Patent ID: 7434683

Claim:
A protective case comprising: a first shell member and a second shell member connected generally in a clam shell manner thereby cooperatively defining a receiving space of the case therebetween, the first and second shell members cooperatively forming a top wall boundary, a bottom wall boundary, a first side wall boundary and a second side wall boundary of the case; each of said first and second shell members includes a centrally disposed rigid portion, each of said rigid portions having a top, a bottom, and oppositely disposed first side and second side, said tops of said rigid portions of said shell members cooperatively form a portion of said top wall boundary of the case and said bottoms of said rigid portions of said shell members cooperatively form a portion of said bottom wall boundary of the case; each of said first and second shell members further includes a first flexible portion, each of said first flexible portions extends from said first side of said rigid portion to adjacent said first side wall boundary of the case so as to form a portion of said top wall boundary and said bottom wall boundary of the case; each of said first and second shell members further includes a second flexible portion, each of said second flexible portions extends from said second side of said rigid portion to adjacent said second side wall boundary of the case so as to form a portion of said top wall boundary and said bottom wall boundary of the case; and a zipper disposed along the top wall boundary and extending from the first side wall boundary to the second side wall boundary, wherein the zipper operatively connects the rigid portion and first and second flexible portions of the first shell member to the respective corresponding rigid portion and first and second flexible portions of the second shell member.