Waterproof case for portable device

• US 7,050,712 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimamura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Assistant Examiner(s): PICKETT, JOHN G
• Application Number:
  US10/101,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20020136557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 206/316.2, 206/316.1, 206/37, 206/775, 206/776, 206/811, 206/320, 206/316.3, 220/833, 220/835, 220/849, 396/27, 396/25, 396/6, 294/139, 294/908, 224/908
• US Class Current: 396/27
• 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 comprising:

a case body configured to accommodate a portable device including a device operation part offset perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the case body, said case body having an opening configured to receive the portable device therethrough in the inserting direction;

a case operation part configured to operatively cooperate with the device operation part; and

a moving and holding device mounted to the case body and configured to move the portable device perpendicular to the inserting direction after the portable device is disposed in the case body to a moved position in which the device operation part cooperates with the case operation part, the moving and holding device configured to hold the portable device in the moved position,

wherein the moving and holding device comprises a pushing-up member configured to engage and push up the portable device in the case body, the pushing-up member is slidably engageable with a through hole provided in a bottom part of the waterproof case, the pushing-up member comprises a portion configured to prevent the pushing-up member from falling from the through hole, and the moving and holding device comprises means for biasing the pushing-up member to move out from the case body, and

wherein the waterproof case further comprises 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 1, wherein the pushing-up member comprises an elastic member.

9. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the pushing-up member is configured to form a watertight seal with the case body.

13. The waterproof case according to claim 1, further comprising:

a positioning guide disposed on an internal surface of the case body, the positioning guide configured to engage and position the portable device in the case body when the portable device is moved perpendicular to the inserting direction,

wherein the positioning guide is disposed on an inner surface corner of the case body.

15. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the device operation part comprises a liquid crystal display panel.

17. The waterproof case according to claim 1, wherein the device operation part comprises a zoom operation lever.

2. A waterproof case comprising:

a case body configured to accommodate a portable device including a device operation part offset perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the case body, said case body having an opening configured to receive the portable device therethrough in the inserting direction;

a case operation part configured to operatively cooperate with the device operation part; and

a moving and holding device mounted to the case body and configured to move the portable device perpendicular to the inserting direction after the portable device is disposed in the case body to a moved position in which the device operation part cooperates with the case operation part, the moving and holding device configured to hold the portable device in the moved position,

wherein the moving and holding device comprises 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 the portable device in the case body,

wherein a fixing device is configured to engage and fix the pushing-up member at a position where the pushing-up member holds the 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, and

wherein the fixing device is configured to receive a tripod for a camera.

4. The waterproof case according to claim 2, wherein the pushing-up member comprises an elastic member.

7. The waterproof case according to claim 2, wherein the pushing-up member is configured to form a watertight seal with the case body.

3. A waterproof case comprising:

a case body configured to accommodate a portable device including a device operation part offset perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the case body, said case body having an opening configured to receive the portable device therethrough in the inserting direction;

a case operation part configured to operatively cooperate with the device operation part; and

a moving and holding device mounted to the case body and configured to move the portable device perpendicular to the inserting direction after the portable device is disposed in the case body to a moved position in which the device operation part cooperates with the case operation part, the moving and holding device configured to hold the portable device in the moved position,

wherein the moving and holding device comprises a pushing-up member configured to engage and push up the portable device in the case body while being engaged with a through hole provided in a bottom part of the waterproof case,

wherein the waterproof case further comprises a fixing device configured to fix the pushing-up member engaged with the through hole to the bottom part of the waterproof case, and

wherein the fixing device is configured to receive a tripod for a camera.

5. The waterproof case according to claim 3, wherein the pushing-up member comprises an elastic member.

8. The waterproof case according to claim 3, wherein the pushing-up member is configured to form a watertight seal with the case body.

10. A waterproof case comprising:

a case body configured to accommodate a portable device including a device operation part offset perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the case body, said case body having an opening configured to receive the portable device therethrough in the inserting direction;

a case operation part configured to operatively cooperate with the device operation part;

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

a moving and holding device mounted to the case body configured to move the portable device perpendicular to the inserting direction after the portable device is disposed in the case body to a moved position in which the device operation part cooperates with the case operation part, the moving and holding device configured to hold the portable device in the moved position.

11. The waterproof case according to claim 10, wherein said portion of the cover comprises a projection configured to be inserted between a bottom surface of the portable device and a bottom part of the case body, wherein the projection comprises waterproof rubber.

12. The waterproof case according to claim 11, wherein the projection is disposed on the cover.

14. The waterproof case according to claim 10, further comprising:

a positioning guide disposed on an internal surface of the case body, the positioning guide configured to engage and position the portable device in the case body when the portable device is moved perpendicular to the inserting direction,

wherein the positioning guide is disposed on an inner surface corner of the case body.

16. The waterproof case according to claim 10, wherein the device operation part comprises a liquid crystal display panel.

18. The waterproof case according to claim 10, wherein the device operation part comprises a zoom operation lever.

19. A waterproof case comprising:

a case body configured to accommodate a portable device including a device operation part offset perpendicular to an inserting direction of the portable device into the case body, said case body having an opening configured to receive the portable device therethrough in the inserting direction;

a case operation part configured to operatively cooperate with the device operation part;

means for opening and closing the opening, the means for opening and closing configured to move at least a part of the portable device perpendicular to the inserting direction by closing the means for opening and closing; and

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