Patent ID: 6480377
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A protective case for a handheld computer comprising: (a) an outer shell configured to be received in a user's hand, (b) a computer processor housed within said outer shell for processing data, (c) a display screen facing outwardly from a front side of said outer shell, said display screen being electrically coupled to said computer processor to enable said processor to display information on said screen, and (d) a data port coupled to said computer processor, said data port being adapted to be electrically coupled to a peripheral device to enable communication of data between said computer processor and the peripheral device, said protective case comprising:a computer attachment portion having a data connector adapted to be electrically coupled with the data port of said handheld computer, said computer attachment portion being configured to removably receive said handheld computer thereon in an operative position wherein said data port of said handheld computer is electrically coupled to said data connector; and a computer cover portion having a keyboard with a plurality of keys having indicia representative of alphabetic and/or numeric characters associated therewith, said keyboard being electrically coupled to said data connector on said computer attachment portion and being adapted to transmit a data signal to said computer processor via the electrical coupling of said data connector and said data port to thereby enable the user to input data into said computer processor when said handheld computer is received on said computer attachment portion in said operative position thereof; said computer cover portion being movably connected to said computer attachment portion to enable said portions to be moved between (a) a computer protecting position wherein, when said handheld computer is in said operative position on said computer attachment portion, said cover portion is positioned in an overlying relationship with respect to the front side of the handheld computer and (b) a computer operating position wherein, when said handheld computer is in said operative position on said computer attachment portion, said cover portion is moved out of said overlying relationship to enable said user to view the display screen of said handheld computer and operate said keyboard to input data into said processor, said computer cover portion being sized and configured to cover at least the display screen on the front side of said handheld computer in said computer protecting position thereof to protect the display screen of said computer; said keyboard being arranged with respect to said computer attachment portion such that upon relative movement of said cover and attachment portions into said computer operating position the indicia on said keyboard has the same general orientation from a user's perspective as characters displayed on the display screen of said handheld computer without requiring reorientation of said handheld computer relative to said keyboard to achieve said orientation.