Docking sleeve with electrical adapter

• US 9,195,279 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: National Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Carnevali, Jeffrey D., Remmers, Chad Michael, Hersey, Aaron Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH TAM T
• Application Number:
  US14/667,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 245 Days
• Field of Search: 439/638, 439/929, 320/114, 320/115, 361/679.41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• 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: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2105/00 Three poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/66 with pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. to a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/68 mounted on directly pluggable apparatus

Abstract

A docking sleeve has an elastomeric protective cover, or skin, adapted for partially enveloping a portable electronic device, such as a smartphone or tablet or another portable electronic device of the prior art having a port for a docking connector. The protective cover is a sheath molded of a suitable elastic or flexibly resilient elastomer in a size and shape to fit over and closely conform to the particular portable electronic device so that the cover fits the device like a surgical glove. An adapter is provided for electrically connecting to the female input/output socket of the particular electronic device, including a male plug having a plurality of electrical connectors extended internally of the sheath and arranged for mating with the female input/output socket of the device, and a plurality of contacts electrically coupled to different ones of the plurality of electrical connectors and exposed externally of the sheath.

Claims

1. A protective cover for an electronic device, the cover comprising:

a flexible protective shell comprising a panel and a skirt surrounding the panel wherein the panel and skirt form an interior cavity therebetween, and the skirt forming a mouth opening that communicates with the interior cavity, wherein the interior cavity is configured and arranged to receive the electronic device;

an adapter fixedly positioned in the shell, the adapter comprising a male plug comprising a plurality of connectors extending into the interior cavity of the shell in an arrangement for mating with a female socket of the device, and a contactor comprising a plurality of contacts adjacent to an exterior of the shell and electrically coupled to one or more of the connectors of the plug; and

a positioning interface disposed on the shell and defining a rim around the contactor of the adapter to guide proper mating of the contactor of the adapter to an external connector, wherein the positioning interface comprises a magnetic coupling element resident in the shell adjacent to the contactor, wherein the magnetic coupling element comprises one of a magnetic material or a magnetically attractive material.

2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the rim defines an asymmetric shape.

3. The cover of claim 2, wherein the asymmetric shape comprises a straight side and a curved side opposite the straight side.

4. The cover of claim 1, wherein the positioning interface and the contactor form a male structure extending from an adjacent portion of the shell.

5. The cover of claim 1, wherein the shell further defines a peripheral cavity, wherein the peripheral cavity is configured and arranged to receive a peripheral device, the cover further comprising a peripheral plug extending into the peripheral cavity in an arrangement for mating with a female socket of the peripheral device, the peripheral plug comprising at least one connector that is electrically coupled to one or more of the contacts of the adapter.

6. The cover of claim 5, wherein the peripheral cavity is adjacent to the interior cavity of the shell so that the peripheral device can be inserted into the peripheral cavity through the mouth and the interior cavity.

7. The cover of claim 5, wherein one of the at least one connector of the peripheral plug and one of the connectors of the male plug, are both coupled to a same one of the contacts of the adapter.

8. The cover of claim 1, further comprising a tag element disposed within or on the shell and configured and arranged to a tag query device to indicate presence of the cover.

9. A docking system, comprising:

the cover of claim 1; and

a docking cradle comprising a tray configured to receive the cover and a docking connector comprising a plurality of contacts positioned to connect with one or more of the plurality of contacts of the contactor.

10. A docking system, comprising:

a protective cover for an electronic device, the cover comprising

a flexible protective shell comprising, a panel and a skirt surrounding the panel, wherein the panel and skirt form an interior cavity therebetween, and the skirt forming, a mouth opening that communicates with the interior cavity, wherein the interior cavity is configured and arranged to receive the electronic device, and

an adapter fixedly positioned in the shell, the adapter comprising a male plug comprising a plurality of connectors extending into the interior cavity of the shell in an arrangement for mating with a female socket of the device, and a contactor comprising a plurality of contacts adjacent to an exterior of the shell and electrically coupled to one or more of the connectors of the plug; and

a docking cradle comprising a tray configured to receive the cover and a docking connector comprising a plurality of contacts positioned to connect with one or more of the plurality of contacts of the contactor;

wherein the cover further comprises a positioning interface disposed on the shell and defining a rim around the contactor of the adapter and the docking cradle further comprises a base receiver configured to mate with the positioning interface of the cover.

11. The docking system of claim 10, wherein the positioning interface comprises a magnetic coupling element resident in the shell adjacent to the contactor, wherein the magnetic coupling element comprises one of a magnetic material or a magnetically attractive material.

12. The docking system of claim 10, wherein one of the positioning interface and the base receiver comprises a female portion and a different one of the positioning interface and the base receiver comprises a male portion complementary to the female portion.

13. The docking system of claim 10, wherein the positioning interface comprises a first magnetic coupling element resident in the shell adjacent to the contactor and the base receiver comprises a second magnetic coupling element, wherein the first magnetic coupling element comprises one of a magnetic material or a magnetically attractive material and the second magnetic coupling element comprises another of the magnetic material or the magnetically attractive material.

14. The docking system of claim 10, wherein the rim defines an asymmetric shape.

15. The docking system of claim 14, wherein the base receiver defines an asymmetric rim configured and arranged to be disposed adjacent the rim of the positioning interface when the base receiver is mated to the positioning interface.

16. The docking system of claim 14, wherein the asymmetric shape comprises a straight side and a curved side opposite the straight side.

17. The docking system of claim 10, wherein the shell further defines a peripheral cavity, wherein the peripheral cavity is configured and arranged to receive a peripheral device, the cover further comprising a peripheral plug extending into the peripheral cavity in an arrangement for mating with a female socket of the peripheral device, the peripheral plug comprising at least one connector that is electrically coupled to one or more of the contacts of the adapter.

18. The docking system of claim 17, wherein one of the at least one connector of the peripheral plug and one of the connectors of the male plug are both coupled to a same one of the contacts of the adapter.

19. The docking system of claim 10, further comprising a tag element disposed within or on the shell and configured and arranged to a tag query device to indicate presence of the cover.

20. A protective cover for an electronic device having a case formed of spaced apart front and back faces with side faces extended therebetween and a female input/output socket in one of the side faces, the cover comprising:

an elastomeric protective shell complimentary in shape to said electronic device, the shell at least partially covering the side faces and one of the front and back faces and extending around a peripheral edge of an opposite one of the front and back faces;

an electrical adapter structurally integral with the shell, the adapter comprising a male plug projecting into in an arrangement for mating with the female input/output socket of the device and a contactor comprising a plurality of contacts electrically coupled to the plug and exposed on an exterior of the shell; and

a positioning interface formed on an exterior of the shell and around the plurality of contacts, wherein the positioning interface defines a rim around the contactor of the adapter to guide proper mating of the contactor of the adapter to an external connector, wherein the positioning interface comprises a magnetic coupling element resident in the shell adjacent to the contactor, wherein the magnetic coupling element comprises one of a magnetic material or a magnetically attractive material.