Waterproof case for portable device

• US 20020136557A1
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimamura, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/535
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 Waterproofing of transmission device

Abstract

A waterproof case for containing a portable device including at least one operation part offset in a direction perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the case body of the waterproof case, includes at least one operation part that operatively cooperates with the at least one operation part of the portable device, and a moving and holding device that moves the portable device in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of the portable device after the portable device is inserted into the case body and that holds the portable device in a moved position so as to operatively cooperate the at least one operation part of the portable device with the at least one operation part of the case body.

Claims

1. A waterproof case for containing a portable device including at least one operation part offset in a direction perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the waterproof case, comprising:

a waterproof case body sized and shaped to accommodate a portable device, said case body having an opening through which a portable device may be introduced into the case body in an inserting direction;

at least one operation part at the case body and configured to operatively cooperate with the at least one operation part of a portable device in the case body; and

a moving and holding device mounted to the case body to be operative to move a portable device in the case body in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction to a moved position in which the at least one operation part of the portable device cooperates with the at least one operation part at the case body, and to hold the portable device in the moved position.

2. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the moving and holding device includes a pushing-up member movable to a pushed up position engageable with a through hole provided in a bottom part of the waterproof case to push up a portable device in the case body.

3. The waterproof case according to claim 2, further comprising a fixing device configured to engage and fix the pushing-up member at a position where the pushing-up member holds a portable device in the case body in the pushed up position, wherein the fixing device is provided to a bottom surface of the waterproof case.

4. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the moving and holding device includes a pushing-up member configured to engage and push up a portable device in the case body while being engaged with a through hole provided in a bottom part of the waterproof case, and wherein the waterproof case further includes a fixing device configured to fix the pushing-up member engaged with the through hole to the bottom part of the waterproof case.

5. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the moving and holding device includes a pushing-up member configured to engage and push up the portable device in the case body, and wherein the pushing-up member is slidably engaged with a through hole provided in a bottom part of the waterproof case, and includes a portion configured to prevent the pushing-up member from falling from the through hole, further comprising means for biasing the pushing-up member to move out from the case body, and wherein the waterproof case further includes a fixing device configured to press and fix the pushing-up member to push up a portable device in the case body in a pushed up position.

6. The waterproof case according to claim 3, wherein the portable device includes a camera, and wherein the fixing device is configured to receive a tripod for the camera.

7. The waterproof case according to claim 4, wherein the portable device includes a camera, and wherein the fixing device is configured to receive a tripod for the camera.

8. The waterproof case according to claim 2, wherein the pushing-up member is formed from an elastic member.

9. The waterproof case according to claim 4, wherein the pushing-up member is formed from an elastic member.

10. The waterproof case according to claim 5, wherein the pushing-up member is formed from an elastic member.

11. The waterproof case according to claim 2, wherein the pushing-up member is watertightly engageable with the case body.

12. The waterproof case according to claim 4, wherein the pushing-up member is watertightly engageable with the case body.

13. The waterproof case according to claim 5, wherein the pushing-up member is watertightly engageable with the case body.

15. The waterproof case according to claim 14, wherein said portion of the cover comprises a projection insertable between a bottom surface of the portable device and a bottom part of the waterproof case body, wherein the projection is formed from waterproof rubber.

16. The waterproof case according to claim 15, wherein the projection is attached to the cover.

17. The waterproof case according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning guide at an internal surface of the case body, the positioning guide being configured to engage and position a portable device in the case body when the portable device is moved in the direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of the portable device, wherein the positioning guide is formed at least one inner surface corner of the waterproof case body.

18. The waterproof case according to claim 14, further comprising a positioning guide at an internal surface of the case body, the positioning guide being configured to engage and position a portable device in the case body when the portable device is moved in the direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of the portable device, wherein the positioning guide is formed at least one inner surface corner of the waterproof case body.

19. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the at least one operation part of the portable device includes a liquid crystal display panel.

20. The waterproof case according to claim 14, wherein the at least one operation part of the portable device includes a liquid crystal display panel.

21. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the at least one operation part of the portable device includes a zoom operation lever.

22. The waterproof case according to claim 14, wherein the at least one operation part of the portable device includes a zoom operation lever.

24. The waterproof case according to claim 23, wherein the means for moving and the means for holding include means for pushing up the portable device in the case body, wherein the means for pushing up is engageable with a through hole provided in a bottom part of the waterproof case.

25. The waterproof case according to claim 24, further comprising means for fixing the means for pushing at a position where the means for pushing holds the portable device in the pushed up position, wherein the means for fixing is provided to a bottom surface of the waterproof case.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein

the moving the portable device includes guiding the portable device to the moved position and positioning the portable device at the moved position.

14. A waterproof case for containing a portable device including at least one operation part offset in a direction perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the waterproof case, comprising:

a waterproof case body sized and shaped to accommodate a portable device, said case body having an opening through which a portable device may be introduced into the case body in an inserting direction;

at least one operation part at the case body and configured to operatively cooperate with the at least one operation part of a portable device in the case body;

a cover configured to open and close the opening, the cover having a portion configured to move at least a part of a portable device in the case body in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of the portable device by closing the cover; and

a moving and holding device mounted to the case body to be operative to move a portable device in the case body in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction to a moved position in which the at least one operation part of the portable device cooperates with the at least one operation part at the case body, and to hold the portable device in the moved position.

23. A waterproof case for containing a portable device including at least one operation part offset in a direction perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the waterproof case, comprising:

a waterproof case body sized and shaped to accommodate a portable device, said case body having an opening through which a portable device may be introduced into the case body in an inserting direction;

at least one operation part at the case body and configured to operatively cooperate with the at least one operation part of a portable device in the case body; and

means for moving the portable device in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of a portable device in the case body to a moved position in which the at least one operation part of the portable device cooperates with the at least one operation part at the case body, and means for holding the portable device in the moved position.

26. A waterproof case for containing a portable device including at least one operation part offset in a direction perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the waterproof case, comprising:

a waterproof case body sized and shaped to accommodate a portable device, said case body having an opening through which a portable device may be introduced into the case body in an inserting direction;

at least one operation part at the case body and configured to operatively cooperate with the at least one operation part of a portable device in the case body;

means for opening and closing the opening, the means for opening and closing moving at least a part of the portable device in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of a portable device in the case body by closing the means for opening and closing; and

means for moving the portable device in a direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of the portable device after the means for opening and closing is closed and for holding the portable device in a moved position in which the at least one operation part of the portable device cooperates with the at least one operation part at the case body.

27. A method of containing a portable device in a waterproof case, comprising:

inserting the portable device into the waterproof case;

moving the portable device in a direction perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the waterproof case; and

holding the portable device in a moved position in the waterproof case.