US20180271263A1 - Protective Case for Portable Electronic Device - Google Patents

Abstract

A protective case for a portable electronic device includes a bottom plate, a frame, and a glass substrate. The bottom plate has at least one hole and a flange around a periphery thereof. The frame is connected to the bottom plate. The frame has at least one through hole. An inner peripheral edge of the frame is provided with an engaging groove. The flange is engaged in the engaging groove. The frame cooperates with the bottom plate to form an accommodation space for accommodating a portable electronic device. A side of the bottom plate, opposite to the accommodation space, cooperates with the frame to form an accommodation trough. The glass substrate corresponds in shape to the accommodation trough. An adhesive layer is provided between the bottom plate and the glass substrate. The glass substrate is adhesively disposed in the accommodation trough.

Description

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT
• A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to any reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONField of Invention
• The present invention relates to a protective case for a 3C product, and more particularly to a protective case for a portable electronic device, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer or a personal digital assistant for protecting the portable electronic device from being scraped.
Description of Related Arts
• Portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, or personal digital processing devices (PDA), have become increasingly popular and are almost inseparable from our daily life. Therefore, people pay more attention to the protection requirements for such portable electronic devices. The aforesaid portable electronic devices, a mobile phone taken as an example, may be damaged inevitably during use. For example, the mobile phone may crack due to falling or be scraped. In order to prevent the mobile phone from being damaged, the mobile phone is covered with aprotective case10, as shown inFIG. 1, to protect the appearance of the mobile phone from being damaged. The protective case is formed of a soft elastomeric material by molding, such as thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), polyurethane (PU), or silicone-containing materials. The protective case is to cover the periphery and the back of the mobile phone and the touch screen of the mobile phone is exposed, so that the user may operate the mobile phone without removing the protective case. The protective case is able to withstand the impact and protect the mobile phone.
• However, due to the soft material of the protective case, when the mobile phone is placed on a table or a hard surface, it is easy to scrape the protective case. Theback11 of the protective case may have a lot ofscratches12. Although thescratches12 don't affect the functionality of the protective case, the overall appearance is not pleasing to the eyes. Besides, thescratches12 are easy to accumulate dirt and bacteria, so it is necessary to improve the existing protective case. Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
• In view of the aforesaid shortcomings, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a protective case for a portable electronic device. The main technology and the purpose of the present invention is that the back of the protective case is provided with a glass substrate. The glass substrate itself has a high hardness and scratch resistance to enhance wear resistance and scratch resistance of the protective case. Moreover, the surface of the glass substrate is smooth and translucent, thereby enhancing the quality of the protective case and improving the appearance.
• According to the aforesaid object of the present invention, a protective case for a portable electronic device is provided. The protective case comprises a bottom plate, a frame, and a glass substrate. The bottom plate has at least one hole. The frame is connected to the bottom plate. The frame has at least one through hole. The frame cooperates with the bottom plate to form an accommodation space. A side of the bottom plate, opposite to the accommodation space, cooperates with the frame to form an accommodation trough. The glass substrate corresponds in shape to the accommodation trough. An adhesive layer is provided between the bottom plate and the glass substrate. The glass substrate is adhesively disposed in the accommodation trough.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, the bottom plate is made of a hard material and has a flange around a periphery thereof; the frame is made of a soft material, an inner peripheral edge of the frame is provided with an engaging groove, and the flange is engaged in the engaging groove.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, the glass substrate has at least one perforation corresponding to the hole.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive layer is one of a liquid optical clear adhesive and a silicone rubber.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, the glass substrate has a height not beyond a depth of the accommodation trough after being attached.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, four corners of the frame are provided with raised ribs adjacent to the accommodation trough.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, the glass substrate is provided with a color.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, an adhesive surface of the glass substrate is printed with a pattern, a design, or a character.
• Through the above structure, the glass substrate can increase the scratch resistance of the back of the protective case, and may be provided with a color, a pattern or a character to enhance the quality of the protective case.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional protective case;
• FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention;
• FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the present invention;
• FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a glass substrate provided with a pattern of the present invention; and
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the present invention provided with a pattern.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
• As shown inFIG. 2 toFIG. 4, the present invention discloses aprotective case20 for a portable electronic device. Theprotective case20 comprises abottom plate21, aframe24, and aglass substrate30.
• Thebottom plate21 is a hard flat plate for covering the back of the portable electronic device. Thebottom plate21 has at least onehole22 corresponding to at least one lens of the portable electronic device and aflange23 around its periphery.
• Theframe24 is a flexible frame and is connected to thebottom plate21 for covering the periphery of the portable electronic device. Theframe24 has at least one throughhole25 corresponding to at least one port of the portable electronic device. The inner peripheral edge of theframe24 is provided with anengaging groove26. Theflange23 is engaged in theengaging groove26. Theframe24 cooperates with thebottom plate21 to form anaccommodation space27 for receiving the portable electronic device. A side of thebottom plate21, opposite to theaccommodation space27, cooperates with theframe24 to form anaccommodation trough28. Four corners of theframe24 are provided with raisedribs241 adjacent to theaccommodation trough28.
• Theglass substrate30 corresponds in shape to theaccommodation trough28. Theglass substrate30 has at least onefirst perforation31 corresponding to thehole21. Anadhesive layer32 is provided between thebottom plate21 and theglass substrate30, such that theglass substrate30 is adhesively disposed in theaccommodation trough28. Theglass substrate30 may increase the scratch resistance of the back of theprotective case20, and may be provided with a color, a pattern or a character to enhance the quality of theprotective case20.
• The assembly, function and details of the aforesaid embodiment are described below. As shown inFIG. 2 toFIG. 4, thebottom plate21 of theprotective case20 is made of a hard material which is less deformable, for example, polycarbonate (PC), poly ethylene terephthalate (PET), etc., but not limited thereto. Theframe24 of theprotective case20 is made of a soft elastic material, such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polypropylene (PP), etc., but not limited thereto, so that theprotective case20 provides a shockproof effect. For the camera lens, the logo, the microphone, or the port of the portable electronic device to be exposed, not covered by theprotective case20, thehole22 of thebottom plate21 corresponds in position to the camera lens, logo or specific pattern of the electronic device. The throughhole25 of theframe24 may correspond in position to the position of the human-machine or transmission interface of the portable electronic device, such as a microphone, a port, a power switch, and a volume key. Theglass substrate30 may be made of tampered glass to improve the hardness and scratch resistance effectively and to prolong the service life of theglass substrate30. To assemble the present invention, theflange23 of thebottom plate21 is first engaged with the engaginggroove26 of theframe24. Preferably, thebottom plate21 is placed in a mold, and theframe24 is formed by injection molding to wrap theflange23 of thebottom plate21 and further to form theaccommodation space27 and theaccommodation trough28. One side surface of theglass substrate30 is coated with theadhesive layer32 and disposed in theaccommodation trough28 and then adhered to thebottom plate21. Preferably, theadhesive layer32 is a viscous and transparent liquid optical clear adhesive, but not limited thereto, so that theglass substrate30 is firmly bonded without separation and has good light transmittance. Preferably, theadhesive layer32 is a silicone rubber layer that is releasable, but not limited thereto, so that theglass substrate30 can be repeatedly adhered to or separated from thebottom plate21, and theglass substrate30 can be replaced with ease to increase its utility. Thebottom plate21 is made of a hard material and is not easily deformable and is excellent in flatness, so it can be attached to theglass substrate30 tightly. It is to be noted that the surface of theglass substrate30 is not beyond theaccommodation trough28. That is, the height of theglass substrate30 does not exceed the depth of theaccommodation trough28 after being attached, so that the edge of theglass substrate30 can be protected from direct impact by theprotective case20. In other words, the raisedribs241 at the four corners of theframe24 first withstand the impact, which can achieve the effect of cushioning and avoid direct impact on theglass substrate30 if theprotective case20 is accidentally dropped on the ground or accidentally collided.
• It is to be noted that, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, theglass substrate30 may be provided with a color. An adhesive surface of theglass substrate30 may be printed with a pattern, a design, a character, and so on (as shown inFIG. 5), but not limited thereto. Thereby, theprotective case20 is more beautiful and its quality is improved. The user can change the pattern, the design or the character of theglass substrate30 as desired. (Because theadhesive layer32 is a silicone rubber layer that is releasable, it can be repeatedly pasted and replaced.) The present invention is very practical.
• Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims (8)

What is claimed is:

1. A protective case for a portable electronic device, comprising:

a bottom plate, having at least one hole;

a frame, connected to the bottom plate, the frame having at least one through hole; the frame cooperating with the bottom plate to form an accommodation space, a side of the bottom plate, opposite to the accommodation space, cooperating with the frame to form an accommodation trough; and

a glass substrate, corresponding in shape to the accommodation trough; a adhesive layer being provided between the bottom plate and the glass substrate, the glass substrate being adhesively disposed in the accommodation trough.

2. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the bottom plate is made of a hard material and has a flange around a periphery thereof; the frame is made of a soft material, an inner peripheral edge of the frame is provided with an engaging groove, and the flange is engaged in the engaging groove.

3. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the glass substrate has at least one perforation corresponding to the hole.

4. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is one of a liquid optical clear adhesive and a silicone rubber.

5. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the glass substrate has a height not beyond a depth of the accommodation trough after being attached.

6. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein four corners of the frame are provided with raised ribs adjacent to the accommodation trough.

7. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the glass substrate is provided with a color.

8. The protective case as claimed inclaim 1, wherein an adhesive surface of the glass substrate is printed with a pattern, a design, or a character.

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