Protective enclosure for touch screen device

• US 9,674,975 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey D Carnevali
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey D Carnevali
• Inventors: Carnevali, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mathew, Fenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Don M
• Application Number:
  US13/970,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20130334071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 206 37, 206701, 206722, 206723, 206777
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/00 Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00 specially adapted for toiletry or cosmetic equipment A45D29/20, A45D44/18; travelling sewing kits A45F3/48
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2011/002 for portable handheld communication devices, e.g. mobile phone, pager, beeper, PDA, smart phone
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2011/003 for portable computing devices, e.g. laptop, tablet, netbook, game boy, navigation system, calculator
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2200/10 Transparent walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers

Abstract

A protective enclosure adapted to hold a touch screen device and allow operation of both the touch screen and actuators on a side of the device, the enclosure formed of a tray having a rim surrounding an interior device seating surface; a lid having a rim corresponding to the rim of the tray and surrounding a window aperture; a protective membrane having a transparent membrane forming an interior window portion positioned in the viewing aperture of the lid, and a resiliently pliable skirt about the interior window portion, the skirt projecting the interior window portion outwardly of the rim around the aperture of the lid; a continuous pliable seal adapted to be compressible between the corresponding rims of the lid and the tray; and a mechanism for clamping the rim of the lid and the rim of the tray with the pliable seal forming a continuous seal therebetween.

Claims

1. A protective enclosure for a device responsive to a tactile stimulus, the enclosure allowing operation of the device while the device is disposed in the enclosure, the enclosure comprising:

a tray comprising an interior device seating area and a rim around the device seating area, the tray adapted for receiving the device on the device seating area and oriented with a portion thereof responsive to a tactile input facing away from the device seating area; and

a lid movable relative to the device seating area of the tray between an open position and a closed position, the lid comprising;

a rim around a viewing aperture, the aperture positioned for viewing an interior of the enclosure there through,

a substantially transparent inelastic sheet forming a viewing window, and

a resiliently pliable skirt projected from the viewing aperture of the lid and bonded to the viewing window, the skirt projecting the viewing window outwardly of the rim around the aperture of the lid;

a continuous pliable seal positioned between the rim of the lid and the rim of the tray when the lid is in the closed position relative to the tray; and

wherein the enclosure comprises a protective case portion adapted to hold a touch screen device and allowing operation of the touch screen and of one or more actuators on a side of the touch screen device, and wherein the device seating area of the tray is further adapted to position at least a portion of the touch screen device outwardly of the rim of the lid and through the aperture thereof, with the touch screen of the touch screen device and the one or more actuators thereof being positioned substantially outwardly of the rim of the lid and through the aperture thereof when the lid is in the closed position relative to the tray.

2. The protective enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a clamping mechanism structured for clamping the pliable seal between the rim of the lid and the rim of the tray.

3. The protective enclosure of claim 2, wherein the clamping mechanism is further structured for clamping the pliable seal between the rim of the lid and the rim of the tray in a continuous substantially water-resistant seal.

4. The protective enclosure of claim 2, wherein the lid is further hinged relative to the device seating area of the tray for moving between the open position and the closed position.

5. The protective enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a substantially watertight seal between the skirt and the viewing window.

6. The protective enclosure of claim 5, wherein the substantially watertight seal further comprises a substantially continuous joint between the skirt and a peripheral edge portion of the viewing window.

7. The protective enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a joint between the skirt and the viewing window, the joint comprising one of:

an over-molded joint, an ultra-sonic weld joint, a chemical weld joint, and an adhesive bond joint.

8. The protective enclosure of claim 1, wherein the substantially transparent inelastic sheet forming the viewing window further comprises a hard and noncompressible plastic membrane.

9. The protective enclosure of claim 8, wherein the hard and noncompressible plastic membrane further comprises one of:

a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane, and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material; and

wherein the skirt further comprises a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material.

10. The protective enclosure of claim 1, wherein the skirt further comprises the pliable seal.

11. The protective enclosure of claim 1, wherein the device seating area of the tray is further projected outwardly of the rim thereof.

12. An enclosure for a touch screen device that allows operation of a touch screen on the touch screen device while the touch screen device is disposed in the enclosure, the enclosure comprising:

a shell that is adapted to contain the touch screen device;

an aperture in the shell in such a position as to be disposed over the touch screen of the touch screen device when the touch screen device is disposed in the enclosure;

a protective membrane sized for substantially filling the aperture in the shell, the protective membrane comprising;

a continuous pliable seal portion,

a noncompressible interior viewing and operating window panel that is adapted to allow tactile inputs to be communicated to the touch screen, and

a compressible skirt portion formed of a substantially transparent polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material joined between the seal portion and the interior window panel, the skirt portion spacing the interior window panel outwardly of the aperture in the shell and away from the shell that is adapted to contain the touch screen device, and the skirt portion being adapted to allow tactile inputs to be communicated to one or more actuators on a side of the touch screen device;

the protective membrane adapted to mount in the aperture with the interior window panel and skirt portion thereof and being projected outwardly of the aperture in the shell; and

wherein the shell comprises a protective case portion adapted to hold the touch screen device and allowing operation of the touch screen and of one or more actuators on sides of the touch screen device through the interior window panel and skirt portions of the protective membrane.

13. The enclosure of claim 12, wherein the skirt of the protective membrane is further joined to the interior window panel and forms a substantially watertight seal with a peripheral edge portion thereof.

14. The enclosure of claim 12, wherein the interior window panel of the protective membrane further comprises a hard and inelastic plastic sheet.

15. The enclosure of claim 14, wherein the inelastic plastic sheet of the interior window panel further comprises a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material.

16. The enclosure of claim 12, wherein the shell further comprises a tray and a lid, wherein the aperture is further formed in the lid, and wherein the lid is movable between an open position and a closed position relative to the tray.

17. An enclosure for a touch screen device that allows operation of a touch screen on the touch screen device while the touch screen device is disposed in the enclosure, the enclosure comprising:

a shell that is adapted to contain the touch screen device;

an aperture in the shell in such a position as to be disposed over the touch screen of the touch screen device when the touch screen device is disposed in the enclosure;

a protective membrane sized for substantially filling the aperture in the shell, the protective membrane comprising;

a continuous pliable seal portion,

a noncompressible interior viewing and operating window panel that is adapted to allow tactile inputs to be communicated to the touch screen, and

a compressible skirt portion formed of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material joined between the seal portion and the interior window panel and being adapted to allow tactile inputs to be communicated to one or more actuators on a side of the touch screen device;

the protective membrane adapted to mount in the aperture with the interior window panel and skirt portion thereof and being projected outwardly of the aperture in the shell; and

wherein the shell comprises a protective case portion adapted to hold the touch screen device and allowing operation of the touch screen and of one or more actuators on sides of the touch screen device through the interior window panel and skirt portions of the protective membrane, and

wherein the tray further comprises an interior device seating surface and a rim around the device seating surface, the tray adapted for receiving the touch screen device on the device seating surface and oriented with a portion thereof responsive to a tactile input facing away from the device seating surface, the tray further adapted for projecting the touch screen device at least partially outwardly of the aperture in the shell with the touch screen portion being exposed outwardly of the aperture in the shell within the protective membrane, and the one or more actuators on the side of the touch screen device being at least partially exposed outwardly of the aperture in the shell within the protective membrane for allowing operation of the touch screen and of one or more actuators on sides of the touch screen device through the protective membrane.

18. The enclosure of claim 17, wherein the lid further comprises a rim around the aperture, the rim substantially corresponding to the rim of the tray, and wherein the seal portion of the protective membrane is further positioned between the rim of the lid and the rim of the tray when the lid is in the closed position relative to the tray.

19. The enclosure of claim 18, further comprising a clamping mechanism structured for compressing the pliable seal between the rim of the lid and the rim of the tray.