Foldable cover for electronic device

• US 8,253,518 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lauder, Andrew, Rohrbach, Matthew D., Coster, Daniel J., Stringer, Christopher J., Ow, Florence W., Ai, Jiang, Ive, Jonathan P., Kibiti, Elvis M., Ternus, John P., Lubner, Sean D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Musleh, Mohamad
• Application Number:
  US12/971,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 335/219, 335/285, 335302-306, 439/38, 439/218, 439/217, 439/39, 243/03, 361/807, 361/679.01, 361/600, 206/45.2, 206/45.23, 206/45.24, 206/305, 206/320, 206/764, 206/765
• US Class Current: 335/219
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0247 Orientating, locating, transporting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A magnetic attachment mechanism and method is described. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach at least two objects together in a preferred configuration without fasteners and without external intervention. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach an accessory device to an electronic device. The accessory device can be used to augment the functionality of usefulness of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A cover for a tablet computer having a display configured to present visual content, comprising:

a coupling mechanism for coupling the cover to the tablet computer;

a foldable flap coupled to the tablet computer by the coupling mechanism, wherein the foldable flap moves about a first pivot line relative to the display between a fully open position to reveal the entire display and a fully closed position to cover the entire display, the flap comprising;

a plurality of segments comprising;

a first segment at a first end of the flap, the first segment including a magnetically attractable element, and a second segment at a second end of the flap, the second end opposite the first end, the second segment further comprising at least one magnet, and a folding region between each of the segments that allow the plurality of segments to independently fold with respect to each other and the first pivot line, wherein in a viewing configuration the flap forms a triangular structure that supports the tablet computer at a viewing angle, the triangular structure comprising a horizontal base, the horizontal base comprising the first and second segments folded one atop the other and magnetically attached to each other by the magnetic attraction between the magnet in the second segment and the magnetically attractable element in the first segment, the horizontal base being about equal in length to a second side of the triangular structure configured to support the tablet computer at the viewing angle, the horizontal base and the second side each being narrower than a third side.

2. The cover as recited in claim 1, wherein the viewing angle is about 75°

.

3. The cover as recited in claim 1, wherein the tablet computer further comprises:

a single piece housing having a front opening having a size and shape in accordance with the display, the single piece housing further comprising;

an integral bottom and side walls that cooperate to form a cavity in cooperation with the front opening, the side walls having rectilinear edges wherein an edge of the side walls surround and define the front opening.

4. The cover as recited in claim 3, wherein the coupling mechanism couples the cover to the tablet computer at at least one side wall of the single piece housing.

5. The cover as recited in claim 4, wherein the coupling mechanism couples the cover to the tablet computer at the rectilinear edges of the at least one side wall.

6. The cover as recited in claim 3, wherein the coupling mechanism couples the cover to the tablet computer at the bottom of the housing.

7. The cover as recited in claim 3, the tablet computer further comprising a magnetic attachment feature disposed within the housing.

8. The cover as recited in claim 7, wherein the coupling mechanism includes a magnet used in combination with the magnetic attachment feature for coupling the cover to the housing.

9. The cover as recited in claim 8, wherein the magnetic attachment feature is disposed within the cavity and at a first side wall of the housing.

10. The cover as recited in claim 8, wherein the magnetic attachment feature is disposed within the cavity and beneath a portion of the display.

11. The cover as recited in claim 7, wherein the magnetic attachment feature comprises a first magnetic attachment feature disposed within the cavity and at a first side wall and a second magnetic attachment feature disposed within the cavity and beneath a portion of the display.

12. The cover as recited in claim 11, the first magnetic attachment feature comprising:

a first plurality of magnets arranged adjacent one another in a first relative size order along a first line and arranged according to a first polarity pattern of alternating magnetic polarities; and

a second plurality of magnets arranged adjacent to one another in a second relative size order along the first line and according to a second polarity pattern of alternating magnetic polarities.

13. The cover as recited in claim 12, wherein the first and second size orders and the first and second polarity patterns are complementary of each other.

14. The cover as recited in claim 1, wherein in the fully closed position, the magnet in the second segment is detectable by a sensor in the tablet computer.

15. The cover as recited in claim 14, wherein the sensor is a Hall Effect sensor.

16. The cover as recited in claim 15, wherein when the magnet is detected by the Hall Effect sensor, the Hall Effect sensor signals the tablet computer to disable the display.

17. The cover as recited in claim 1, in a partially open configuration, the first segment covers a corresponding portion of the display and the second segment is folded away from the display to reveal a corresponding viewable portion of the display, and the tablet computer presents visual content only at the viewable portion of the display.