GB2557022A

GB2557022A - A case for a mobile electronic device

Info

Publication number: GB2557022A
Application number: GB1718461.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roberts Jason; Thorpe Benjamin; David Mcmanus Jeremy
Original assignee: Tech 21 Ltd
Current assignee: Tech 21 Ltd
Priority date: 2016-11-09
Filing date: 2017-11-08
Publication date: 2018-06-13
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-08
Also published as: GB2557022B; GB201718461D0

Abstract

A case for a mobile electronic device, such as a smart phone, comprises a housing defining a cavity for the device. A web of flexible material (10, figure 1) is bonded to the rear surface of the back wall 11. A pocket 20 is defined between the web and the cavity. The web forms a flap 30 running along one side of the back wall. The flap 30 is hingably connected to the back wall, via the web (10), such that in a closed position, the flap 30 lies against the back wall to close the pocket 20 and such that the flap 30 can be moved to an open position to allow access to the pocket 20. The web of material (10) is confined only to the rear surface of the back wall. The web of flexible material may provide the hinge without requiring a separate hinge mechanism. The pocket 20 is useful for the storage of credit cards.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: A case for a mobile electronic device Abstract Title: A mobile electronic device case with a pocket (57) A case for a mobile electronic device, such as a smart phone, comprises a housing defining a cavity for the device. A web of flexible material (10, figure 1) is bonded to the rear surface of the back wall 11. A pocket 20 is defined between the web and the cavity. The web forms a flap 30 running along one side of the back wall. The flap 30 is hingably connected to the back wall, via the web (10), such that in a closed position, the flap 30 lies against the back wall to close the pocket 20 and such that the flap 30 can be moved to an open position to allow access to the pocket 20. The web of material (10) is confined only to the rear surface of the back wall. The web of flexible material may provide the hinge without requiring a separate hinge mechanism. The pocket 20 is useful for the storage of credit cards.

At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

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- 1 A Case for a Mobile Electronic Device

The present invention relates to a case for a mobile electronic device. The present invention primarily relates to a case for a smart phone, but the same principles could also be applied to other mobile electronic devices such as a tablet or an e-reader.

In recent years, with the rise of the acceptance of card payments and contactless payments on mobile electronic devices, the need to carry cash has reduced considerably. As a result of this, many people now do not require a traditional wallet. Instead, it has become commonplace to take a small number of cards such as credit or debit cards or other cards such as ID cards or cards allowing access to a transportation system in a mobile phone case.

A number of cases are available which have a front cover with slots to receive such cards. However, such cards are visible when a user makes a phone call and are therefore vulnerable to theft or to falling out. Also, many people prefer a case without a cover and have therefore taken to storing cards in a conventional mobile phone case behind the phone. This is inconvenient as they have to remove the card from the case every time they want to make a payment (other than a contactless payment).

The present invention is directed to a case which does not necessarily require a cover but which allows for convenient storage and retrieval of such cards.

US2016/0295891 and CN204392338 both disclose cases which have a pocket in the back wall of a case. However, in both cases the pocket is covered by a web of material which wraps around the front of a case and also forms the cover. This fails to cater for the above mentioned desire to have a case without a cover. Further, it is cumbersome to open the cover and then uncover the pocket and there is a strong possibility of accidently opening the pocket when all that a user intends to do is to uncover the screen.

According to the present invention, there is provided a case according to claim 1.

This case allows a web of flexible material to form at least part of a flap to selectively allow access to a pocket behind the case and for these to be accessible without removing the device from the case simply by lifting the flap to retrieve the card. As the webbing material

- 2 is confined only to the rear surface of the back wall, the flap does not extend across the front of the device. It is therefore much simpler and more convenient to open in order allow access to the pocket then the prior art flaps which form a cover for the device.

The flap may be unbiased and arranged to be latched closed. However, preferably, the flap is resiliently biased to a closed position, the case is convenient to use as it is easy to close once the card has been withdrawn or inserted and will ensure that the flap is not accidentally opened.

The resilience may come from a separate hinge mechanism which has a biasing member integrated into the hinge. However, preferably the material of the web of flexible material has the necessary resilience to close the flap. In this case, the web of flexible material also provides the hinge without requiring a separate hinge mechanism.

The web forming the flap may, in the vicinity of the pocket, be supported by an underlying structure providing additional rigidity. The web of flexible material is selectively bonded to the rear surface of the back wall thereby preferably defining the pocket in the unbonded region. Also, preferably, the web of flexible material is unsupported in the vicinity of the pocket such that the web of flexible material forms an outer wall of the pocket. This provides a relatively flexible pocket and will allow the flap to close without damaging the cards even where a user has slightly overfilled the pocket. By contrast, a more rigid flap will be difficult or impossible to close and may cause damage to the case, device or cards.

The back wall of the case may be open in the vicinity of the pocket such that one side of the pocket is formed, in use, by the mobile device when placed in the case. This provides the deepest possible pocket in a given space. However, when the device is removed from the case, the cards will fall out of the pocket which is inconvenient. Also, the back of the device will become dirty and potentially be scratched by the ingress of dirt into the pocket and the insertion and removal of the cards. In order to address this, the back wall can be formed as a continuous moulded part which may also be continuous with the side walls. However, preferably, a second web of non-moulded material is bonded across an aperture in the back wall and remains unsupported in the vicinity of the pocket.

As with the previously described web, this second web forming the back wall in the vicinity of the pocket provides a degree of flexibility to the pocket which is desirable for the reasons

-3mentioned above. Further, by using a web of non-moulded material, the back wall can be very thin thereby still providing a low-profile case which is capable of containing a number of cards. Particularly when used in conjunction with the previously described web, the second web provides a pocket which is flexible on both sides thereby enhancing the abovementioned effects of a flexible pocket as against a rigid pocket. In this case, preferably the second web comprises two layers of flexible material wherein one of the layers projects beyond the other at at least one edge.

The flap may extend along just enough of the length of one side to span the length of the pocket. Alternatively, it may extend slightly above and below the pocket to allow better access to the pocket. However, preferably, the flap extends along the full length of the side of the back wall. This provides a neater appearance as there is no need to provide a region which provides a junction between the flap and the main part of the case on the rear face of the case. Further, because the flap then extends a significant distance above and below the pocket, there is space for a latching mechanism in this region. The latching mechanism may be a mechanical latch. However, preferably, the latching mechanism is a magnetic latch. This can take the form of magnetic elements embedded in the back wall and the flap. When the flap extends along the full length of the side, these magnets can be embedded in the portions of the back wall and the flap above and/or below the pocket such that they can be very discretely accommodated. Further, the use of a magnetic latch is preferred as there is no danger that it will wear with use unlike a mechanical latch.

The combination of the resiliently biased flap and the magnet is particularly beneficial as the flap will close automatically because of the resilient biasing and is then held reasonably firmly by the magnets and the biasing force in this closed position, but is still easy to open when necessary.

The material forming the web for the flap only needs to extend across the path of the flap forming the pocket. However, preferably, the material forming the web extends across substantially the full area of the back wall. It will not extend across the whole area of the back wall as a number of orifices are required for connections, ports for cameras and the like. However, by extending the web of material across substantially the full area of the back wall, a smart appearance can be achieved.

-4The flap may be comprised solely of the web of material. However, preferably, the flap further comprises a relatively rigid frame on the side of the web facing the back wall, the frame defining part of the outer perimeter of the pocket. This frame provides rigidity to the flap. Further, the frame can be the part of the flap which engages with the back wall in the closed configuration. Such an interface is much more accurate than an interface made with an unsupported web. Also, the edge of the web material can terminate against the frame thereby providing a neat appearance in this region.

The flap preferably comprises a downwardly depending rib extending at least partially along the length of the perimeter of the pocket. In the closed position, this rib will provide a barrier to prevent cards from sliding out of the pocket. Most conveniently, this rib is part of the above-mentioned frame.

The back wall may have a recess which surrounds the pocket on all four sides to ensure that the cards are reliably retained in the recess. However, if the recess surrounds the pocket on the side of the flap, the recess creates a barrier over which a card must be manipulated when it is removed from the pocket. This is awkward for a user as they may need to get hold of the back of the card and lift it over this barrier. Preferably, therefore, the back wall has a recess defining the pocket which extends all the way to the edge of the back wall on the side of the flap allowing a card to be slid in and out of the pocket in the direction of the plane of the pocket without encountering an obstruction. Because the recess extends all the way to the edge of the back wall, there is no barrier in this region such that the cards can simply be slid directly out of the pocket without having to be lifted over a barrier.

This aspect of the invention works particularly well with the above-mentioned rib on the flap as the rib on the flap retains the cards in the pocket when the flap is closed but is then moved out of the way when the flap is open to allow the cards simply to be slid out.

The flap may extend more than halfway across the width of the back wall. However, this makes a relatively large cumbersome flap. Preferably, therefore, the flap extends across less than half of the width of the back wall. This is sufficient to allow access to the cards whilst not creating a flap which is ungainly to use. The relatively small width of the flap in combination with the possibility of extending the full length of the back wall and which is resiliently biased closed provides a flap which feels good to use and which is unlikely to get

-5caught on any surrounding objects because it does not project very far from the back of the case given its limited width and because it will automatically close when released.

The web of flexible material may be any material which provides suitable “give” in the vicinity of the pocket. The webs are preferably non-moulded sheets of material which are cut from a larger sheet, such sheets are generally supplied on rolls. The webs may be a fabric such as a natural fabric e.g. suede or leather or be a manmade fabric such as a felt polyvinyl material, polypropylene, polyester or nylon.

The preferred material for the web of flexible material is leather as this has a high quality and pleasing appearance. Further, the hinged movement of the flap will, over time, tend to form a “crease” in the vicinity of the hinge. Using leather will provide this with an aesthetically pleasing “worn” appearance.

An example of a case in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the case showing the various layers;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the case with the web of flexible material removed to show the detail beneath and with the flap partially open;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the case in the same configuration as in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section through line IV-IV in Fig. 2 but also including the web of flexible material; Fig. 5 is a section through line V-V in Fig. 2 but also including the web of flexible material.

The case is a five-sided case in that it has a back wall 1 as described in further detail below. It also has two side walls 2 and a pair of orthogonal end walls 3 forming a generally rectangular case. The nature of the side walls may be any conventional five-sided case. For example, the case may be provided with a TPU outer layer 4 and an inner band of softer material 5, for example of a viscoelastic polymer. This band may be provided with inward and/or outwardly projecting ribs to further protect the side walls of the case. Such a case is disclosed in our earlier EP 2901884. The present invention concerns the incorporation of a pocket into the back wall of the case and therefore the configuration of the side walls as mentioned above may be of any conventional construction.

-6As shown in Fig. 1, the case consists of six primary components. Starting from the back, there is a flexible material 10, for example of leather. A frame 11 which is a moulded plastic material such as polycarbonate extends for the full length of the case but only extends across a small portion of its width as described below. The frame 11 together with the part of the web of flexible material 10 which covers the frame 11 forms a flap 30. A main body portion 12 which is again moulded from a material such as polycarbonate and extends across the full width of the case. There is then the optional soft viscoelastic polymer layer 5 which sits inside the outer layer 4 of the harder material. The case is completed by a second web of material 13.

As best illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, the layers form a pocket 20 in the space behind the main cavity of the device. The outer face of the pocket is formed by the web of flexible material 10 while the inner face is formed by the second web of material 13. In practice, this second web 13 can be absent and the rear face can be formed against the rear face of the device inserted into the cavity.

As can be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the pocket 20 extends across the majority of the area of the rear face. The pocket should be big enough to fit a standard credit card comfortably with adequate clearance so the cards do not become jammed. The periphery of the majority of the pocket is defined by a rim 21 in the main body 12 which extends along one side of the pocket 20 parallel to the side wall 2 and across the majority of the top and bottom ends of the pocket parallel to the end walls 3. As can be seen in Fig. 3, the rim 21 has a thicker portion 22 in the region not covered by the flap 30 and a thinner portion 23 in the region covered by the flap 30 as described in greater detail below. The thickness of the thicker portion 22 of the rim 21 defines the thickness of the pocket.

The flap 30 defines the means by which the pocket is selectively accessed. As is best seen in Fig. 1, the frame 11 is designed to sit above a thinner portion 31 of the main body 12 such that, when the flap 30 is closed, the frame 11 is essentially flush with the remainder of the main body 12. This provides a generally flat region to which the web of flexible material 10 is bonded. The web of flexible material 10 is bonded across the majority of the visible surface in Fig. 2 of the main body 12 and the frame 11 excluding the pocket 20 and the aperture 32 of the camera for which the flexible material 10 has a corresponding aperture 33. This provides a pleasing appearance of a single material generally free of junctions with other components other than at its periphery.

-7As best seen in Fig. 1, the web of flexible material 10 also has a notch 34 in the vicinity of the curved upper region adjacent to the top edge 3. This allows the web of flexible material 10 to define a hinge 35 which is purely formed in the web of flexible material 10 itself.

When the flap 30 is opened, this part of the web of flexible material 10 and the frame are pivotally moved with respect to the remainder of the case to open the pocket 20. The resilience of this material preferably causes the flap to close automatically when the user lets go of the flap 30.

The frame 11 includes a number of features which define the pocket and assist with the closure. The frame has an inner rim 40 which defines the edge of the pocket 20 beneath the flap 30. The thickness of the rim 40 together with the thickness of the thin portion 23 of the rim 21 beneath the flap 30 approximately equates to the thickness of the thicker portion 22 of the rim 21 in the main body 12 such that the pocket 20 has a generally constant thickness with the flap 30 closed.

The frame 11 also has an outwardly depending lip 41 (shown in Fig. 5). The edge of web of flexible material 10 abuts against this lip 41 to provide a neat edge. Further, the lip 41 provides a rigid region that can be gripped by the user for ease of opening. The lip 41 also ensures that there is engagement between two rigid portions, namely the lip 41 and the underlying main body 12 to ensure precise location of the flap 30 onto the main body 12 thereby providing a neat appearance for the case when the flap is closed. As can also be seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the lip 41 is also profiled to fit around various features of the case for buttons, apertures and the like.

Embedded within the frame 11 is a pair of permanent magnets 42. These are aligned with a pair of metal inserts 43 in the main body 12 to provide a magnetic latch. The magnets 42 and metal inserts 43 could be reversed to provide the same latching effect. However, it is preferred to have the magnets 42 in the flap 11 to keep them further from the device when it is in the case.

As is best seen in Fig. 5, the flap 11 is provided with a rib 45 which depends downwardly from the frame 11 towards the second web of material 13, the thickness of the frame 11 in the region of the web 45 corresponds to the thickness of thicker portion 22 of the rim 21 in the main body 12. This means that all of the long edge of the pocket 20 beneath the flap

-830 is defined by a feature on the frame 11. As can be appreciated from Fig. 5, as the flap 11 is pivoted open about the hinge 35, there will be no obstruction to prevent the cards housed in the pocket 20 from being slid out of the pocket 20 in a direction parallel to the plane of the pocket 20. This makes operation of the case extremely easy for a user who can open the flap 30 with one hand and simply slide a card out of the pocket 20 without needing to lift it over any form of rib in the pocket. They can then simply release the flap 30 whereupon a combination of the resilience of the web of flexible material 10 and the magnetic latch 42, 43 will automatically close and secure the flap 30. In this position, the rib 45 will prevent cards from inadvertently sliding out of the pocket 20 when the flap is closed. All of this is achieved with a very low profile case design in view of the thin and flexible nature of the webs 10, 13.

The second web 13 is preferably formed of a two-layer material, the layers of which are bonded together. The upper layer 50 extends slightly beyond the lower layer 51 in the vicinity of the opening of the pocket as best shown in Fig. 5. This allows a strong bonded joint to be formed in the vicinity of the opening of the pocket in the region where the cards are repeatedly slid in and out.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A case for a mobile electronic device having a housing with a substantially rectangular configuration with a back wall, two upstanding side walls and two shorter upstanding end walls which define a cavity for the device;

a web of flexible material is bonded to the rear surface of the back wall; a pocket being defined between the web and the cavity;

the web forming at least part of a flap running along one side of the back wall, the flap being hingably connected to the back wall such that in a closed position, it lies against the back wall to close the pocket and such that it can be moved to an open position to allow access to the pocket, wherein the web of material is confined only to the rear surface of the back wall.

2. A case according to claim 1, wherein the flap is resiliently biased to the closed position in which it lies against the back wall and prevents access to the pocket.

3. A case according to claim 2, wherein the material of the web of flexible material has the necessary resilience to close the flap.

4. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the web of flexible material provides the hinge without requiring a separate hinge mechanism.

5. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible material is selectively bonded to the rear surface of the back wall thereby defining the pocket in an unbonded region.

6. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the web is unsupported in the vicinity of the pocket such that the web of flexible material forms an outer wall of the pocket.

7. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a second web of flexible material is bonded across an aperture in the back wall and remains unsupported in the vicinity of the pocket.

- 108. A case according to claim 7, wherein the second web comprises two layers of flexible material wherein one of the layers projects beyond the other at at least one edge.

9. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flap extends along the full length of a side of the back wall.

10. A case according to claim 9, wherein a latching mechanism is provided in the flap in regions above and below the pocket.

11. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein there is a magnetic latch between the flap and the back wall to hold the flap in a closed position.

12. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the web extends across substantially the full area of the back wall.

13. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flap comprises a relatively rigid frame on the side of the web facing the back wall, the frame defining part of an outer perimeter of the pocket.

14. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flap comprises a downwardly depending rib extending at least partially along the length of the perimeter of the pocket.

15. A case according to claim 14 wherein the rib is part of the frame.

16. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the back wall has a recess defining the pocket which extends all the way to the edge of the back wall on the side of the flap allowing a card to be slid in and out of the pocket in the direction of the plane of the pocket without encountering an obstruction.

17. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flap extends across less than half of the width of the back wall.

18. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the web of material is a non-moulded sheet of material.

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19. A case according to claim 7, wherein the second web of material is an non-moulded sheet of material.

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20. A case for a mobile electronic device having a housing with a substantially rectangular configuration with a back wall, two upstanding side walls and two shorter upstanding end walls which define a cavity for the device;

10 the web forming at least part of a flap running along one side of the back wall, the flap being hingably connected to the back wall such that in a closed position, it lies against the back wall to close the pocket and such that it can be moved to an open position to allow access to the pocket;

wherein the flap is resiliently biased to the closed position in which it lies against the

15 back wall and prevents access to the pocket.

Intellectual

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Office

Application No: GB1718461.5