Device and assembly for coupling an external optical component to a portable electronic device

• US 9,294,659 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Quadrillion Group LLC
• Original Assignee: The Quadrillion Group LLC
• Inventors: Bednarik, Jason Garrett, Hovater, Emily Marie, Hovater, Fred Lance
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US14/165,254
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.8, 348/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/14 interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/565 Optical accessories, e.g. converters for close-up photography, tele-convertors, wide-angle convertors
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/566 Accessory clips, holders, shoes to attach accessories to camera if integral part of camera body G03B17/02

Abstract

An assembly for coupling an external optical component to a portable electronic device is disclosed. The assembly includes a portable electronic device case having two sidewalls extending from a rear wall, a camera opening extending through the rear wall, a rear groove on an outer surface of the rear wall, and a side groove on a sidewall. Also included is an optical component coupling configured to removably couple to the portable electronic device case. The optical component coupling includes a face plate, a side plate, a rear tongue positioned to engage with the rear groove, a side tongue positioned to engage with the side groove, an optical component mount positioned to align with the camera opening. The optical component comprises one of a spectrometer, a magnifying optical component, a light filter, a telescope, a night vision optical component, a spotting scope, and a bore scope.

Claims

1. An assembly for coupling an external optical component to an portable electronic device, comprising:

a portable electronic device case comprising a rear wall having an inner and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, two opposing sidewalls extending from the inner surface of the rear wall, a camera opening extending through the rear wall, at least one rear groove on the outer surface of the rear wall, and at least one side groove on a first sidewall of the two opposing sidewalls; and

an optical component coupling configured to removably couple to the portable electronic device case, the optical component coupling comprising a face plate, a side plate coupled to the face plate, at least one rear tongue positioned on the face plate to engage with the at least one rear groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, at least one side tongue positioned on the side plate to engage with the at least one side groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, an optical component mount adjacent the face plate and positioned to align with the camera opening when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, and a shoulder positioned on the optical component coupling to abut the portable electronic device case when the optical component mount is aligned with the camera opening.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the optical component mount extends from an outer surface of the face plate and comprises an optical component opening aligned with the camera opening and extending through the face plate.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one rear tongue comprises at least two rear tongues, the at least one rear groove comprises at least two rear grooves, and the camera opening is positioned between two of the at least two rear grooves.

4. The assembly of claim 3, further comprising a rib disposed in at least a first rear groove of the at least two rear grooves positioned between the camera opening and the first sidewall, and a depression on a first rear tongue of the at least two rear tongues positioned between the optical component mount and the side plate, the depression disposed on the first rear tongue to engage with the rib when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the at least one side groove comprises one side groove positioned on the first sidewall opposite the first rear groove, and the at least one side tongue comprises one side tongue positioned on a front plate of the optical component coupling extending from the side plate opposite the face plate.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the side groove comprises a rib and the side tongue comprises a depression positioned to engage with the rib of the side groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case.

7. The assembly of claim 6, further comprising a gripping element extending from the optical component coupling.

8. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the at least two grooves comprise at least two primary grooves and the portable electronic device case further comprises one or more second grooves perpendicular to the primary grooves on the outer surface of the rear wall.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one rear groove comprises one rear groove comprising a rib, the at least one side groove comprises one side groove comprises one side groove comprising a rib, the at least one rear tongue comprises one rear tongue comprising a depression positioned to engage with the rib of the rear groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, and the at least one side tongue comprises one side tongue comprising a depression positioned to engage with the rib of the side groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case and the optical component opening is aligned with the camera opening.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one rear groove is positioned between a protrusion on the outer surface of the rear wall and the outer surface of the rear wall.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the at least one rear groove comprise a substantially vertical first groove and a substantially horizontal second groove, and the at least one rear tongue comprises a first tongue positioned to engage with the first groove and a second tongue positioned to engage with the second groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the side tongue comprises a T-shaped side tongue and the side groove comprises a T-shaped side groove.

13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein optical component is coupled to the optical component mount and comprises one of a spectrometer, a magnifying optical component, a light filter, a telescope, a night vision optical component, a spotting scope, and a bore scope.

14. A portable electronic device case, comprising:

a rear wall comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface;

at least two rear grooves on the outer surface of the rear wall, the at least two rear grooves being substantially parallel to one another;

two opposing sidewalls extending from the inner surface of the rear wall;

a side groove on a first sidewall of the two opposing sidewalls;

a camera opening extending through the rear wall and positioned between two of the at least two rear grooves on the outer surface;

an optical component coupling configured to removably and slidably couple to the portable electronic device case, the optical component coupling comprising a face plate, a side plate coupled to the face plate, at least two rear tongues positioned on the face plate to slidably engage with the at least two rear grooves when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, a first side tongue positioned on the side plate to slidably engage with the side groove when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, an optical component opening extending through the face plate and positioned to align with the camera opening when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, and a shoulder positioned on the optical component coupling to abut the portable electronic device case when the optical component opening is aligned with the camera opening; and

an optical component coupled to the face plate and aligned with the optical component opening, the optical component comprising at least one of a spectrometer, a magnifying optical component, a light filter, a telescope, a night vision optical component, a spotting scope, and a bore scope.

15. The assembly of claim 14, further comprising a second side tongue on the side plate opposite the face plate and substantially parallel to the first side tongue, the first and second side tongues positioned to hold a portion of the side plate between the first and second side tongues when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case.

16. The assembly of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more ribs in at least one of side groove or the at least two rear grooves;

one or more depressions on at least one of the side tongue or the at least two rear tongues, the one or more depressions positioned to engage with the one or more ribs when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case and the optical component opening is aligned with the camera opening.

17. An optical component coupling for coupling an optical component to a portable electronic device case, comprising:

a face plate;

a side plate coupled to the face plate;

at least one rear tongue positioned on the face plate to engage with at least one rear groove on the portable electronic device case;

at least one side tongue positioned on the side plate to engage with at least one side groove on the portable electronic device case;

a shoulder positioned on the optical component coupling to abut the portable electronic device case when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case;

an optical component opening extending through the face plate and positioned to align with a camera opening on the portable electronic device case when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case; and

an optical component coupled to the face plate and aligned with the optical component opening, the optical component comprising at least one of a spectrometer, a magnifying optical component, a light filter, a telescope, a night vision optical component, a spotting scope, and a bore scope.

18. The optical component coupling of claim 17, wherein the at least one rear tongue comprises one rear tongue comprising a depression positioned to engage with a rib on the rear groove of the portable electronic device case when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case, and the at least one side tongue comprises one side tongue comprising a depression positioned to engage with a rib on the side groove of the portable electronic device case when the optical component coupling is coupled to the portable electronic device case and the optical component opening is aligned with the camera opening of the portable electronic device case.

19. The optical component coupling of claim 17, further comprising a gripping element extending from the optical component coupling.