Cellular telephone case

• US 6,785,566 B1
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Louis Irizarry
• Original Assignee: Louis Irizarry
• Inventors: Irizarry, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Persino, Raymond B.
• Application Number:
  US10/066,812
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 383/66, 383/59, 383/106, 383/108, 383/113, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.2, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 455/575.5, 455/575.6, 455/575.7, 455/575.8, 455/575.9, 455/90.3, 455/351, 455/128, 455/347, 455/899, 379/441, 379/447, 379/446, 379/451, 379/452, 379/453, 379/457, 379/437, D14/137, D14/138, D14/140, D14/144, D14/155, D14/188, D14/204, D14/265, D14/299, D 3/218, 224/929, 224/930, 224/191, 206/253, 206/701, 206/775, 206/776, 206/521, 361/679
• US Class Current: 455/575.8
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers

Abstract

A cellular telephone casing, for enclosing and protecting a cellular telephone without interfering with the normal functionality of the cellular telephone, the casing having walls made of vinyl covered foam which define an interior volume for fully enclosing the cellular telephone in a substantially waterproof protective covering. The casing has speaker wells and microphone wells which allow uninhibited communication with the telephone through the casing, but are selectively filled with a speaker plug and microphone plug when the telephone is not in use to maintain waterproofing of the casing. At least one transparent window is provided to allow buttons of the telephone to be operated and displays to be visualized. A top split and side splits allow the cellular telephone to be inserted into the casing, and an overhead strap and side straps selectively maintain the top split and side splits closed to maintain waterproofing of the case.

Claims

1. A cellular telephone casing, for housing and protecting cellular telephone, having a speaker, comprising:

a top, a bottom, a pair of sides, a front, and a rear, defining a substantially rectangular prism made of a soft foam material covered a vinyl material, and defining an interior volume capable of fully containing the cellular telephone, therein, the top having a split which flexes open for allowing the cellular telephone to be inserted therein and is normally closed, the casing substantially waterproof when closed;

at least one transparent window, interrupting the continuity of the front of the casing, the transparent window made of a flexible material which allows buttons of the telephone to be operated therethrough;

a speaker well, representing a hole in the foam and vinyl casing to correspond with the speaker of the cellular telephone so as to allow uninhibited communication with said speaker therethrough; and

a speaker plug, sized to fit the speaker well, selectively removable from the speaker well to allow uninhibited communication with the speaker, and selectively filling the speaker well with an interference fit, so as to maintain the substantially waterproof characteristics of the casing.

2. The cellular telephone casing as recited in claim 1, wherein the split further comprises a top split and a pair of side splits, and further comprising:

an overhead strap extending from the top surface and selectively extending across the top split to close said top split and toward the rear of the casing; and

a pair of side straps, the side straps each extend from the sides of the casing and selectively extend across the side splits to close the side splits.

3. The cellular telephone casing as recited in claim 2, wherein the overhead strap and side straps have fastener components which are selectively mateable, so that the side straps selectively engage the overhead strap to securely maintain the top split and side splits closed.

4. The cellular telephone casing as recited in claim 3, wherein the cellular telephone has a microphone;

wherein the front of the casing further has a microphone well which allows uninhibited communication with the microphone therethrough; and

the casing further has a microphone plug, sized to fit the speaker well with an interference fit for selectively filling the speaker well with an interference fit, so as to maintain the substantially waterproof characteristics of the casing.

5. The cellular telephone casing as recited in claim 4, further comprising a pair of plug straps, such that one of the plug straps attach the speaker plug to the casing front and the other of the plug straps attach the microphone plug to the casing front so that the microphone plug and speaker plug remain attached to the casing front when they are removed from the microphone well and speaker well respectively.

6. The cellular telephone casing as recited in claim 5, wherein the foam walls of the casing have a thickness of substantially {fraction (3/16)}″

and wherein the speaker plug and microphone plug have a thickness of substantially {fraction (3/16)}″

so that said speaker plug and microphone plug are substantially flush with the casing front when within the speaker well and microphone well.