9. In this way, the device may be selectively supported upright in a first position (e.g., vertically) and a second position (e.g., horizontally) traverse to the first position in relation to a supporting surface, such as a desktop or table top, allow content to be viewed vertically and horizontally on the display screen.

Theclip14 may swivel in any suitable manner, such as by the provision of cooperating surfaces, such as discretely interlocking surfaces, which may allow theclip14 to swivel to a desired position and then maintain its place. For example, a predetermined amount of force may be required to displace (i.e., swivel) theclip14. This may be accomplished is any suitable manner. For example, theclip14 may be provided with afirst part64 that may be mounted to thecover12 and asecond part66 that may swivel in relation to thefirst part64. The first and

second parts

64,66 may include annular surfaces (not shown) having mating serrations, teeth, undulations, or the like that may cam in relation to one another, so as to form a clicking-type swivel connection therebetween.

Theclip14 may form a stand in any suitable manner, such as by the provision of a hinged connection, generally indicated at68 inFIG. 10, on thesecond part66 of theclip14, thus forming two

second part portions

70,72. The hinge connection may be a living hinge or a mechanical hinge. Theclip14 may have astop74, such as a protruding member, which when engaged, limits the hinged travel of one ofsecond part portions72, for example, by cooperating with the other one of thesecond part portions70 of theclip14. The stand may be applied by opening theclip14, that is, by moving one of thesecond part portions72 in relation to theother portion70. Theclip14 may be held in the open position by the weight of thecover12 and/or device against the two

second part portions

70,72 and thestop74. In this way, theclip14 functions as a stand upon which thecover12 leans for supporting thecover12 and device in an upright position on a supporting surface.

Theclip14 may further be provided with a lock, generally indicated at76 inFIG. 11, for holding the two

second part portions

70,72 in a closed relation to one another. Thelock76 may take on any suitable form. For example, a first one of the two

second part portions

70,72, particularly a free end thereof, may have a partial fold or alateral groove78, and acentral opening80 in thegroove78. A second one of the two

second part portions

70,72, may have acentral hook82 extending therefrom, and raisedparts84 extending therefrom, next to opposing sides of thecentral hook82.

Upon closing the two

second part portions

70,72 in relation to one another, thehook82 may enter theopening80 and the raisedparts84 may engage thegroove78 to hold thehook82 in snap-fit relation to surface structure defining theopening80. Upon application of a predetermined amount of force, thehook82 may be released from theopening80 and theclip14 may be opened.

Theleash16 may be attached to thecover12 or theclip14 in any suitable manner. For example, thecover12 and/orclip14 may be provided with a hole, slot, slit or other suitable opening, for attachment of astring86, which may form a part of theleash16. The illustratedclip14 has such anopening88. Thestring86 may be in the form a loop that may be passed at least partially through theopening88 and theleash16 may be feed through the loop, as shown inFIG. 12. Pulling theleash16 tightly may tighten thestring86 about a portion of theclip14 defining at least a portion of theopening88. Other forms of attachment may be suitable for attaching theleash16, including for example, a hook with a closure (not shown), which may be biased in a closed direction upon engaging the hook with theopening88.

Theleash16 may include a wrist strap, as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/937,540, filed Nov. 9, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, for attachment to a person's wrist, and/or a neck lanyard for attachment around a person's neck, so that a person can wear the device and have it readily available. The wrist strap and the neck lanyard may form two separate leashes or theleash16 may be adjustable, for example, by a sliding feature, to form the wrist strap and the neck lanyard.

Theleash16 may be formed at least in part of a material that glows in the dark. For example, the leash may include a light absorbent and discharging material, which upon exposure to light, may glow in the dark. This may be accomplished with the use of phosphors or other materials that radiate visible light after being energized. The leash may be formed from polyester fabric, or other suitable materials, and materials, such as phosphors, that radiate light, and may do so in various colors.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use with an electronic handheld device, comprising:

a cover structured and dimensioned to house the device, and

a clip attached in relation to the cover, the clip comprising first and second portions with a hinged connection therebetween, the second portion being movable in relation to the first portion at the hinge connection, the clip further comprising a stop that limits the travel of the second portion, whereby upon moving of the second portion to engage the stop, the second portion functions as a stand upon which the cover leans for supporting the cover in an upright position on a supporting surface.

2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the clip further comprises a releasable lock formed between the first and second portions of the clip for holding the first and second portions in a closed relation to one another to form a belt clip, the lock being structured and configured to be releasable to allow the second portion to move in an open relation to the first portion at the hinge connection to form the stand.

3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein one of the first and second portions of the clip has an opening and the other one of the first and second portions has a hook that engages the opening to hold the first and second portions in a closed relation to one another.

4. The apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein the lock is further structured and configured to require a predetermined amount of force to release the hook from the opening.

5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the cover and the clip are structured to cooperate with one another so that the clip is releasably attached in relation to the cover.

6. The apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein one of the cover and clip has at least one opening and the other one of the cover and clip has at least one protrusion that cooperates with the opening to hold the clip in relation to the cover.

7. The apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein one of the cover and the clip has positive structure and the other one of the cover and the clip has negative structure that cooperates with the positive structure to form a snap fit when the protrusion cooperates with the opening to hold the clip in relation to the cover.

8. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first portion of the clip is structured to swivel in relation to the cover so that the stand may be selectively oriented longitudinally and laterally in relation to the cover, thus permitting the cover to be selectively supported upright in a first position and a second position transverse to the first position in relation to the supporting surface.

9. The apparatus ofclaim 8, further comprises discretely interlocking surfaces that allow the clip to swivel to a desired position, including the first and second positions, and then maintain the desired position.

10. The apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein the discretely interlocking surfaces are configured to require a predetermined amount of force to swivel the clip.

11. The apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein the discretely interlocking surfaces comprise annular surfaces having mating serrations or undulations that cam in relation to one another so as to form a clicking-type swivel connection therebetween.

12. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprises a leash that is releasably attached to one of the cover and the clip.

13. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein one of the cover and the clip has an opening and the leash has string that forms a loop that may be passed at least partially through the opening so that the leash may be feed through the loop and pulled to tighten the string about a portion of the cover or clip defining at least a portion of the opening.

14. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein one of the cover and the clip has an opening and the leash has a hook with a closure, which may be biased in a closed direction upon engaging the hook with the opening.

15. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the leash includes a wrist strap for attachment to a person's wrist.

16. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the leash includes a neck lanyard for attachment around a person's neck.

17. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the leash is formed at least in part from a material that glows in the dark.

18. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the cover is a hard shell cover.

19. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the cover includes a built-in, touch-through screen, which protects a touch screen of the device while facilitating use of the touch screen.