Multi-material protective case for sliding/articulating/rotating handheld electronic devices
First Claim
1. A protective case for a handheld electronic device, said handheld electronic device comprising a front portion that slides away from a back portion of the handheld electronic device to expose a keyboard, the protective case comprising:
- a hard plastic front shell that is configured to attach to said front portion of said handheld electronic device with a plurality of front shell hooks that engage said front portion of said handheld electronic device, wherein the front shell hooks do not interfere with a sliding motion of the front portion of the handheld electronic device relative to the back portion of the handheld electronic device when transitioning the handheld electronic device between a closed position and an open position;
a hard plastic back shell that is configured to attach to said back portion of said handheld electronic device with a plurality of back shell hooks that are recessed from an outer edge of said hard plastic back shell, said hard plastic back shell having a plurality of back shell openings formed along the outer edge of said hard plastic back shell that provide access to electronic device operational features of said handheld electronic device, wherein the back shell hooks do not interfere with a sliding motion of the front portion of the handheld electronic device relative to the back portion of the handheld electronic device when transitioning the handheld electronic device between said closed position and said open position; and
a flexible silicone layer that is disposed in, and substantially conforms to, said hard plastic back shell, said flexible silicone layer having a plurality of silicone layer openings that engage said plurality of back shell hooks so that said back shell hooks extend through said silicone layer openings in said flexible silicone layer, said flexible silicone layer disposed in said hard plastic back shell so that silicone layer operational features are disposed in said plurality of back shell openings that provide interaction with said electronic device operational features, when said protective case is installed on said handheld electronic device.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A two-piece hard shell case with a silicone or other flexible component may protect devices that hinge, slide, or otherwise articulate. A front surface hard cover may snap or connect to the front of the device while a back surface hard cover may snap or connect to the back of the device. A flexible component may be held in place under one or both of the hard shell pieces. The flexible component may be held under one or both of the hard shell covers and may have button pushers, covers, or other features to allow a user to operate a protected device while still covering the device.
408 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A protective case for a handheld electronic device, said handheld electronic device comprising a front portion that slides away from a back portion of the handheld electronic device to expose a keyboard, the protective case comprising:
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a hard plastic front shell that is configured to attach to said front portion of said handheld electronic device with a plurality of front shell hooks that engage said front portion of said handheld electronic device, wherein the front shell hooks do not interfere with a sliding motion of the front portion of the handheld electronic device relative to the back portion of the handheld electronic device when transitioning the handheld electronic device between a closed position and an open position; a hard plastic back shell that is configured to attach to said back portion of said handheld electronic device with a plurality of back shell hooks that are recessed from an outer edge of said hard plastic back shell, said hard plastic back shell having a plurality of back shell openings formed along the outer edge of said hard plastic back shell that provide access to electronic device operational features of said handheld electronic device, wherein the back shell hooks do not interfere with a sliding motion of the front portion of the handheld electronic device relative to the back portion of the handheld electronic device when transitioning the handheld electronic device between said closed position and said open position; and a flexible silicone layer that is disposed in, and substantially conforms to, said hard plastic back shell, said flexible silicone layer having a plurality of silicone layer openings that engage said plurality of back shell hooks so that said back shell hooks extend through said silicone layer openings in said flexible silicone layer, said flexible silicone layer disposed in said hard plastic back shell so that silicone layer operational features are disposed in said plurality of back shell openings that provide interaction with said electronic device operational features, when said protective case is installed on said handheld electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A protective cover for a handheld electronic device comprising a front portion and a back portion that are rotatably connected with a hinge along an edge portion of said handheld electronic device, the protective cover comprising:
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a front surface hard plastic cover that is configured to attach to said front portion of said handheld electronic device with a first plurality of hooks that engage said front portion of said handheld electronic device, wherein said front surface hard plastic cover is configured to remain securely attached to said front portion of said handheld electronic device when said handheld electronic device transitions from a closed position to an open position; a back surface hard plastic cover that is configured to attach to said back portion of said handheld electronic device with a second plurality of hooks that engage said back portion of said handheld electronic device, wherein said back surface hard plastic cover is configured to remain securely attached to said back portion of said handheld electronic device when said handheld electronic device transitions from said closed position to said open position; and a flexible silicone cover comprising; a front portion that is disposed between said handheld electronic device and said front surface hard plastic cover when said protective cover is installed on said handheld electronic device; a back portion that is disposed between said handheld electronic device and said back surface hard plastic cover when said protective cover is installed on said handheld electronic device; and a silicone hinge portion that connects said front portion of said flexible silicone cover to said back portion of said flexible silicone cover, wherein said silicone hinge is disposed over said edge portion of said handheld electronic device, and wherein said silicone hinge covers and protects said edge portion of said handheld electronic device when said protective cover is installed on said handheld electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification