Protective case with stylus access feature

• US 9,621,219 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2017
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Inventors: Richmond, Marc A., Armstrong, Peter S, Kim, Michael H., Jones, Steven A., Zupancic, Zachary W.
• Primary Examiner(s): West, Lewis
• Application Number:
  US15/398,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20170117930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 97 Days
• 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 13/008 for making water- or air-tight
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2011/002 for portable handheld communication devices, e.g. mobile phone, pager, beeper, PDA, smart phone
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2013/025 for holding portable computers or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 Waterproofing of transmission device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities

Abstract

A protective case for use with a portable electronic device includes a protective shell and a cap. The protective shell is configured to at least partially encase the portable electronic device and includes an aperture configured to align with a receptacle of the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is installed in the protective case. The aperture is configured to allow insertion of the stylus into the receptacle of the portable electronic device from outside the protective shell a cap removably insertable into the aperture of the protective shell to close the aperture. The cap is attachable to the stylus to facilitate removal of the stylus from the receptacle of the installed portable electronic device. The cap is configured to allow the stylus to extend into the receptacle to interact with the sensor of the portable electronic device while remaining attached to the stylus.

Claims

1. A protective case for use with a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device having a receptacle for storing a stylus and a sensor for detecting presence of the stylus in the receptacle of the portable electronic device, the protective case comprising:

a protective shell configured to at least partially encase the portable electronic device, the protective shell including an aperture configured to align with the receptacle of the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is installed in the protective case, the aperture configured to allow insertion of the stylus into the receptacle of the portable electronic device from outside the protective shell when the portable electronic device is installed in the protective case; and

a cap removably insertable into the aperture of the protective shell to close the aperture, the cap attachable to the stylus to facilitate removal of the stylus from the receptacle of the installed portable electronic device, the cap configured to allow the stylus to extend into the receptacle of the portable electronic device to interact with the sensor of the portable electronic device while remaining attached to the stylus.

2. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a gasket for removably sealing the cap to the protective shell at the aperture.

3. The protective case of claim 2 wherein the gasket is attached to one of the cap and the aperture of the protective shell and the other of the cap and the protective shell includes a gasket seat for receiving the gasket.

4. The protective case of claim 1 further comprising a tether attached to the protective shell and the cap.

5. The protective case of claim 4 wherein the tether is slidably attached to the protective shell at a slot of the protective shell.

6. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the cap includes an indentation configured to facilitate removal of the cap from the aperture of the protective shell.

7. The protective case of claim 1 wherein to allow the stylus to extend into the receptacle of the portable electronic device to interact with the sensor includes to allow the stylus to extend into the receptacle to at least 90% of a length of the receptacle.

8. A waterproof protective case for a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device having a stylus storage area for storing a stylus when the stylus is not in use, the waterproof protective case comprising:

a shell configured to at least partially enclose the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is installed in the waterproof protective case, the shell including an aperture positioned to align with an opening of the stylus storage area of the installed portable electronic device; and

a cap configured to form a waterproof seal with the shell when the cap is removably inserted into the aperture of the shell, the cap further configured to removably attach to a first end of the stylus to facilitate insertion and removal of the stylus from the stylus storage area of the portable electronic device through the aperture when the portable electronic device is installed in the waterproof protective case.

9. The waterproof protective case of claim 8 further comprising a gasket for sealing the cap to the shell.

10. The waterproof protective case of claim 8 wherein the cap includes one or more cap retention elements configured to interact with one or more retention elements on a surface of the aperture of the shell to removably retain the cap in the aperture.

11. The waterproof protective case of claim 10 wherein the one or more cap retention elements includes a protrusion and the one or more retention elements on the surface of the aperture includes a groove.

12. The waterproof protective case of claim 8 further comprising a tether connecting the cap to the shell.

13. The waterproof protective case of claim 12 wherein the shell further includes a slot that allows an end of the tether to slide along a side of the waterproof protective case.

14. The waterproof protective case of claim 8 wherein the cap includes an inner cap retention element that configured to interact with a stylus retention element of the stylus for attaching the cap to the stylus.

15. A protective encasement for a portable electronic device having a stylus storage area, the protective encasement comprising:

a shell configured to at least partially cover the portable electronic device, the shell including an aperture configured to allow access to the stylus storage area of the portable electronic device from outside the protective encasement when the portable electronic device is in the protective encasement;

a stylus for use with the portable electronic device, the stylus configured to interact with a sensor of the portable electronic device, the sensor adapted to sense presence of the stylus in the stylus storage area; and

a removable cap configured for insertion into the aperture of the shell, the removable cap configured to attach to an end of the stylus to allow the attached stylus to extend into the stylus storage area of the portable electronic device through the aperture to interact with the sensor of the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is in the protective encasement, the removable cap further configured to remove the attached stylus from the stylus storage area of the portable electronic device through the aperture of the shell when the removable cap is removed from the aperture.

16. The protective encasement of claim 15 wherein the removable cap forms a water resistant seal with the shell at the aperture.

17. The protective encasement of claim 15 wherein the stylus has a length which is greater than a length of the stylus storage area.

18. The protective encasement of claim 15 wherein the removable cap includes an indentation to facilitate removal of the removable cap from the aperture of the shell.

19. The protective encasement of claim 15 wherein the removable cap includes a textured surface to facilitate removal of the removable cap from the aperture of the shell.

20. The protective encasement of claim 15 wherein the removable cap includes one or more cap retention elements to interact with one or more retention elements on a surface of the aperture.