Waterproof case for electronic device

• US 7,789,228 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2008
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zenzai, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): ACKUN, JACOB K
• Application Number:
  US12/144,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20090032420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 206/316.2, 206/316.1, 206/701, 206/722, 206/576, 206/320, 396/25, 396/27, 396/29
• US Class Current: 206/316.2
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings

Abstract

A waterproof case is provided for an electronic device having a touch panel display. The waterproof case includes an operating member for operating the touch panel display. The operating member includes: an operating portion which penetrates from the outer surface to inner surface of a wall forming the waterproof case in a watertight manner and which is disposed to be able to be pushed from the outer surface of the wall; an arm extending from a portion of the operating member, the portion being disposed inwardly from the wall, in the direction transverse to the direction in which the operating portion is pushed; and a contact portion which is provided to an end of the arm and is contacted with the touch panel display in response to the push of the operating portion.

Claims

1. A waterproof case for an electronic device having a touch panel display, the waterproof case comprising at least one operating member, the operating member comprising:

an operating portion which penetrates from an outer surface to an inner surface of a wall forming the waterproof case in a watertight manner and which is disposed to be able to be pushed from an outer surface of the wall;

an arm extending from a portion of the operating portion, in a direction transverse to a direction in which the operating portion is pushed, the portion being disposed inwardly from the inner surface of the wall;

a contact portion which is provided to a top of the arm and is arranged to contact the touch panel display in response to a push of the operating portion; and

a pressure regulating portion which is elastically deformable in a direction in which the operating portion is pushed to establish an upper limit of a pressure applied by the contact portion to the touch panel in response to a push of the operating portion.

2. The waterproof case of claim 1, wherein:

the pressure regulating portion includes the arm.

3. The waterproof case of claim 1,

wherein:

the contact portion is formed of an elastic material; and

the pressure regulating portion includes the contact portion and the arm.

4. The waterproof case of claim 1,

wherein:

the operating portion has a push button and a shaft projecting from the push button and penetrating the wall in a watertight manner;

the arm is coupled to the shaft to be free to slide in a longitudinal direction of the shaft;

a stopper which regulates an inner limit position of the arm by abutting the arm is provided to an end of the shaft, the end being disposed inwardly from the wall;

an arm biasing spring which biases the arm in a direction in which the arm abuts on the stopper is provided to the shaft; and

the pressure regulating portion includes the arm, the stopper, and the arm biasing spring.

5. The waterproof case of claim 1,

wherein:

the operating portion has an operation-portion biasing spring which biases the operating portion toward a protruding position in which the operating portion is able to be pushed; and

the protruding position is defined when a closer portion of the arm to the operating portion abuts on the wall.

6. The waterproof case of claim 1,

wherein:

the operating portion has an operating-portion biasing spring which biases the operating portion toward a protruding position in which the operating portion is able to be pushed;

the protruding position is defined when a closer portion of the arm to the operating portion abuts on the wall; and

a top of the arm and the contact portion are separate from an inner surface of the wall when the operating portion is at the protruding position.

7. The waterproof case of claim 1,

wherein:

the waterproof case has a transparent touch panel display viewing window for viewing the touch panel display;

the operating portion is provided to a wall of the waterproof case, the wall being disposed outside the touch panel display viewing window; and

the arm extends from outside to inside the touch panel display viewing window in the waterproof case.

8. The waterproof case of claim 7,

wherein:

the touch panel display viewing window has a rectangle shape; and

the arm extends in parallel with one edge of the rectangle shape.

9. The waterproof case of claim 7,

wherein:

the touch panel display viewing window has a rectangle shape; and

the arm extends in parallel with an edge of the rectangle shape and in parallel with an inner surface of a wall forming the touch panel display viewing window.

10. The waterproof case of claim 7,

wherein:

the touch panel display viewing window has a rectangle shape having left and right edges and upper and lower edges larger than the left and right edges;

the at least one operating member includes a plurality of operating members;

each operating portion of a plurality of the operating members is disposed outside one edge of the left and right edges and arranged in an extending direction of the one edge; and

each arm of a plurality of the operating members extends in parallel with the upper and lower edges.

11. The waterproof case of claim 1 wherein the arm is formed of a transparent synthetic resin.

12. The waterproof case of claim 1 wherein the contact portion is formed of a transparent elastic material.

13. The waterproof case of claim 1 wherein the arm and the contact portion are formed integrally with one another.

14. The waterproof case of claim 1,

wherein:

the arm and the contact portion are formed integrally with one another by use of a single steel wire rod;

both longitudinal ends of the wire rod are coupled to a portion of the operating portion, the portion being disposed inwardly from the wall;

the arm is formed by extending portions of the wire rod linearly from the portion of the operating portion while opposing the portions of the wire rod to one another; and

the contact portion is formed by bending a top of the portions of the wire rod, the portions opposing to one another and extending linearly, to cause the top to be convex toward the touch panel display.

15. The waterproof case of claim 1 wherein a rotation prevention mechanism which prevents rotation of the arm around the operating portion is provided to the wall.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch panel display; and

a waterproof case, comprising at least one operating member, the operating member comprising;

an operating portion which penetrates from an outer surface to an inner surface of a wall forming the waterproof case in a watertight manner and which is disposed to be able to be pushed from an outer surface of the wall;

an arm extending from a portion of the operating portion in a direction transverse to a direction in which the operating portion is pushed, the portion being disposed inwardly from the inner surface of the wall;

a contact portion which is provided to a top of the arm and is arranged to contact the touch panel display in response to a push of the operating portion; and

a pressure regulating portion which is elastically deformable in a direction in which the operating portion is pushed to establish an upper limit of a pressure applied by the contact portion to the touch panel in response to a push of the operating portion.

17. A waterproof case for an electronic device having a touch panel display, the waterproof case comprising at least one operating member, the operating member including:

an operating portion which penetrates from an outer surface to an inner surface of a wall forming the waterproof case in a watertight manner and which is disposed to be able to be pushed from an outer surface of the wall;

an arm extending from a portion of the operating portion in a direction transverse to a direction in which the operating portion is pushed, the portion being disposed inwardly from the inner surface of the wall;

means for contacting the touch panel display at a top of the arm in response to a push of the operating portion; and

means for regulating pressure, below an upper limit, applied by the contact portion to the touch panel in response to a push of the operating portion.