Housing for portable handheld electronic device

• US 6,913,201 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allflex USA Incorporated (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Allflex USA Incorporated (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Wagner, Gregg, Stewart, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US09/113,446
• Time in Patent Office: 2,552 Days
• Field of Search: 312/223.2, 312/263, 235/472.2, 235/472.01, 235/472.03, 235/472, 348/836, 348/837, 348/838, 348/839, 348/843, 220/783, 362/157, 362/158
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/02 Details

Abstract

An injection-molded housing for a handheld portable electronic device employs a minimal number of parts. The housing, made of a thermoplastic elastomer, is watertight, buoyant and exceptionally rugged. Principal components of the housing snap together without the need for adhesive bonding or fasteners using a tongue-and-groove closure mechanism.

Claims

1. A housing for a portable handheld electronic reader/scanner comprising:

a seamless one-piece, hollow body portion made of a thermoplastic elastomer having an electronics enclosure portion and a handle portion, said electronics enclosure portion having an aperture entirely surrounded by a body perimeter portion;

a substantially planar scan face made of the thermoplastic elastomer adapted to cover said aperture, said scan face entirely surrounded by a scan face perimeter portion;

one of the body perimeter portion and scan face perimeter portion having a groove and the other having a projecting tongue element for mating engagement with the groove.

2. The housing of claim 1 further comprising an end cap coupled to the handle portion.

3. The housing of claim 1 wherein the handle portion comprises a battery compartment.

4. The housing of claim 1 further comprising a gasket disposed around the tongue element.

5. The housing of claim 2 further comprising a gasket disposed around the end cap.

6. The housing of claim 1 wherein the tongue portion has a substantially “

T”

-shaped cross section.