US20110192510A1

US20110192510A1 - Protective casing portable handheld electronic device

Info

Publication number: US20110192510A1
Application number: US12/703,678
Authority: US
Inventors: Chi Vun Steven Bau
Original assignee: Switcheasy Ltd
Current assignee: Switcheasy Ltd
Priority date: 2010-02-10
Filing date: 2010-02-10
Publication date: 2011-08-11

Abstract

The protective casing for portable handheld electronic devices comprises an inner casing snugly covering a back and edges of the electronic device, and an outer frame placed around the edges of the electronic device for tightly pressing part of the inner casing against the edges of the electronic device. The resultant protective casing is of improved protective characteristics, durability, convenience of use, and functionalities without compromising aesthetics.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a protective casing for portable handheld electronic devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To protect portable handheld electronic devices, such as the Apple iPhone, personal digital assistant (PDA), digital media players, digital recorders, potable TV, handheld computers, etc., protective casings have been proposed. Such protective casings may protect the electronic devices from physical abuse or risks of damages. However, the conventional protective casings increase significant overall bulk and weight, and could deteriorate or damage the delicate finish of the electronic devices. The existing protective casings also do not balance between the protection, functionalities and aesthetics. For example, there exists an all-silicon soft casing that wraps the entire device housing except the screen. However, such casing is not aesthetically appealing. Aesthetically appealing casings typically offer less protection. Further, modern handheld devices require user interactions with the devices via various interfaces (e.g., screens, buttons, sockets, etc.), the access to which could be hindered by the structure of the existing protective casings.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a protective casing with improved protection characteristics, durability, convenience of use, and functionalities without compromising aesthetics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention mainly aims to provide a protective casing for portable handheld devices with improved protective characteristics, durability, convenience of use, and functionalities without compromising aesthetics.
The protective casing in accordance with the present invention comprises an inner casing snugly covering a back and edges of the electronic device, and an outer frame placed around the edges of the electronic device for tightly pressing part of the inner casing against the edges of the electronic device.
In an embodiment, the inner casing may comprise a substrate and an endless sidewall extending upwards from the substrate in which the height of the sidewall is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the electronic device, while the outer frame may be shaped and structured as a ring in which the height of the outer frame is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the electronic device.
Preferably, upper and lower edges of the outer frame may slightly extend inward towards an inner of the outer frame comparing to a middle part of the outer frame, and a flange may formed around the endless sidewall of the inner casing at a lower side of the latter. In addition, a crocodile skin-like texture may be formed on an outer surface of the substrate of the inner casing.
Furthermore, the inner casing and the outer frame may be provided with matching openings for external access to buttons, switches and ports on the electronic device, and the protective casing may further comprise a plurality of plugs for inserting into the matching openings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective casing for portable handheld electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the protective casing shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective casing shown in FIG. 1 together with a plug.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying figures.
The protective casing of the present invention may be sized and structured to protect a portable handheld electronic device, typically with a display screen (e.g., liquid crystal display), for example: personal digital assistant (PDA) and handheld computers; digital media devices, such as an MP3 player, digital recorder, portable TV, radio, etc.; wireless devices, such as a cellular phone (e.g., Apple iPhone), two-way radio, etc.; handheld devices, such as global positioning system (GPS), etc.; gaming devices, such as portable versions of computer gaming (Nintendo, Sony PlayStation), etc.; digital photo and video cameras, etc.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of the protective casing according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the protective casing 1 of the present invention may comprise an inner casing 11 wrapping a back and sides of an electronic device 2 and outer frame 12 pressing part of the inner casing 11 against the sides of the electronic device 2. In the embodiment, the electronic device 2 is in the form of an Apple iPhone. However, as mentioned above, the protective casing could be sized and structured to protect any suitable portable handheld electronic devices.
The inner casing 11 may comprise a substrate 13 and an endless sidewall 14 extending upwards from the substrate 13, in which the height of the sidewall 14 is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the electronic device 2. Thus, the inner casing 11 could snugly cover the entire back panel and the sides of the electronic device 2, but leaves a front panel, i.e. the screen of the electronic device open for viewing.
As shown in FIG. 1, the outer frame 12 is shaped and structured like a ring, and the height thereof is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the electronic device 2. When placed around the sides of the electronic device 2, the outer frame 12 could press the endless sidewall 14 of the inner casing 11 tightly against the sides of the electronic device 2, just like a clip to hold the inner casing 11 onto the electronic device 2 securely. As it could act as a shield to protect all vulnerable points of the electronic devices, the combination of the inner casing 11 and the outer frame 12 may provide sufficient protection to the electronic device 2. Furthermore, the outer frame 12 may work together with the inner casing 11 to provide shock absorption to the electronic device 2 upon impact.
Preferably, comparing to a middle part 16 of the ring, upper and lower edges 17 of the outer frame 12 may slightly extend inward towards an inner of the outer frame 12. With such configuration, the pressure of the outer frame 12 on the endless sidewall 14 of the inner casing 11 could be much higher, and the inner casing 11 could thus be pressed against the electronic device 2 more securely.
Preferably, a flange 15 may be formed around the endless sidewall 14 of the inner casing 11 at a lower side of the latter. When pressing onto the sidewall 14 of the inner casing 11, the outer frame 12 could therefore rest on the flange 15 to avoid slipping off from the inner casing 11.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the inner casing 11 and the outer frame 16 could be provided with matching openings 18 for external access to buttons, switches and ports on the electronic device 2, for instance, headphone jack, charging port, docking port, on/off switch, scroll button, opening for camera, etc.
In addition, an adhesive static membrane could be attached to the front screen of the electronic device 2 to protect the screen of the device. Any suitable membranes available in the market could be used, and the details of which are omitted here.
The inner casing 11 may be made of a semi-soft polymer, such as silicon, soft rubber or the like flexible, soft and pliant material, for example, Engage 8200 Polyolefin Elastomer, available from DOW Plastics. The outer frame 12 may be made of polycarbonate (e.g., available under common commercial name of LEXAN®), or other material that is hard and stiff but provides some flexibility for slight bending to clip the inner casing 11 onto the electronic device 2.
The inner casing 11 and/or the outer frame 12 may be available in different colors, textures, finishes, materials, etc. As an example shown in FIG. 2, a crocodile skin-like texture may be formed on an outer surface 19 of the substrate 13 of the inner casing 11 for offering additional grip when holding the electronic device 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, the protective casing 1 could be further provided with a plurality of plugs 3. The plugs 3 could be inserted into the matching openings 18 formed on the inner casing 11 and outer frame 12, to further protect the buttons, switches and ports on the electronic device 2 from physical abuse or damages.
Although the description of the present invention is made with reference to the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Various modifications and changes can be made to the invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scopes of the present invention.

Claims

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

an inner casing snugly covering a back and edges of the electronic device;

an outer frame placed around the edges of the electronic device for tightly pressing part of the inner casing against the edges of the electronic device.

2. The protective casing according to claim 1, wherein the inner casing comprises a substrate and an endless sidewall extending upwards from the substrate in which the height of the sidewall is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the electronic device, while the outer frame is shaped and structured as a ring in which the height of the outer frame is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the electronic device.

3. The protective casing according to claim 2, wherein upper and lower edges of the outer frame slightly extend inward towards an inner of the outer frame comparing to a middle part of the outer frame.

4. The protective casing according to claim 3, wherein a flange is formed around the endless sidewall of the inner casing at a lower side of the latter.

5. The protective casing according to claim 2, wherein a flange is formed around the endless sidewall of the inner casing at a lower side of the latter.

6. The protective casing according to claim 2, wherein a crocodile skin-like texture is formed on an outer surface of the substrate of the inner casing.

7. The protective casing according to claim 1, wherein the inner casing and the outer frame are provided with matching openings for external access to buttons, switches and ports on the electronic device.

8. The protective casing according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of plugs for inserting into the matching openings.

9. The protective casing according to claim 2, wherein the inner casing and the outer frame are provided with matching openings for external access to buttons, switches and ports on the electronic device.

10. The protective casing according to claim 9, further comprising a plurality of plugs for inserting into the matching openings.