Abstract:
To provide the case for an electronic device where the device is equipped with the camera and the flash that are adjacent to each other. The case has at least one hole in the case body to expose the camera and the flash. The camera hole has a depth and is formed by a cylindrical wall, and the shading area is provided on the hole wall.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. section 119(a) of Japanese Utility Model Applications filed in the Japan Patent Office on Jun. 28, 2010 and assigned serial number 2010-4757, Jul. 2, 2010 and assigned serial number 2010-4899, and Jul. 9, 2010 and assigned serial number 2010-5065, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a case for an electronic device, more specifically, a case for an electronic device equipped with a camera unit and a flash. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various types of cases have been designed mainly to enclose and protect electronic devices, especially, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable music players. The cases can protect the devices from being scratched and cracked. 
     The electronic devices could have many different buttons or control devices, such as touch screen panel, back panel with a camera and a flash, a volume control button, and a power switch. The cases must be designed to fit and cover the device without hindering each button or switch, or without impeding any function operatable from the device surface. 
     For example, for a device with a camera lens and a flash equipped on the back panel, the case must have at least one hole in appropriate size to not become an obstacle for taking pictures and using the flash. The camera lens and flash hole should be aligned to keep [[a]] the camera lens and flash portions open and clear and at the same time should be small enough to not expose any unnecessary or enlarged openings, thus providing for both better appearance and for better device protection. 
     Because of the size of the device, the camera lens and flash are often positioned close to each other. In many instances the camera lens and flash are located on an approximately flat back panel of the device. The flash and camera lens each can be positioned at a bottom of a cylindrical hole below the back panel surface, so that the back panel has an approximately level surface. In this structure, when the back panel surface is translucent with or without color, the flash light emitted spreads out on the back panel surface, and the cylindrical or conical wall surrounding the camera lens is designed to prevent the flash light from reflecting back into the camera area in order to prevent any adverse effect on the resultant picture taken. However, when the device is covered by the translucent case, the flash light tends to travel through the case and then reflects on an edge surface of the camera lens hole of the case. When this happens the flash light causes an adverse effect on the resultant picture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above-object of this invention can be solved by providing a shading treatment to the case for the electronic device with the camera and flash. The shading treatment can be used around the camera lens and flash hole on the device case, thereby creating the shading area. The shading area can be provided at least on the internal circumferential wall of the hole. When the case has two separate holes for the camera lens and the flash, the shading area can be provided to either one of the holes or both holes in order to have a greater effect. The hole is generally in a cylindrical or conical shape, and the shading treatment should be applied on the internal circumferential wall of the hole. The shading area can be extended to the back surface, or the device contacting surface, of the case and propagates out from the camera lens and flash holes. The shading area may be formed by applying the shading color paint or applying the paint material that gives the shading effect. 
     Another aspect of this invention is to provide the case where the shading area has at least one shading member, which is partially or entirely made of the shading material that gives the shading effect or is coated by the shading color paint or the paint material that gives the shading effect. This shading member can be separately and individually manufactured and then integrated into the case, or it may be integrally manufactured together with and on the case, around the camera lens hole or the flash hole. 
     Another aspect of this invention is to provide the case where the case has at least one hole exposing the camera lens and the flash of the device and the shading area comprises at least one detachable shading piece, approximately matching the hole. The detachable shading piece has at least one opening to expose the camera lens and the flash, and the detachable shading piece is partially or entirely made of the shading material that gives the shading effect, or is coated by the shading color paint or the paint material that gives the shading effect. The detachable shading piece is a cylindrical or conical ring shape. Also, the shading area can be the sticker partially or entirely made of the shading material that gives the shading effect or is coated by the shading color paint or the paint material that gives the shading effect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the case with a separate camera lens hole and flash hole and the device for the case installation; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross section view of the case of  FIG. 1  showing the shading areas; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the case with the back surface shading area covering both camera lens hole and flash hole; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross section view of the case of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the case with the shading part around the circumference of the camera lens and flash hole; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross section view of the case of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the case with the shading part in a larger area including both camera lens hole and flash hole; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross section view of the case of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the case with the case, the detachable shading piece, and the device; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the case with the detachable shading piece attached on the device; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the case with the detachable shading piece to be attached in the device with the cover; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross section view of the device with the shading piece of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of another type of detachable shading piece; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross section view of the device with the shading piece of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of another type of detachable shading piece; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the case, the device and the shading sticker; 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the shading sticker on the device; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the case, the device and another type of shading sticker; 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the case, the device and another type of shading sticker; and 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the case, the device and another type of shading sticker. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the following paragraphs, this invention and preferred embodiments will be explained with reference to the drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIGS. 1-4  illustrate the first embodiment of this invention.  FIG. 1  is the perspective view of a case  40  with a camera lens hole  50  and a flash hole  60  and  FIG. 2  is a cross section view of the case  40  of  FIG. 1  showing shading treatment  70 . 
     An electronic device  10  for which the case  40  of this invention is used has a cylindrical camera lens unit  20  and a cylindrical flash unit  30 . The case  40  covers the electronic device  10  for various purposes such as protecting the device from damage and decorating the device  10  for a user&#39;s preference. The case  40  needs to have an opening or openings to expose the camera lens unit  20  and the flash unit  30  without obstruction so as to take a clear picture.  FIG. 1  discloses the individual camera lens hole  50  and flash hole  60  in the case  40 . The case  40  fits on the device  10  and the camera lens hole  50  and the flash hole  60  correspond accurately with the camera lens unit  20  and the flash  30  respectively on a back panel  11  of the device  10 . When properly installed the camera lens hole  50  and the flash hole  60  are positioned to completely and accurately expose the camera lens unit  20  and the flash unit  30  without obstruction. 
       FIG. 2  is a cross section view of the case  40  fitting and partially enclosing the device  10 . The case  40  in  FIG. 2  shows the shading treatment  70  divided into two areas, i.e., a camera shading coating  71  and a flash shading coating  72 . The camera shading coating  71  is a shade treated area created by forming a shading layer on a surface of a first cylindrical case wall  51  of the camera lens hole  50 . The flash shading coating  72  is a shade treated area created by forming a shading layer on a surface of a second cylindrical case wall  62  of the flash hole  60 . The shading treatment  70  here may be established by shade coating such as by applying shading color paint or coating with shading materials. The shading material may include metal, material with shading color, and any material by itself or mixture thereof providing shading effects. The camera lens unit  20  and the flash unit  30  are closely positioned, and when the flash  30  emits light, the light spreads out on the back panel  11  of the device  4 . However, the camera lens  21  is located at a bottom part of the cylindrical camera lens unit  20 , and the cylindrical wall  22  thereof prevents the flash light from traveling to the camera lens  21 . However, when the translucent case  4  is on the device  10 , the flash light emitted from the flash  30  hits the case  40  and spreads out thereon to adversely affect the resultant image taken by the camera lens. Even if the case is made of non-translucent rubber and plastics, the flash light reflects upon the case and then upon the cylindrical surface of the camera lens unit  20 , which causes an adverse effect on the picture. The flash shading treatment  70  minimizes this negative light spreading to the camera lens unit  20  when the light is emitted from the flash  30 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the case  40  with a cover back surface shading coating  73  covering both camera lens hole  50  and flash hole  60 .  FIG. 4  is a cross section view of the case  40  of  FIG. 3 . Shapes and sizes of the shading area are not limited, and an additional back surface shading area  73  can extend from a camera shading part  74  and a flash shading part  75  to form the back surface shading area  73  which is located on a back surface of the case  40  around the holes  50  and  60 . This extra shading area further minimizes the traveling of the flash light emitted from the flash  31  to the camera lens  21 , especially through any gap between the back surface of the case  40  and the back panel  11  of the device  10 . 
     Second Embodiment 
     A second embodiment will be explained with reference to  FIGS. 5-8 .  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the case  40 , which shows individual holes for the camera lens unit  20  and the flash unit  30  which are covered by a camera shading part  74  and a flash shading part  75  respectively. The shading parts  74 ,  75  can be short cylindrical holes and can be made of the shading material. Alternatively, the shading parts  74 ,  75  can be coated or painted with the shading material. The finished shading surface is preferably a matted surface to minimize the flash reflection. As shown in  FIG. 6 , a back surface of the case  40  should be level with the bottom of the shading parts  74 ,  75  so as to not damage the device  10 . The shading parts  74 ,  75  can be integrated with the case  40  either after individually manufactured or integrated simultaneously by insertion. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the case  4  with one large shading part  76  covering both the camera lens hole  50  and the flash hole  60  instead of having the two individual shading parts  74 ,  75 .  FIG. 8  is a cross section of  FIG. 7 . All other characteristics are the same and the explanation of which will be omitted. 
     Third Embodiment 
     A third embodiment will be explained with reference to  FIGS. 9-15 . This example is the same as the second embodiment except that a shading part is detachable from the case  40 .  FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the case  40 , showing a detachable, large shading piece  77 , and the device  10 , and  FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the case  40  with the detachable, large shading piece  77  installed. The case  40  has an elongated hole  80 , and the area thereof should be sufficient to cover the camera lens unit  20  and the flash unit  30 . The detachable large shading piece  77  is made of or coated with the shading color or the shading material and is shaped to match the elongated hole  80  to fit therein. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the detachable large shading part  77  can be attached on the device  10 , temporarily or permanently fixing with the case  40  around the camera lens hole  50  using a mechanism such as an adhesive, snapping, fastenering, or clipping. The cross section view of  FIG. 12  shows that the detachable large shading piece  77  has a cylindrical camera hole  77   a  and a cylindrical flash hole  77   b  which are aligned to be placed over the camera lens unit  20  and the flash unit  30 . The detachable large shading part  77  can be partially or entirely coated with the shading paint or shading material or can be made by the shading material. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 13-15 , a shading piece camera cylindrical wall  77   c  and a shading piece flash cylindrical wall  77   d  can project from the detachable large shading part  77 .  FIG. 13  shows the cylindrical holes raising and projecting from a shading piece surface  77   e  of the shading part  77 , and  FIG. 14  is a cross section of  FIG. 13 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the shading part  77  can be separated into a detachable camera shading part  77   e  and a detachable flash shading piece  77   g . Obviously, the shapes and sizes of the elongated hole  70  can be selected according to each device and needs. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
       FIGS. 16-20  show another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a shading sticker  78  is used instead of the shading area or shading parts in the previous embodiments.  FIG. 16  is a perspective view of this embodiment with an oval shading sticker with openings for the camera lens and the flash;  FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the device with the shading sticker  80  on the device panel around the camera lens and flash;  FIG. 18  is a cross section view of the device  40  with the sticker  80  covering almost the entire back panel  11  of the device; and  FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the case, the device and another square type of shading sticker; and  FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the case, the device and another circular type of shading sticker. Sizes and shapes of the shading sticker  80  can be decided depending upon needs. 
     While the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are presently considered to be preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are intended to be embraced therein.