Source: https://patents.justia.com/patent/8553874
Timestamp: 2019-10-19 01:48:23
Document Index: 87880558

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 200503184', 'Application No. 1309', 'Application No. 2', 'Application No. 200510074688', 'Application No. 200510074688', 'Application No. 200510074688', 'Application No. 200510074688', 'Application No. 200510074688', 'Application No. 04102445', 'Application No. 06123708', 'Application No. 06123708', 'Application No. 06123708', 'Application No. 1309', 'Application No. 200510074688', 'Application No. 2']

US Patent for Display cover and case for a communication device Patent (Patent # 8,553,874 issued October 8, 2013) - Justia Patents Search
Justia Patents Speaker Mounting (i.e., Speaker Phone Feature)US Patent for Display cover and case for a communication device Patent (Patent # 8,553,874)
Jun 28, 2011 - Blackberry Limited
A cover system for a communication device and a case for the communication device are provided. The system comprises: a first cover and a second cover. The first cover has a shape to fit in a recessed region of a case of a communication device, the recessed region bounding a display opening and a speaker opening in the case; a first region adapted to cover the display opening; a second region to enclose the speaker opening; and at least one hole in the second region to provide a conduit through the first cover to the speaker opening. The second cover covers the second region and is shaped to allow ambient air to pass around the second cover to the at least one hole.
This application is a U.S. continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/109,925 filed on Apr. 25, 2008 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,991,148, which itself is a U.S. continuation patent application of U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,058 (having U.S. application Ser. No. 10/856,808 filed on Jun. 1, 2004).
The disclosure relates to a cover and a case for a display, in particular a display cover and a related case for a communication device, such as a portable phone.
In a first aspect, a cover system is provided. The system comprises: a first cover and a second cover. The first cover has a shape to fit in a recessed region of a case of a communication device, the recessed region bounding a display opening and a speaker opening in the case; a first region adapted to cover the display opening; a second region to enclose the speaker opening; and at least one hole in the second region to provide a conduit through the first cover to the speaker opening. The second cover covers the second region and is shaped to allow ambient air to pass around the second cover to the at least one hole.
In the system, the first cover may not cover an opening for a keypad in the case.
In the system, the first cover may define a sound hole located about the second region, the sound hole extending from the top surface through the first cover to the bottom surface and connecting to the enclosure cavity; and the second cover may further be shaped to allow passage of air from above the second cover to the sound hole.
In the system, the second region may have a recess extending inwardly from the top surface into the first cover.
In the system, the recess may have a hexagonal shape.
In the system, the second cover may be shaped to fit the recess.
In a second aspect, a case for a communication device is provided. The case comprises a frame having sides and an internal wall spanning between the sides. The frame has a shape defining a first opening for a speaker and a second opening for a display, where the first and second openings are separated by the internal wall. The frame further defines a first cavity providing acoustic tuning for the speaker and the internal wall further defines a second cavity about the second opening providing further acoustic tuning for the speaker.
In the case, in the frame, the internal wall may further define an air channel connecting the first cavity to the second cavity.
In the case, the frame may further define a second air channel connecting the first cavity to a region below the speaker.
In the case, the second opening may be covered by a printed circuit board (PCB) when the PCB is assembled with the frame.
In the case, the first cavity may be a Helmholtz cavity.
The case may further comprise a recess running around the first and the second openings.
The case may further comprise a first cover providing a part of a front face of the communication device.
In the case, the first cover may have: a shape to fit in the recess; a first region adapted to cover the first opening; a second region to enclose the second opening; and at least one hole in the first region to provide a conduit through the first cover to the speaker opening.
The case may further comprise a second cover for covering the first region.
In the case, the first cover may define a sound hole located about the first region; and the second cover may be further shaped to allow passage of air from above the second cover to the sound hole.
In the case, the first region may have a recess extending inwardly from a top surface into the first cover.
In the case, the recess may have a hexagonal shape.
In the case, the second cover may be shaped to fit the recess.
In another aspect, a cover for a display device for a communication device is provided. The cover comprises: external dimensions shaped to fit the cover in a case for the communication device; a top surface; a bottom surface; a non-opaque region to cover the display device allowing a user to see the display device; and a region defining a top of an enclosure cavity for a speaker associated with the communication device.
In yet another aspect, an enclosure system for a communication device is provided. The enclosure comprises a case for enclosing elements of the communication device. The case has an opening for a display for the device in a first region and a structure to support a speaker for the device in a second region. The enclosure has a cover adapted to mate with the case. The cover has a top surface; a bottom surface; a non-opaque region adapted to cover the display device allowing a user to see the display device; and a support region for defining a top enclosure for a speaker associated with the device.
In still another aspect, a handheld communication device is provided. The device comprises: speaker; a display device; a housing having an opening to allow viewing of the display device therethrough; a second opening to allow placement of the speaker therein; and a cover being fixedly mountable to the housing. The cover has a first portion for covering the display device and a second portion adapted to acoustically transmit sound from the speaker.
FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a communication device associated with an embodiment;
The back cavity is defined in case section 202 by a volume including: box cavity 238, located immediately to the left of region 222; L-shaped cavity 240, located immediately to the right of region 22; and a volume directly beneath speaker 108. The sides and top surfaces are defined within case section 202. The top boundary of the back cavity is defined by the surface underneath floor of oblong cavity 234, the surface underneath floor of L-shaped cavity 232 and the bottom surface of speaker 108. The perimeter of the back cavity is defined by bottom wall 226 and the collective perimeters of box cavity 238, L-shaped cavity 240 and speaker 108. The perimeter is comprised in part by lower wall 224 and other wall extrusions descending inwardly from top wall 224. More specifically the perimeter is defined by the shape of L-shaped cavity 240, speaker 108 and box cavity 238. The bottom boundary of the back cavity is defined by bottom edge 242 of the perimeter defined by the end of lower wall 224 and the end of the other wall extrusions. Seal 230 is shaped to cover the perimeter defined by the bottom edge 242 and fits snugly thereagainst. When device 100 is fully assembled, a PCB 233 is snugly fit against seal 230 and the PCB 233 defines the bottom wall of the back cavity.
The embodiment also has a small hole (not shown), approximately 0.75 mm diameter, through the PCB 233 directly behind the speaker 108. The hole is used to further tune the frequency response for speaker 108. The hole is covered with an acoustic mesh (e.g., a woven polyester material)to provide acoustic resistance and control resonance characteristics of the hole. Other types of mesh may be used or smaller holes could be drilled in the PCB 233 to produce different acoustic characteristics. In other embodiments mesh may be placed over one or more of sound holes 210. A nearly acoustically transparent mesh (i.e., a mesh having a very low acoustic resistance) may be sued on sound holes 210 to prevent debris from entering device 100 through sound holes 210.
a first cover having a shape to fit in a recessed region of a case of a communication device, the recessed region bounding a display opening and a speaker opening in the case; a first region adapted to cover the display opening; a second region to enclose the speaker opening; and at least one hole in the second region to provide a conduit between the first cover and speaker opening; and
a second cover for covering the second region, the second cover having an outer perimeter that is shaped complementary to a shape of the second region, the second cover to allow ambient air to pass around said second cover to said at least one hole.
2. The cover system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the first cover defines a sound hole located about the second region, the sound hole extending from a top surface through the first cover to a bottom surface and connecting to an enclosure cavity; and
the second cover is further shaped to allow passage of air from above the second cover to the sound hole.
3. The case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second cover only covers the second region of the first cover and does not cover the first region.
4. A cover system comprising:
a first cover having: a shape to fit in a recessed region of a case of a communication device, said recessed region bounding a display opening and a speaker opening in the case; a first region adapted to cover the display opening; a second region to enclose the speaker opening; and at least one hole in the second region to provide a conduit through the first cover to the speaker opening; and
a second cover for covering the second region, the second cover being shaped to allow ambient air to pass around the second cover to the at least one hole, wherein the first cover does not cover an opening for a keypad in the case.
5. A cover system comprising:
a second cover for covering the second region, the second cover being shaped to allow ambient air to pass around the second cover to the at least one hole, wherein the second region has a recess extending inwardly from a top surface into the first cover.
6. The cover system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the recess has a hexagonal shape.
7. The cover system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second cover is shaped to fit the said recess.
8. A case for communication device, the case comprising:
a frame having sides and an internal wall spanning between the sides, the frame having a shape defining a first opening for a speaker and a second opening for a display, the first and second openings separated by the internal wall, the frame further defining a first cavity providing acoustic tuning for the speaker, the internal wall further defining a second cavity about the second opening providing further acoustic tuning for the speaker, wherein in the frame, the internal wall includes a first air channel connecting the first cavity to the second cavity and the frame defining a second air channel connecting the first cavity to a region below the speaker.
9. A case for communication device, the case comprising:
a frame having sides and an internal wall spanning between the sides, the frame having a shape defining a first opening for a speaker and a second opening for a display, the first and second openings separated by the internal wall, the frame further defining a first cavity providing acoustic tuning for the speaker, the internal wall further defining a second cavity about the second opening providing further acoustic tuning for the speaker, wherein the second opening is covered by a printed circuit board (PCB) when the PCB is assembled with the frame.
10. The case as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first cavity is a Helmholtz cavity.
11. The case as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a recess positioned around the first and second openings.
12. The case as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a first cover providing a part of a front face of the communication device.
13. The case as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first cover has:
a shape to fit in the recess;
a first region adapted to cover the first opening;
a second region to enclose the second opening; and
at least one hole in the first region to provide a conduit between the first cover and the speaker opening.
14. The case as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a second cover for covering the first region.
15. The case as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first cover defines a sound hole located about the first region, and the second cover is further shaped to allow passage of air from above the second cover to the sound hole.
16. The case as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first region has a recess extending inwardly from a top surface into the first cover.
17. The case as claimed in claim 16, wherein the recess has a hexagonal shape.
18. The case as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second cover is shaped to fit the recess.
D479233 September 2, 2003 Griffin
6807433 October 19, 2004 Oota et al.
6847806 January 25, 2005 Curtis et al.
7991148 August 2, 2011 Holmes et al.
20040077385 April 22, 2004 Makino et al.
20040102231 May 27, 2004 Nuovo et al.
20050221867 October 6, 2005 Zurek et al.
20080199038 August 21, 2008 Holmes et al.
2798541 September 1999 FR
2318476 April 1998 GB
1020010070355 July 2001 KR
1020020087847 November 2002 KR
WO 2004/054211 June 2004 WO
Canadian Intellectual Property Office, “Office Action,” issued in connection with Canadian application serial No. 2,507,674, issued Jan. 11, 2012, 3 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Notice of Allowance,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 10/856,808, mailed Apr. 18, 2008, 11 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Notice of Allowance,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 10/856,808, mailed Jan. 10, 2008, 12 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 10/856,808, mailed Nov. 1, 2007, 9 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 10/856,808, mailed May 21, 2007, 9 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office Action,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 10/856,808, mailed Jan. 12, 2007, 10 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Notice of Allowance,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 12/109,925, mailed Mar. 24, 2011, 12 pages.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Non-Final Office,” issued in connection with U.S. Appl. No. 12/109,925, mailed Sep. 29, 2010, 15 pages.
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, “Notification of Grant,” issued in connection with Singapore Application No. 200503184-4, dated Feb. 29, 2008, (2 pages).
Government of India Patent Office, “First Examination Report,” issued in connection with Indian Application No. 1309/DEL/2005, dated May 22, 2007, (2 pages).
Canadian Intellectual Property Office, “Office Action,” issued in connection with Canadian Application No. 2,507,674, dated Jan. 27, 2009, (2 pages).
State Intellectual Property Office of People's Republic of China, “First Office Action,” issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 200510074688.9, dated Oct. 12, 2007, original and translated copies, (18 pages).
State Intellectual Property Office of People's Republic of China, “Second Office Action,” issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 200510074688.9, dated Mar. 28, 2008, original and translated copies, (7 pages).
State Intellectual Property Office of People's Republic of China, “Third Office Action,” issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 200510074688.9, dated Sep. 12, 2008, original and translated copies, (11 pages).
State Intellectual Property Office of People's Republic of China, “Notification of Grant of Rights for Invention Patent,” issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 200510074688.9, dated Feb. 24, 2011, (8 pages).
State Intellectual Property Office of People's Republic of China, “Certificate of Invention Patent,” issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 200510074688.9, dated Jun. 22, 2011, (3 pages).
European Patent Office, “Combined Search Report and Examination Report,” issued in connection with European Application No. 04102445.6, dated Nov. 11, 2004, (9 pages).
European Patent Office, “Certificate of Grant,” issued in connection with European Patent No. 1603308, dated Nov. 6, 2011, (1 page).
European Patent Office, “Combined Search Report and Examination Report,” issued in connection with European Application No. 06123708.7, dated May 2, 2007, (6 pages).
European Patent Office, “Communication Pursuant to Article 94(3) EPC,” issued in connection with European Application No. 06123708.7, dated Jul. 31, 2008, (5 pages).
European Patent Office, “Communication Under Rule 71(3) EPC,” issued in connection with European Application No. 06123708.7, dated Jan. 26, 2010, (7 pages).
European Patent Office, “Certificate of Grant,” issued in connection with European Patent No. 1750419, dated Jul. 21, 2010, (1 page).
Government of India Patent Office, “Certificate of Grant,” issued in connection with Indian Application No. 1309/DEL/2005, dated Jul. 17, 2008, (1 page).
State Intellectual Property Office of People's Republic of China, “Rejection Decision,” issued in connection with Chinese Application No. 200510074688.9, dated Apr. 3, 2009, translated copy, (7 pages).
Canadian Intellectual Property Office, “Office Action,” issued in connection with Canadian Application No. 2,507,674, dated May 14, 2013, (2 pages).
Patent number: 8553874
Patent Publication Number: 20110261951
Inventors: John Holmes (Waterloo), Felipe Simoes (Kitchener), Larry Hawker (Wateloo)
Application Number: 13/170,748
Current U.S. Class: Speaker Mounting (i.e., Speaker Phone Feature) (379/433.02); Display On Handset (379/433.04)