PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12029292-B1
Application Number: US-202318114912-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Cases for electronic devices

Abstract:
A case for a round electronic device may have a device holding portion and an attachment portion for attaching the case to an item such as a suitcase or a key chain. The case may include upper and lower case portions that form a pocket. On a first side of the pocket, the upper and lower case portions may be stitched together or may be integrally formed. On a second side of the pocket, a snap may attach the upper case portion to the lower case portion and may be opened to provide access to the pocket. The attachment portion may have an opening for attaching the case to a key ring, suitcase, or other item. The case may include leather, polymer, and/or fabric. Openings may be surrounded by reinforcement material such as strands of non-elastic material. Snaps may be flush with surrounding portions of the case.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A case for holding a tracking device having an upper surface and a lower surface, the case comprising:
 a first polymer layer that forms an upper portion and a lower portion of a pocket for receiving the tracking device; 
 a second polymer layer having a first portion that overlaps the upper portion of the pocket and a second portion that overlaps the lower portion of the pocket; 
 a first opening on a first side of the pocket that exposes the upper surface of the tracking device; and 
 a second opening on a second side of the pocket that exposes the lower surface of the tracking device. 
 
     
     
       2. The case of  claim 1 , wherein the case is flush with the lower surface of the tracking device and is raised with respect to the upper surface of the tracking device. 
     
     
       3. The case of  claim 1 , further comprising a filler material interposed between the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer at each of the upper portion and the lower portion of the pocket. 
     
     
       4. The case of  claim 1 , wherein the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer each comprise molded polyurethane. 
     
     
       5. The case of  claim 1 , further comprising a snap that is configured to open and close the pocket. 
     
     
       6. The case defined in  claim 5 , further comprising reinforcement material that surrounds the first opening, the second opening, and the snap. 
     
     
       7. A case for holding a tracking device having an upper surface and a lower surface, the case comprising:
 a polymer layer molded as a single structure to form:
 an upper portion of a pocket for receiving the tracking device, the upper portion defining a first opening on a first side of the pocket that exposes the upper surface of the tracking device; 
 a lower portion of the pocket overlapping the upper portion, the lower portion defining a second opening on a second side of the pocket that exposes the lower surface of the tracking device, wherein the polymer layer is molded into a U-shape at a joint region that is on an end of the case; 
 a first attachment portion extending from the upper portion; and 
 a second attachment portion extending from the lower portion and overlapping the first attachment portion, wherein the joint region is on the end of the case opposite the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The case of  claim 7 , further comprising a snap configured to secure the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion by extending through a first snap opening and a second snap opening. 
     
     
       9. The case of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the polymer layer is a first polymer layer; and 
 the case further comprises a second polymer layer having a first portion that overlaps the upper portion of the pocket and a second portion that overlaps the lower portion of the pocket. 
 
     
     
       10. The case of  claim 9 , further comprising a filler material interposed between the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer at each of the upper portion and the lower portion of the pocket. 
     
     
       11. The case of  claim 7 , wherein the polymer layer comprises molded polyurethane. 
     
     
       12. A case for holding a tracking device having an upper surface and a lower surface, the case comprising:
 a polymer layer molded as a single structure to form:
 an upper portion of a pocket for receiving the tracking device; 
 a lower portion of the pocket overlapping the upper portion; 
 a first attachment portion extending from the upper portion and defining a first snap opening; 
 a second attachment portion extending from the lower portion, 
 
 overlapping the first attachment portion, and defining a second snap opening;
 a first pocket opening on a first side of the pocket that exposes the upper surface of the tracking device; and 
 a second pocket opening on a second side of the pocket that exposes the lower surface of the tracking device; and 
 
 a snap configured to secure the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion by extending through the first snap opening and the second snap opening. 
 
     
     
       13. The case of  claim 12 , wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are molded into a U-shape at a joint region that is on an end of the case that is opposite the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion. 
     
     
       14. The case of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the polymer layer is a first polymer layer; and 
 the case further comprises a second polymer layer having a first portion that overlaps the upper portion of the pocket and a second portion that overlaps the lower portion of the pocket. 
 
     
     
       15. The case of  claim 14 , further comprising a filler material interposed between the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer at each of the upper portion and the lower portion of the pocket. 
     
     
       16. The case defined in  claim 12 , further comprising reinforcement material that surrounds the first pocket opening, the second pocket opening, the first snap opening, and the second snap opening. 
     
     
       17. The case defined in  claim 16 , wherein the reinforcement material comprises woven strands of non-elastic material. 
     
     
       18. The case of  claim 12 , wherein the polymer layer comprises molded polyurethane. 
     
     
       19. A case for holding a tracking device having an upper surface and a lower surface, the case comprising:
 a first polymer layer molded as a single structure to form:
 an upper portion of a pocket for receiving the tracking device, the upper portion defining a first opening on a first side of the pocket that exposes the upper surface of the tracking device; and 
 a lower portion of the pocket overlapping the upper portion, the lower portion defining a second opening on a second side of the pocket that exposes the lower surface of the tracking device, wherein the first polymer layer is molded into a U-shape at a joint region that is on an end of the case; and 
 
 a second polymer layer having a first portion that overlaps the upper portion of the pocket and a second portion that overlaps the lower portion of the pocket. 
 
     
     
       20. The case of  claim 19 , further comprising a filler material interposed between the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer at each of the upper portion and the lower portion of the pocket.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/988,471, filed Aug. 7, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. App. Ser. No. 62/905,945, filed Sep. 25, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This relates generally to cases, and, more particularly, to cases for holding electronic devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices such as cellular telephones, computers, and other electronic equipment are sometimes used in conjunction with external cases. A user may, for example, place an electronic device in a removable plastic case to protect the electronic device from scratches. 
     There are challenges associated with cases for electronic devices. If care is not taken, cases may not wear well, may be bulky, or may have an undesirable appearance. 
     SUMMARY 
     A case may be provided for an electronic device such as a round tracking device having a lateral dimension of less than 50 mm or other suitable size and shape. The tracking device may have a battery door and a speaker. The case may be used to couple the tracking device to an item such as a key ring, a suitcase, a collar, or clothing item. An electronic device such as a cellular telephone may be used to track the location of the tracking device and may be used to send control signals to the tracking device. 
     The case may have a device holding portion for holding the tracking device and an attachment portion for attaching the case to an item such as a suitcase or key chain. The case may be formed from leather, polymer, and/or fabric. 
     The case may include upper and lower case portions that form the pocket. On a first side of the pocket, the upper and lower case portions may be stitched together or may be integrally formed. On a second side of the pocket, a snap may attach the upper case portion to the lower case portion and may be opened to provide access to the pocket. The snap may be flush with surrounding portions of the case. 
     The device holding portion may have one or more openings through which the tracking device is exposed. A first opening in the device holding portion may transmit sound from a speaker in the tracking device and a second opening in the device holding portion may receive the battery door. The battery door may be flush with surrounding portions of the case. 
     The attachment portion may have an opening for attaching the case to a key ring, suitcase, or other item. Openings such as openings in the device holding portion, snap openings for receiving snap structures, and other openings in the case may be surrounded by reinforcement material such as woven strands of non-elastic material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of an illustrative electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device that has been inserted into a case with a key ring in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device that has been inserted into a case having an elongated attachment portion with an opening in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of an illustrative case having a device holding portion and an attachment portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a diagram showing how an illustrative case may have an upper portion that mates with a folded lower portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    is a side view of an illustrative case of the type shown in  FIG.  5    having an upper portion that is attached to a folded lower portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a top view of an illustrative case of the type shown in  FIG.  5    having an upper portion that is stitched to a lower portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a top view of an illustrative case that is formed by folding an upper portion relative to a lower portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a top view of an illustrative case of the type shown in  FIG.  8    having an upper portion that is stitched to a lower portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective view of an illustrative case having an upper portion integrally formed with a lower portion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative case of the type shown in FIG. having multiple layers in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative case having a snap surrounded by a reinforcement material in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIGS.  13 ,  14 , and  15    are top views of an illustrative case having reinforcement material incorporated in different patterns around openings in the case in accordance with embodiments. 
         FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative case holding an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices may be provided with cases such as leather cases, plastic cases, and fabric cases. The cases may be removable external cases. When a user desires to protect an electronic device from scratches or other damage, the user may place an electronic device within a case. When the user wishes to use a different case to change the appearance or function of the case, the electronic device may be transferred from one case to another. Cases may also be used to attach an electronic device to an item such as a key chain, bag, clothing, or other item. 
     An electronic device of the type that may be provided with a removable case is shown in  FIG.  1   . Electronic device  10  may be worn or coupled to a person (e.g., a person&#39;s wrist, arm, finger, arm, neck, waist, ankle, or other suitable body part), may be worn or coupled to an animal (e.g., cat, dog, etc.), or may be coupled to an object (e.g., a suitcase, key fob, a door knob, an electronic device, or any other suitable object). Electronic device  10  may be configured to communicate with one or more additional electronic devices such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a smaller device such as a wristwatch device, a pendant device, a headphone or earpiece device, a head-mounted device such as glasses, goggles, a helmet, or other equipment worn on a user&#39;s head, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a remote control, a navigation device, an embedded system such as a system in which equipment is mounted in a kiosk, in an automobile, airplane, or other vehicle, or equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices. 
     With one illustrative configuration, which may sometimes be described herein as an example, device  10  is small tracking device coupled to a person, animal, or object using a removable case (e.g., case  20  of  FIG.  2   ) Device  10  may have a circular shape, a round shape, an oval shape, a rectangular shape, and/or other suitable shape. Device  10  may have a lateral dimension D between 25 mm and 50 mm, between 50 mm and 100 mm, between 10 mm and 200 mm, between 5 mm and 75 mm, less than 50 mm, or greater than 50 mm. 
     Device  10  may communicate with one or more electronic devices such as cellular telephone, tablet computer, laptop computer, wristwatch device, head-mounted device, a device with a speaker, or other electronic device (e.g., a device with a display, audio components, and/or other output components). The one or more electronic devices that communicate with device  10  may sometimes be referred to as host devices. The host devices may run software that is used to track the location of device  10 , send control signals to device  10 , receive data from device  10 , and/or perform other functions related to the operation of device  10 . 
     In the example of  FIG.  1   , device  10  includes a housing such as housing  12 . Housing  12 , which may sometimes be referred to as an enclosure or case, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials. Housing  12  may be formed using a unibody configuration in which some or all of housing  12  is machined or molded as a single structure or may be formed using multiple structures (e.g., an internal frame structure, one or more structures that form exterior housing surfaces, etc.). 
     Device  10  may include one or more energy storage devices  18 . Energy storage devices  18  may include batteries and capacitors. Capacitors for energy storage may be based on supercapacitor structures. Devices  18  may, for example, include super capacitor(s) such as electrostatic double-layer capacitors. Electrostatic double-layer capacitors (sometimes referred to as electrostatic double-layer supercapacitors) are electrochemical capacitors in which energy is stored in a capacitor formed from relatively large electrodes that are bathed in electrolyte and separated by a small distance, allowing the capacitor to achieve high energy storage capacities. 
     Energy storage device  18  may be charged via a wired connection or, if desired, device  10  may charge energy storage device  18  using wirelessly received power (e.g., inductive wireless power transfer, using capacitive wireless power transfer, and/or other wireless power transfer configurations). In some arrangements, which may sometimes be described herein as an example, energy storage device  18  is a removable battery that can be replaced. Housing  12  may include a door such as battery door  14  through which energy storage device  18  may be accessed. When it is desired to replace energy storage device  18  with a new battery, a user or other individual may open door  14 , remove battery  18 , place a new battery in housing  12 , and close door  14 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, energy storage device  18  may be charged wirelessly or via a wired connection. 
     Device  10  may include electrical components  16  mounted in housing  12 . Electrical components  16  may include integrated circuits, discrete components, light-emitting components, sensors, and/or other circuits and may, if desired, be interconnected using signal paths in one or more printed circuits. If desired, one or more portions of the housing walls may be transparent to light and/or sound (e.g., so that light associated with an image on a display or other light-emitting or light-detecting component can exit housing  12 , so that sound from a speaker in device  10  can exit housing  12 , etc.). 
     Electrical components  16  may include control circuitry. The control circuitry may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device  10 . The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in the control circuitry may be used to control the operation of device  10 . For example, the processing circuitry may use sensors and other input-output circuitry to gather input and to provide output and/or to transmit signals to external equipment. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, etc. The control circuitry may include wired and/or wireless communications circuitry (e.g., antennas and associated radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as cellular telephone communications circuitry, wireless local area network communications circuitry, etc.). The communications circuitry of the control circuitry may allow device  10  to communicate with other electronic devices. For example, the control circuitry (e.g., communications circuitry in the control circuitry) may be used to allow wired and/or wireless control commands and other communications to be conveyed between devices such as cellular telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, head-mounted devices, handheld controllers, wristwatch devices, other wearable devices, keyboards, computer mice, remote controls, speakers, accessory displays, accessory cameras, and/or other electronic devices. Wireless communications circuitry may, for example, wirelessly transmit control signals and other information to external equipment in response to receiving user input or other input from sensors or other devices in components  16 . 
     Input-output circuitry in components  16  of device  10  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. The input-output circuitry may include input devices that gather user input and other input and may include output devices that supply visual output, audible output, or other output. 
     Output may be provided using light-emitting diodes (e.g., crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diodes for status indicators and/or displays, organic light-emitting diodes in displays and other components), lasers, and other light-emitting devices, audio output devices (e.g., tone generators and/or speakers), haptic output devices (e.g., vibrators, electromagnetic actuators, piezoelectric actuators, and/or other equipment that supplies a user with haptic output), and other output devices. 
     The input-output circuitry of device  10  (e.g., the input-output circuitry of components  16 ) may include sensors. Sensors for device  10  may include force sensors (e.g., strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, etc.), audio sensors such as microphones, touch and/or proximity sensors such as capacitive sensors (e.g., a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor integrated into a display, a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor and/or a two-dimensional force sensor overlapping a display, and/or a touch sensor or force sensor that forms a button, trackpad, or other input device not associated with a display), and other sensors. Touch sensors for a display or for other touch components may be based on an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, acoustic touch sensor structures, resistive touch components, force-based touch sensor structures, a light-based touch sensor, or other suitable touch sensor arrangements. If desired, a display may have a force sensor for gathering force input (e.g., a two-dimensional force sensor may be used in gathering force input on a display). If desired, device  10  may not include a display. 
     If desired, the sensors may include optical sensors such as optical sensors that emit and detect light, ultrasonic sensors, optical touch sensors, optical proximity sensors, and/or other touch sensors and/or proximity sensors, monochromatic and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional non-contact gestures (“air gestures”), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and/or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and/or inertial measurement units that contain some or all of these sensors), health sensors, radio-frequency sensors (e.g., sensors that gather position information, three-dimensional radio-frequency images, and/or other information using radar principals or other radio-frequency sensing), depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and/or depth sensors based on stereo imaging devices), optical sensors such as self-mixing sensors and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that gather time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, gaze tracking sensors, three-dimensional sensors (e.g., time-of-flight image sensors, pairs of two-dimensional image sensors that gather three-dimensional images using binocular vision, three-dimensional structured light sensors that emit an array of infrared light beams or other structured light using arrays of lasers or other light emitters and associated optical components and that capture images of the spots created as the beams illuminate target objects, and/or other three-dimensional image sensors), facial recognition sensors based on three-dimensional image sensors, and/or other sensors. 
     In some configurations, components  16  may include mechanical devices for gathering input (e.g., buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, key pads with movable keys, keyboards with movable keys, and other devices for gathering user input). During operation, device  10  may use sensors and/or other input-output devices in components  16  to gather user input (e.g., buttons may be used to gather button press input, touch and/or force sensors overlapping displays can be used for gathering user touch screen input and/or force input, touch pads and/or force sensors may be used in gathering touch and/or force input, microphones may be used for gathering audio input, etc.). The control circuitry of device  10  can then take action based on this gathered information (e.g., by transmitting the information over a wired or wireless path to external equipment, by supplying a user with output using a haptic output device, visual output device, an audio component, or other input-output device in housing  12 , etc.). 
     In one illustrative arrangement, which is sometimes described herein as an example, component  16  is a speaker that emits sound through housing  12  (e.g., through perforations in housing  12  or other sound-transparent regions of housing  12 ). A speaker in device  10  may, for example, emit sound to help guide a user to the location of device  10  (and thus the location of the object, animal, or person that device  10  is coupled to). 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view of device  10  of  FIG.  1    in a configuration in which device  10  has been mounted in a removable case such as case  20 . Case  20  may be formed from leather and/or artificial leather, may be formed from polymer (e.g., polyurethane and/or other suitable polymer), may be formed from elastomeric polymer (e.g., silicone and/or other stretchable plastics), may be formed from fabric (e.g., intertwined strands of material that form woven fabric, knit fabric, warp knit fabric, braided fabric, and/or other suitable fabric), may be formed from metal (e.g., metal links, interlinked chain links, etc.), may be formed from other materials (e.g., wood and/or other natural materials, ceramic, crystalline materials, etc.), and/or may be formed from a combination of these materials. Configurations in which case  20  is formed from leather, fabric, and/or polymer materials may sometimes be described herein as an example. Arrangements in which case  20  includes waterproof materials, water-resistant materials, and/or oil-resistant materials may also be used. 
     Case  20  may have a device holding portion such as portion  30  and an attachment portion such as portion  32 . Device holding portion  30  may be configured to hold and retain device  10 . As shown in  FIG.  2   , device holding portion  30  may have walls that run around the periphery of device  10 . Case  20  may have one or more pockets, flaps, hinged portions, straps, and/or other structures for retaining, protecting, and/or otherwise holding or enclosing device  10 . 
     In one illustrative arrangement, which is sometimes described herein as an example, device holding portion  30  may form a pocket that receives device  10 . The pocket may be opened and closed using an attachment mechanism such as attachment structure  24 . Attachment structure  24  may be a snap, a twist closure, a screw closure, a flexible closure, a magnetic closure, or other suitable closure. A user may open and close attachment structure  24  when it is desired to remove device  10  from case  20  and/or insert device  10  into case  20 . 
     In the example of  FIG.  2   , case  20  surrounds an outer periphery of device  10 , but does not cover all of device  10 . In particular, case  20  may have one or more openings such as opening  22 . Openings in case  20  such as opening  22  may receive portions of device  10 , may transmit sound from a speaker, and/or may serve other functions. Openings  22  may be filled with air, with portions of device  10 , with sound-transmitting material, with radio-transparent material, with light-transmitting material, and/or other suitable materials. If desired, openings  22  may have smaller dimensions than device  10  so that device  10  does not fall out of openings  22 . 
     In one illustrative arrangement, which is sometimes described herein as an example, case  20  has a first opening  22  on a first side of case  20  for receiving battery door  14  of device  10  and a second opening  22  on a second opposing side of case  20  that transmits sound from a speaker (e.g., speaker or other electrical component  16  of  FIG.  1   ) in device  10 . This is merely illustrative. if desired, some or all of openings  22  may be omitted such that device  10  is completely covered or nearly covered with case  20 . 
     Attachment portion  32  may be used to attach case  20  to an object, person, animal, or other item. In the illustrative arrangement of  FIG.  2   , attachment portion  32  includes an opening such as opening  26  for receiving a key ring such as key ring  28 . Key ring  28  may be coupled to another key ring (e.g., a key chain), a belt loop, a leash, a collar, or other suitable item. 
     The use of a key ring to attach case  20  to an item is merely illustrative. If desired, case  20  may have attachment portions  32  with other suitable attachment features for attaching case  20  to an item. For example, as shown in the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  4   , attachment portion  32  may be an elongated strip of material that loops through itself. In particular, attachment portion  32  may have an opening such as opening  34  through which device holding portion  30  may be inserted and pulled through so that attachment portion  32  forms a loop. When it is desired to attach case  20  to an item (e.g., a suitcase), attachment portion  32  may be looped around the item and device holding portion  30  may be inserted through opening  34  to enclose the item (or a portion of the item such as a luggage tag portion of a suitcase) in the loop formed by attachment portion  32 . Opening  34  may have a widened portion such as portion  34 P that keeps attachment portion  32  in place when it is looped around an item. 
       FIG.  4    is a perspective view of case  20  (e.g., a case of the type shown in  FIG.  2   , a case of the type shown in  FIG.  3   , or other suitable case). As shown in  FIG.  4   , case  20  may have portions such as upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B. Upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B of case  20  may surround a cavity such as pocket  36  for receiving device  10 . Upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B may be separate structures that are permanently attached to each other (e.g., using stitching, adhesive, or other attachment structures), may be separate structures that are removably attached to each other (e.g., using snaps, magnetic structures, clasps, clips, and/or other attachment structures), and/or may be integrally formed with one another (e.g., may share one or more common layers of material). In one illustrative arrangement, which may sometimes be described herein as an example, upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B are removably coupled on one side (e.g., via mating attachment structures  24 A and  24 B) and permanently coupled on an opposing side (e.g., via stitching in region  102  and/or by being integrally formed in region  102 ). Other configurations may be used, if desired. 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , upper portion  42 A of case  20  may have a device holding portion  30 A and an attachment portion  32 A. Lower portion  42 B of case  20  may have a device holding portion  30 B and an attachment portion  32 B. Device holding portions  30 A and  30 B may have respective openings  22 A and  22 B. Opening  22 A may receive battery door  14  of device  10  and opening  22 B may transmit sound from a speaker (e.g., component  16  of  FIG.  1   ) in device  10 , or opening  22 A may transmit sound from a speaker in device  10  and opening  22 B may receive battery door  14  of device  10 . This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, one or both of openings  22 A and  22 B may be omitted, may be replaced with an array of perforations (e.g., instead of a single opening), and/or may overlap other portions of device  10 . 
     Attachment portion  32 A may have an attachment feature such as snap structure  24 A that mates with a corresponding attachment feature in attachment portion  32 B such as snap structure  24 B. When device  10  is in pocket  36  and snap structures  24 A and  24 B are engaged, device  10  may be securely held within case  20 . When it is desired to remove device  10  from case  20 , snap structures  24 A and  24 B may be disengaged and portion  42 A may be moved apart from portion  42 B, thereby allowing access to device  10  in pocket  36 . 
       FIGS.  5 ,  6 , and  7    show an illustrative arrangement in which upper and lower portions of case  20  are formed as separate structures that are coupled together to form case  20 . 
       FIG.  5    shows an exploded perspective view of case  20  before upper portion  42 A is attached to lower portion  42 B. In order to form a key ring opening in case  20  (e.g., key ring opening  26  of  FIG.  2   ), lower portion  42 B may be formed from layers of material that are folded. In particular, lower portion  42 B may be folded along fold axis  40  to create a loop near fold axis  40 . This loop near fold axis  40  may be used to form opening  26  at the end of attachment portion  32  ( FIG.  2   ). 
     Since lower portion  42 B is folded over on itself, lower portion  42 B may have symmetric halves such as first portion  46 - 1  and second portion  46 - 2  on opposing sides of fold axis  40 . Some or all of the features in first portion  46 - 1  may mirror the features in second portion  46 - 2  so that corresponding features align with one another after lower portion  42 B is folded. Portion  46 - 1  may have opening  22 B- 1  and snap opening  38 B- 1 . Portion  46 - 2  may have opening  22 B- 2  and snap opening  38 B- 2 . After lower portion  42 B is folded along fold axis  40  (e.g. by moving portion  46 - 2  towards portion  46 - 1  in direction  42 ), opening  22 B- 1  may align with opening  22 B- 2  (to form opening  22 B of  FIG.  4   ) and snap opening  38 B- 1  may align with snap opening  38 B- 2  (e.g., to form an opening for receiving lower snap structure  24 B of  FIG.  4   ). 
     Once folded and appropriately aligned, portions  46 - 1  and  46 - 2  may be adhesively bonded together, stitched together, or otherwise attached to one another except in the region around fold axis  40  that forms opening  26 . Upper portion  42 A may then be aligned with lower portion  42 B (e.g., by aligning opening  22 A with openings  22 B- 1  and  22 B- 2 , aligning opening  38 A with openings  38 B- 1  and  38 B- 2 , etc.) and attached to lower portion  42 B with adhesive, stitching, or other suitable attachment structures. 
       FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional side view of case  20  of  FIG.  5    after lower portion  42 B is folded and attached to upper portion  42 A. As shown in  FIG.  6   , lower portion  42 B has portion  46 - 2  which is folded on top of portion  46 - 1 . Portions  46 - 1  and  46 - 2  may be attached to one another except in a region near the fold axis. Near the folded axis, portions  46 - 1  and  46 - 2  may be separated by a gap that forms opening  26  in attachment portion  32  of case  20 . 
     Upper portion  42 A may be attached to lower portion  42 B using attachment structure  44 . Attachment structure  44  may be stitching, adhesive, and/or other suitable attachment structure. After upper portion  42 A is attached to lower portion  42 B, opening  22 A aligns with opening  22 B (which is formed by openings  22 B- 1  and  22 B- 2  of  FIG.  5   ). Snap opening  38 A aligns with snap opening  38 B (which is formed by openings  38 B- 1  and  38 B- 2  of  FIG.  5   ). Snap opening  38 A may be configured to receive upper snap structure  24 A of  FIG.  4    and snap opening  38 B may be configured to receive lower snap structure  24 B of  FIG.  4   . 
     In some arrangements, it may be desirable to have the thickness T 1  of upper portion  42 A match the thickness T 2  of lower portion  42 B. Since lower portion  42 B is folded over on itself, portions  46 - 1  and  46 - 2  of lower portion  42 B may each have a thickness that is half the thickness T 1  of upper portion  42 A. This way, when lower portion  42 B is folded over on itself, the combined thickness of portions  46 - 1  and  46 - 2  (e.g., thickness T 2 ) will be equal to the thickness T 1  of upper portion  42 A. If desired, portions  46 - 1  and  46 - 2  of lower portion  42 B may each have half the number of layers that are located in upper portion  42 A to achieve equal thicknesses once lower portion  42 B is folded. This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, thickness T 1  may be greater than, equal to, or less than thickness T 2 . 
       FIG.  7    shows a top view of case  20  of  FIG.  6   . As shown in  FIG.  7   , upper portion  42 A may be attached to lower portion  42 B using attachment structure  44  (e.g., stitching, adhesive, etc.). Attachment structure  44  may extend only partially around the perimeter of device holding portion  30  so that upper portion  42 A can be separated from lower portion  42 B when it is desired to remove device  10  from pocket  36  or to insert device  10  into pocket  36  of case  20 . Snap  24  may be used to secure upper portion  42 A to lower portion  42 B at the open end of the pocket. When it is desired to remove or insert device  10 , snap  24  may be disengaged, thereby allowing upper portion  42 A to open away from lower portion  42 B in direction  48 . Upper portion  42 A and/or or lower portion  42 B may be configured to hinge along axis  46  as upper portion  42 A moves away from lower portion  42 B. After device  10  is inserted, snap  24  may be engaged to secure device  10  in the pocket formed between upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B. 
       FIGS.  8  and  9    show an illustrative arrangement in which upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B are integrally formed from one or more common layers of material. As shown in  FIG.  8   , upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B may be formed from one or more layers of material that are folded along line  54  (e.g., by moving upper portion  42 A in direction  50  towards lower portion  42 B). Upper portion  42 A may have features that mirror the features of lower portion  42 B so that the corresponding features align when the two portions are folded on top of one another. For example, upper portion  42 A may have opening  22 A and snap opening  38 A that respectively align with opening  22 B and snap opening  38 B after upper portion  42 A is folded on top of lower portion  42 B. 
       FIG.  9    is a top view of case  20  of  FIG.  8    after upper portion  42 A has been folded on top of lower portion  42 B. As shown in  FIG.  9   , attachment structure  44  (e.g., stitching, adhesive, etc.) may be used to secure portions of portion  42 A to portion  42 B around the periphery of device holding portion  30 . Attachment structure  44  may extend only partially around the periphery of device holding portion  30  so that upper portion  42 A can be separated from lower portion  42 B when it is desired to remove device  10  from pocket  36  or to insert device  10  into pocket  36  of case  20 . Snap  24  may be used to secure upper portion  42 A to lower portion  42 B at the open end of pocket  36 . When it is desired to remove or insert device  10 , snap  24  may be disengaged, thereby allowing upper portion  42 A to open away from lower portion  42 B in direction  48 . Upper portion  42 A and/or or lower portion  42 B may be configured to hinge along axis  56  as upper portion  42 A moves away from lower portion  42 B. After device  10  is inserted, snap  24  may be engaged to secure device  10  in the pocket formed between upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B. 
       FIGS.  10  and  11    show another illustrative arrangement in which upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B are integrally formed from one or more common layers of material. As shown in  FIG.  10   , case  20  may be formed from one or more layers of material (e.g., one or more layers of polymer such as polyurethane or other suitable polymer) that are molded to form the shape of upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B. Upper portion  42 A may have features that mirror the features of lower portion  42 B so that the corresponding features align when case  20  is closed. For example, upper portion  42 A may have opening  22 A and snap opening  38 A that respectively align with opening  22 B and snap opening  38 B when case  20  is closed. 
     As shown in  FIG.  10   , upper and lower case portions  42 A and  42 B may be integrally formed on one side of pocket  36  and may be separated from one another on the opposing side of pocket  36 . Joint regions  58  may be located in regions of case  20  where upper portion  42 A separates from lower portion  42 B. In the example of  FIG.  10   , case  20  has first and second joint regions  58  at first and second locations around device holding portion  30 . Between the two joint regions  58 , upper portion  42 A may be integral with lower portion  42 B. The remainder of upper portion  42 A and  42 B may be free to move relative to one another as case  20  is opened and closed. 
       FIG.  11    is a cross-sectional view of case  20  of  FIG.  10    in the vicinity of joint region  58 . As shown in  FIG.  11   , case  20  may include multiple layers of material such as inner molded polymer layer  60 , outer molded polymer layer  62 , and filler layer  64  (e.g., foam, fabric, additional polymer, adhesive, and/or other suitable materials). Filler layer  64  may be interposed between inner molded polymer layer  60  and outer molded polymer layer  62 . Inner polymer layer  60  may have an upper portion that forms part of upper portion  42 A (and that forms an upper portion of pocket  36  of  FIG.  10   ) and a lower portion that forms part of lower portion  42 A (and that forms a lower portion of pocket  36  of  FIG.  10   ). Inner polymer layer  60  may, if desired, be molded with a U-shape as shown in  FIG.  11   . By molding inner polymer layer  60  into the shape of upper and lower portions  42 A and  42 B, joint regions  58  may be more robust and tear-resistant because joint regions  58  are formed from a continuous layer of polymer that spans from upper region  42 A to lower region  42 B. 
     Outer polymer layer  62  have an upper portion that overlaps inner polymer layer  60  and that forms part of upper portion  42 A and a lower portion that overlaps inner polymer layer  60  and that forms part of lower portion  42 B. Outer polymer layer  62  may also be molded into a U-shape as shown in  FIG.  11   , if desired. This is merely illustrative, however. If desired, upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B may be formed from separate polymer layers that are joined together at joint regions  58  using adhesive, stitching, or other attachment structures. 
       FIG.  12    is a cross-sectional side view of case  20  in the vicinity of snap  24 . As shown in  FIG.  12   , snap  24  may include upper snap structure  24 A and lower snap structure  24 B. Upper snap structure  24 A may be located in opening  38 A of upper portion  42 A, and lower snap structure  24 B may be located in opening  38 B of lower portion  42 B. 
     As shown in  FIG.  12   , the outer surfaces of snap  24  may be flush with the surrounding outer surfaces of case  20 . For example, upper surface  74  of snap structure  24 A may be flush with the upper surface  76  of upper portion  42 A, and lower surface  78  of snap structure  24 B may be flush with lower surface  80  of lower portion  42 B. This creates smooth outer surfaces of case  20  and also avoids a bulge in case  20  where snap  24  is located. These flush surfaces may be created by reducing the thickness of upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B around the vicinity of snap  24  to accommodate snap  24 . Upper snap structure  24 A may engage with lower snap structure  24 B. Lower snap structure  24 B may have an opening such as opening  66  through which upper snap structure  24 A may be inserted. When upper snap structure  24 A is fully engaged with lower snap structure  24 B, the surface of upper snap structure  24 A may be exposed through opening  66  (e.g., may not be covered by a cap) and may be flush with lower surface  78  of lower snap structure  24 B, if desired. This also helps maintain a slim profile without bulges around snap  24 . 
     Upper portion  42 A and lower portion  42 B may each have multiple layers of material such as outer layers  68 - 1  and inner layers  68 - 2  (e.g., leather layers, fabric layers, polymer layers, etc.). A filler material such as filler material  70  may interposed between outer layers  68 - 1  and inner layers  68 - 2 . Filler material  70  may be a composite layer of thermoplastic polyurethane and adhesive and/or may include other materials. 
     Case  20  may have reinforcement material such as reinforcement material  72  that helps reinforce openings in case  20  such openings for snap  24  (e.g., openings  38 A and  38 B of  FIGS.  5 ,  6 ,  8 , and  10   ), openings  22 A and  22 B in device holding portion  30 , and/or other openings in case  20  such as opening  34 . Reinforcement material  72  may be formed from one or more strands of non-elastic material such as Vectran yarn (e.g., woven Vectran) or other suitable material that allows case  20  to flex without changing size (if desired). In the example of  FIG.  12   , reinforcement material  72  surrounds snap  24 . 
       FIGS.  13 ,  14 , and  15    show top views of case  20  with different patterns of reinforcement material  72  (e.g., a yarn or other strand of material having a relatively high modulus of elasticity). 
     In the example of  FIG.  13   , reinforcement material  72  has separate portions surrounding each opening in case  20  such as opening  22 , snap opening  38 , and opening  34 . If desired, reinforcement material  72  may surround the entire perimeter of opening  22 , may surround the entire perimeter of snap opening  38 , and/or may surround the entire perimeter of opening  34 . 
     In the example of  FIG.  14   , reinforcement material  72  has one or more strands that loop around openings  22 ,  38 , and  34  and that span continuously between openings  22 ,  38 , and  38 . Incorporating strands of reinforcement material  72  that span between openings in case  20  may help increase the robustness of case  20  and may help prevent breakage and tearing. 
       FIG.  15    shows an example in which reinforcement material  72  makes multiple loops around openings  22 ,  38 , and  34  and spans continuously between openings  22 ,  38 , and  38  to increase the robustness of case  20 . 
       FIG.  16    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative device that has been inserted into case  20 . As shown in  FIG.  16   , case  20  may have debossed regions such as debossed regions  94  that are shaped to extend up and over the top and bottom surfaces of device  10 . Debossed regions  94  may extend around the periphery of device  10 . As shown in  FIG.  16   , upper portion  42 A may have an upper surface  90  that is raised relative to upper surface  86  of device  10 , whereas lower portion  42 B may have a lower surface  92  that is flush with lower surface  88  of device  10  (e.g., a lower surface formed by battery door  14 ). This is, however, merely illustrative. If desired, upper surface  90  of upper portion  42 A may be flush with upper surface  86  of device  10 , and lower surface  92  of lower portion  42 B may be raised with respect to lower surface  88  of device  10  (e.g., a lower surface formed by battery door  14 ). Arrangements in which both sides of case  20  are flush with device  10  or where both sides of case  20  are raised relative to device  10  may also be used. The configuration of  FIG.  16    is merely illustrative. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20230227
Publication Date: 20240709
Grant Date: 20240709
Priority Date: 20190925
Inventors: HUNTER, Tirshathah A.
KIM, SEUL BI
TREADWELL, NICHOLAS A.
LYON, Johan E.
DE JONG, ERIK G.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "A45C11/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F5/1516", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/002", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C13/34", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F2005/008", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/323", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C13/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C13/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F2005/008", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F2005/006", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F5/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F2005/008", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C13/34", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C2011/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 85722467