Protective enclosure for personal digital assistant case having integrated back lighted keyboard

• US 7,663,879 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Inventors: Kempel, Douglas, Richardson, Curtis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi; Jayprakash N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards; Anthony Q
• Application Number:
  US11/466,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20060279924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.3, 361/679.56
• US Class Current: 361/679.56
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer

Abstract

There is provided by this invention a protective enclosure for a personal electronic device that is generally comprised of a shell that is capable of enclosing and substantially surrounding the electronic device disposed to make the shell substantially watertight, substantially rigid and substantially crush-resistant. The enclosure has a transparent flexible protective membrane that is integrally fixed on the shell so that the flexible protective membrane is positioned over the touch screen of the electronic device when the electronic device is enclosed in the shell. The flexible protective membrane having a back side that has a substantially planar smooth surface that is adjacent to the touch screen of the electronic device wherein tactile inputs on a front side of the flexible protective membrane are communicated to the touch screen through the transparent flexible protective membrane. The enclosure also has a second transparent flexible protective membrane that is integrally fixed on the shell so that the flexible protective membrane is positioned over an alphanumeric keyboard of the electronic device forming a keyboard in the flexible protective membrane such that the flexible protective membrane has total interface with the enclosed keyboard allowing the user to use the keyboard of the enclosed electronic device through the flexible protective membrane.

Claims

1. A protective enclosure for an electronic device having an interactive control panel and an alphanumeric keyboard comprising:

a protective shell that is crush resistant and impact resistant, said electronic device being a separate unit from said protective enclosure, said electronic device being insertable in and removable from said shell by hand;

a first aperture in said shell that is aligned with said interactive control panel when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure;

a first protective membrane integrally fixed to said shell over said first aperture so that said first protective membrane is disposed over said interactive control panel of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure and recessed from an outer surface of said shell, said first protective membrane and said shell forming a protective enclosure for said interactive control panel;

a second aperture in said shell that is aligned with said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure; and

a second protective membrane that is formed to the shape of said alphanumeric keyboard and that is integrally fixed to said shell over said second aperture so that said second protective membrane is disposed over said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said second protective membrane having sufficient flexibility to allow activation of said keyboard through said second protective membrane.

2. The protective enclosure of claim 1 wherein said interactive control panel of the electronic device comprises a capacitance-sensing interactive control panel membrane and said flexible protective membrane has a dielectric constant such that capacitive inputs on a front side of said protective membrane are transmitted to said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel of the enclosed electronic device.

3. The protective enclosure of claim 1 wherein said interactive control panel and said alphanumeric keyboard of said electronic device are connected to said shell by a single frame and mounted onto said shell by retainers.

4. The protective enclosure of claim 1 wherein said second flexible protective membrane covering said alphanumeric keyboard is transparent to allow back lighting from said alphanumeric keyboard to illuminate said flexible protective membrane.

5. The protective enclosure of claim 1 further comprising:

a transparent window in said shell that is aligned with a display screen of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said display screen being separate from said interactive control panel.

6. A protective enclosure for an electronic device having a capacitance-sensing interactive control panel and an alphanumeric keyboard comprising:

a protective shell that is crush resistant and impact resistant, said protective shell that is adapted to enclose said electronic device having a capacitance-sensing interactive control panel, said electronic device being a separate unit from said protective enclosure, said electronic device being insertable in and removable from said shell by hand;

a first aperture in said shell that is aligned with said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure;

a first protective membrane that is integrally fixed to said shell so that said protective membrane is disposed over said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said first protective membrane being recessed from an outer surface of said shell, said first protective membrane being sufficiently thin and having dielectric constant that allows capacitive inputs on a front side of said first protective membrane to be communicated to said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel through said first protective membrane;

a second aperture in said shell that is aligned with said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure; and

a second protective membrane that is formed to the shape of said alphanumeric keyboard and that is integrally fixed to said shell over said second aperture so that said second protective membrane is disposed over said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said second protective membrane having sufficient flexibility to allow activation of said keyboard through said second protective membrane.

7. The protective enclosure of claim 6 further comprising:

a transparent window in said shell that is aligned with a display screen of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said display screen being separate from said interactive control panel.

8. A method of manufacturing a protective enclosure for a device having an interactive control panel and an alphanumeric keyboard comprising:

providing a protective shell that is crush resistant and impact resistant, said electronic device being a separate unit from said protective enclosure, said electronic device being insertable in and removable from said shell by hand;

forming a first aperture in said shell that is aligned with said interactive control panel when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure;

integrally fixing said first protective membrane to said shell so that said first protective membrane is disposed over said interactive control panel of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said first protective membrane being recessed from an outer surface of said shell, said protective membrane and said protective shell forming a protective enclosure for said control panel;

forming a second aperture in said shell that is aligned with said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure; and

attaching a second protective membrane to said shell over said second aperture in said shell, said second protective membrane being formed to the shape of said alphanumeric keyboard, said second protective membrane being integrally fixed to said shell over said second aperture so that said second protective membrane is disposed over said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said second protective membrane having sufficient flexibility to allow activation of said keyboard through said second protective membrane.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

providing a transparent window in said shell that is aligned with a display screen of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said display screen being separate from said interactive control panel.

10. A method of manufacturing a protective enclosure for an electronic device having a capacitance-sensing interactive flat-panel control and an alphanumeric keyboard comprising:

providing a protective shell that is crush-resistant and impact-resistant, said electronic device being a separate unit from said protective enclosure, and being insertable in and removable from said shell by hand;

forming a first aperture in said shell that is aligned with said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure;

integrally fixing said first protective membrane to said shell so that said protective membrane is disposed over said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said first protective membrane being recessed from an outer surface of said shell, said protective membrane being sufficiently thin and having dielectric constant that allows capacitive inputs on a front side of said first protective membrane to be communicated to said capacitance-sensing interactive control panel through said first protective membrane;

forming a second aperture in said shell that is aligned with said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure; and

integrally fixing said second protective membrane to said shell over said second aperture so that said second protective membrane is disposed over said alphanumeric keyboard when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said second protective membrane being formed to the shape of said alphanumeric keyboard, and having sufficient flexibility to allow activation of said keyboard through said second protective membrane.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

providing a transparent window in said shell that is aligned with a display screen of said electronic device when said electronic device is disposed in said protective enclosure, said display screen being separate from said interactive control panel.