Abstract:
A protective case for a digital camera. The case has a retainer for holding the camera and a protective sleeve that slips over the retainer and camera, thereby forming a complete enclosure for the camera. The sleeve is pivotably attached to the retainer and, due to an extendable hinge means, is able to pivot 270 degrees about a pivot point on the retainer. By doing so, a surface of the sleeve is brought directly beneath the base of the retainer in a manner that provides support for the retainer. A leg means is also incorporated into the sleeve. This leg may be pulled away from the sleeve. The sleeve and leg together, when resting on a flat surface, provide a support for the retainer and the camera.

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention relates to the field of cases cases for handheld devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a protective case for a digital camera.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Digital cameras are widely used today. As with all electronic devices, cameras are delicate. For this reason, care must be taken in their storage and handling and most users carry their camera in a protective camera case. Typically, the protective case is constructed of a sturdy, rigid material that securely holds the camera and protects it from damage. Ideally, the case allows easy access to the camera that makes it readily available for immediate use. Often, in order to use the camera, a protective cover of the camera case must be separated and removed from the case. In some cases, even the camera must be removed from the case. It is a disadvantage to not be able to use the camera while it is in the case and it is a further disadvantage that the user must keep track of the whereabouts of the case, or at least the case cover.  
         [0005]     Users often have difficulty holding a camera steady enough to capture a clear image and it is often advantageous to use a sturdy, stand-alone platform to support the camera. A camera tripod is typically used for such a purpose. If such a stand is desired, then the user must provide, carry, assemble, and keep track of the tripod, a separate device that is often quite large and bulky.  
         [0006]     Data for digital photographs may be conveniently stored on a digital storage device, also called a picture card. The advantages of the picture card are that it is readily interchangeable with other picture cards, and easily inserted into or removed from the camera. Users often carry spare picture cards so as to have the extra storage available. As with all electronic storage media, care must be taken in storing and handling such cards. The conventional picture card is small and flat, and easily transportable. It is also easily misplaced or damaged. Protective cases for digital storage devices, including picture cards, are known, but, being separate from the camera case, the user may have to search around to locate the case. This is a disadvantage when the user is in the middle of taking photographs and would like to exchange the storage device quickly.  
         [0007]     What is needed, therefore, is a protective case for a camera that allows the camera to be used while in the case. What is further needed is such a case in which the lid remains attached to the protective case and does not encumber use of the camera. What is yet further needed is such a case that facilitates a steady hold on the camera and that may also serve as a stand-alone support for the camera. What is still yet further needed is such a case that provides a means for handily storing digital storage devices used by the camera.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The above-cited needs are satisfied by a digital camera case that securely holds and protects a digital camera. The digital camera case according to the invention comprises a retainer, a protective sleeve, a hinge means for pivotably connecting the protective sleeve to the retainer, and an optional support leg or strut. The protective sleeve pivots away from the retainer, exposing the front face of the camera, as well as the viewfinder and the control panel on the rear face of the camera. The sleeve is able to rotate through a 270-degree arc, bringing the sleeve down below the retainer in a manner that allows the base of the retainer to be supported on the sleeve. In this orientation, the protective sleeve may serve as a handle for the user to grasp, or may serve as a stand-alone support stand for the retainer and camera. The optional strut or support leg is incorporated into the sleeve and may be pulled out as needed to provide additional support.  
         [0009]     The retainer has an open front face, providing an unimpeded field of view for the camera lens. Apertures are provided on a rear face of the retainer, providing access to the LCD viewfinder and the control panel or buttons on the rear face of the digital camera. The apertures may be fitted with easily removable plugs, for added protection of the camera when it is not in use. For example, a clear plastic plug may be used to protect the LCD viewfinder.  
         [0010]     In the closed or 0-degree rotation position, the protective sleeve covers the retainer and, together with the retainer, provides a secure, completely closed protective case for the camera. The hinge means for pivotably connecting the protective sleeve with the retainer is extendable relative to the body of the retainer, thus allowing the protective sleeve to pivot through an arc of 270 degrees. In the fully open or 270-degree position, the protective sleeve is directly beneath the base of the retainer and the retainer rests securely and squarely on top of the protective sleeve. The protective sleeve, in this orientation, may serve as a handle that provides a comfortable and secure means for the user to hold the camera.  
         [0011]     The protective sleeve of the digital camera case may also serve as a stand-alone support stand, either with or without the optional leg. The support leg is pivotably attached to the protective sleeve. When not in use, the leg lies flat in a channel provided therefore in a surface of the sleeve. When needed to provide additional support to the sleeve that is now serving as a stand-alone support stand, the leg is pivoted away from the body of the sleeve. The leg now, together with the sleeve, forms a triangular support stand, similar in function to that of the well-known tripod. If the sleeve, in this 270-degree orientation, is placed upon a flat surface, it and the leg provide a support stand that holds the retainer with digital camera in a steady position. A strap loop is attached to the foot end of the leg and may be used to attach a strap or cord to the digital camera case.  
         [0012]     A storage means for storing a digital storage device may also be incorporated into the case as an optional feature. Such a digital storage device includes conventional digital media or picture cards. The storage means is formed by a recess and a frame in a side wall of the protective sleeve. The recess extends outward from an inner face of the side wall and the frame is mounted over the recess on the inner face. The frame is open at one edge, allowing the picture cards to be slidably inserted into or removed from the storage area. Depending on the type and size of the storage device, the frame may be subdivided into compartments to accommodate several storage devices. The frame and the recess may be adapted to store any size, shape, and number of digital storage devices known to the art.  
         [0013]     The digital camera case according to the invention is preferably constructed of a rigid material, such as metal, plastic, or other form rigid material that provides the necessary rigidity and strength to protect the camera stored within the case. The inside of the digital camera case may be lined with a material that supports, holds in place the device being held by the case, and/or provides some shock absorption.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of the digital camera case according to the invention, showing the retainer, the protective sleeve, the extendable hinge means, and the support leg, whereby the protective sleeve and leg are serving as a stand-alone support.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the front of the closed digital camera case.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the rear of the closed digital camera case.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a top planar view of the retainer, showing the slide channel and the open front face.  
         [0019]      FIG. 5A  illustrates the hinge means, with the hinge slide retracted into the retainer.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5B  illustrates the hinge means, with the hinge slide in a fully extended position.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6A  is a partial elevational view of the digital camera case, with the protective sleeve rotated 180 degrees from the closed position.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6B  is a partial elevational view of the digital camera case with the protective sleeve rotated 180 degrees from the close position and with the hinge means extended.  
         [0023]      FIG. 7A  is a top plane view of the digital camera case of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 7B  is an elevational view of the leg rotated slightly away from the upper sleeve face.  
         [0025]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the sleeve, showing the open side and channel for the leg.  
         [0026]      FIG. 8A  is a elevational view of the inner face of the rear sleeve wall of the protective sleeve, showing the storage means for storing storage devices.  
         [0027]      FIG. 8B  is a top plane partial view of the rear sleeve wall, showing the storage means with insert slot for storing storage devices.  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the leg pivot means.  
         [0029]      FIG. 10  illustrates the sleeve serving as a handle for the human hand to grasp.  
         [0030]      FIG. 11  shows the removable plug for the aperture for the LCD viewfinder.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]      FIGS. 1-3  illustrate a digital camera case  100  according to the invention that is a protective case for a digital camera.  FIG. 1  illustrates a key feature of the invention: the ability of the protective sleeve  150  to support the retainer and thereby to serve as a stand-alone support or as a handle.  FIGS. 2 and 3  show perspective views of the front and rear faces of the closed digital camera case  100 , respectively. The digital camera case  100  comprises a retainer  110 , a protective sleeve  150 , an extendable hinge means  130 , and a leg means  170 . The retainer  110  and the protective sleeve  150  are pivotably connected to one another via the hinge means  130 . In the closed position, also referred to as a “0-degree” position, the protective sleeve  150  covers the retainer  110  and the camera is completely enclosed within the digital camera case  100 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The protective sleeve  150  has a front sleeve wall  150 A, a rear sleeve wall  150 B, a closed sleeve side  150 C, an upper sleeve face  150 D, and an open sleeve side  150 E. Closure means  151  are provided on the digital camera case  100  to releasably secure the sleeve  150  over the retainer  110 . In the embodiment shown, the closure means  151  comprise a conventional closure, such as a mating button and recess configuration with an interference fit that serves to hold the protective sleeve  150  over the retainer  110 , until intentionally released. It should be understood that any suitable closure means  151  may be used, such as snap pawls, snap buttons, latches, straps, etc.  
         [0032]      FIG. 10  is an illustration of the digital camera case  100 , in the orientation shown in  FIG. 1 , with the leg means  170  folded up against the protective sleeve  150 . The protective sleeve  150  serves as a handle and, as shown, may be grasped by a hand.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4 , along with  FIG. 1 , illustrates the open contour of the retainer  110 . A camera C is drawn in with dashed lines for illustration purposes. The retainer  110  has a rear retainer face  110 B, a front retainer face  110 A, two retainer sidewalls  110 D, and a retainer base  110 C. The rear retainer face  110 B faces the user when the camera C is being used in a conventional manner. A control panel aperture  117  and an LCD viewfinder aperture  119  are provided in the rear retainer face  110 B, to enable operation of the camera C while it is in the retainer  110 . The front retainer face  110 A is an open face, with edges that are wide enough to hold the camera C within the retainer, yet narrow enough to provide an unimpeded field of view for the camera lens. The camera C is inserted from above into the retainer  110 . Two channel guides  126  form a slide channel  125  in one of the side walls  110 D.  
         [0034]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are cross-sectional views of the sidewall  110 D, showing the extendable hinge means  130  assembled in the sidewall  110 D. These figures illustrate that the extendable hinge means  130  is extendable relative to the body of the retainer  110 . The hinge means  130  includes a hinge slide  132  captured in the slide channel  125  and a hinge pin  157  in a lower end  133  of the hinge slide  132 .  FIG. 5A  shows the hinge slide  132  in its retracted position within the slide channel  125 , with just the lower end  133  extending beyond the side wall  110 D. The slide channel  125  is open at the bottom, allowing the body of the hinge slide  132  to move slidingly through the opening. The lower end  133  of the hinge slide  132  is dimensioned such that it cannot move into the slide channel  125 . A slide stop  129  is provided in the slide channel  125 . Stop guides  139  on the hinge slide  132  limit the travel of the slide  132  against the slide stop  129 .  FIG. 5B  shows the same hinge slide  132  in its fully extended position, with the lower end  133  of the hinge slide  132  moved downward out of the slide channel  125 .  
         [0035]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are partial plane views of the digital camera case  100 , showing the fully retracted and fully extended positions of the hinge slide  132 , respectively. Rotational arrow A 1  illustrates the rotation of the protective sleeve  150  about the hinge pin  157 . When the protective sleeve  150  is in the 0-degree or closed position, shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the lower end  133  of the hinge slide  132  is flush with the outer contour of the retainer  110 . When the protective sleeve  150  is rotated 180 degrees from the 0-degree position, the retainer base  110 C and the upper sleeve face  150 D are aligned along a parallel plane. When the hinge slide  132  pulled to its fully extended position, the protective sleeve  150  is rotatable 270 degrees from the 0-degree position and the upper sleeve face  150 D is now beneath the retainer base  110 C and in an orientation to support the retainer  110 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . In other embodiments, the lower end  133  of the hinge slide  132  containing the hinge pin  157  protrudes fixedly below the retainer base  110 C, so as to enable the protective sleeve  150  to swing about the retainer  110  without having the hinge means having to be extendable. A leg means  170  is shown in  FIG. 1 , which may be used optionally to provide additional support to the protective sleeve  150 , when the sleeve is used as a stand-alone support.  
         [0036]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate the leg means  170  that is provided in the upper sleeve face  150 D of the protective sleeve  150 . In the embodiment shown, the leg means  170  includes a leg pivot means  172  that is incorporated into the upper sleeve face  150 D, a pivot pin  175 , and a strut or leg  171  that is coupled to the pivot pin  175 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the leg  171 , when rotated out away from the body of the protective sleeve  150 , provides a triangular support leg for reliably supporting the retainer  110  on the protective sleeve  150 . A strap loop  178  is provided at a lower end  170 B of the leg  171 . The user may attach a strap or cord to the strap loop  178 , that may be used to carry the digital camera case  100 . A leg latching means  177  is also provided, for securing the leg  171  against the upper sleeve face  150 D of the protective sleeve  150  when the leg means  170  is not needed. In the embodiment shown, the leg latching means  177  is a pawl that catches on a lower edge of the upper sleeve face  150 D of the sleeve  150 .  FIG. 7C  shows an embodiment of the leg pivot means  172 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the sleeve  150 , showing the open side and providing orientation for  FIGS. 8A and 8B , that are plane views illustrating a storage means  180  for storing one or more storage devices S (shown in dashed lines). The storage means is a card retainer formed by a frame  182  that is fitted over a recess  153  that is formed in the inner face of the front sleeve wall  150 A. The recess  153  and the frame  182  form an insert slot  155 , via which the storage device S is inserted into or removed from the storage means  180 . The storage means  180  provides a protective enclosure for storing spare storage devices S. Ideally, the frame  182  lies within the frame recess  153 , which is of sufficient depth so that the body of the frame  182  is flush with the inside surface of the protective sleeve  150  and does not protrude into the inner space formed by the walls of the protective sleeve  150 . The frame  182  may be constructed to have multiple compartments  188  so as to accommodate multiple storage devices S. In the embodiment shown, and for illustration purposes only, the storage means  180  has two compartments  188 , separated by a divider  186 , to store two storage devices S. Although the slot  155  is open on the outside of the sleeve  150 A, the storage devices S are accessible only when the digital camera case  100  is open, that is, with the protective sleeve  150  rotated away from the body of the retainer  110 . The storage devices S simply slide into the storage means  180  via the slot  155 , but fit snugly enough within the storage means  180  that force must be exerted on them to move them out of the storage means. A finger recess  183  provided on the inner face of the front sleeve wall  150 A is provided for this purpose and allows the user to easily remove the storage device S from the storage means  180 . For convenience, a label aperture  184  is provided in the frame  182 , to enable the user to read the label on the storage device S. The frame  182  is fixedly attached in the recess  153 . In the embodiment shown, adhesive is used to secure the frame  182  to the protective sleeve  150 , although any suitable means may be used, such as a snap fit in which the frame  182  snaps into the rear sleeve wall  150 B or an arrangement in which the frame  182  slides into grooves provided in the sleeve wall, etc. The storage means  180  shown in  FIGS. 8A and 8B  is adapted to receive and hold XD picture cards, although it should be understood that the storage means  180  may be adapted to any store any size and shape digital storage devices known to the art.  
         [0038]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a removable plug  121  that may be provided to protect the LCD viewfinder on the digital camera C, when it is not in use. In the embodiment shown, the plug  121  is constructed so as to snap into the LCD aperture  119 . Ideally, the removable plug  121  is transparent so that it is not necessary to remove it in order to view images in the LCD viewfinder.  
         [0039]     The size and shape of the digital camera case  100  is ideally constructed to closely correspond to the size and shape of a particular digital camera C. For illustration purposes, the particular embodiment of the digital camera case  100  shown herein is a case for a Canon Powershot SD20 camera. The number, size, shape and position of apertures and plugs in the retainer  110  are similarly dependent upon the locations of the operational components of the specific digital camera intended to be stored within the case. The preferred embodiment of the invention is for a handheld digital camera. The scope of the invention includes a case for handheld devices.  
         [0040]     The digital camera case  100  is preferably constructed of a rigid material, such as metal, plastic, or other form rigid material that provides the necessary rigidity and strength to protect the camera stored within the case. The inside of the digital camera case  100  may be lined with a material that supports and holds in place the device being held by the case and/or provides some shock absorption. In the preferred embodiment, the protective sleeve  150  is made of aluminum or magnesium and the retainer made of plastic. The removable plug  121  is preferably constructed of a clear plastic.  
         [0041]     The embodiments of the invention mentioned herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. It should be understood that a person skilled in the art may contemplate many variations in construction of the present invention in view of the following claims without straying from the intended scope and field of the invention herein disclosed.