Grip and protective casing for cellular telephone

• US 5,383,091 A
• Filed: 02/22/1993
• Issued: 01/17/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Snell, Rusty B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Gregory D.
• Application Number:
  US08/020,418
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: D14/137, D14/138, D14/193, D14/250, D14/251, D14/253, 379/426, 379/433, 379/446, 379/452, 379/437, 379/451, 379/440, 379/449, 379/454, 379/455, 455/89, 455/90, 455/100, 455/344, 455/346-349, 455/351, 361/380, 361/417, 361/419, 361/420, 361/422, 361/728-732, 361/740, 235/1 D, 235/145 R, 206/305, 206/320, 206/521, 206/523, 206/586, 206/592, 150/165, 150/154
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/70 having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard mounting together a plurality of independent switches H02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/044 Protecting cover
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers

Abstract

A hand-held electronic telecommunications device is provided with a grip and protective casing made of elastomeric material for covering the back face and side walls of the device. The casing is provided with finger recesses on its exterior surface to permit the operator to reliably hold and even operate the device with one hand. The casing is constructed so as to be readily applied and even removed, as desired, by the operator himself. The manner by which the casing is supported on the device enables the casing material to avoid having to cover over any area of the front, operational face of the device, where such features as the ear piece, mouthpiece and push buttons are located.

Claims

1. For use on a hand-held electronic telecommunications device defined by a housing having a front operational face with sensorial features with which the user interfaces, an opposed back face, and transversely extending side walls between said front and back faces, a grip and protective casing having a base and a continuous wall surface surrounding said base and upstanding inwardly from said base and having a securement member projecting inwardly from said wall surface for frictionally engaging at least one housing side wall of said telecommunications device, such that when applied to said telecommunications device housing said casing overlies said back face and all side walls but avoids contact with said front face.

2. The grip and protective casing of claim 1, wherein said casing is made of elastomeric material.

3. The grip and protective casing of claim 1, wherein said securement member is a protuberance, and a plurality of such protuberances are spaced along said wall surface of said casing.

4. The grip and protective casing of claim 1, wherein said securement member comprises a flap extending further upwardly from said wall surface and hingedly connected to said wall surface, said flap having a locking element for attaching to said telecommunications device housing.

5. The grip and protective casing of claim 4, wherein said locking element comprises resilient prongs.

6. The grip and protective casing of claim 4, wherein said locking element is adapted to be releasably attached to said telecommunications device housing.

7. The grip and protective casing of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of said base is formed with finger receiving recesses.

8. The grip anti protective casing of claim 1 or 7, wherein the interior surface of said base is formed with inwardly upstanding ribs for supporting said base above said back face when said casing is applied to said telecommunications device housing.

9. A combined hand-held electronic telecommunications device and grip therefor, comprising:

telecommunications device housing having a front operational face with sensorial features with which the operator interfaces, an opposed back face, and transversely extending side walls between said front and back faces;

casing having a base, a continuous wall surface surrounding said base and upstanding from said base and an open top into which said back face is received; and

a securement member projecting inwardly from said casing wall surface for frictionally engaging at least one side wall or said telecommunications device housing, such that said casing overlies said back face and all side walls but avoids contact with said front face.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein said telecommunications device housing is formed with a transversely extending recess, said securement member is a protuberance fit into said recess, and a plurality of such protuberances are spaced along said wall surface of said casing.

11. The combination of claim 9, wherein said securement member comprises a flap extending further upwardly from said wall surface and hingedly connected to said wall surface, said flap having a locking element for attaching itself to one said telecommunications device housing side wall.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein said locking element comprises resilient prongs and said one telecommunications device housing side wall has an opening into which said prongs are received.

13. The combination of claim 12, wherein said telecommunications device is a cellular telephone and said opening contains a jack connection thereto.

14. The combination of claim 11, wherein said locking element releasably attaches to said one telecommunications device housing side wall.

15. A grip for a hand-held electronic telecommunications device comprising a base, a continuous wall surface upstanding from said base, and a fully open top;

a flap pivotally connected to said wall surface for extending further upwardly therefrom; and

a locking element disposed on said flap for projecting inwardly toward said base when said flap is upstanding.

16. The grip of claim 15, wherein said locking element comprises a pair of prongs.

17. The grip of claim 15, wherein said base has a plurality of ribs upstanding therefrom and disposed interior of said continuous wall surface, some of said ribs running lengthwise and others of said ribs running transversely relative to said base.

18. The grip of claim 15, wherein said base exterior surface is formed with finger receiving recesses.