Patent Description:
Several designs for an apparatus to cover front and rear mobile device cameras have been designed in the past. None of them, however, include an apparatus/case for covering both the front and rear cameras of a mobile device. The case comprises a cover assembly mounted to within a case. Furthermore, the cover assembly comprises a rear camera cover adapted to cover the rear cameras and a front camera cover adapted to cover the front cameras of a mobile device. The cover assembly comprises an actuating member to urge the rear camera cover towards the rear cameras and independently urges the front camera cover through a guiding extension until the front cameras is covered.

It is known that individuals often have a desire to protect their privacy in their everyday lives. It is also known that an individual may often want to cover the cameras on a mobile cellphone device to prevent other users with malicious intent from accessing their private information. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus to cover front and rear mobile device cameras that provide a user with optimal privacy while still maintaining the functionality of the mobile device. Additionally, the apparatus may cover additional sensors of a phone such as the microphone and the speaker. Furthermore, the apparatus provides added protection against blunt force damages against the cameras and other components of the phone. As a result, the present invention prevents the cameras and other components from obtaining unwanted scratches. These components may include but are not limited to the microphones and speakers of a mobile device.

Applicant believes that a related reference corresponds to U. patent (published application) No. <CIT> for a privacy enhancing device case. The device case has a body forming a compartment holding an electronic device with a back facing camera lens and a front side with a user interface display and front facing camera lens. The device case has a movable lens cover attached to the body and held by the body when moved to any of an open position, a first position, and a second position. However, it differs from the present invention because the <CIT> reference has a complicated configuration. Furthermore, the reference covers the flash and speaker component of a mobile device. This restricts a user from utilizing the flash component of a mobile device while the cover is enabled. The present invention addresses this issue by providing an apparatus to cover front and rear mobile device cameras comprising a cover assembly. The present invention may further be configured to cover the microphone of a mobile device. The cover assembly includes an opening which allows a user to utilize the flash component of a mobile device even when the cover is enabled. Additionally, the front camera cover may not obscure the speaker of the mobile device. Applicant believes that another related reference is <CIT> issued for a kind of mobile phone shell for protecting privacy including a a mobile phone shell body that covers the front and rear camera. Another related reference corresponds to <CIT> issued for a portable electronic device privacy system that prevents and or hinders accidental use of cameras and microphones of a portable electronic device in order to assist the user with maintaining their personal privacy. Another related reference corresponds to <CIT> issued for a Microphone and Camera disruption apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a structure configured to detachably couple to the device and a shutter supported by the structure and comprising a lens shutter configured to obscure a lens of the camera when in an engaged position. However, none of the cited references teach of an apparatus to cover at least one mobile device component that includes a cover assembly with a thickness and a tunnel located within the thickness, where a front camera cover is partially housed within the tunnel of the cover assembly.

Other documents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an apparatus as defined in the appended set of claims to cover front and rear mobile device cameras that covers both the front and the rear camera of a mobile devices. The apparatus includes a case assembly that includes a cover assembly. The cover assembly has a front camera cover to cover a front camera of a mobile device. The cover assembly also includes an actuating member that urges the front camera cover to cover the front camera until the front camera is covered. The cover assembly has a thickness and a tunnel located within the thickness. The case assembly is adapted to be mounted to the mobile device.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus to cover front and rear mobile device cameras that covers both the front and rear camera of a mobile device while maintaining the function of the speaker of the mobile device. Additionally, the apparatus may also cover the microphone of a mobile device.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus, as defined in the appended set of claims, to cover front and rear mobile device cameras that provides an opening for the flash component so a user may still utilize the flash component of a mobile device while covering the rear cameras and front cameras of the mobile device.

It is yet another object of this invention, as defined in the appended set of claims, to provide such a device that is inexpensive to implement and maintain while retaining its effectiveness.

Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:.

Referring now to the drawings, where the present invention is generally referred to with numeral <NUM>, it can be observed an apparatus to cover front and rear mobile device cameras <NUM> that basically includes a cover assembly <NUM> and a case assembly <NUM>.

Cover assembly <NUM> includes a rear camera cover <NUM> and a front camera cover <NUM>. Rear camera cover <NUM> may be made of a suitable non-transparent material that allows rear camera cover <NUM> to cover a rear camera <NUM>. It should be understood, that rear camera <NUM> is not limited to being a single camera but can also include any number of additional cameras that may be found on the rear of a mobile device. Rear camera cover <NUM> is housed within cover assembly <NUM>. Additionally, rear camera cover <NUM> is of a shape that cooperates with rear camera <NUM>. It should be understood that the shape of rear camera cover <NUM> is adapted to fit any rear camera of a mobile device <NUM> in the market. Rear camera cover <NUM> additionally comprises a rear camera opening <NUM>. Rear camera opening <NUM> is configured thereon a flash component of mobile device <NUM>. Furthermore, rear camera opening <NUM> is of a shape that cooperates with the flash component of mobile device <NUM>. Rear camera opening <NUM> allows a user to utilize the flash component of mobile device <NUM> even when rear camera <NUM> is covered by rear camera cover <NUM>. Front camera cover <NUM> may also made of a suitable transparent or non-transparent material that allows front camera cover <NUM> to cover a front camera <NUM>. It should be understood, that front camera <NUM> is not limited to being a single camera but can also include any number of additional cameras found in the front of a mobile device. Additionally, front camera cover <NUM> is of a shape that cooperates with front camera <NUM>. It should be understood that the shape of front camera cover <NUM> is adapted to fit any front camera including additional front cameras on a mobile device <NUM> on the market. In the present embodiment, front camera cover <NUM> is housed within a tunnel <NUM> disposed within the thickness of cover assembly <NUM>. Additionally, cover assembly <NUM> is provided as an integral part of case assembly <NUM> therein. Front camera cover <NUM> is adapted to bend along the curvature of the inner top edge of said case assembly <NUM>. Front camera cover <NUM> covers front camera <NUM> without affecting or obstructing the speaker located on mobile device <NUM>. This allows a user to comfortably utilize the speaker of mobile device <NUM> while simultaneously covering front camera <NUM>. This is especially useful when a user wishes to make a phone call while still having front camera <NUM> covered. In one embodiment, cover assembly <NUM> further includes at least one locking mechanism <NUM> mounted within the inner body of cover assembly <NUM>. It should be understood that additional embodiments of cover assembly <NUM> may omit locking mechanism <NUM> and fall within the scope of the present invention. Locking mechanism <NUM> may be provided along a side of cover assembly <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Additionally, locking mechanism <NUM> may be provided as various indentations <NUM> along the side wall of cover assembly <NUM>. These indentations may receive an anchoring member 22A mounted along the side of rear camera cover <NUM>.

The anchoring member 22A is received along the indentations <NUM> and locked in place. It should be understood that any number of locking mechanisms <NUM> may be mounted within cover assembly <NUM>. As rear camera cover <NUM> is urged towards rear camera <NUM>, anchoring member 22A travels along a sidewall of cover assembly <NUM> until it reaches nook <NUM> between indentations <NUM> so that rear camera cover <NUM> does not slide on its own. Rather a predetermined amount of force applied by a user is what releases anchoring member 22A out of its locked position within nook <NUM>.

In one embodiment of the present invention, front camera cover <NUM> is of a size smaller than rear camera cover <NUM>. This allows front camera cover <NUM> to fit within tunnel <NUM> as well as cover front camera <NUM>. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, cover assembly <NUM> may be of a rectangular shape and housed within the backside of cover assembly <NUM>. Cover assembly <NUM> is additionally hollow therethrough and houses rear camera cover <NUM> and front camera cover <NUM> therein. It should be understood that the shape of cover assembly <NUM> and case assembly <NUM> may change in order to cooperate with the shape of whatever mobile device it is mounted on. Additionally, cover assembly <NUM> is provided as an integral part within case assembly <NUM>. This may include mobile phones of varying shapes and sizes. Cover assembly <NUM> further includes an actuating member <NUM> disposed on cover assembly <NUM> thereon. It is to be understood that in one embodiment, actuating member <NUM> can be a slider. Actuating member <NUM> is communicably attached to rear camera cover <NUM> and front camera cover <NUM>. In one embodiment, rear camera cover <NUM> and front camera cover <NUM> are in their resting position housed within cover assembly <NUM>. A user may then apply an upward force to actuating member <NUM> thereby moving rear camera cover <NUM> and front camera cover <NUM> such that they cover rear camera <NUM> and front camera <NUM>. In this position rear camera cover <NUM> and front camera cover <NUM> protrude out of cover assembly <NUM>. Front camera cover <NUM> bends along the inner top edge of case assembly <NUM> in order to cover front camera <NUM>.

Case assembly <NUM> further includes a slit <NUM>. Case assembly <NUM> may be made of any suitable material to be fitted onto mobile device <NUM>. Furthermore, case assembly <NUM> may be of any suitable shape to fit around mobile device <NUM> so as to fit various mobile devices on the market. In one embodiment of the present invention, case assembly <NUM> is adapted to be installed around the periphery of mobile device <NUM>. In another embodiment of the present invention, case assembly <NUM> is adapted to be installed around the entirety of mobile device <NUM>. Slit <NUM> is located on the backend of case assembly <NUM>. Slit <NUM> is an opening that aligns with the path of actuating member <NUM> mounted thereon mobile device <NUM>. Slit <NUM> provides a user with access to actuating member <NUM> such that a user may apply a force to actuating member <NUM>. Actuating member <NUM> is mounted through slit <NUM>. In one embodiment of the present invention, a user applies a force to actuating member <NUM> to then urge actuating member <NUM> a predetermined amount to first move rear camera cover <NUM> to then cover rear camera <NUM>. As a result, cover assembly <NUM> is now locked into a middle locking member <NUM>. In this configuration, rear camera <NUM> is covered while front camera <NUM> remains uncovered. A user may then further actuate actuating member <NUM> to then have front camera cover <NUM> then cover front camera <NUM>. As a result, cover assembly <NUM> is now locked into locking member <NUM> located along a top side of cover assembly <NUM>. In this configuration, both rear camera <NUM> and front camera <NUM> are in a covered position. It should be understood that additional embodiments may feature an actuating member <NUM> to exclusively cover rear camera <NUM> or front camera <NUM>. In another embodiment, front camera <NUM> and rear camera <NUM> are both covered simultaneously. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an additional cover assembly <NUM> may be provided thereon case assembly <NUM>. In this embodiment cover assembly <NUM> may be configured to cover additional components as a mobile device such as a charging port <NUM>, a microphone <NUM>, and speakers <NUM> located on mobile device <NUM>. Furthermore, it should be understood that the location of these components may vary depending on mobile device <NUM>. Cover assembly <NUM> may be adapted to cover any number of microphones, speaker, and ports on mobile device <NUM> regardless of their location on mobile device <NUM>.

The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

Claim 1:
An apparatus to cover at least one mobile device component, comprising:
a) a cover assembly (<NUM>), including a front camera cover to cover (<NUM>) a front camera (<NUM>), wherein said cover assembly (<NUM>) further includes an actuating member (<NUM>), wherein said actuating member (<NUM>) urges said front camera cover (<NUM>) towards said front camera (<NUM>) until said front camera (<NUM>) is covered, wherein said actuating member (<NUM>) is located on a back surface of a mobile device (<NUM>), wherein said front camera cover (<NUM>) begins on said back surface and moves along said back surface until said front camera cover (<NUM>) wraps over a top edge of said mobile device (<NUM>) to then cover said front camera (<NUM>), said cover assembly (<NUM>) has a thickness and a tunnel (<NUM>) located within said thickness; and
b) a case assembly (<NUM>) that includes said cover assembly (<NUM>), wherein said case assembly (<NUM>) is adapted to be mounted to said mobile device (<NUM>).