Patent Publication Number: US-2023147191-A1

Title: Fight Phone Case

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 63/115,135 entitled FIGHT PHONE CASE, filed Nov. 18, 2020. The provisional application is incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This application relates in general to an article of manufacture for providing a personal protection device, and more specifically, to an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Ordinary people may from time to time encounter individuals who present a threat of theft, mugging, assault, and injury while the ordinary people are out in public. Such encounters may occur is crowded cities, deserted small rural towns, highway rest stops, restaurants, and the like. Most ordinary people do not carry on their person an object that is intended to provide personal protection in these situations. As a result, ordinary people may become victims of a crime. 
     At the same time, most people carry a cellular phone for use at all times of the day wherever they may be. These same people may carry these cellular phones in a carrying case that protects the cellular phones from accidents that may damage the screens, cases, and electronics. Therefore, a need exists for an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that is further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The present invention is defined by the claims. 
     In one embodiment, the present invention is an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. 
     It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features that are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an example embodiment of an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates another example embodiment of an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates yet another example embodiment of an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates example embodiments of add-on devices used with an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Some embodiments of the present invention are described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the scope of the invention is not intended to be defined by the description itself. The claimed subject matter may be embodied as to include different features, elements, components, steps, or combinations of steps, similar to those described herein, and in combination with other existing or future technologies. Moreover, although the term “step” might be used to connote different elements of the methods employed, this term should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except the order of individual steps is explicitly described or required. 
     In general, the present disclosure relates to an article of manufacture for providing a personal protection device. To better understand the present invention,  FIG.  1    illustrates an example embodiment for an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case  100  according to the present invention.  FIG.  1    shows a cell phone case  101  having one or more impact points  110 - 114  about its corners. These plurality of impact points  110 - 114  may be made of different materials, in different sizes, that may serve different self-defense functions. For example, these plurality of impact points  110 - 114  may include a large, sharp impact point  110 , a large, rounded impact point  112 , a small, rounded impact point  112  having a metal corner covering the case  113 , and an elongated spike impact point  114 . 
     The cell phone case  101  may also include an internal cord  103  having an external grip  102  on a first end and a stop device  103  on a second end. The internal cord  103  and stop device  104  are located within an internal shaft  105  running the length of the case  101 . When a user pulls downward on the external grip  102 , the internal cord  103  is pulled out of the internal shaft  105  with the stop device  104  moving the length of the internal shaft  105  until the stop device  104  engages the opening of the external shaft  105  in the case  101 . With the internal cord  103  extended, the case  101  with the weight of the cellphone included becomes a defensive device on a cord that the user may swing about him or herself to keep a potential attacker away. The plurality of impact points  110 - 114  may also provide defensive value if a potential attacker is struck by one of them in addition to the case  101 . In an embodiment of a base model of the cell phone case  101 , a single impact point is affixed to the case along with the internal cord  103 . 
     The case  101  may be made of a hard plastic, metal, or any other solid material that both protects a cell phone within the case  101  as well as provides enough mass to make the case a self-defense device. The case  101  also may be made of a combination of materials to add both additional strength and weight to the case  101 . The internal cord  103  may be made of paracord, cable, rope, string, bungie, string, and elastic material among others. The internal cord  103  should be strong enough to allow the case  101  to be swung about as a weapon without breaking and light enough to slide easily within the internal shaft  105 . The internal shaft  105  consists of a solid slide tube having an internal stop at the opening out of the case. The solid tube may be a sleeve-like tube inserted within the case material and may, in an alternate embodiment, be a shaft through the case material. The stop device  104  may be a bead, a knot in the cord, or similar solid device that is small enough to fit within and slide the length of the internal shaft  105 , while being large enough to hold the case against the stop device  104  when it engages the internal stop at the opening of the internal shaft  105  in the case  101 . The external grip  102  may engage the case  101  about the opening to the internal shaft  105  that allows the grip to click into place when not in use while permitting it to easily disengage from the case when needed. 
     The plurality of impact points  110 - 114  may be of many shapes as disclosed herein. These impact points may provide a sharp point  110  that provides a pointed eye device. The impact point may provide large  111  and small  112  blunt striking devices. The impact points also may include a plurality of optional accessories such as the elongated spike  114  that is screwed into the case  101 . Such accessories also may include glass breaking devices and material cutting devices. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates another example embodiment of an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case  200  according to the present invention.  FIG.  2    shows a back side of a case  201  along a keyring  202  for the external grip that is attached to the internal cord  203  within the internal shaft  205 . The stop device  211  is shown as a sphere-like bead as compared to a cube or cylindrical device  104  as shown in  FIG.  1   . In this embodiment, the impact point  212  is shown on a side of the case about but not exactly at, a corner of the case  201 . These impact points  212  may be fixed or removable to allow different devices to be part of the case  201 . 
     The internal shaft  205  may be arranged or made to allow any user control buttons  221   a - b  on the cell phone to protrude through the case  201  permitting them to be manipulated by a user. These user control buttons  221   a - b  also may be thinly covered by case material rather than protrude through an opening in the case if the covering material is thin and flexible enough to permit the user to still manipulate the user control buttons  221   a - b  while covered. Because of this need, the internal shaft  205  may be located on either side of the case  201  should a particular model of cell phone have fewer or no buttons on one side of the cell phone. The key ring  202  may, of course, be made in any shape or may be a similar device with other purposes. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates an example embodiment of an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case  300  according to the present invention.  FIG.  3    shows a back side of a case  301  along a keyring  302  for the external grip that is attached to the internal cord  303  and stop device  304  within the internal shaft  305 . In this embodiment, a removable impact point  310  is shown adjacent to and slightly above the case  301 . The removable impact point  310  has a plurality of attachment devices  311   a - d  that engage a mating set of attachment devices  312   s - e  on the outside edge of the case  301 . Each of the attachment mechanisms are sized and shaped to fit within the openings between the mating attachment devices on the corresponding device. In this embodiment, these mating attachment devices are shaped similar to a set of picatinny rail joints that permit two objects to be securely joined together in which the joint is shaped to hold the objects in place. A tightening screw is used to affix any attachments. Of course, one of ordinary skill may recognize that other attachment mechanisms may be used in place of these mating attachment devices  311   a - d,    312   a - e.    
     As with all of the embodiments disclosed herein, the case  301  has an internal cavity  321  that is sized and shaped to hold a particular cell phone. Versions of the case  301  may be required for each different model of cell phone from various manufacturers to permit the internal cavity  321  to match the external dimensions of the particular cell phone. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates example embodiments of add-on devices used with an article of manufacture for providing a self-defense cellular telephone case according to the present invention.  FIG.  4    shows five different impact points  401 - 405 , each having a different shape and function. All of these impact points  401 - 405  include attachment devices  412   a - d,    422   a - d,    432   a - d,    442   a - d,    452   a - d  that may mate with matching attachment devices  312 a-e as shown in  FIG.  3   . 
     The first embodiment of an impact point  401  has a pair of pointed spikes  411   a - b  that are made of hard plastic. This impact point  401  may inflict harm upon a potential attacker when the case  301  is used as a weapon. The impact point  401  connects to a case  301  using attachment devices  412   a - d  coupling with mating attachment devices  312   a - e.    
     The second embodiment of an impact point  402  consists of a plurality of smaller, rounded impact points  421   a - c.  The impact point  402  is made of hard plastic over metal. The impact point  402  connects to a case  301  using attachment devices  422   a - d  coupling with mating attachment devices  312   a - e.    
     The third embodiment of an impact point  403  consists of a single large, rounded impact point  431 . The impact point  402  is made of hard plastic over metal. The impact point  402  connects to a case  301  using attachment devices  432   a - d  coupling with mating attachment devices  312   a - e.    
     The fourth embodiment of an impact point  404  consists of a single, web-cutting sharp blade impact point  441 . The impact point  404  is made of hard plastic over metal. The impact point  404  connects to a case  301  using attachment devices  442   a - d  coupling with mating attachment devices  312   a - e.    
     The fifth embodiment of an impact point  405  consists of a large, single pointed spike impact point  451 . The impact point  405  is made of hard plastic over metal and has a carbine tip for breaking glass. The impact point  405  connects to a case  301  using attachment devices  452   a - d  coupling with mating attachment devices  312   a - e.    
     Embodiments of the present invention have been described, as required by statute, to be illustrative, but should not be interpreted to be restrictive. One having skill in the art will recognize that many different arrangements of the various components depicted are possible without departing from the scope of the claims below, as well as arrangements including components not explicitly shown. 
     One having skill in the art will understand that certain combinations and/or sub-combinations of elements and features are of utility and may be employed without reference to other combinations and/or sub-combinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.