Abstract:
A composite case for an electronic device is provided. The composite case includes: a resilient portion dimensioned to cover two end portions of the electronic device and less than half of a back portion of the electronic device; and a rigid portion dimensioned to fit with the resilient portion, the rigid portion dimensioned to provide a cover for at least part of the back portion of the electronic device. A method of protecting an electronic device is provided. The method includes: attaching a rigid material to a resilient material; dimensioning both the rigid material and the resilient material to contain an electronic device; configuring the rigid material, but not the resilient material, to cover most or all of a back portion of the electronic device; and providing an opening to allow a screen portion of the electronic device to be accessed through the opening in the rigid and resilient material.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED ED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application entitled, NOVEL ENHANCED COMPOSITE PROTECTIVE CASES FOR PHONES, PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES, AND OTHER APPARATUS, filed Aug. 15, 2013, having a Ser. No. 61/866,465, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates generally to protective cases. More particularly, the present invention relates to a protective case for a portable electronic device. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    There are a number of protective cases available for a variety of cellular phones, tablet computers, PDAs and other portable consumer electronic devices. The design and construction of these cases varies widely and they offer varying degrees of protection for the device based on their design. Some cases are constructed from a simple silicon or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) rubber molding that provides some basic protection against drops and scratches. Others are constructed from hard injected plastic such as polycarbonate (PC) and provide similar protection. Cases are typically attached to the device through some mechanical means that seeks to impose a semi-permanent marriage of the case and the device. 
         [0005]    The design and construction of the existing cases provide various levels of protection while also exhibiting various consumer features and benefits, as well as tradeoffs in use as viewed by the typical consumer. For example, rubber cases are economical and they provide basic protection against light drops and scratches. However, the rubber can often provide excessive unwanted grip, which makes insertion and removal of the device into a pants pocket or small purse difficult. Furthermore, when used for cellular phone cases, the rubber can become entangled in long hair when the device is being utilized to make a phone call. Rubber cases also tend to be bulky in design and do not lend themselves well to storage in tight spaces such as a pocket or small purse. Finally, some rubber materials tend to degrade over time, resulting in the case becoming loose or exhibiting an unpleasant appearance. 
         [0006]    Conversely, depending on the design, hard plastic injection molded cases can often provide superior protection while facilitating easy insertion and retrieval from a pocket. Furthermore, these cases tend to impose a lower profile upon the device resulting in an overall smaller form factor which is desirable if the device is to be carried in a pocket or small purse. However, the hard cases can often impose significant stresses on the device if the device is dropped since the hard plastics provide little cushioning. This can be concerning in some cases as many state of the art devices employ sensitive touch screens and delicate buttons and switches. Many manufacturers of cases have sought to overcome the limitations of a single component design by coupling injection molded rubber and hard plastic components in a hybrid fashion in an attempt to achieve the protective benefits of each material while concurrently maintaining the unique positive consumer usability attributes of each. 
         [0007]    In some cases, the rubber component is attached to the device and an injection molded hard plastic cover is mechanically attached to the anterior surface of the rubber to provide further protection while providing ease of entry and egress into a pocket or purse. In other cases, an injection molded hard case is attached to the device while a supplementary rubber component is applied to the anterior of the hard case. In the designs employing two components, typically the inner component mechanically connects to the device, while the second outer component is mechanically attached to said first component. 
         [0008]    In other embodiments of the two piece design approach, the rubber and hard plastic components are mechanically bonded. This is most often accomplished through a manufacturing process called over-molding in which one of the components is molded first, then the second component is molded over the first component resulting in a permanent mechanical bond between the two components. 
         [0009]    In general, protective cases that employ two component designs provide superior protection, however are not without vulnerabilities and complications. For example, a violent drop can still result in the device separating from one or both of the protective elements described above, resulting in damage to the device. Also, a drop can result in the case components becoming separated from each other again resulting in damage to the device or a nuisance to the consumer. Furthermore, many cases employ elaborate mechanical means to attach all the components together resulting in frustration for the user when installing their device in the case or in the event the device needs to be intentionally removed from the protective case. 
         [0010]    Another challenge of current case designs is that a current trend of ever increasing screen sizes and touch screen interfaces leaves little room for mechanical elements to retain the device within the case without compromising the accessibility to the touch screen itself. 
         [0011]    It would be desirous to have a case that was capable of exhibiting the shock resistant benefits of a rubber inner case coupled with the consumer usability benefits of a hard plastic outer case as described above. 
         [0012]    It would also be desirous to have a composite case that combined a rubber inner case and a hard plastic outer case in a way that formed a permanent bond between the two materials resulting in a protective system that provided the protective features described above. 
         [0013]    It would also be desirous to have a composite case in which the geometric shape of the constituent components was such as to maximize overall structural strength and impact resistance of the composite case while minimizing material weight and size. 
         [0014]    It would also be desirous to have a case that provided a simple means to install and remove the device from the case yet exhibited a substantial mechanical means to retain the device in the case during use or the event of a drop. 
         [0015]    It would also be desirous to have a case that provided ample protection of the device yet does not interfere with access to buttons, ports, or the device&#39;s touchscreen. 
         [0016]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a cover that provides protective cushioning for an electronic device yet does not snag on clothing or hair. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments provides a cover that provides protective cushioning for an electronic device yet does not snag on clothing or hair. 
         [0018]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a composite case for an electronic device is provided. The composite case includes: a resilient portion dimensioned to cover two end portions of the electronic device and less than half of a back portion of the electronic device; and a rigid portion dimensioned to fit with the resilient portion, the rigid portion dimensioned to provide a cover for at least part of the back portion of the electronic device. 
         [0019]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of protecting an electronic device is provided. The method includes: attaching a rigid material to a resilient material; dimensioning both the rigid material and the resilient material to contain an electronic device; configuring the rigid material, but not the resilient material, to cover most or all of a back portion of the electronic device; and providing an opening to allow a screen portion of the electronic device to be accessed through the opening in the rigid and resilient material. 
         [0020]    In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a composite case for an electronic device is provided. The composite case may include: a resilient portion dimensioned to cover two end portions of the electronic device and less than half of a back portion of the electronic device; and a rigid portion dimensioned to fit with the resilient portion, the rigid portion dimensioned to provide a cover for at least part of the back portion of the electronic device; a region in the rigid portion defining honeycomb shapes; a region of the rigid portion that is raised toward an electronic device contained by the case; and wherein the raised region is generally rectangular with lines radiating from corners of the rectangle and a center portion of the rectangle. 
         [0021]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0022]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0023]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a left, front, perspective view of an embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a left, front, perspective view of an embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure housing a typical cell phone. 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a left, front, perspective view of a typical cell phone used for illustrative purposes. 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a left, front, perspective exploded view of components present in some embodiments. 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  is a right, rear, perspective exploded view of components present in some embodiments. 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  is a mid-plane cross sectional view of a case assembly in accordance with some embodiments housing a typical cell phone. 
           [0030]      FIG. 7  is a right, rear, perspective view of an embodiment in accordance with this disclosure. 
           [0031]      FIG. 8  is a rear, isometric view of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0032]      FIG. 9  is a front, isometric view of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0033]      FIG. 10  is a front, exploded, isometric view of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0034]      FIG. 11  is a front, isometric view of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0035]      FIG. 12  is a rear, isometric view of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0036]      FIG. 13  is a front, exploded, isometric view of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0037]      FIG. 14  is a front, isometric view of a portion of a case according to an embodiment. 
           [0038]      FIG. 15  is a front, isometric view of a portion of a case according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0039]    The embodiments in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a cover for a portable electronic device such as a smart phone or any other portable electronic device. The cover is made of multiple parts, a hard part and a resilient part. The resilient part provides cushioning for the electronic device and the hard part provides protection as well as a relatively slick surface to make the cover easy to put in and out of a pocket, purse, and does not entangle with long hair. 
         [0040]    Embodiments in accordance with the present invention can be applied to several modifications of cases as they pertain to cell phones, tablet computers, PDAs and numerous other portable electronic devices. For illustration purposes, an embodiment in accordance with the present invention is shown as a cell phone case although other devices would employ similar details, features and benefits. 
         [0041]    The following description, and the figures to which it refers, are provided for the purposes of describing examples and specific embodiments of the invention only and are not intended to exhaustively describe all possible examples and embodiments of the invention. 
         [0042]    A two part composite case is provided to encapsulate and protect a variety of cellular phones, tablet computers PDAs and numerous portable consumer electronic devices. Some embodiments include a two-part case made of an injection molded TPU rubber inner case and an injection molded polycarbonate outer case. 
         [0043]    The polycarbonate outer case, in some embodiments, features a base that protects the rear of the device, and two parallel side walls that protrude vertically from the base. The geometry of the TPU rubber at the ends of the case for bumpers that encapsulate the entire ends of the device and provide added protection in the event of a drop. 
         [0044]    The inner case and outer case are manufactured in an over molding manufacturing process that provides a permanent bond between said inner case and outer case forming a two-piece composite case protective system. When the device is installed inside the composite case, the case and device are substantially coexistive through a mechanical means so that a protective system is established that provides resistance to impacts, sharp objects, shock and scratches to the device. 
         [0045]    Although the example and embodiment used herein may refer to a cellular phone application, this is by way of example rather than limiting. The present invention is intended to also be used with PDAs, smartphones, tablet computers, electronic games, gaming devices, internet browsing devices, portable computing devices and other numerous consumer electronic devices. 
         [0046]    In addition to the composite combination of the TPU inner case and the polycarbonate outer case, some embodiments employ several unique design elements that act together forming a system to provide the following benefits: maximize protection of the device being housed within the case, facilitate easy installation and removal of the device from the case, provide easy access to all device buttons and ports, and accomplish all this through an efficient mechanical design that minimizes weight and size of the device and case assembly. 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIG. 1  in one embodiment, a device case  10  is shown housing a cellular phone device  20  in  FIG. 2 . The particular phone device  20  separately shown in  FIG. 3  is for illustrative purposes only and various embodiments are applicable to other phone designs as well as other portable consumer electronic devices as described earlier. The case is comprised of two components including a TPU soft rubber inner case  30  and a polycarbonate (PC) hard plastic injection molded outer case  40  shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 4 . The outer case  40  features a base and two parallel side walls  160  that protrude vertically from the base. The inner case  30  and outer case  40  are manufactured in a manufacturing process called over molding. In this process, the PC outer case  40  is injection molded first and then the TPU inner case  30  is molded around the outer case  40 . This process forms a permanent mechanical bond between the inner case and outer case resulting in the composite case assembly shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 5  shows a right rear exploded view of the case components. The surfaces  50  of the inner case  30  that bonds with the surfaces  60  of the outer case  40  is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . This interface between the inner case  30  and outer case  40  is further illustrated in the mid-plane cross sectional view shown in  FIG. 6 . As described earlier, the inner case  30  provides a soft impact resistant layer of protection for the device  20 . This is illustrated in  FIG. 6  as the inner case  30  is shown to encapsulate the device  20 . The outer case  40  provides an outer structural stiffness to the case and resistance to knocks or sharp objects. The outer case also facilitates certain consumer usage benefits including easy insertion and removal of the case  10  from a pocket and no tangling of the rubber with hair during phone calls. 
         [0049]      FIG. 7  illustrates a right rear view of an embodiment ofthe device case  10  and highlights the unique geometric design  80 A formed in the rear of the outer case  40 . The shape illustrated is present in some embodiments, other variations of this geometry may be proposed that offer similar behavior as this would be apparent to those skilled in the art. The inside of this geometric design  80 B carries through to the inside of the outer case  40  and is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . An appropriate mating geometry  90  shown in  FIG. 5  results in the inner case  30  during the over molding process and forms the interface  70  of the two materials seen in  FIG. 6 . This geometric design  80 A of the outer case and resulting interface  70  with the inner case  30  is shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 6 . The unique shape of the geometric design  80 A formed in the outer case  40  acts to stiffen and strengthen the outer case structure in an efficient fashion so as to minimize size and weight. 
         [0050]    This concept will be familiar to those skilled in the art of mechanical design and strength of materials. The mating geometry  90  in the inner case is also a means to accommodate the geometric design  80 B without having to provide a continuous surface on the inside of the case  100  ( FIG. 1 ) thereby resulting in minimal thickness and weight of the overall case  10 . This is further illustrated in  FIG. 6  as the overall thickness  110  of the rear of the case  10  is minimized given the interaction of the two individual case components  30 ,  40  while maximizing strength. The view in  FIG. 1  that shows the inside surface  60  of the case  10  where the device  20  sits also illustrates the resulting exposure of the outer case  40  showing through the mating geometry  90  of the inner case  30 . 
         [0051]    In addition to the inherent protective benefits of the composite design of the case  10 , the components also feature other details that further contribute to the protective abilities and utility of the case  10 . When combined, the unique respective designs of the inner case  30  and parallel walls  160  of the outer case  40  result in exposed rubber bumpers  120  shown in  FIG. 2  on each end of the case that correspond to the top and bottom ends of the device  20 . In some embodiments, the bumpers  120  may be part of the resilient inner portion  30 . The geometry of the bumpers  120  provides additional protection for the device  20  in the event of a drop. The bumpers  120  also feature appropriate buttons  130  and ports  140  shown in  FIG. 1  to allow interaction with the device  20 . Furthermore, the flexible TPU rubber bumpers  120  facilitate easy insertion of the device  20  into the case  10 . 
         [0052]    Conversely, the flexible design also allows easy removal of the device  20  by providing a means to stretch the bumpers  120  away from the device  20  thereby allowing access to the device  20  body for removal. 
         [0053]    The inner case  30  also features a lip  150  molded into the TPU rubber that holds the device  20  in place when installed in the case  10  as shown in  FIG. 6 . When removing the device  20 , stretching the rubber lip  150  away from the device  20  allows the device to be pried out the case  10 . The parallel orientation of the vertical side walls  160  of the polycarbonate exterior case  40  are also allowed to flex away from the device  20  further facilitating removal of the device  20 . It will be appreciated that embodiments have been described here above with reference to certain examples or embodiments as shown in the drawings. Various additions, deletions, changes and alterations may be made to the above-described embodiments and examples without departing from the intended spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, it is intended that all such additions, deletions, changes and alterations be included within the scope of any claims that are granted in connection with this specification. 
         [0054]      FIG. 8  illustrates another embodiment of a case  10  for an electronic device  20 . The case  10  includes a resilient portion  30  and a relatively hard portion  40 . In  FIG. 8 , a rear portion or back  175  of the case  10  is shown. An electronic device or cell phone  20  is located in the case  10 . The case  10  has an open section  176  in the back  174  of the hard portion  40  of the case  10  thereby exposing the electronic device  20 . In addition to exposing the device  20 , the open section  176  also exposes a flashbulb  172  and camera lens  170  associated with electronic device  20 . In other embodiments, an open section  176  may be located anywhere in the case  10  to expose features such as a camera lens  170 , flash  172  or any other features of electronic device  20  which are desired to be exposed in order for those features to work. The open section  176  is not limited to the location illustrated in  FIG. 8  but may be moved to provide exposure of any device  20  features desired to be exposed. 
         [0055]    The case  10  includes a resilient anchors  178  that extend through holes  188  in the hard portion  40  of the case  10 . The resilient anchors  178  may be dimensioned and configured to contact the electronic device  20  to help secure and cushion the electronic device  20  within the case  10 . In some embodiments, the resilient anchors  178  may be press fit with in the holes  188  in the hard portion  40  of the case  10 . 
         [0056]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , the hard portion  40  of the case  10  also includes a geometric design  80 A. The geometric design  80 A may be dimensioned so that the part of the hard case  40  that is part of the geometric design  80 A is closer to the electronic device  20  then the remaining portions of the hard portion  40  as shown. In other words, this geometric design  80 A may appear to be embossed to form a dent in the back of the hard portion  40  of the case  10 . In other embodiments, the geometric design  80 A may be raised with respect to the back  174  of the hard portion  40 . In such embodiments, the geometric design  80 A will be farther away from the electronic device  20  then the rest of the hard portion  40  of the case  10 . 
         [0057]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the case  10  includes a resilient portion  30  which include bumpers  120 . The bumpers  120  include an upper bumper  180  and the lower bumper  182 . In some embodiments, the bumpers  120  are located above and below the hard portion  40  of the case  10 . As a result, the bumpers  120  provide some protection against impact at the top and bottom of the case  10 . 
         [0058]    The hard portion  40  of the case  10  may also include a side portion  184 . The side portion  184  may have openings to provide for feature appropriate buttons  130  formed in the resilient portion  30  of the case  10 . As previously described, the feature appropriate buttons  130  allow a user to activate features on the electronic device  20  without actually having to contact the electronic device and provide protection for actuators located on the electronic device  20 . The resilient portion  30  may also provide openings or ports  142  allow access to ports or plug-ins on electronic device  20 . As such, the side wall  184  of the hard portion  40  is also open to provide access. 
         [0059]      FIG. 9  illustrates a front  177  of the case  10 . The electronic device  20  is removed in order to better illustrate features of the case  10 . The upper bumper  180  and lower bumper  182  are illustrated. The back side of the geometric design  80 B is also illustrated. The back side of the geometric design  80 B contacts a corresponding hole formed in the shape of appropriate mating geometry  90  in the resilient portion  30  of the case  10  to accommodate the back side of the geometric design  80 B. The resilient portion  30  has the back wall  183 . In some embodiments, the back wall  183  may form honeycomb shape structure  187  similar to that shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0060]    An open section  186  in the resilient portion  30  of the case  10  is also shown. As one of ordinary skill the art will appreciate after reviewing this disclosure, the open section  186  and the resilient portion  30  is co-located with the open section  176  in the hard portion  40  in order to provide an opening to expose features of the electronic device  20  such as, for example, but not limited to, a camera lens  170  and flash  172  in the electronic device  20  as described above with respect to  FIG. 8 . In addition to the open section  186 , the resilient portion  30 , the open port  140 , and the resilient portion  30 , as well as the feature appropriate buttons  130  are also shown. A side  184  of the hard case  40  is shown as well as the corresponding section of the resilient portion  30 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 10  is an exploded isometric view of a case  10  in accordance with one embodiment. The hard plastic portion  40  is shown separated from the resilient portion  30  in order to better show the features of each. Of course, the case  10  is normally assembled as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  but is only shown an exploded view for clarity. The open section  176  in the hard portion  40  is illustrated. The holes  188  in the hard case  40  can also be seen. The hard portion  40  also contains an absent portion  190  located above the sidewalls  24  of the hard case  40 . The absent portion  190  allows the feature appropriate buttons  130  and a port  140  in the resilient portion  30  contact a phone or other device  20  when such a device  20  is located in the case  10 . A second sidewall  192  of the hard portion  40  is shown located opposite the first sidewall  184 . The geometric design  80 B can also be seen in the hard portion  40 . 
         [0062]    The resilient portion  30  of the case  10  is also shown. The open section  186 , the upper bumper  180  and lower bumper  182  are also illustrated. The feature appropriate buttons  130  and access port  140  may be seen on the left-hand side of the resilient portion  30  shown on  FIG. 10 . The appropriate mating geometry  90  that corresponds to the geometric design  80 B may be seen in the open section  194  of the resilient portion  30 . The honeycomb structure  187  located on the back wall  183  of the resilient portion  30  is illustrated. In some embodiments, the polygons of the honeycomb structure  187  may be raised up from the surface of the back wall  23 . In other embodiments, polygons of the honeycomb structure  187  may be sunk with respect to the back wall  183  of the resilient portion  30  and the borders between the polygons may be raised up. 
         [0063]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are assembled views of a case  10  according to another embodiment.  FIG. 13  is an exploded view of the case  10 . The case shown to be in  FIGS. 11 ,  12 , and  13  may have some features with different reference numerals then shown in  FIGS. 1 through 10 . However, unless stated otherwise below, these features perform the same or similar functions as corresponding features discussed above and shown in  FIGS. 1 to 10 . 
         [0064]    The case  10  is shown in an exploded view to better show various features of the case  10 . The following description will be with respect to  FIGS. 11 through 13 .  FIG. 11  shows the front  177  of the case  10 .  FIG. 12  shows the back  175  of the case  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 11 ,  12 , and  13 , the case  10  includes a hard portion  204  and a resilient portion  206 . In some embodiments, the hard portion  204  and the resilient portion  206  may be made of the same materials as the hard portion  40  and the resilient portion  30  described above. In other embodiments, other types of materials may also be used in accordance with the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the hard portion  204  may substantially be made of a translucent or transparent material. In other embodiments, the hard portion  204  may be made of a colored material and may be available in a variety of colors. 
         [0065]    The case  10  includes an actuator  196  located on the upper bumper  180 . The actuator  196  on the case  10  permits a user to manipulate an actuator located on the electronic device such as a phone. As a result, the actuator  196  will be located on the case  10  in an area that corresponds to an actuator on an electronic device  20 , for which the case  10  is designed. An open portion  176  is located in both the hard portion  204  and the resilient portion  206  to allow exposure to components such as camera lens  170  and flash  172  of electronic device  20  (not shown in  FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  13 ) similar to as previously described. The resilient portion  206  also includes ports  140  and feature appropriate buttons or actuators  130 . 
         [0066]    The bumpers  180  and  182  of the resilient portion  206  of the case  10  are illustrated. The opening  140  and feature appropriate buttons  130  are also shown. The open section  218  of the side  184  of the hard portion  204  is illustrated as well as the side  184  of the hard portion  204 . An opposite sidewall  192  in the hard portion  204  also is seen. An open portion to  218  in the resilient portion  30  is also shown. The resilient pads  212  are located in holes  188  and the hard portion  204  are also shown. The geometric shape  202  in the back wall  183  of the hard portion  204  is also illustrated as well as the honeycomb pattern  210 . As mentioned above, in some embodiments. The polygons associated with the honeycomb pattern  210  are raised, in other embodiments the borders between the polygons in the honeycomb pattern  210  may be raised instead. As a result, the honeycomb pattern  210  can either be in a positive or negative relief configuration. The honeycomb structure  210  may provide additional, rigidity, strength or stiffness to the hard portion  204 . As result, the honeycomb structure  210  may allow the hard portion  204  to be lighter. 
         [0067]    The resilient portion  206  of the case to  10  may also include a resilient front lip  214 . The resilient lip  214  extends around the circumference of the open section  186  in the case  10 . The open section  186  permits a screen associated with electronic device  20  (not shown in  FIGS. 11-13 ) to be seen, and, in the case of a touchscreen, manipulated through the case  10 . 
         [0068]      FIGS. 14 and 15  are side-by-side comparison isometric views of the resilient portion  30  ( FIG. 14 ) of one embodiments and the resilient portion  206  of a second embodiment ( FIG. 15 ) where the hard case  40  and  204  are not shown. The resilient portion  206  of  FIG. 15  lacks the back wall  183  of the resilient portion  30  shown in  FIG. 14 . Because there is no back wall  183  in  FIG. 15 , the honeycomb pattern  210  is also absent as well as the appropriate mating geometry  90 . The side wall  184  shown in  FIG. 14  is also absent in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 15  having only a cutout portion  219  and the resilient front lip to  214  present in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 15 . 
         [0069]    The resilient portion  206  shown in  FIG. 15  is been trimmed down in order to take advantage of the aesthetic appeal and technical advantages provided by a hard plastic case  204  (not shown in  FIG. 15 ). Other alterations of the resilient portion  206  may also be made in accordance with various embodiments. 
         [0070]    Lines  228  and  230  of  FIG. 14  show portions of the resilient case  30  in  FIG. 14  and are removed in the resilient portion  206  of  FIG. 15 . 
         [0071]    The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.