Apparatus and Method for Child Proofing a Personal Electronic Device

• US 20120097510A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Mendel Mitchell
• Original Assignee: Robert Mendel Mitchell
• Inventors: Mitchell, Robert Mendel
• Application Number:
  US13/275,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20120097510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 200/333
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/705 characterised by construction, mounting or arrangement of operating parts, e.g. push-buttons or keys
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/068 having a not operable condition

Abstract

An apparatus for preventing young children from activating a push button switch while allowing adults to activate said button. The apparatus is a semi-rigid child-proof cover or cap for the “home button” or menu button on a personal electronic device or computing tablet. The cap is disposed over the push button switch and prevents young children from pressing it because the strength necessary to bend the semi-rigid material of the cap is beyond that of young children. However, adults have sufficient strength to push the semi-rigid material with enough force that it bends and thus exerts a downward pressure and activates the push button below it. A small hole may also be defined in middle of the cap that allows an adult to use a paperclip or other pointed object to activate the button, while being too small for a young child'"'"'s finger to pass through and activate the button.

Claims

1. An apparatus for resisting the actuation of a recessed push button by a child user while allowing the actuation of the recessed push button by an adult user comprising:

an cap comprising a top surface and a bottom surface; and

an adhesive layer disposed on the bottom surface,

wherein the cap is comprised of a resilient, semi-rigid material, the semi-rigid material being sufficiently rigid to interfere with the child user bending the cap in a downward direction far enough to actuate the recessed push button, but flexible enough for the adult user to bend the cap in the same downward direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a hole defined through the center of the cap.

3. The apparatus of claim 1

wherein the top surface of the cap is comprised of a first laminate;

a center laminate disposed beneath the first laminate; and

wherein the bottom surface of the cap is comprised of a second laminate disposed beneath the center laminate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 where the first and second laminates are comprised of a first semi-rigid material with a first rigidity and where the center laminate is comprised of a second semi-rigid material with a second rigidity,

wherein the second rigidity is greater than the first rigidity.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 where the center laminate is disposed only in a center portion of the cap and is contained between the first and second laminate layers.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a hole defined through the first laminate, the center laminate, and the second laminate in the center of the cap.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 where the bottom surface of the cap is sized to fit over the recessed push button of a personal electronics device or computing tablet.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 where the cap is approximately 1.25″

wide.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 where the cap is approximately 0.5″

tall.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 where the cap is approximately 0.025″

thick.

11. The apparatus of claim 2 where the hole is approximately 0.125″

in diameter.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 where the adhesive layer on the bottom surface of the cap comprises a bittering agent.

13. A method for resisting the actuation of a recessed push button by a child user while allowing the actuation of the recessed push button by an adult user comprising:

removing a backing coupled to an adhesive layer disposed on a bottom surface of a resilient, semi-rigid cap;

disposing the resilient, semi-rigid cap over the recessed push button of a personal electronics device;

resisting the actuation of the recessed push button when actuation is attempted by the child user by pressing on the cap; and

allowing actuation of the recessed push button when actuation is attempted by the adult user by pressing on the cap.

14. The method of claim 13 where resisting the actuation of the recessed push button by the child user comprises:

the child user depressing the semi-rigid cap; and

failing to deform the cap in the downward direction sufficiently to actuate the push button due to the rigidity of the cap.

15. The method of claim 14 where allowing actuation of the recessed push button by the adult user comprises:

the adult user depressing the semi-rigid cap; and

overcoming the rigidity of the cap and deforming the cap in the downward direction by a displacement sufficient to actuate the recessed push button with the deformed cap.

16. The method of claim 13 where allowing actuation of the recessed push button by the adult user comprises:

inserting a pointed object through a hole defined in the semi-rigid cap; and

actuating the recessed push button with the pointed object.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising peeling the semi-rigid cap away from the personal electronics device to allow remove selective allowability of actuation of the push button.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising reapplying the semi-rigid cap to the personal electronics device to reinstate selectively allowabilty of actuation of the push button.

19. An apparatus for providing selective access to operation of an electronics device according to manual dexterity of the user comprising:

a push button or pressure sensitive master control of the electronics device, activation of the master control being required to operate the electronics device; and

a resilient barrier for covering the master control and preventing direct contact or pressure to be applied thereto unless applied with at least a predetermined minimum force in a predetermined manner

whereby a user having insufficient dexterity to apply the at least predetermined minimum force in the predetermined manner will be substantially prevented from operating the electronics device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 where the resilient barrier is selectively detachable from and reattachable to the electronics device.