Mobile device case and peripheral system

• US 9,678,537 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Victor Kupferstein
• Original Assignee: Victor Kupferstein
• Inventors: Kupferstein, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Xanthia C
• Application Number:
  US14/266,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20140321048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/40 by means of coilable or bendable legs or spiral shaped legs
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• 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

Abstract

A mobile device case having a first port and a second port, both for interfacing with a mobile device and a third port electrically connected to both the first port and the second port, the third port for interfacing with a peripheral. In one embodiment, the first port may be for power and the second port may be for data, and the third port may be a circular port having rings of conductive material electrically connected to either the first port or the second port. In one embodiment, the third port may further be recessed into a back surface of the case, and walls of the recessed segment may be used as a portion of a support system for removably fixing peripherals to the third port.

Claims

1. A mobile device case, comprising:

a first port for interfacing with a mobile device;

a second port for interfacing with the mobile device; and

a third port electrically connected to both the first port and the second port,

the third port comprising a first conductive segment and a second conductive segment for interfacing with the first port and the second port respectively;

wherein the first port and the second port are each orthogonal to an axis of the third port.

2. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the first port is for power and is electrically connected to the first conductive segment and the second port is for data and is electrically connected to the second conductive segment.

3. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone, a tablet, a GPS device, or an eBook reader.

4. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the third port is recessed into a surface of the mobile device case and contains one or more walls configured for removably fixing a peripheral to the mobile device case.

5. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the mobile device case has four walls comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall, and a right side wall, and wherein a first interface on the mobile device connects to the case at the first port at a first of the four walls and a second interface on the mobile device connects to the case at the second port at a second of the four walls.

6. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the first port and the second port have different orientations.

7. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the mobile device case duplicates one of a first interface on the mobile device connected to the case at the first port and a second interface on the mobile device connected to the case at the second port at a location other than the third port.

8. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the third port is for interfacing with the mobile device through the first port and the second port.

9. The mobile device case of claim 1 further comprising a fourth port, wherein the third port is connected to the fourth port at a third conductive segment.

10. The mobile device case of claim 1 wherein the third port further comprises a conductive segment for ground.

11. The mobile device case of claim 10 wherein the first conductive segment and the conductive segment for ground connect to the first port and the second conductive segment connects to the second port.

12. The mobile device case of claim 10 wherein the first and second conductive segments are circular and concentric.

13. A system for connecting peripherals to mobile devices, the system comprising:

a mobile device case comprising;

a first port for interfacing with a mobile device;

a second port for interfacing with the mobile device; and

a third port connected to both the first port and the second port,

the third port comprising a first conductive segment and an second conductive segment, and

a first peripheral configured to be removably fixable to the third port,

wherein the first peripheral connects to at least one of the first port and the second port through the first conductive segment and the second conductive segment of the third port;

wherein the first port and the second port are each orthogonal to an axis of the third port.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first port is an electrical power interface and wherein the second port is a data interface.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the first peripheral device uses the first conductive segment and not the second conductive segment, and wherein a second peripheral uses the second conductive segment and not the first conductive segment.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the first peripheral is a speaker.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the second port on the mobile device case is for connecting to an audio jack.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the first peripheral is a hard drive.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the hard drive contains an application programming interface for allowing use with mobile devices containing different operating systems.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the first port and the second port of the mobile device case are configured to correspond with a first port and a second port of a particular mobile device, and wherein the third port does not depend on the particular mobile device.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the first peripheral is configured to connect with the third port of a plurality of mobile device cases configured for different particular mobile devices.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein the mobile device case has a third conductive segment for ground, and the first and second conductive segments are for power and data respectively, and the first peripheral has at least one peripheral conductive segment corresponding to one of the first conductive segment, second conductive segment, and third conductive segment.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the first peripheral connects to the first port or the second port through the peripheral conductive segment and the corresponding conductive segment of the third port.

24. The system of claim 13 wherein the first peripheral is a spare battery and wherein a second peripheral is connected to the fourth port.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the second peripheral is a charging stand.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the second peripheral charges both the first peripheral and a mobile device in the mobile device case.

27. The system of claim 13, wherein the first peripheral is a charging stand.

28. The system of claim 13, wherein the first peripheral is a spare battery.

29. The system of claim 13 wherein the third port is recessed into a surface of the mobile device case and contains one or more walls configured for removably fixing the peripheral to the mobile device case.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the third port is circular and wherein the first and second conductive segments are circular and concentric.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the peripheral is rotatable within the third port when removably fixed.

32. The system of claim 13 wherein the mobile device case has four walls comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a left side wall, and a right side wall, and wherein a first interface on the mobile device connects to the case at a first of the four walls and a second interface on the mobile device connects to the case at a second of the four walls.

33. The system of claim 13 wherein the first port and the second port have different orientations.

34. The system of claim 13 wherein the first port and the second port are each orthogonal to an axis of the third port.