Patent Publication Number: US-2015069098-A1

Title: Low profile protective cover configurable as a stand

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a protective casing or cover for an electronic device having a display, the protective casing or cover having a very low profile that can be unfolded to be configured as a stand for the electronic device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various types of electronic devices are currently available for a variety of different purposes, such as communications, business, entertainment, having a tablet bar shape with a display screen covering a large part of the front face of the electronic device, and are not the traditional foldable devices like the conventional laptop or notebook design. Because these electronic devices are mobile and are often carried around by the user, protective covers have been designed to protect the electronic device from scratches, impacts, dust, water, but also for aesthetic purposes for example made of leather. However, conventional protective covers usually require multiple parts that protrude from a back cover sheet of the protective cover, making the protective cover design thick and bulky. Also, usually protective covers use plastic clips or holders to attach an electronic device, and these clips or holders can break after some time of usage, so that the protective cover needs to be replaced. In addition, many conventional protective covers use many additional components to use the protective cover as a stand, for example a leg that is attached on an outer surface of casing so that the protective cover can serve to hold the display screen at a certain angle towards the user. Accordingly, despite the existing solutions for protective covers, there is still a need for improved and simplified designs of protective covers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a protective cover is provided. The protective cover includes a front cover, a rear cover including a middle rear cover, an exterior rear cover, and a folding portion that connects the middle rear cover to the exterior rear cover. The protective cover further includes an articulable back that connects the rear cover to the front cover, a holding sheet that is attached to an inner surface of the exterior rear cover and is not attached to the middle rear cover, the holding sheet having bands located at corners of the holding sheet, the bands configured to be attached to corners of an electronic device for securing the electronic device to the protective cover; and an anti-slip pad attached to an inner surface of the front cover. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device casing is provided. The casing includes a front cover sheet and a rear cover sheet including a middle section, an exterior section, and a hinge portion that connects the middle section to the exterior section of the rear cover sheet, the front cover and the rear cover having inner surfaces that face each other when the casing is in a closed state. The casing includes a spine portion that connects the rear cover sheet to the front cover sheet, an elastic flat holding mat that is attached to an inner surface of the exterior section of the rear cover sheet, the holding mat having openings located at corners of the holding mat, the openings configured to be pulled over corners of the electronic device so that the opening engage with corners of the electronic device for securing the electronic device to the casing. The casing also includes an anti-slip pad attached to an inner surface of the front cover. 
     The summary of the invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and the scope of the invention, which additional aspects will become more readily apparent from the detailed description, particularly when taken together with the appended drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  shows a plan view of a protective cover in an open state including an electronic device; 
         FIG. 2  shows a plan view of a protective cover in an open state with the electronic device removed; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the protective cover having angled rear cover sheet; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the protective cover with the electronic device attached thereto in an opened state; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the protective cover in a first open position with the electronic device attached thereto; 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of the protective cover in a second open position with the electronic device attached thereto; 
         FIG. 7  shows a plan view of the protective cover in an open state; 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the protective cover including an electronic device in a closed state; 
         FIG. 9  shows a plan view of another embodiment of the protective cover in an open state without an electronic device; and 
         FIG. 10A  shows a plan view of another embodiment of the holding sheet for the protective cover, and 
         FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view of the holding sheet along the line A-A indicated in  FIG. 10A . 
     
    
    
     Herein, identical reference numerals are used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. Also, the images in the drawings are simplified for illustration purposes and may not be depicted to scale. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a plan view of the protective cover  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention holding a computerized mobile electronic device  60  having a tablet shape, such as audio players, video players, portable digital video disk (DVD) players, cellular phones, smartphones, navigation devices, personal digital assistants, display units, e-book readers like Amazon Kindle™, tabled computers like Apple Ipad™, or Android-based tablets like Samsung GalaxyTab™, whereas  FIG. 2  shows the same plan view of the protective cover  10  without the electronic device  60 . For descriptive purposes, the description below makes references to an x, y, and z Cartesian coordinate system that is depicted in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , in which the y-direction is defined by the a longitudinal extension of cover  100 , the x-direction the width extension of cover  10 , and the z-direction is defined as being a direction that is perpendicular to the planar extension of cover  10  in an open position. In this respect, the negative x-direction is referred to as the left side, while the positive x-direction is referred to as the right side. 
     The protective cover  10  is made of a front cover sheet  20  that is attached via an articulable, pivotable, or foldable back portion  24 , or spine portion, to a rear cover sheet  22 . The articulable back portion  24  is arranged such that the front cover sheet  20  and rear cover sheet  22  can be folded relative to each other to close the protective cover  10  to contain electronic device  60 . In a closed state, the inner surfaces of front cover sheet  20  and rear cover sheet  22  face each other and can sandwich an electronic device  60  between each other, the front cover sheet  20  and the rear cover sheet  22  arranged substantially parallel to each other. In an open state, the display  64  of electronic device  60  is exposed, and front cover sheet  20  can be opened at various angles towards rear cover sheet  22 . At least one of the front cover sheet  20  and the rear cover sheet  22  can also be equipped with a mechanism (not shown) to hold front and rear cover sheet  20 ,  22  together in a closed state, for example but not limited to an elastic band, a Velcro strap, a zipper, magnetic strap, buckle, clip-on band, push-button band laces. In addition, the rear cover sheet  22  is also configured to be foldable separately from the folding of sheets  20 ,  22  relative to each other, and for this purpose rear cover sheet  22  is composed of a middle sheet  28  and an exterior sheet  32  that are connected to each other via folding member  30  (e.g., a hinge). In the embodiment shown, folding member  30  splits rear cover sheet  22  into two, substantially equal-sized parts, the middle sheet  28  and exterior sheet  32 . A holding sheet  50  that is configured to attach to electronic device  60  is attached to the exterior sheet  32  of rear cover sheet  22  by an attachment thread  58 , but is not attached to middle sheet  28  of rear cover sheet  22 . Holding sheet  50  is configured such that it serves as a mounting bracket to hold electronic device  60  removably to protective cover  10 , as further discussed below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , folding member  30  is arranged in a way that rear cover sheet  22  can be bent such that the left side of holding sheet  50 , the part of holding sheet  50  that is not attached to inner surface of middle sheet  28 , can space from inner surface of middle sheet  28  of rear cover sheet  22 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , and can be bent back to the initial position again so that holding sheet  50  and rear cover sheet  22  lie parallel on top of each other. Also, folding member  30 , middle sheet  28  and exterior sheet  32  can be configured such that they do not bend to the other direction, the direction in which middle sheet  28  of rear cover sheet  22  would push against holding sheet  50 . This arrangement could help to avoid that electronic device  60  would be pushed out from holding member  50 . Moreover, holding sheet  50  is attached to the exterior sheet  32  of rear cover sheet  22  with a thread  58 . In the embodiment shown, thread  58  leads at a certain distance from outer edge of the part of holding sheet that is located over the exterior sheet  32 , and is thereby securely attached to exterior sheet. In a variant, holding sheet  50  can be attached to exterior sheet  32  in many different ways, for example, but not limited to adhesive glue, staples, rivets, plastic welding. 
     In the variant shown, holding sheet  50  is made of one piece of flexible and elastic rubber-like material having a thickness that is preferably in a range of 0.75 mm to 3 mm, for example but not limited to silicone, rubber, urethane, fluoroelastomer, fluorosilicone, ethylene propylene (EPR), that lies planar on the rear cover sheet  22  without any upward protrusions when no electronic device  60  is attached to holding sheet  50 . For example, holding sheet  50  can be made of a rubber mat having an upper surface in the z-direction that has anti-slip properties against a back face of an electronic device  60  that is attached to holding sheet  50 . For attachment to electronic device  60 , holding sheet  50  has openings  54  in all four corners, and with each corner a holding band or strip  52  is formed that is arranged to bulge away from the corners, so that an outer edge of holding band  52  lies beyond side edges of a middle section of the holding sheet  50 . Due to the elasticity of holding bands  52 , when an electronic device  60  is placed centered onto holding sheet  50 , the bands  52  can be pulled over the corners of electronic device  60  to fasten electronic device  60  to holding sheet  50 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . Thereby, lower side  56  of holding bands  52  as referenced to a relaxed position when device  60  is not present, and can be turned upside-down and faces away from the upper surface of the corner of electronic device  60 . Holding bands  52  are designed such that they do not reach into a screen  64  of electronic device  60 , so that viewing and touch-screen operation is not obstructed. Holding sheet  50  with the holding bands  52  can be made of a single sheet and by cutting out four openings  54  in the corners, and by also cutting away side sections of holding sheet  50  between the holding bands  52 . When holding bands  52  are attached to device  60 , a left side wall  62  of electronic device  60  is not covered by holding sheet  50 . 
     Once electronic device  60  is released from holding sheet  50  by manually pulling holding strips  52  over the corners of electronic device  60 , holding sheet  50  goes back to the planar shape that lies on top of upper surface of rear cover sheet  22 . This arrangement and design of the holding sheet  50  allows keeping the thickness T of cover  10  in a z-direction smaller than conventional covers that have holding clips made of hard plastic, or stiff leather, or similar arrangements that protrude in the z-direction away from rear cover sheet  22 . This also allows to provide a protective cover  10  having a very low profile when electronic device  60  is removed. Also, the simple, one-piece designs of the holding sheet  50  allows to reduce the number of components used to make a holding bracket for an electronic device, thereby reducing complexity of the design that usually rely on multiple attachment bands and holding clips, and lowering its cost. In addition, the design only needs one attachment thread  58  or adhesive material to attach sheet  50  to rear cover sheet  22 , so that the design is reliable and durable. Also, compared to conventional protective covers, the holding sheet  50  can be easily replaced if it tears. In a variant, it is also possible that holding sheet  50  is removably attached to exterior sheet  32 , for example but not limited to a Velcro, for easy replacement. 
     Also, the inner side of front cover sheet  20  has one or more holding tabs or pads  40  that are arranged perpendicularly to a longitudinal extension of the articulable back portion  24 , offset from the left side edge of front cover sheet by a distance O, and having a length L. Holding tabs  40  are configured to hold the electronic device  60  in an upright position when electronic device  60  is attached to holding sheet  50 , so that a user can put the protective casing  10  on a desk or other surface for reading, the protective casing  10  serving as a stand allowing multiple stand angles, as shown in  FIGS. 5-6 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , there are two holding tabs  40  that extend over 70% of the inner side of front cover sheet  20  having a length L of about 90 mm, and offset from the left side edge by about O=13 mm. Holding tabs  40  are attached to the inner side of front cover sheet  20  by an adhesive, thread or other suitable attachment means, and have an upper surface  41  with anti-slip properties, for example holding tabs  40  are made of a rubber-like material that has an upper surface  41  with microscopic pores that act as suction cups on side edge  62  of electronic device  60 , or has another type of surface having a coefficient of friction that is sufficient to prevent electronic device  60  from slipping when the side edge  62  of electronic device  60  is placed onto holding tabs  40 . Alternatively, upper surface  41  can be made of a roughened surface, for example dented, embossed, sand-paper like, or by another type of surface that improves friction resistance to side edge  62  of electronic device in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the holding tabs  40 . In addition, in a variant, tabs  40  do not have a longitudinal shape, but the entire inner surface or a part of the inner surface is formed to have anti-slip properties to hold electronic device  60  at a desired position, for example by using an embossed rubber surface on the inner side of front cover sheet  20 . 
     With electronic device  60  attached to holding sheet  50 , the left side edge  62  of electronic device  60  can be put onto the upper surface  41  of holding tabs  40 , by opening protective cover  10  by unfolding front and back cover sheets  20 ,  22  via articulable back portion  24 , and by bending folding member  30  so that side edge  62  of electronic device moves away from articulable back portion  24 , and can be posed onto tabs  40 . Protective cover  10  can then be placed onto the front surface of front cover sheet  20  on a flat surface like a table, sofa, desk, so that a user can view screen  64  of electronic device  60  at a stand angle a, for example an angle a of about  75 ° , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Upper surface  41  of tabs  40  have anti-slip properties that are configured such that electronic device  60  rests in its upright angled stand position when side edge  62  is positioned onto tabs  40 .  FIG. 6  shows electronic device  60  attached to holding sheet  50  in which side edge  62  is located close to the outer edges of tabs  40 , having a stand angle a of about 30°. Tabs  40  are designed both in length and position as well as with upper surface  41  having a coefficient of friction such that a wide range of stand angles for electronic device  60  is possible, ranging from approximately 30° to 80°, without the need to attach side edge  62  or other parts of electronic device  60  or rear side cover  22  with other means. Also, in a case where tabs  40  are made of a very sticky material, they can be covered with a protective sheet or cover ( 42 ) to avoid accumulation of dust when side edge  62  of device  60  is not posed on tabs  40 . 
       FIG. 7  depicts a side plan view in the y-direction, showing electronic device  60  that is attached to back cover sheet  22  via the holding sheet  50 , with holding strips  52 . While the articulable back portion  24  wraps around side edge  62  of device  60 , side edges of front and rear cover sheets  20 ,  22  are made to protrude beyond right side edge  66  of device  60  for protection.  FIG. 8  shows the protective cover  10  in a closed state, with electronic device  60  being attached to holding sheet  50 . The front and rear cover sheets  20 ,  22  are designed such that they cover electronic device  60  entirely and are therefore higher and wider in x and y-direction as the electronic device  60 , to assure protection against side impacts if protective case  10  and device  60  falls to the ground or is otherwise subjected to lateral shocks. Also, holding bands  52  can be located inside a space that is formed by the closed front and rear cover sheets  20 ,  22 , so that holding strips  52  are also protected from wear and tear. 
       FIG. 9  shows another embodiment of the protective casing  100 , with shorter tabs  140  that are accommodated in the right side of the front cover sheet  120 , so that the left side  121  of the cover sheet  120  can accommodate a keyboard  190  for operating an electronic device (not shown). Also, thee different tabs  140  are shown, with one arranged substantially in the center as seen from a y-direction. In this embodiment, the range of stand angle a is smaller, since tabs  140  are shorter and are not positioned over keyboard  190 , preferably in a range of 60° to 80°. Keyboard  190  can be designed to be very flat in the z-direction so that the protective casing  110  adds none or only slightly more to the thickness T than without a keyboard  190 , preferably a foil or membrane keyboard, capacitive button keyboard, or other suitable flat keyboard technology. In addition, left side  121  of cover sheet  120  can also simply be a display surface for displaying a virtual keyboard or a projection keyboard by the electronic device. Preferably, keyboard  190  is configured to communicate wirelessly to electronic device  160 , for example but not limited to a Bluetooth™ or infrared communication interface. Also, in this embodiment, folding member  130  splits rear cover sheet  132  into two sections of different sizes, with middle sheet  128  being smaller than exterior sheet  132 . 
     Moreover,  FIG. 9  also shows a variant of flexible and elastic holding sheet  150  having a cross-shaped middle section  159  that is formed by cutting out four triangular cut-out sections  157 , to reduce weight and material costs of holding sheet  150 . Holding sheet  150  is still formed from a single piece of sheet-like material. Also, cut-out sections  157  can be located at positions in which other electronic elements are located in electronic device, such as but not limited to speakers, microphones, sensors, flashlights, camera lenses, connectors, and a corresponding opening  146  can be provide in back cover sheet  122 . Thereby, the other electronic elements will not be obstructed by protective casing  110 . Because for fastening an electronic device to holding sheet  150  it is necessary to pull corners of sheet  150  having openings  154  in a direction away from a center of sheet  150 , in this embodiment, the cross-shaped middle section  159  is configured to reinforce the sheet  150  and to limit the flexibility and/or elasticity to a desired value. 
     Another embodiment of the holding sheet  250  is shown with respect to  FIGS. 10A and 10B , showing a top view of sheet  250 , and a cross-sectional view of sheet  250  along lines A-A that is shown in  FIG. 10A . Sheet  250  is made of two different layers  257 ,  258 , having a stiff and thin base frame  258 , and an elastic sheet  257  out of which attachment openings  254  are cut into. Because sheet  250  is stiffened and reinforced by the presence of base frame  258 , the inner section  259  of attachment sheet  250  can be entirely cut out. This embodiment is useful in situations where the back side of electronic device is equipped with electronic elements covering a larger surface, for example larger speakers, etc. 
     While the invention has been disclosed with reference to certain preferred embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims.