Patent Abstract:
Protective covers for a laptop computer that are configured to prevent unintended access to the keyboard of the laptop. The protective cover is configured to physically block the keyboard from inadvertent engagement. The protective cover protects laptop computer keyboards from damaged by spilling fluids, food or other objects onto the keyboard. The laptop protective cover is easily removable by the user for access to the keyboard and may include one or more straps for securing the cover to the laptop base. The protective cover is of a simple and easy to use designed, lightweight, easily portable, effective and are capable of being inexpensively manufactured.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/858,525 filed Jul. 25, 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of portable electronic devices. The present invention is more particularly directed to protective removable covers for use with laptop computers. 
         [0003]    Laptop computers are susceptible to unwanted actions, such as accidental pressing of the keys, the track pad and control buttons. In addition, laptop computer keyboards may damaged by spilling fluids, food or other objects onto the keyboard. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, what has been needed and heretofore unavailable is a unique and simple designed protective cover for a laptop computer that is lightweight, easily portable, effective, and is capable of being inexpensively manufactured. The present invention disclosed herein satisfies these and other needs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention is directed to a case or protective cover that protects a keyboard of a laptop computer. The protective cover protects laptop computer keyboards from damaged by spilling fluids, food or other objects onto the keyboard. The protective cover also prevents unwanted actions, such as accidental pressing of the typing keys, use of the track pad and function, control and power buttons. 
         [0006]    One aspect of the protective cover of the present invention is configured in the form of a substantially flat, thin rectangular shaped slate. The top portion of the slate is wider than the remainder of the slate, having a rectangular or oval cutout (open section) for allowing the protective cover to slide over the lid of a laptop computer where the display screen is located. An elastomeric ring may or may not be configured within the inside edges of the cutout so as to provide a better grip and to secure the protective cover to various sized laptop display screens. The cutout may or may not be open so that the top portion of the protective cover does not completely wrap around the laptop lid (screen). The lower portion of the protective cover may be configured with two or more narrow slots to retain one or more straps disposed in the slots and wrapped around the underside of the base of the laptop to secure the protective cover to the keyboard portion of the laptop computer. The strap used to secure the protective cover to the base portion of the laptop keyboard may include VELCRO (hook-and-loop fasteners) and/or may be made from an elastic material. 
         [0007]    The protective cover for use with a laptop computer includes an upper body section formed with an elongate cutout for receiving the laptop lid (screen). The cutout may be rectangular or oval shaped and may completely or partially enclose the laptop lid with a gripping (rubber) material inside edge the cutout or not. The protective cover further includes a lower body section formed as flat slate having a width smaller than the top body section for covering the laptop keyboard. The slate may include two slits on each side for use with a securing strap (for example, having VELCRO on the ends) for wrapping around the laptop base and fastening within the slits. Alternatively, elastic straps may be configured at the protective cover&#39;s corners to secure to the corners of the laptop. The slate may formed with at least two foldable sections to allow access to a portion of the keyboard while the top portion of the protective cover is still engaged with the laptop lid. The slate may be made from various materials, such as plastic, metal or cardboard with an upper finish suitable for use with an erasable marker or for imprinting with colored graphics. The slate may be configured with decorative and/or functional buttons, such as play, pause and volume controls. 
         [0008]    The present invention also includes a method for using a protective cover on a laptop computer. The upper body section of the laptop protective cover having an elongate cutout is placed of the over a lid of a laptop computer to completely or partially surround the lid (screen). The middle portion (slate) of the protective cover&#39;s lower body section is then moved into engagement with a base of the laptop to cover the keyboard in the laptop base. A strap may be inserted within first vertical and second vertical cutouts in the slate, and then the strap is engaged with the base of the laptop so as to secure the protective cover to the laptop. Alternatively, the middle portion of the lower body section is formed with two vertical cutouts and two horizontal cutouts configured near the corners of the bottom portion of the protective cover&#39;s lower section. A first strap is placed within one set cutouts and a second strap is placed within the other set of cutouts. The straps are then wrapped around the corners of the base of the laptop so as to secure the protective cover to the laptop. 
         [0009]    Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1A  is a front plan view of a protective cover of the present invention configured as a slate for resting on the keyboard of a laptop computer, wherein the slate has a rectangular cutout in a top section of the slate. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1B  is a cross-sectional view of a protective cover of the present invention taken along the line B-B in  FIG. 1A . 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a rear plan view of a protective cover of the present invention showing raised feet on the underside of the slate. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a front plan view of an alternative embodiment of the protective cover in accordance with present invention configured as a slate for resting on the keyboard of a laptop computer, wherein the slate has an oval-shaped cutout in a top section of the slate. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  is a top perspective view of the protective cover shown in  FIG. 1A , wherein the cutout is positioned around a lid of a laptop computer. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  is a top perspective view of the protective cover shown in  FIG. 1A , wherein the bottom section of the protective cover is positioned adjacent a keyboard of the laptop. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5A  is a front plan view of an alternative embodiment of a protective cover in accordance with the present invention, wherein a bottom portion of the protective cover includes two sets of slits configured at opposite lower corners of the protective cover. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5B  is a top perspective view of the protective cover shown in  FIG. 5A , wherein a cutout in a top portion is positioned at the bottom of a laptop computer lid and a bottom portion of the protective cover is positioned adjacent a keyboard of the laptop such that straps positioned within the slits engage a base of the laptop. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6A  is a side perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the protective cover in accordance with present invention, wherein a bottom section is configured as a foldable slate. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6B  is a side perspective view of the protective cover shown in  FIG. 6A , wherein the bottom section of the protective cover is positioned adjacent a keyboard of the laptop and the bottom section is folded to expose a portion of the keyboard. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the protective cover in accordance with present invention, wherein the protective cover is configured as a slate having a plurality of raised buttons on an upper side of a bottom section of the slate. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    As shown in the attached exemplary drawings, the of the present invention for protective cover used with various styles laptop computers is shown and described as follows: 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the protective cover  100  includes a first (top) body section  110  and a second (bottom) section having a width less than the top section and sized for covering the laptop keyboard (see  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B). The top section is formed with a first (upper) end portion  112 , a second (lower) end portion  114  and a middle portion  116  between the upper lower portions. The middle of the top section is configured with an elongate cutout  140  for receiving the laptop lid (cover) and screen (see  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B). The cutout may be rectangular or oval in shape ( FIG. 3 ). A gripping surface  118  (formed from a rubber, elastomer, plastic or other suitable material) may be configured on the inside surface of the cutout to engage and secure the laptop cover. 
         [0023]    The bottom section  120  is formed as a slate (substantially flat and rectangular), having an upper end portion  122 ,  124  and a bottom edge  126 . The bottom section is integral with (connected to, continuous with) the top section having a curved portion  125 ,  127  that may flex, allowing the top section to engage a table or other surface supporting the laptop. The bottom section of the protective cover includes a middle portion  130  forming a flat slate, and may be configured with two vertical slits  162 ,  164  for receiving a securing strap  150 . The ends  152 ,  154  of the strap may include a fastening mechanism, such as a clasp, snap or VELCRO (hook-and-loop material). 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the middle portion&#39;s back side  232  of the protective cover  200  may include one or more raised portions  272 ,  274  (for example, round rubber feet about twenty millimeters in diameter) positioned near the bottom edge  226  of the bottom (lower) section  220  and inside of the vertical slots  262 ,  264 . The raised portions prevent the slate from engaging any buttons on the keyboard when the cutout  240  and ring  218  of the top (upper) section  210  are placed over the laptop lid (see  FIGS. 4A and 6A ). 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the protective cover  300  may include an oval cutout  340  having curved ends  342 ,  344  along the ring  318  of the top section  310 . The lower section slate portion  330  and strap slits  362 ,  364  of the lower portion  320  may be configured the same as shown in  FIG. 1A , or as depicted in the alternative embodiments in  FIGS. 5A ,  6 A and  7 . 
         [0026]    Turning now to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the top section  410  of the protective cover  400  is shown being placed over a laptop  490 . The cutout  440  is placed over the laptop lid  492  and moved towards the laptop base  494 . At rest ( FIG. 4B ), the bottom section  420  covers the laptop keyboard with the middle section  430  protecting unwanted activation of the keyboard buttons. The optional gripping surface  418  around the cutout is used to stabilize the protective cover about the laptop lid and the optional vertical slits  462 ,  464  may be used with a strap ( FIG. 1A ) to secure the protective cover to the laptop base. 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the middle portion  530  of the bottom section  520  of the protective cover  500  is configured to protect the keyboard of the laptop  590 . The corners of the middle portion includes two vertical slits  552 ,  556  and two horizontal slits  554 ,  558  that may be joined with elastic straps positioned within the slits to engage and secure the protective cover to the corners  596 ,  598  of the laptop base  594 . As heretofore described, the optional gripping surface  518  of the cutout  540  is used to stabilize the protective cover top section  510  around the laptop lid  592 . 
         [0028]    An alternative embodiment of a folding protective cover  600  is shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . When the middle portions  632 ,  634  of the lower section  620  of the protective cover is adjacent the keyboard of the laptop  690 , the lower section may be folded at seams  636  and  638  to expose a portion of the surface  696  of the keyboard base  694 . The bottom edge  626  of the cover rests on the keyboard base surface when the protective cover is in the folded position. As heretofore described, the elongate cutout  640  is used to stabilize the protective cover top section  610  around the laptop lid  692 . 
         [0029]    A further alternative embodiment of the protective cover  700  is shown in  FIG. 7 . In this ‘key top’ version of the lower section  720  of the present invention, the slate  730  may be configured with decorative and/or functional buttons  780  such as power  782  or play, pause and volume controls  784 . For example, decorative or sound emitting ‘piano keys’  786  may be configured near the bottom edge. As heretofore described, the cutout  740  is used to stabilize the protective cover top section  710  around a laptop lid. 
         [0030]    In an embodiment of the present invention wherein the protective cover is configured with a keyboard in the lower section (the slate), the keyboard may contain different sized buttons with interactive capabilities. For example, larger buttons may be configured for ease of use by senior citizens and children. In addition, the keyboard may be operably connected to software (for example, piano-like functionality to generate sounds) resident in the laptop computer using a standard Universal Serial Bus (USB) type connector, Bluetooth wireless or other form of data transmitting and/or power interface. Further, the slate may be configured for use with a writing (drawing) stylus operably connected to software resident in the laptop computer. 
         [0031]    The dimensions of the protective cover may be sized to accommodate different versions of laptop computers from the various manufactures. For example, the height of the combined upper and lower sections may range from twenty centimeters to forty centimeters, wherein thirty centimeters will be suitable for many laptop computers currently available. Similarly a suitable width of the upper section may range from thirty to fifty centimeters, wherein forty centimeters may be preferred. The thickness cross-section of the upper section may range from two millimeters to more than one centimeter, depending on the use of the protective cover surface, for example, an erasable marker board or a functional keyboard. The cutout in the upper section may be sized to provide adequate support around the laptop lid. A retaining strap, such as depicted in  FIG. 1 , may be sized according to the dimensions of a target laptop, wherein eighty-five centimeters is a useful length. 
         [0032]    By way of example and not intended to be limiting, one embodiment (“thirteen inch”) of the protective cover shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B,  4 A, and  4 B has the following dimensions: (a) height of the combined upper and lower sections is 239.1 millimeters; (b) width of the upper section from a first (left) edge to a second (right) edge is 356.6 millimeters; (c) width of the lower section from a first (left) edge to a second (right) edge is 330.2 millimeters; (d) the length (width) of the cutout is 334.4 millimeters, having a height of 18.0 millimeters such that the thickness of the upper section surrounding the cutout is 11.1 millimeters; and (e) height of the slits in the lower section for retaining the strap that wraps around the laptop is 38.1 millimeters, having a width of 4.0 millimeters and being offset 17.4 millimeters from the side edge and 16.0 millimeters from the bottom edge. 
         [0033]    A second embodiment (“fifteen inch”) of the protective cover shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B,  4 A, and  4 B (again, by way of example and not intended to be limiting) has the following dimensions: (a) height of the combined upper and lower sections is 279.5 millimeters; (b) width of the upper section from a first (left) edge to a second (right) edge is 417.0 millimeters; (c) width of the lower section from a first (left) edge to a second (right) edge is 386.1 millimeters; (d) the length (width) of the cutout is 391.0 millimeters, having a height of 21.0 millimeters such that the thickness of the upper section surrounding the cutout is 13.0 millimeters; and (e) height of the slits in the lower section for retaining the strap that wraps around the laptop is 38.1 millimeters, having a width of 4.0 millimeters and being offset 17.4 millimeters from the side edge and 16.0 millimeters from the bottom edge. 
         [0034]    Although the embodiments of the present invention described herein are described with respect to laptop computers, the protective cover can be configured in various dimensions, measurements sizes and shapes that are suitable to other computing devices currently available or yet to be developed. The slate may be made from various materials, such as plastic, metal or cardboard with an upper finish suitable for use with an erasable marker or for imprinting with colored graphics. In addition, the entire protective cover may be made from various materials, for example, metals, plastics, shock resistant polymers such as polyurethane, composites or from any other materials that can provide the necessary shape, form and features that make them suitable for the purposes of this invention. A variety of further modifications and alternatives in and to the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0