TABLET KEYBOARD CASE AND METHOD OF PROVIDING THE SAME

• US 20140139989A1
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mori, Kenneth, Holleman, Avery, Otani, Kazuyoshi Raijin
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• 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 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment

Abstract

A case for a tablet computing device can include a first cover configured to hold the tablet computing device. The first cover can include a first attachment mechanism. The case can include a second cover. The second cover can include a keyboard, one or more second attachment mechanisms, and/or one or more sensors. The first attachment mechanism can be configured to couple with the one or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the case in an open keyboard configuration such that the keyboard is uncovered and a screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered. The keyboard can be turned on when the one or more sensors detect that the case is in the open keyboard configuration.

Claims

1. A case for a tablet computing device, the case comprising:

a first cover configured to hold the tablet computing device, the first cover comprising a first attachment mechanism; and

a second cover comprising;

a keyboard;

one or more second attachment mechanisms; and

one or more sensors,

wherein;

the first attachment mechanism is configured to couple with the one or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the case in an open keyboard configuration such that the keyboard is uncovered and a screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered;

the keyboard is automatically turned on when the one or more sensors detect that the case is in the open keyboard configuration;

the keyboard is automatically turned off when the one or more sensors detect that the case is not in the open keyboard configuration; and

the case is configured to fold into a closed configuration such that the keyboard is covered by the case and the screen of the tablet is covered by the case.

2. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more second attachment mechanisms comprise two or more second attachment mechanisms; and

the first attachment mechanisms is configured to couple with each of the two or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the first cover at two or more viewing angles in the open keyboard configuration.

3. The case of claim 1 comprising:

an antenna,

wherein;

the case is configured to wirelessly transmit keyboard input data to the tablet computing device via the antenna.

4. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second covers are configured to surround the tablet computing device in a rigid enclosure in the closed configuration.

5. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the case has a thickness of less than 19 mm when the case is in the closed configuration.

6. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the second cover comprises a sleep magnet located such that a sleep sensor in the tablet computing device detects the sleep magnet when the case is in the closed configuration and turns off the tablet computing device.

7. The case of claim 1 comprising:

a spine assembly comprising a hinge bottom cover region,

wherein;

the first cover comprises a cover slot; and

the hinge bottom cover region covers the cover slot when the case is in the closed configuration.

8. The case of claim 1 comprising:

a spine assembly comprising a hinge bottom cover region,

wherein;

the hinge bottom cover region is rotated away from a back of the tablet computing device when the case is in the open keyboard configuration.

9. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first cover comprises a speaker bulge.

10. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first cover comprises at least one of a dock connector slot, a speaker slot, a button slot, a camera slot, a sleep slot, a microphone slot, or an audio slot.

11. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first attachment mechanism comprises a first magnet;

the one or more second attachment mechanisms comprise one or more second magnets configured to couple to the first magnet;

the second cover comprises a keyboard cover; and

the first cover is positioned on the keyboard cover when the case is in the open keyboard configuration.

12. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first cover comprises a top cover magnet;

the second cover comprises a front magnet; and

the top cover magnet is configured to couple with the front magnet to hold the first and second covers in the closed configuration.

13. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the case is configured to fold into an open tablet configuration such that the keyboard is covered and the screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered.

14. The case of claim 13, wherein:

a top surface of the keyboard is covered by the tablet computing device when the case is in the open tablet configuration.

15. The case of claim 14, wherein:

the top surface of the keyboard is covered by the first cover when the case is in the open tablet configuration.

16. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the first attachment mechanism comprises a first magnet;

the second cover comprises a front magnet; and

the first magnet is configured to couple with the front magnet to hold the first and second covers in an open tablet configuration such that the keyboard is covered and the screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered.

17. A case for a tablet computing device, the case comprising:

a first cover configured to hold the tablet computing device, the first cover comprising a first attachment mechanism; and

a second cover comprising;

a keyboard; and

two or more second attachment mechanism,

wherein;

the first attachment mechanism is configured to couple with the two or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the case at two or more viewing angles in an open keyboard configuration such that the keyboard is uncovered and a screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered.

18. The case of claim 17, wherein:

the two or more second attachment mechanisms comprise three of more second attachment mechanisms; and

the first attachment mechanism is configured to couple with the three or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the case at three or more viewing angles in the open keyboard configuration.

19. The case of claim 17, wherein:

the case is configured to fold into an open tablet configuration such that the keyboard is covered and the screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered.

20. The case of claim 17, wherein:

the first attachment mechanism comprises a first magnet;

the second cover comprises a front magnet; and

the first magnet is configured to couple with the front magnet to hold the first and second covers in an open tablet configuration such that the keyboard is covered and the screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered.

21. A method of providing a case for a tablet computing device comprising:

providing a first cover configured to hold the tablet computing device, wherein the first cover comprises a first attachment mechanism; and

providing a second cover comprising a keyboard, one or more second attachment mechanisms, and one or more sensors,

wherein;

the first attachment mechanism is configured to couple with the one or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the case in an open keyboard configuration such that the keyboard is uncovered and a screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered; and

the keyboard is turned on when the one or more sensors detect that the case is in the open keyboard configuration.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the one or more second attachment mechanisms comprise two or more second attachment mechanisms; and

the first attachment mechanisms is configured to couple with each of the two or more second attachment mechanisms to hold the first cover at two or more viewing angles in the open keyboard configuration.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the first and second covers are configured to surround the tablet computing device in a rigid enclosure in a closed configuration such that the keyboard is covered by the case and the tablet computing device and the screen of the tablet computing device is covered by the case.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the case is configured to fold into an open tablet configuration such that the keyboard is covered and the screen of the tablet computing device is uncovered.