Protective battery case to partially enclose a mobile electronic device

• US 9,356,267 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mophie Incorporated (Evercel, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mophie Incorporated (Evercel, Inc.)
• Inventors: To, Nguyen, Gjvik, Erik John
• Primary Examiner(s): Dye, Rena L
• Application Number:
  US14/675,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A protective battery case for use with a mobile electronic device can include a back wall, a right side wall, a left side wall, a bottom wall, and a top wall. The protective battery case can include a battery, which can be disposed in the back wall. A device interface can be configured to engage a corresponding interface on the mobile electronic device to deliver electrical power from the battery to the mobile electronic device. A charging interface can be configured to receive electrical power for charging the battery. The protective battery case can include one or more bumpers disposed on the inside of the protective battery case such that the one or more bumpers abut against sides of the mobile electronic device to provide cushioning and/or shock absorption to protect the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A protective battery case for use with a mobile electronic device, the protective battery case comprising:

a lower case portion comprising;

a battery;

a back wall configured to extend across at least a portion of a back of the mobile electronic device;

a bottom wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a bottom of the mobile electronic device;

a lower right side wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a lower right side of the mobile electronic device;

a lower left side wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a lower left side of the mobile electronic device;

an open top side to facilitate insertion of the mobile electronic device into the lower case portion;

a device interface extending from the bottom wall and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding interface on the mobile electronic device when the mobile electronic device is in the protective battery case, wherein the device interface is electrically coupled to the battery and is configured to deliver electrical power from the battery to the mobile electronic device;

a charging interface configured to receive electrical power and electrically coupled to the battery for charging the battery;

a left side bumper extending along at least a portion of an inside of the lower left side wall and at least a portion of an inside lower left corner of the protective battery case and configured to abut against at least a portion of the lower left side and at least a portion of the lower left corner of the mobile electronic device;

a right side bumper extending along at least a portion of an inside of the lower right side wall and at least a portion of an inside lower right corner of the protective battery case and configured to abut against at least a portion of the lower right side and at least a portion of the lower right corner of the mobile electronic device;

wherein the left side bumper extends at least half way up the inside of the lower left side wall from the inside lower left corner towards the open top side of the lower case portion, and wherein the right side bumper extends at least half way up the inside of the lower right side wall from the inside lower right corner towards the open top side of the lower case portion; and

an upper case portion comprising;

a top wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a top of the mobile electronic device;

an upper right side wall configured to extend along at least a portion of an upper right side of the mobile electronic device;

an upper left side wall configured to extend along at least a portion of an upper left side of the mobile electronic device; and

a top side bumper extending along at least a portion of an inside of the top wall, at least a portion of an inside upper right corner, and at least a portion of an inside upper left corner of the protective battery case and configured to abut against at least a portion of the top, at least a portion of the upper right corner, and at least a portion of the upper left corner of the mobile electronic device;

wherein the lower case portion and the upper case portion are configured to removably couple together to at least partially enclose the mobile electronic device; and

wherein a front opening of the protective battery case is configured such that a display of the mobile electronic device is visible through the front opening;

wherein the left side bumper, the right side bumper, and the top side bumper comprise an elastomeric and/or soft material configured to provide impact absorption to protect the mobile electronic device.

2. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the battery is disposed inside the back wall such that the battery is configured to be behind the back side of the mobile electronic device.

3. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the protective battery case is configured to house a smartphone and wherein the protective battery case has an external shape that generally corresponds to an external shape of the smartphone.

4. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the right side bumper, the left side bumper, and the top side bumper comprise an elastomeric material.

5. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the left side bumper comprises a single integral bumper element that extends along the at least a portion of the inside of the lower left side wall and the at least a portion of the inside lower left corner of the protective battery case, wherein the right side bumper comprises a single integral bumper element that extends along the at least a portion of the inside of the lower right side wall and the at least a portion of the inside lower right corner of the protective battery case, and wherein the top side bumper comprises a single integral bumper element that extends along the at least a portion of the inside of the top wall, the at least a portion of the inside upper right corner, and the at least a portion of the inside upper left corner of the protective battery case.

6. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the left side bumper, the right side bumper, and the top side bumper have concave inward facing surfaces.

7. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the left side bumper, the right side bumper, and the top side bumper together extend across at least about 50 percent of the side perimeter of the inside of the protective battery case.

21. The protective battery case of claim 1, wherein the device interface is positioned in a gap between the left side bumper and the right side bumper such that a line from the portion of the left side bumper at the inside lower left corner to the portion of the right side bumper at the inside lower right corner intersects the device interface.

8. A protective battery case for use with a mobile electronic device, the protective battery case comprising:

a first case portion comprising;

a battery;

a back wall configured to extend across at least a portion of a back of the mobile electronic device;

a bottom wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a bottom of the mobile electronic device;

an open top side to facilitate insertion of the mobile electronic device into the lower case portion;

a device interface configured to electrically couple to a corresponding interface on the mobile electronic device when the mobile electronic device is in the protective battery case, wherein the device interface is electrically coupled to the battery and is configured to deliver electrical power from the battery to the mobile electronic device;

a charging interface configured to receive electrical power and electrically coupled to the battery for charging the battery;

a second case portion configured to removably couple to the first case portion to provide a closed configuration for housing the mobile electronic device, and configured to decouple from the first case portion to provide an open configuration to facilitate insertion of the mobile electronic device into the protective battery case, the second case portion comprising a top wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a top of the mobile electronic device; and

one or more bumpers disposed at least at a lower right inside corner, a lower left inside corner, an upper right inside corner, and an upper left inside corner of the protective battery case such that the one or more bumpers are configured to abut against at least a lower right corner, a lower left corner, an upper right corner, and an upper left corner of the mobile electronic device;

wherein the one or more bumpers comprise an elastomeric and/or soft material configured to provide impact absorption to protect the mobile electronic device;

wherein the one or more bumpers are not exposed on the outside of the protective battery case when the mobile electronic device is in the protective battery case;

wherein a front opening of the protective battery case is configured such that a display of the mobile electronic device is visible through the front opening.

9. The protective battery case of claim 8, wherein the battery is disposed inside the back wall such that the battery is configured to be behind the back side of the mobile electronic device.

10. The protective battery case of claim 8, wherein the protective battery case is configured to house a smartphone and wherein the protective battery case has an external shape that generally corresponds to an external shape of the smartphone.

11. The protective battery case of claim 8, wherein the one or more bumpers extend across at least about 50 percent of the side perimeter of the inside of the protective battery case.

12. The protective battery case of claim 8, wherein the one or more bumpers comprise an elastomeric material.

13. The protective battery case of claim 8, wherein the one or more bumpers have concave inward facing surfaces.

14. A protective battery case for use with a mobile electronic device, the protective battery case comprising:

a battery;

an outer shell comprising;

a back wall configured to extend across at least a portion of a back of the mobile electronic device;

a bottom wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a bottom of the mobile electronic device;

a top wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a top of the mobile electronic device;

a right side wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a right side of the mobile electronic device;

a left side wall configured to extend along at least a portion of a left side of the mobile electronic device;

a front opening through which a display of the mobile electronic device is visible when the mobile electronic device is in the protective battery case;

a device interface configured to electrically couple to a corresponding interface on the mobile electronic device when the mobile electronic device is in the protective battery case, wherein the device interface is electrically coupled to the battery and is configured to deliver electrical power from the battery to the mobile electronic device;

a charging interface configured to receive electrical power and electrically coupled to the battery for charging the battery; and

one or more bumpers configured to abut against the mobile electronic device when the mobile electronic device is in the protective battery case, the one or more bumpers configured to support the top of the mobile electronic device, the right side of the mobile electronic device, the left side of the mobile electronic device, and the bottom of the mobile electronic device;

wherein the one or more bumpers comprise an elastomeric and/or soft material configured to provide impact absorption to protect the mobile electronic device;

wherein the outer shell completely covers the one or more bumpers.

15. The protective battery case of claim 14, wherein the one or more bumpers have concave inward facing surfaces.

16. The protective battery case of claim 14, wherein the one or more bumpers cover at least a portion of a lower right inside corner, at least a portion of a lower left inside corner, at least a portion of an upper right inside corner, and at least a portion of an upper left inside corner of the protective battery case.

17. The protective battery case of claim 14, wherein the one or more bumpers extend across at least about 50 percent of the side perimeter of the inside of the protective battery case.

18. The protective battery case of claim 14, wherein the one or more bumpers comprise an elastomeric material.

19. The protective battery case of claim 14, wherein the battery is disposed inside the back wall such that the battery is configured to be behind the back side of the mobile electronic device.

20. The protective battery case of claim 14, wherein the protective battery case is configured to house a smartphone and wherein the protective battery case has an external shape that generally corresponds to an external shape of the smartphone.