Camera opening for smartphone battery case to reduce flash glare

• US 9,313,305 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vinci Brands LLC
• Original Assignee: Incase Designs Corporation (Incipio Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Diebel, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu, Sanh
• Application Number:
  US13/966,189
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.8, 455/90.3, 455/575.1, 455/566, 455/572, 361/679.32, 361/679.41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/56 Accessories carrying-cases A45C11/38
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0503 Built-in units
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A case for portable electronic devices including smartphones includes a feature to prevent glare from a flash from affecting images and video captured by a camera lens and also a battery to extend battery life of the electronic device. Smartphones have telephony, Internet connectivity, and camera and video features. Photos and video can be uploaded through the Internet or sent to other phones. The case has a hole for a camera flash of the smartphone to pass through. The edging of the hole is colored black or another dark color to prevent glare from appearing in the photos or video taken by the smartphone when using the camera flash.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a case of a smartphone comprising a base front surface and base back surface;

providing a cushioning material coupled to the base front surface that is a different material from the base front surface, wherein a surface of the cushioning material is raised slightly compared to the base front surface, and a housing of the smartphone will be placed against the surface of the cushioning material on the base front surface;

enclosing a battery between the base front surface and base back surface;

coupling electronic circuitry on a first printed circuit board to the battery, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a plurality of battery gauge indicators, wherein the battery gauge indicators are visible from an exterior of the case;

coupling a second printed circuit board to an inner connector and the first printed circuit board, wherein the second printed circuit board is a separate printed circuit board from the first printed circuit board, the inner connector is coupled to the battery through the first printed circuit board, and the inner connector is adapted to interface with a connector of the smartphone;

providing a button coupled to the electronic circuitry of the first printed circuit board, wherein the button is accessible from the exterior of the case;

when the button is depressed, using the electronic circuitry to detect a charge level of the battery and indicating a detected charge level by activating a number of the battery gauge indicators;

providing a camera-flash opening formed in the case, wherein the camera-flash opening extends a thickness of the case, the camera-flash opening has a first dimension longer than a second dimension, transverse to the first dimension, and the camera-flash opening of the case is positioned so a flash emitted by the camera flash of the smartphone passes through the camera-flash opening; and

causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the dark color of the first material is different from a color on the base back surface of case.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material comprises a black pigment.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material comprises a black ink.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material comprises a black paint.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

providing a dark-colored ring coupled to the camera-flash opening.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

providing a black-colored ring coupled into the camera-flash opening.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material is a different material from the base front surface.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the battery comprises a milliamp-hour capacity rating greater than a milliamp-hour capacity rating of a battery housed within the smartphone.

10. A method comprising:

providing a case for a smartphone device comprising a base front surface and base back surface, wherein a housing of the smartphone device will be placed against the base front surface;

enclosing a battery between the base front surface and base back surface;

connecting electronic circuitry to the battery, an inner connector, and an outer connector, wherein the inner connector is adapted to interface with a connector of the smartphone;

providing a sound box in the case between the inner connector and the outer connector;

providing audio openings on either side of the inner connector, wherein the audio openings are coupled to the sound box;

providing a camera-flash opening formed in the case, wherein the camera-flash opening extends a thickness of the case, the camera-flash opening has a first dimension longer than a second dimension, transverse to the first dimension, and the camera-flash opening of the case is positioned so a flash emitted by the camera flash of the smartphone passes through the camera-flash opening; and

causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the dark color of the first material is different from a color on the base back surface of case.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material comprises a black pigment.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material comprises a black ink.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material comprises a black paint.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

providing a dark-colored ring coupled to the camera-flash opening.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

providing a black-colored ring coupled into the camera-flash opening.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

forming a dark coloring on an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case by applying a first material into the camera-flash opening, wherein the first material is different from a second material of the base front surface.

18. A method comprising:

providing a case for a smartphone comprising a base front surface and base back surface, wherein a housing of an smartphone will be placed against the base front surface;

enclosing a battery between the base front surface and base back surface;

coupling electronic circuitry on a first printed circuit board to the battery, wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a plurality of battery gauge indicators, wherein the battery gauge indicators are visible from an exterior of the case;

coupling a second printed circuit board to an inner connector and the first printed circuit board, wherein the second printed circuit board is a separate printed circuit board from the first printed circuit board, the inner connector is coupled to the battery through the first printed circuit board, and the inner connector is adapted to interface with a connector of the smartphone;

providing a button coupled to the electronic circuitry of the first printed circuit board, wherein the button is accessible from the exterior of the case;

when the button is depressed, using the electronic circuitry to detect a charge level of the battery and indicating a detected charge level by activating a number of the battery gauge indicators;

forming first and second audio openings on either side of the inner connector;

forming audio openings on the exterior surface of the case, wherein first and second audio openings are acoustically coupled through an enclosure of the case to the audio openings on the exterior of the case;

providing a camera-flash opening formed in the case, wherein the camera-flash opening extends a thickness of the case, the camera-flash opening has a first dimension longer than a second dimension, transverse to the first dimension, and the camera-flash opening of the case is positioned so a flash emitted by the camera flash of the smartphone passes through the camera-flash opening;

causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

applying a black coloring to the edging of the camera-flash opening.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the causing an edging of the camera-flash opening of the case to have a dark coloring comprises:

providing a black-colored ring coupled into the camera-flash opening.