Abstract:
A protector for portable electronic devices is disclosed, including a portfolio-style protective cover having device-capturing lugs attached to stretchable legs of an X-shaped frame capable of accommodating a wide variety of sizes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The development of devices incorporating electronic devices has been explosive over the past decade, resulting in many new genres of battery-powered products such as so-called “smart phones,” electronic readers, and, more recently, the Apple iPad® and Kindle Fire® tablet computers. All such devices are relatively lightweight and portable, owing to the miniaturization of electronic components and circuitry. One shortcoming of such small scale is that the circuitry is relatively fragile and so subject to damage by, for example, impact with a hard surface caused by dropping and/or exposure to moisture. There is therefore a need in the art for protection of such devices from such damage. This need is met by the present invention. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    According to the present invention, there is provided a protector for portable electronic devices that has a number of unique and useful features that protect such devices from damage and provide support for operating such devices from a desktop or similar flat surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIGS. 1-2  are plan views of exemplary protectors of the invention featuring expandable corner bumpers or lugs to accommodate a wide variety of sizes. 
           [0004]      FIGS. 3-4  are top perspective views of exemplary folio protectors of the invention opened to receive an electronic device P such as an Apple iPad® tablet computer, and also having expandable corner bumpers. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0005]    Referring to the drawings, wherein the same numerals generally refer to the same elements, there is shown in  FIGS. 1-2  a planar generally rectangular backing  9  having attached thereto by gluing or sewing an expandable four-legged frame comprising four stretchable or elastic legs  22  having attached to the end of each leg a bumper or lug  24 . The four legs  22  of the frame extend radially outwardly and are oriented in an X-shaped configuration relative to each other, and are attached to backing  9 . Legs  22  are stretchable longitudinally outwardly toward the four corners of backing  9 , as illustrated by the arrows in  FIGS. 1-2 . Legs  22  terminate in four resilient bumpers or lugs  24  with two pairs of lugs diametrically opposed to each other, the lugs being in an arcuate shape so as to capture the four corners of electronic device P. A preferred material for lugs  24  is silicone rubber. 
         [0006]    Referring to  FIGS. 3-4 , the frame may also be secured to a foldable portfolio cover  1  designed to accept an electronic device P, the cover comprising a foldable folio having a top  10 , a bottom  11  and a spine  12 . The top  10  and bottom  11  preferably comprise a three-ply lamination of a soft layer on the inside of the folio that is in contact with the electronic device P, a durable outside layer such as leather, and a stiff middle layer to provide structural support to the top and bottom of the folio. Spine  12  preferably comprises only two plies so as to maintain flexibility on opening and closing. The frame is preferably secured to the portfolio cover  1  by gluing or sewing legs  22  to bottom  11  in either of the arrangements shown in  FIGS. 3-4 . By virtue of the elasticity of legs  22 , lugs  24  may be pulled outwardly in the direction of the arrows shown in  FIGS. 3-4  to accommodate size variances in electronic devices P. 
         [0007]    Lugs  24  in all of the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-4  also serve to absorb shock in the event the electronic device P is struck or dropped onto a hard surface. 
         [0008]    In all of the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the stretchable frame may be overlaid with a soft material  13  attached either to backing  9  or portfolio cover bottom  11 , which preferably is provided with cutouts  14  to facilitate outward stretching of legs  22  and to expose lugs  24 . 
         [0009]    Thus, the protector of the invention may be secured to any of a wide variety of portable, generally rectangular electronic devices, including, without limitation, “smart phones,” e-readers, e-planners, e-calendars, and e-tablets such as the Apple iPad® or Kindle Fire® to protect the device while maintaining easy access to the device by the user. 
         [0010]    The terms and expressions which have been employed in this specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.