Patent ID: 8714299

Claim:
A protective cover for an electronic device, the protective cover comprising: a hard shell case for enclosing an electronic device, the hard shell case comprising: a rigid bottom member that includes a back plane and one or more perimeter walls extending from the back plane at a perimeter portion of the back plane, the back plane having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface configured to receive a rear surface of the electronic device when the electronic device is at least partially enclosed by the rigid bottom member, and a rigid top member configured to be joined to the rigid bottom member to at least partially enclose the electronic device, the rigid top member including at least part of an aperture formed to provide access to a touchscreen of the electronic device when the electronic device is disposed in the hard shell case, wherein at least one of the rigid bottom member and the rigid top member includes one or more shell openings positioned for correspondence to one or more respective acoustic openings of the electronic device, the one or more shell openings positioned to convey acoustic signals between an exterior of the hard shell and the one or more respective acoustic openings of the electronic device, and an intentional gap exists between at least one of the shell openings in the hard shell case and the respective one or more acoustic opening of the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the hard shell case; and an acoustic isolation mechanism disposed in the intentional gap at the at least one of the shell openings, the acoustic isolation mechanism having an uncompressed thickness that is larger than the intentional gap, wherein the acoustic isolation mechanism comprises a compliant material that compresses when the electronic device is installed in the hard shell case, the compression of the compliant material minimizing shifting or rattling of the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the hard shell case, and the acoustic isolation mechanism comprises a passageway through which sound passes through the one or more shell openings in the hard shell case to corresponding one or more of the acoustic openings in the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the hard shell case.