U.S. patent application number 14/641574 was filed with the patent office on 2016-08-04 for protective case with embedded elastic cushion plates.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ke-Chang CHANG. Invention is credited to Ke-Chang CHANG.
Application Number | 20160219999 14/641574 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54139772 |
Filed Date | 2016-08-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160219999 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHANG; Ke-Chang |
August 4, 2016 |
PROTECTIVE CASE WITH EMBEDDED ELASTIC CUSHION PLATES
Abstract
The present invention is to provide a protective case embedded
with elastic cushion plates and applicable to a portable electronic
device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet PC, or e-book reader), which
includes a case body made of a first elastic material (e.g.,
thermoplastic polyurethane) and having four sidewalls and four
curved walls each connecting two adjacent sidewalls to jointly form
a receiving space, and four elastic cushion plates made of a second
elastic material (e.g., silicone) whose hardness is less than that
of the first elastic material. Each curved wall is embedded with
the elastic cushion plate. Thus, when the portable electronic
device is fitted into the receiving space through an opening of the
protective case, four corners of the portable electronic device lie
against the elastic cushion plates respectively, so as to ensure
that the elastic cushion plate can greatly reduces impact of an
external force applied to the corner.
Inventors: |
CHANG; Ke-Chang; (New Taipei
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CHANG; Ke-Chang |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
54139772 |
Appl. No.: |
14/641574 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 13/36 20130101;
A45C 11/00 20130101; A45C 2011/002 20130101; A45C 2011/003
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45C 11/00 20060101
A45C011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 2, 2015 |
TW |
104103390 |
Claims
1. A protective case with embedded elastic cushion plates,
applicable to a portable electronic device, the protective case
comprising: a case body made of a first elastic material and
comprising four sidewalls and four curved walls, each said curved
wall connecting two adjacent said sidewalls such that the curved
walls and the sidewalls jointly form a receiving space surrounded
by the curved walls and the sidewalls, the case body having a front
end forming an opening, the opening being in communication with the
receiving space and having a diameter smaller than an inner
diameter of the receiving space, each said curved wall having an
inner side concavely provided with an embedment groove; and four
elastic cushion plates made of a second elastic material having a
hardness less than a hardness of the first elastic material, each
said elastic cushion plate matching a corresponding one of the
embedment grooves in configuration and being securely fitted in the
corresponding embedment groove and thus firmly connected to the
curved wall concavely provided with the corresponding embedment
groove; wherein after the portable electronic device is fitted into
the receiving space through the opening, each said sidewall has an
inner side lying against one of four peripheral sides of the
portable electronic device, each said curved wall corresponds to
one of four corners of the portable electronic device, and the four
corners of the portable electronic device lie against the elastic
cushion plates respectively.
2. The protective case of claim 1, wherein each two adjacent said
curved walls define a tangent line tangent to outer peripheries of
the two adjacent curved walls, the sidewall between each two
adjacent said curved walls has an outer side defining an extension
line, each said tangent line and the portable electronic device
jointly define a first distance therebetween, each said extension
line and the portable electronic device jointly define a second
distance therebetween, and each said first distance is greater than
a corresponding said second distance.
3. The protective case of claim 1, wherein the curved walls and the
sidewalls have rear ends joined together to form a rear wall at a
rear end of the case body.
4. The protective case of claim 2, wherein the curved walls and the
sidewalls have rear ends joined together to form a rear wall at a
rear end of the case body.
5. The protective case of claim 3, wherein the case body is further
provided with at least one pressing portion corresponding in
position to a button of the portable electronic device and matching
the button in configuration.
6. The protective case of claim 4, wherein the case body is further
provided with at least one pressing portion corresponding in
position to a button of the portable electronic device and matching
the button in configuration.
7. The protective case of claim 5, wherein the pressing portion is
provided with a press-facilitating groove extending through the
pressing portion and being in communication with the receiving
space of the case body.
8. The protective case of claim 6, wherein the pressing portion is
provided with a press-facilitating groove extending through the
pressing portion and being in communication with the receiving
space of the case body.
9. The protective case of claim 7, wherein the first elastic
material or the second elastic material is silicone, rubber, or
thermoplastic polyurethane.
10. The protective case of claim 8, wherein the first elastic
material or the second elastic material is silicone, rubber, or
thermoplastic polyurethane.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a protective case, more
particularly to a protective case embedded with elastic cushion
plates and applicable to a portable electronic device (e.g., a
smartphone, tablet PC, or e-book reader), which includes a case
body made of a first elastic material (e.g., thermoplastic
polyurethane) and having four sidewalls and four curved walls each
connecting two adjacent sidewalls to jointly form a receiving
space, and four elastic cushion plates made of a second elastic
material (e.g., silicone) whose hardness is less than that of the
first elastic material. Each curved wall is embedded with the
elastic cushion plate. Thus, when the portable electronic device is
fitted into the receiving space through an opening of the
protective case, the inner side of each sidewall lies against each
side of the portable electronic device, and each curved wall
corresponds to each corner of the portable electronic device, such
that the four corners of the portable electronic device lie against
the elastic cushion plates respectively, so as to ensure that the
curved wall and the elastic cushion plate corresponding to the
corner will be elastically deformed by an external force applied to
the portable electronic device and hence greatly reduces the impact
of the external force.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Microcomputers and mobile broadband Internet connection
techniques have advanced significantly with the rapid development
of technology around the globe. In consequence, portable electronic
devices have shown a decline in production costs and been made
increasingly thinner and lighter. Today, the market is supplied
with a good variety of portable electronic devices featuring
Internet connectability and multimedia functions, some notable
examples of which devices are smartphones, personal digital
assistants (PDAs), tablet PCs, digital frames, and e-book readers.
As portable electronic devices continue to be the subject of
research and development efforts of many a manufacturer, more and
more people are adapting their reading habits to the use of e-book
readers, digital frames, or the like as the principal information
reading media in lieu of the conventional paper books or picture
frames.
[0003] Compared with personal computers, the aforesaid portable
electronic devices can be carried with greater ease and have more
diversified functions, which, aside from picture taking, video
calls, and music playback, may also include word processing,
receiving and sending e-mails, or downloading and playing streaming
media. The ultimate goal is to satisfy all sorts of user needs.
Portable or mobile electronic devices, therefore, are in extensive
use and almost ubiquitous in our daily lives.
[0004] Due to their powerful functions and wide application, the
aforesaid portable electronic devices are used more and more
frequently by their users and hence stand a progressively greater
chance of being worn or scratched by pointed objects or damaged by
the impact of an inadvertent drop or collision. Should any of the
foregoing incidents happen to a portable electronic device, a minor
damage (e.g., scratches on the screen or on the main body of the
portable electronic device) may impair the appearance only, but a
major one (e.g., that caused to the circuit board and circuits in
the portable electronic device or a cracked or shattered screen)
may lead to malfunction. In light of this, protective elements have
been developed to lower the chances of damage to the aforesaid
portable electronic devices.
[0005] Currently, the most common protective elements are in the
forms of shrink wraps, protective cases or pouches, and adhesive
films. These protective elements serve mainly to keep a portable
electronic device from wear and scratches attributable to contact
with a pointed object but are hardly protective against the impact
of collision. In other words, the conventional protective elements
for use with a portable electronic device can only prevent
superficial damages but fail to provide sufficient protection
against collision which may cause severe damage to functionality.
Obviously, there is plenty of room for improvement on the
protection that a conventional protective element can offer a
portable electronic device.
[0006] According to the above, the conventional protective elements
designed for portable electronic devices are incapable of
furnishing complete protection, and this has given rise to the
issue to be addressed by the present invention: to design a
protective case capable of mitigating the impact of an external
force so that a portable electronic device enclosed in the
protective case is protected from damage upon collision.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of and in order to overcome the aforementioned
drawbacks of the conventional protective elements in design, the
inventor of the present invention incorporated years of practical
experience in the industry into careful observation and extensive
research and development and, after repeated adjustments and
performance evaluations, finally succeeded in developing a
protective case with embedded elastic cushion plates as disclosed
herein.
[0008] The present invention provides a protective case embedded
with elastic cushion plates and applicable to a portable electronic
device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet PC, or e-book reader). The
protective case includes a case body and four elastic cushion
plates. The case body is made of a first elastic material (e.g.,
thermoplastic polyurethane), at least includes four sidewalls and
four curved walls, and is embedded with the four elastic cushion
plates. Each curved wall connects two adjacent sidewalls such that
a receiving space is jointly formed and surrounded by the curved
walls and the sidewalls. The rear ends of the curved walls and of
the sidewalls are joined together to form a rear wall at the rear
end of the case body. The front end of the case body forms an
opening. The opening is in communication with the receiving space
and has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the receiving
space. The inner side of each curved wall is concavely provided
with an embedment groove. Each two adjacent curved walls jointly
define a tangent line tangent to the outer peripheries of both
curved walls. The sidewall between each two adjacent curved walls
has an outer side defining an extension line. The elastic cushion
plates are made of a second elastic material (e.g., silicone) whose
hardness is less than that of the first elastic material. Each
elastic cushion plate matches a corresponding one of the embedment
grooves in configuration. Each elastic cushion plate is securely
fitted in the corresponding embedment groove and is thus firmly
connected to the corresponding curved wall. Once the portable
electronic device is fitted into the receiving space through the
opening, the inner side of each sidewall lies against one of the
four peripheral sides of the portable electronic device, each
curved wall corresponds to one of the four corners of the portable
electronic device, and the four corners of the portable electronic
device lie against the elastic cushion plates respectively. In
addition, a first distance defined between each tangent line and
the portable electronic device is greater than a second distance
defined between each extension line and the portable electronic
device. Therefore, if any of the four corners of the case body is
hit by an external force while the portable electronic device is
enclosed in the case body, the curved wall corresponding to the
corner will be elastically deformed by the external force and hence
greatly reduce the impact of the external force. In the meantime,
the corresponding elastic cushion plate will undergo an even
greater elastic deformation and further reduce the impact already
alleviated by the curved wall. A better protective effect than
achievable in the prior art is thus produced to keep the portable
electronic device from damage by the impact of the external force.
Besides, a manufacturer can make the case body transparent and
provide the elastic cushion plates with various colors so that the
colorful embedded elastic cushion plates enhance the protective
case esthetically.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The objectives as well as the assembly method, structural
features, and effects of the present invention will be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the protective case in the
present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the protective case in
the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is another partial sectional view of the protective
case in the present invention, showing in particular the curved
walls; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view, taken from a different viewing
angle, of the protective case in the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention provides a protective case having
embedded elastic cushion plates. In the first preferred embodiment
of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, the protective case is
applied to a smartphone (not shown). A manufacturer, however, may
adjust the dimensions of the protective case so that the
dimensionally modified protective case is applicable to other
portable electronic devices such as a tablet PC or e-book
reader.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the protective case includes
a case body 1 and four elastic cushion plates 15. The case body 1
is made of a first elastic material such as silicone, rubber, or
thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The case body 1 at least includes
four sidewalls 11 and four curved walls 13 and, as explained in
more detail below, is embedded with the four elastic cushion plates
15. Each curved wall 13 connects two adjacent sidewalls 11 such
that the curved walls 13 and the sidewalls 11 jointly form and
surround a receiving space 17. The inner side of each curved wall
13 is concavely provided with an embedment groove 131. Each two
adjacent curved walls 13 jointly define a tangent line A which is
tangent to the outer peripheries of both curved walls 13. The outer
side of the sidewall 11 between each two adjacent curved walls 13
defines an extension line B. In the first preferred embodiment, the
rear ends of the curved walls 13 and of the sidewalls 11 are joined
together to form a rear wall 19 at the rear end of the case body 1.
Meanwhile, an opening 18 is formed at the front end of the case
body 1 and is in communication with the receiving space 17. The
diameter of the opening 18 is smaller than the inner diameter of
the receiving space 17 so that a user can put the smartphone into
the receiving space 17 through the opening 18, with the screen of
the smartphone corresponding to the opening 18, in order to read
the data displayed on the screen or perform touch control
operations on the screen through the opening 18. The rear wall 19
serves to protect the back of the smartphone from scratches and
wear but can be dispensed with if so desired, in which case the
case body 1 covers only the peripheral sides of the smartphone.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the elastic cushion plates
15 are made of a second elastic material (e.g., silicone, rubber,
or TPU) whose hardness is less than or equal to that of the first
elastic material. In addition, the configuration of each elastic
cushion plate 15 matches the configuration of a corresponding one
of the embedment grooves 131. Each elastic cushion plate 15 is
securely fitted in the corresponding embedment groove 131 and is
thus firmly connected to the corresponding curved wall 13.
[0017] Reference is now made to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3. Once
the smartphone is fitted into the receiving space 17 via the
opening 18, the inner side of each sidewall 11 lies against one of
the four peripheral sides of the smartphone, and each curved wall
13 corresponds to one of the four corners of the smartphone such
that the four corners of the smartphone lie against the elastic
cushion plates 15 respectively. Moreover, referring to FIG. 2, a
first distance A', which is defined as the distance between the
tangent line A and the smartphone, is greater than a second
distance B', which is defined as the distance between the extension
line B and the smartphone. Thus, should the smartphone enclosed in
the case body 1 be inadvertently dropped to the ground, it will be
one or two of the curved walls 13 that touch the ground first,
thereby keeping the sidewalls 11 from direct contact with the
ground. The impact of the collision, therefore, is applied directly
to the one or two curved walls 13 rather than the sidewalls 11 or
the smartphone itself and is prevented from damaging the
smartphone.
[0018] More specifically, when the smartphone is enclosed in the
case body 1, and one of the four corners of the case body 1 is hit
by an external force, the corresponding curved wall 13 is
elastically deformed by the external force and thus substantially
reduces the impact of the external force. In addition, the
corresponding elastic cushion plate 15 undergoes an even greater
elastic deformation to further relieve the impact already reduced
by the curved wall 13. Thus, better protection than achievable by
the conventional protective elements is provided against the impact
of the external force to keep the smartphone from damage.
[0019] Referring back to FIG. 1, the major features of the present
invention are as follows. When any of the curved walls 13 is
subjected to an external force, both the curved wall 13 and the
corresponding elastic cushion plate 15 are deformed to produce a
double cushioning effect that well protects the portable electronic
device enclosed in the case body 1. Furthermore, the case body 1
not only is lightweight and easy to carry, but also allows a high
degree of freedom in the selection of material. More specifically,
the case body 1 need not be made of a highly elastic material such
as silicone but can be made of a slightly less elastic material
such as TPU instead without compromising the intended protective
effect. Now that the material of the case body 1 can be selected
from a wide variety, the case body 1 features high flexibility in
external design. For example, a transparent case body can be made
of TPU while colorful elastic cushion plates are made of silicone.
Such flexibility is expected to boost market competiveness
considerably.
[0020] In another embodiment of the present invention, referring to
FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 1, the case body 1 is further
provided with at least one pressing portion 12. The pressing
portion 12 is provided at a position corresponding to a button of a
portable electronic device and matches the button in configuration.
Thus, even if the portable electronic device is enclosed in the
case body 1, the user can still press the button easily through the
pressing portion 12 in order to operate the portable electronic
device. Moreover, one lateral side of the pressing portion 12 is
formed with a press-facilitating groove 121 which extends through
the pressing portion 12 and is in communication with the receiving
space 17 so as to reduce the resistance felt by the user when
pressing the pressing portion 12. Thanks to the press-facilitating
groove 121, the pressing portion 12 can be elastically deformed to
a greater extent than without the groove, thus reducing the force
required, and making it more facile, to trigger the button via the
pressing portion 12.
[0021] The above-mentioned descriptions represent merely the
exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, without any
intention to limit the scope of the present disclosure thereto.
Various equivalent changes, alternations or modifications based on
the claims of present disclosure are all consequently viewed as
being embraced by the scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *