Patent ID: 8344277

Claim:
A waterproof housing for containing and operating an electronic device having a capacitive touch screen and an electrically conductive outer case comprising: a plurality of essentially rigid, interfitting housing pieces configured to removably receive and essentially immobilize the electronic device, a first housing piece including a support surface with a plurality of openings entirely therethrough; a cover configured to fit over the support surface of the first housing piece; an elastic member captured between the support surface and the cover so as to seal a joint formed between the support surface and the cover from water penetration, the elastic member having a first major surface facing the cover and away from the electronic device installed in the waterproof housing and an opposing second major surface facing the support surface and the electronic device installed in the waterproof housing, at least a first protrusion extending from the second major surface through one of the support surface openings and terminating in a distal tip directly opposite a first control region of the touch screen of the electronic device installed in the housing, the distal tip being out of contact with the touch screen with the protrusion in an unstretched condition; at least a first button having a head portion exposed through the cover outside the waterproof housing for user manual depression and overlying the first protrusion such that depression of the button by a user stretches the protrusion of the elastic member into operable contact with the first control region of the touch screen; and a physical electrical connection selectively provided by the waterproof housing between the conductive outer case and the first control region of the touch screen of the electronic device installed in the waterproof housing, the connection being selectively made and broken using the first protrusion by user depression and release of the first button.