Case for portable electronic device

• US 9,185,813 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vinci Brands LLC
• Original Assignee: Incase Designs Corporation (Incipio Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Diebel, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US13/909,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/575.8, 379/455, 206/701, 361/679.56
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/38 Cutting-out; Stamping-out
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0086 portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus casings for switching devices H01H9/02
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/02 Details

Abstract

A case for an electronic device protects the electronic device. The case has a lower case portion and an upper case portion, which assemble together to protect the electronic device. A back of the case can include a back opening to expose a camera lens and flash of the electronic device or first and second back openings. The first back opening exposes the camera lens. The second back opening exposes the flash.

Claims

1. A case for an electronic device comprising:

a first case portion comprising;

a first back sidewall, wherein the first back sidewall comprises a top edge; and

a lower sidewall, connected to the first back sidewall at an end opposite of the top edge, that will be positioned against a bottom side edge of the electronic device;

a second case portion comprising;

an upper sidewall that will be positioned against a top side edge of the electronic device when the second case portion is seated against the first case portion; and

an open side end, opposite the upper sidewall, wherein the second case portion slides onto the first case portion through the open side end; and

a back opening, through a back of the case, comprising a length and a width, wherein the length of the back opening is greater than the width of the back opening, an inner surface of the back opening has a height at least a thickness of the back of the case from an interior side to an exterior side of the back of the case, and the inner surface is colored in a black color, whereby the black color helps reduce glare from a flash to a camera of the electronic device,

wherein the back opening is placed against a back of the electronic device and the opening has sufficient length so that a flash and camera lens on the back of the electronic device are both exposed by a single back opening,

the inner surface, colored in the black color, of the back opening forms a loop around both the flash and camera lens,

when the second case portion is seated against the first case portion, the first and second case portions meet at and form a seam which extends across the back of the case, and

when the second case portion is seated against the first case portion, a first open-shaped opening for the first case portion merges with a second open-shaped opening for the second case portion to form a front opening of the case through which a screen of the electronic device will be visible, the front opening having a closed shape.

2. The case of claim 1 wherein the length of the back opening is at least about 13 millimeters.

3. The case of claim 1 wherein first and second seam lines of the seam are visible from a front of the case, the first seam line being on one side of the front opening, and the second seam line being on an opposite side of the front opening.

4. The case of claim 3 wherein the first seam line is at one end of a bottom edge of the screen and the second seam line is at an opposite end of the bottom edge of the screen.

5. The case of claim 1 wherein the first case portion comprises the back opening.

6. The case of claim 1 wherein the second case portion comprises the back opening.

7. The case of claim 1 wherein a distance from the seam to the back opening is greater than a distance from the seam to the lower sidewall.

8. The case of claim 1 wherein a distance from the seam to the back opening is less than a distance from the seam to the lower sidewall.

9. The case of claim 1 wherein a first seam line of the seam extending across the back of the case is straight.

10. The case of claim 1 wherein a first seam line of the seam extending across the back of the case is curved.

11. The case of claim 1 wherein a shape of the back opening is an oval having the length and the width, wherein a difference between the length and the width is at least about 4 millimeters.

12. The case of claim 1 wherein the ring'"'"'s length and width increase in a direction from the interior side to the exterior side of the back of the case.

13. The case of claim 1 comprising a bottom opening through the lower sidewall, wherein a shape of the bottom opening is a rectangle.

14. The case of claim 1 wherein a color of the second case portion, other than at the inner surface of the back opening, is a color other than the black color.

15. The case of claim 1 wherein a color of the first case portion is a color other than the black color of the inner surface.

16. The case of claim 1 wherein the back opening has an obround shape.

17. The case of claim 1 wherein the back opening has an egg shape.

18. The case of claim 1 wherein the back opening has a keyhole shape.

19. The case of claim 1 wherein the case is for a smartphone device.

20. The case of claim 1 wherein the case comprises a battery.

21. The case of claim 1 wherein the back of the case comprises a base layer comprising an interior side and an exterior side,

the back opening is formed in the base layer and extends from the interior side to the exterior side of the base layer, the back opening comprising a minimum length longer than its minimum width;

and

a ring having the black color, coupled in the back opening, comprising inner and outer perimeters, wherein the inner perimeter comprises an inner length greater than an inner width, the outer perimeter comprises an outer length greater than an outer width, the inner width is less than the outer width, and the inner length is less than the outer length,

the ring'"'"'s width is aligned with the opening'"'"'s width, and the ring'"'"'s length is aligned with the opening'"'"'s length,

at least a portion of the ring'"'"'s outer length is greater than the opening'"'"'s minimum length, and at least a portion of the ring'"'"'s outer width is greater than the opening'"'"'s minimum width,

at least a portion of a ring'"'"'s outer width is less than or equal to the opening'"'"'s minimum width, and

at least a portion of a ring'"'"'s outer length is less than or equal to the opening'"'"'s minimum length.

22. The case of claim 21 wherein the ring'"'"'s inner width varies, increasing in a direction from the interior side to the exterior side of the base layer, and

the ring'"'"'s inner length varies, increasing in a direction from the interior side to the exterior side of the base layer.