Protective enclosure for a hand-held electronic device that both stores and plays digital audio recordings

• US 7,050,841 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hideki Francis Onda
• Original Assignee: Hideki Francis Onda
• Inventors: Onda, Hideki Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Au, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/931,069
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.8
• US Class Current: 455/575.8
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2200/0508 Portable audio devices, e.g. walkman, discman, radio, MP3 player, headphones
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/02 Fastening articles to the garment
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/021 to the belt

Abstract

A form-fitted protective enclosure with shock-resistant features to protect an inserted hand-held electronic device that both stores and plays digital audio recordings. The enclosure protects the inserted hand-held electronic device from impacts, wear and tear, inadvertent dropping due to protruding ribs that afford a sure grip along with other protection features, and rear surface slot openings for interweaving a belt or strap. The protective enclosure provides openings for easy access to the electronic device'"'"'s visual display screen and to the electronic device'"'"'s controls. The protective enclosure'"'"'s rectangular visual display screen opening has a protruding frame with the same depth as the protruding ribs for extra protection of the electronic device'"'"'s visual display when the enclosed electronic device is laid down on a flat surface.

Claims

1. A protective enclosure for a hand-held electronic device that both stores and plays digital audio recordings, comprising:

a rectangular sheath-like container fashioned hollow with enclosing surfaces, from a shock-proof, flexible, elastic material in a shape substantially matching and hugging that of the electronic device it encloses on front, back, left side, right side and bottom surfaces, said protective enclosure provided with protruding parallel ribs positioned on the full length of both long sides of said protective enclosure and formed from the same material as said protective enclosure, and said protective enclosure providing a rectangular opening and a circular opening on the front surface, the rectangular opening in the front surface being used for access to the enclosed hand-held electronic device'"'"'s visual display, and the circular opening in the front surface being used for access to the enclosed hand-held electronic device'"'"'s controls, and said protective enclosure providing two parallel rectangular opening slots in the back surface, and providing a bottom surface with an elongated semi-circular hole being used for the enclosed hand-held electronic device'"'"'s external connections to power, program upload/download cables, and other external connections.

2. The protective enclosure as in claim 1, wherein the top opening is of adequate dimension so as to allow insertion of said hand-held electronic device into said protective enclosure until the bottom of said inserted hand-held electronic device is flush against the bottom inside surface of said protective enclosure.

3. The protective enclosure as in claim 1, wherein the rectangular opening on the front surface being used for access to the enclosed hand-held electronic device'"'"'s visual display provides a protruding rectangular frame formed from the same material as said protective enclosure.

4. The protective enclosure as in claim 1, wherein the two parallel rectangular opening slots in the back surface are of adequate dimension so as to allow for insertion of a belt or other type of strap inter-weaved through both parallel rectangular opening slots.

5. The protective enclosure as in claim 1, wherein said protruding parallel ribs are of adequate dimension to absorb shocks when said protective enclosure with said inserted hand-held electronic device impacts other objects or surfaces.

6. The protective enclosure as in claim 1, wherein said protruding parallel ribs are evenly spaced on both left and right long sides of said protective enclosure and continuing onto the front and back surfaces in a wrap-around configuration, so as to protect said inserted hand-held electronic device when the said protective enclosure is laid down on either its front or rear surface.