Abstract:
A smart phone carrying case that is capable of cleaning and disinfecting a smart phone touch screen every time the phone is removed from the case is disclosed. The smart phone carrying case includes a pocket, inside of which is a cleaning and disinfecting pad, and further includes a flap that supports a drying pad. The touch screen can be cleaned by wiping it across the cleaning and disinfecting pad when the smart phone is removed from the pocket of the carrying case. The touch screen may then be wiped across the drying pad on the flap before the smart phone is operated by the user.

Description:
This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/788,966 filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entire specification of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The technical field of this disclosure relates generally to a case for carrying a smart phone. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Smart phones are some of the most prevalent mobile devices in the market today. These phones typically include a touch screen that is responsive to a user&#39;s touch. The user, for example, can touch, drag, or otherwise interact with the touch screen via fingertip contact while using the phone—e.g., while texting, calling, surfing the internet, and/or page scrolling. Functional operation of the smart phone by way of a touch screen is innovative and convenient. But the constant and repeated contact by a user&#39;s fingers can transfer dirt, oils, germs, and other unwanted substances to the touch screen. The ability to remove these substances without much hassle would be a welcome benefit to all types of smart phone users. 
     SUMMARY 
     A smart phone carrying case that is capable of cleaning and disinfecting a smart phone touch screen every time the phone is removed from the case is disclosed. The smart phone carrying case includes a pocket and a flap. To provide for efficient cleaning of the smart phone, and more specifically the touch screen of the smart phone, a cleaning and disinfecting pad is supported within the pocket and a drying pad is supported on the flap. The cleaning and disinfecting pad contains an absorbed cleaning and disinfecting solution. Each time the user removes the smart phone from the carrying case, the touch screen can be wiped, first, across the cleaning and disinfecting pad to clean and disinfect the touch screen, and second, across the drying pad to remove any residual cleaning and disinfection solution from the touch screen. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a smart phone and a carrying case that can carry the smart phone; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the carrying case in which the flap is in the open position; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the carrying case in which the flap is in the closed position; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the carrying case in which the flap is in the open position; 
         FIG. 5  is side view of the carrying case in which the flap is in the open position; and 
         FIG. 6  is view of the carrying case from the perspective of one looking into the phone compartment of the pocket. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a preferred embodiment of a carrying case  10  for a smart phone  12 . The carrying case  10  is configured to receive and hold the smart phone  12  in a protective way, and is attachable to a wide variety of articles—such as a belt, a pair of pants, a pants pocket, a briefcase pocket, etc.—to permit easy and handless transport. The smart phone  12  may be any device that includes a face  14  in which at least 50%, and preferably at least 75%, of the surface area of that face  14  is an exposed touch screen  16 . Apart from holding and transporting the smart phone  12 , the smart phone carrying case  10  is also configured to disinfect and dry the touch screen  16  of the smart phone  12  every time the smart phone  12  is removed from the carrying case  10 . 
     The carrying case  10  includes a flexible member  18 , a cleaner and disinfectant pad  20 , a drying pad  22 , and a clip  24 . The flexible member  18  preferably comprises an outer layer  26  of artificial leather, such as Koskin or polyurethane, and an inner layer  28 , such as a fibrous mat made from polyester fibers. The outer layer  26  and the inner layer  28  may be coextensive in size and shape, or not, and they may be sewn or otherwise bonded together. Other suitable materials may of course be used to make the flexible member  18 . For example, in an alternative embodiment, leather may be used as the outer layer  26 , or it may be used as the entire flexible member  18 . Other materials not specifically mentioned here but known to skilled artisans may also be used to make the flexible member  18 . 
     The flexible member  18  is arranged to provide a pocket  30  and a flap  32 . The pocket  30  can receive and hold the smart phone  12 . And it includes a front cover  34 , a back cover  36 , and a bottom fold  38  where the flexible member  18  is folded back on itself so that the front and back covers  34 ,  36  are connected and spaced apart from one another. Each of the front cover  34 , the back cover  36 , and the bottom fold  38  has an inside surface  40 ,  42 ,  44  and an outside surface  46 ,  48 ,  50 . The inside surfaces  40 ,  42 ,  44  are provided by the inner layer  28  of the flexible member  18  and define a phone compartment  52  that is accessible by an opening  54  located opposite the bottom fold  38 . The outside surfaces  46 ,  48 ,  50  are provided by the outer layer  26  of the flexible member  18  and protect the phone compartment  52  against impact and unwanted exposure to elements that might harm the smart phone  12 . Furthermore, as shown, one or more expandable straps  56  may be associated with each of the front and back covers  34 ,  36  to maintain the desired spaced relation between the two covers  34 ,  36  and, by extension, the dimensions of the phone compartment  52 . 
     The flap  32  extends from the back cover  36  by way of a top fold  58  that transitions between, and joins, the flap  32  and the back cover  36 . The flap  32  includes an inside surface  60 , provided by the inner layer  28  of the flexible member  18 , and an outside surface  62 , provided by the outer layer  26  of the flexible membrane  18 . Movement of the flap  32  from an open position OP ( FIGS. 1-2 and 4-6 ) to a closed position CP ( FIG. 3 ) is permitted by bending at the top fold  58 . As shown, when the flap  32  is in the open position OP, the opening  54  to the phone compartment  52  is uncovered and the smart phone  12  can be inserted into, or removed from, the compartment  52 . When the flap  32  is in the closed position CP, the flap  32  covers the opening  54  of the phone compartment  52  such that the top fold  58  is located opposite the bottom fold  38 . A strap, magnet, buckle (none shown) or some other fastening mechanism may be used to hold the inside surface  60  of the flap  32  adjacent to the outside surface  46  of the front cover  34  when the flap  32  is meant to be in the closed position CP. 
     The cleaning and disinfecting pad  20  (hereafter “cleaning pad” for brevity) is supported on the inside surface  42  of the back cover  36 . The cleaning pad  20  comprises an absorbent, non-abrasive fabric  64  and a disinfectant and cleaning solution absorbed therein. The absorbent, non-abrasive fabric  64  can be any fabric material that will not scratch the touch screen  16  of the smart phone  12  and will hold a volume of the disinfectant and cleaning solution. Several examples of acceptable fabric materials are a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge, a polyester sponge, or a meltblown polypropylene mat. The disinfectant and cleaning solution absorbed into the fabric  64  may be, for example, a solution of 0.1-1 wt. % alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides and 1-5 wt. % ethanol, propanol, and/or isopropanol. Cleaning and disinfecting solutions of this kind are commonly found in Lysol® and Clorox® disinfectant wipes. It will be appreciated, however, that any suitable solution that cleans and disinfects may be used. 
     The cleaning pad  20  may be supported on the inside surface  42  of the back cover  36  in any of a variety of ways, including sewing or velcroing the pad  20  to the flexible member  18  or bonding the pad  20  to an intermediate plate (not shown) that is held against the inside surface  42  by an adhesive, brackets, or some other suitable fastening mechanism. In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning pad  20  is removably supported on the inside surface  42  so that, when necessary, it can be replaced or replenished with additional cleaning and disinfecting solution. 
     The drying pad  22  is supported on the inside surface  60  of the flap  32 . The drying pad  22  may be any non-abrasive fabric material such as, for example, the same fabric material used to make the cleaning pad  20  (minus the cleaning and disinfecting solution), a microfiber polyester mat, or a microfiber mat of a polyester/nylon blend. Like the cleaning pad  20 , the drying pad  22  may be supported on the inside surface  60  of the flap  32  by any of a wide variety of ways, including sewing or velcroing the pad  22  to the flexible member  18  or bonding the pad  22  to an intermediate plate (not shown) that is held against the inside surface  60  by an adhesive, brackets, or some other suitable fastening mechanism. Preferably, though, the drying pad  22  is removably supported on the inside surface  60  of the flap  32  to facilitate removal, cleaning, and replacement if necessary. 
     The clip  24  is supported on the outside surface  48  of the back cover  36  to permit the carrying case  10  to be secured to the user&#39;s garments—such as a belt or pocket—or to some other article. The clip  24  includes a first leg  66  that is affixed, preferably rotatably, to the back cover  36 , and a second leg  68  that is folded back into adjacent proximity with the first leg  66  so as to define a gap  70  in between. The second leg  68  may be biased towards the first leg  66  to make sure the legs  66 ,  68  can firmly hold onto whatever article is present in the gap  70  unless acted on by the user. It should be noted that the clip  24  may take on a variety of constructions besides the one specifically shown in the Figures. Any such other clip constructions may of course be used here so long as they function to secure the carrying case  24  to an intended article. 
     To use the smart phone carrying case  10 , a user opens the case  10  by pulling back the flap  32  into its open position OP. The user then inserts the smart phone  12  into the phone compartment  52  through the opening  54  so that the touch screen  16  faces and, preferably, slides across the cleaning pad  20 . The flap  32  is then pulled to its closed position CP to cover the opening  54  and confine the smart phone  12  within the phone compartment  52  for handless protected transport. Next, when the user desires to operate the smart phone  12  or remove it from the carrying case  10  for some other reason, the flap  32  is pulled to its open position OP and the smart phone  12  is removed from the phone compartment  52 . During removal, the touch screen  16  is preferably wiped across the cleaning pad  20  and, subsequently, the drying pad  22 . The sequence of wiping the touch screen  16  across the cleaning pad  20  and the drying pad  22  functions, first, to clean and disinfect the touch screen  16  (by wiping across the cleaning pad  20 ), and second, to remove any residual disinfectant and cleaning solution from the touch screen  16  (by wiping across the drying pad  22 ) so that the user can interface with a substantially dry touch screen  16 . 
     The above description of preferred exemplary embodiments and are merely descriptive in nature; they are not intended to limit the scope of the claims that follow. Each of the terms used in the appended claims should be given its ordinary and customary meaning unless specifically and unambiguously stated otherwise in the specification.