Abstract:
This invention relates to protective cases for mobile devices. The case includes a main body covering part of a major surface of the mobile device that is integral and/or secured to sidewall enclosures. The main body includes spoke(s) integral and/or secured to sidewall enclosures. The sidewall enclosures are corner sidewall enclosures and non-corner side enclosures that protect the surfaces of the mobile device from dropping damage. The sidewall enclosures can be assembled by users.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/708,654, filed on Oct. 2, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a protective case for mobile devices such as cell phones, e-readers, music players, and tablets. 
         [0003]    As mobile devices have evolved to offer advanced features, the replacement cost for damaged devices has grown. Unfortunately, if a mobile device hits a hard surface, it may damage it. It may be a dent or scratch, but sometimes the damage may require purchasing a new mobile device. If we are talking about a cell phone, the user may pay dearly, because the warranty may have expired or simply not cover the damage and carrier contracts for reduced prices may not be available. Thus, many users have bought protective cases for cell phones. Some cases may wrap protective material around the entire cell phone except for the display. Such an approach may protect the cell phone from shocks, dents and scratches but something is lost—the beauty of the cell phone design. The inventors recognized these problems and sought to identify what surfaces of the mobile device are susceptible to damage and protect those surfaces in a less bulky fashion that reveals much of the cell phone design. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    This invention relates to protective cases for mobile devices. 
         [0005]    In a feature, the case includes a main body covering only part of a major surface of the mobile device that is integral and/or secured to sidewall enclosures that protect the mobile device. 
         [0006]    In another feature, the case includes a main body that includes one or more spokes that are integral and/or secured to sidewall enclosures protecting the mobile device. 
         [0007]    In another feature, the sidewall enclosures are corner sidewall enclosures and non-corner sidewall enclosures that protect the mobile device on the surfaces susceptible to dropping damage. 
         [0008]    In another feature, the protective case includes a variety of sidewall enclosures that are separable parts that can be assembled for customization by users. 
         [0009]    In other features, the sidewall enclosures are molded, machined, and/or shaped to enclose at least part of the perimeter of the mobile device and are integral with and/or secured to the main body. When the sidewall enclosures are assembled to the main body, they form a case that encloses at least part of the perimeter of the mobile device, and part of the back of the mobile device. 
         [0010]    In other features, the case particularly encloses certain parts of the mobile device such as the corners where it is more susceptible to damage. The corner and non-corner sidewall enclosures can be minimal with molded interior shapes conforming to the mobile device to preferably form a snug fit or relatively large and robust to have more coverage and an extra level of protection. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a partially exploded view of a protective case for a mobile device. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2   a  illustrates a planar shaped main body of a protective case. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2   b  is an exploded view of an open frame shaped main body and the rest of a protective case. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2   c  illustrates an X-shaped main body. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3   a  illustrates a protective case that includes an X-shaped main body integral with and/or secured to the corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3   b  illustrates a protective case that includes corner sidewall enclosures without the main body. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3   c  illustrates a protective case that includes an X-shaped main body integral with and/or secured to the corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 4   a - 4   d  illustrate the modular nature of the protective case that allows for customization. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5   a  illustrates a protective case that includes an open frame shaped main body and sidewall enclosures. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5   b  illustrates a protective case that includes an open frame shaped main body with corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 6   a - 6   d  illustrate various corner and non-corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a protective case that includes an open frame shaped main body, corner sidewall enclosures and non-corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a protective case that includes an X-shaped main body, corner sidewall enclosures, and sidewall enclosures. 
           [0024]      FIG. 9   a  illustrates a corner sidewall enclosure of a protective case integral with and/or secured to an open frame shaped main body. 
           [0025]      FIG. 9   b  illustrates a spoke of the main body secured by a screw to the corner sidewall enclosure. 
           [0026]      FIG. 9   c  illustrates a spoke of the main body secured in a slot of the corner sidewall enclosure. 
           [0027]      FIG. 9   d  illustrates an open frame shaped main body that includes an extension that wraps around a corner sidewall enclosure. 
           [0028]      FIG. 10   a  illustrates a protective case for a cell phone using an X-shaped main body integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0029]      FIG. 10   b  illustrates a protective case for a tablet using an X-shaped main body integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewall enclosures. 
           [0030]      FIG. 11   a  illustrates an embodiment of a main body that includes a spoke integral with and/or secured to two corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0031]      FIG. 11   b  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0032]      FIG. 11   c  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewall enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0033]      FIG. 11   d  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0034]      FIG. 11   e  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0035]      FIG. 11   f  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0036]      FIG. 11   g  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
           [0037]      FIG. 11   h  illustrates another embodiment of a main body that includes spokes integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0038]    The following description includes the best mode of carrying out the invention, illustrates the principles of the invention, uses illustrative values, and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is determined by reference to the claims. Each part or step is assigned its own number in the specification and drawings. The drawings are not to scale and do not reflect the relative size of the parts. 
         [0039]      FIG. 1  is a partially exploded and perspective view of a case that can protect a mobile device (e.g., cell phone, tablet, and e-reader). The mobile device can be a cell phone such as Apple&#39;s iPhone, an iPad, iPod, and other firms&#39; tablets, a computer, an e-reader such as Amazon&#39;s Kindle, and other mobile devices such as the Android OS mobile devices. 
         [0040]    The protective case includes a main body  24  that is integral with and/or secured to secondary portions that fully or partly enclose the perimeter or edges of the mobile device  42  to eliminate or reduce damage to the mobile device when it collides with a hard surface. 
         [0041]    For brevity, the application uses the phrase “integral with” to refer to adjacent “parts” that are structurally a single part. The application uses “secured” to refer to adjacent parts held together mechanically by, for example, a screw, a rivet, a fastener and/or adhesive. 
         [0042]    The secondary portions include corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  and non-corner sidewall enclosures  10 ,  15 ,  16 , and  22 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the non-corner sidewall enclosures  10 ,  22  enclose the top sidewall and the bottom sidewall of the mobile device  42 . The non-corner sidewall enclosures  15 ,  16  enclose the right sidewall and the left sidewall of the mobile device  42 . Corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  protect the corners of the mobile device  42 . In another embodiment, instead of corner sidewall enclosure  20 , the protective case includes a corner sidewall enclosure  26  with an opening  27  for a lanyard, a strap or another purpose. In another embodiment, instead of the corner sidewall enclosure  20 , the protective case includes a corner sidewall enclosure  29  that includes a button  28  for activating a function (e.g., camera shutter) of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0043]    In another embodiment, a corner sidewall enclosure  30  includes an opening  30  at the top and a closed bottom enclosure  34  to hold an input tool, such as a stylus or pen  36 . The sidewall enclosures are integral with and/or secured to the open frame shaped main body  24 . 
         [0044]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the main body  24  is an open frame shaped, which is on the periphery of the mobile device  42  with an opening in the center. The main body  24  can be rigid or elastic and a singular object or include multiple-pieces assembled together. 
         [0045]    The open frame shaped main body  24  that holds the corner sidewall enclosures and the non-corner sidewall enclosures together has center opening in the main body  24  so it can be disposed on the back or even the front (i.e., display side) of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0046]    The corner sidewall and non-corner sidewall enclosures are made of rigid or non-rigid materials such as aluminum, other metals, plastic, rubber, polyurethane, carbon fiber, or other composite materials. 
         [0047]      FIG. 2   a  illustrates a planar shaped main body  44 , including an opening  43 , that covers and protects the back of the mobile device. 
         [0048]      FIG. 2   b  is an exploded view of an open frame shaped main body and the rest of a protective case. As shown, the protective case includes an open frame shaped main body  24 , non-corner sidewall enclosures  10 ,  15 ,  16 , and  22 , and corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20 . The non-corner sidewall enclosure  10  includes a rectangular shaped opening  38  and a circular opening  40  to access the mobile device&#39;s functions (e.g., camera, flash, microphone and other controls or for exposing the mobile device&#39;s graphics, name, on/off/sleep button, mute button, and volume buttons). 
         [0049]      FIG. 2   c  illustrates a main body that includes spokes that is integral with and/or secured to the corner sidewall enclosures. As shown in  FIG. 2   c , the X-shaped main body  46  is a four-spoke body in the shape of an “X” or two “V&#39;s” that are integral with and/or secured to each other where one “V” is inverted with respect to the other “V.” 
         [0050]      FIG. 3   a  illustrates a protective case that includes an X-shaped main body integral with and/or secured to the corner sidewall enclosures. The corner sidewall enclosures portion  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  enclose the corners of the mobile device  42 , and are held together by the X-shaped main body  46  on the back of the mobile device  42 . Together when assembled with the mobile device  42  within, the corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  and the X-shaped main body  46  form a snug fit case to contain the mobile device  42 . This embodiment allows a minimal amount of material to cover the mobile device  42  while protecting the corners of the mobile device  42 , which are most susceptible to damage due to a fall or drop, as well as the back of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 3   b  illustrates a protective case that includes corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 ,  20  secured to the mobile device  42  without the main body  46 .  FIG. 3   c  illustrates a protective case that includes an X-shaped main body integral with and/or secured to the corner sidewall enclosures without the mobile device  42 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 4   a  illustrates another embodiment of a protective case for a mobile device  42  that includes an open frame shaped main body  24  that is integral with and/or secured to top sidewall enclosure  10  with openings  38  and  40 , the non-corner sidewall enclosures  15 ,  16 , and the bottom sidewall enclosure  22 . Non-corner sidewall enclosure  16  includes a set of openings  48 ,  50 , and  52  to access functions of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 4   b  illustrates another embodiment of a protective case for a mobile device  42  that includes an open frame shaped main body  24  that is integral with and/or secured to corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  and non-corner sidewall enclosures  15 ,  16 . Non-corner sidewall enclosure  16  includes openings  48 ,  50 , and  52  to access functions of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 4   c  illustrates another embodiment of a protective case for a mobile device  42  that includes an open frame shaped main body  24  that is integral and/or secured to corner sidewall enclosures  12  and  20  along with top non-corner sidewall  10  with openings  38  and  40 , corner sidewall enclosures  14  and  18  along with bottom non-corner sidewall  22 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 4   d  illustrates another embodiment of a protective case for a mobile device  42  that includes an X-shaped main body  46  that is integral and/or secured to corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 5   a  illustrates the assembled protective case shown as an exploded view in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 5   a  illustrates the corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20 , and non-corner sidewall enclosures  10 ,  15 ,  16 , and  22  enclose the edges around the perimeter of the mobile device. The non-corner sidewall enclosures  15 ,  16  are integral with and/or secured to the open frame shaped main body  24 .  FIG. 5   b  illustrates a case that includes an open frame shaped main body  24  with corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect corners of mobile device  42 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 6   a  illustrates a corner sidewall enclosure  12  that protects the corner of mobile device  42 .  FIG. 6   b  illustrates a sidewall enclosure  54  that protects two corners and the top of the mobile device  42 .  FIG. 6   c  illustrates a sidewall enclosure  56  that encloses the corner and the non-corner of the mobile device  42 .  FIG. 6   d  illustrates non-corner sidewall enclosures  10 ,  15  that protect the non-corner perimeter of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0058]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the protective case shown assembled in  FIG. 5   a . The only new part added to the case of  FIG. 5   a  is a corner sidewall  200  with an opening  100 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of protective case shown assembled in  FIG. 4   d . The only part added to the case of  FIG. 5   a  is a corner sidewall  200  with an opening  100 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 9   a  illustrates a corner sidewall enclosure  20  of a protective case integral with and/or secured to an open frame shaped main body  24 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 9   b  illustrates a spoke of the main body  46  secured by a screw  62  to the corner sidewall enclosure  13  of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0062]      FIG. 9   c  illustrates a spoke of the main body  46  secured in a slot of the corner sidewall enclosure  66  of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0063]      FIG. 9   d  illustrates an open frame shaped main body  24  that includes an extension  68  that wraps around a corner sidewall enclosure  20  of the mobile device  42 . 
         [0064]      FIG. 10   a  illustrates a protective case for a cell phone using an X-shaped main body  46  secured to four corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20 . 
         [0065]      FIG. 10   b  illustrates a protective case for a tablet  70  using an X-shaped main body  80  secured to four corner sidewall enclosures  72 ,  74 ,  76 , and  78 . 
         [0066]      FIG. 11   a  illustrates an embodiment of a main body  82  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to two corner sidewalls enclosures  54 ,  300  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0067]      FIG. 11   b  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  84  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0068]      FIG. 11   c  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  86  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewall enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0069]      FIG. 11   d  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  88  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0070]      FIG. 11   e  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  90  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0071]      FIG. 11   f  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  92  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0072]      FIG. 11   g  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  94  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device. 
         [0073]      FIG. 11   h  illustrates another embodiment of a main body  96  that includes spokes that are integral with and/or secured to four corner sidewalls enclosures  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  to protect four corners of a mobile device.