Folio case for personal electronic devices with magnetic wireless charger

Abstract

The present application relates to a protective case cover and mount for a personal electronic device that enables the use of a wireless charging system including a wireless charger and a power cord with a plug. The protective case cover has a cavity recessed into an underlying structure. The cavity is shaped to accommodate the wireless charger, and the underlying structure is shaped so that the power cord connected to the wireless charger can be conveniently managed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The field of the present invention relates to personal electronic device accessories, and in particular to protective folio cases, cases, or covers for personal electronic devices, such as tablet devices and smart phones. Background Art

[0002] Because modern personal electronic devices are expensive, portable, have certain fragile components (eg, screens), and are often subject to the risk of being dropped, accessories designed to protect such devices have been developed.

[0003] Such accessories are typically made of flexible materials such as fabrics, polymers, polymer-coated fabrics, polymer-based fabrics, and leather (real or artificial). Typically, these accessories have an internal structure that is a rigid or semi-rigid impact absorbing and protective material covered by the above-mentioned flexible material. This not only provides optimal protection for the personal electronic device, but also allows customization and flexibility in processing. In addition, the flexible material typically acts as a hinge material, for example, allowing the cover of a protective case or a folio case to be opened or closed.

[0004] Increasingly in use in the marketplace are personal electronic devices that use inductive chargers that include magnetic attachment mechanisms. These chargers have dual functionality, namely, charging the device and providing a magnetic mechanism for securely attaching the personal electronic device to a stand, laptop, or the like. However, the shape of these chargers and the presence of power cords presents a challenge in efficiently and neatly accommodating both while enabling use of the personal electronic device. Therefore, there is a desire for accessories that protect the device and accommodate these charging mechanisms in a manner that takes advantage of the attachment features of these charging mechanisms. Summary of the invention

[0005] The current embodiments of the present invention describe a protective case for a charger or appliance for a mobile device that protects the charger or appliance while making the charger or appliance easier to move. Embodiments of the protective case allow personal electronic devices to be charged while the charger is still installed in the protective case, and these embodiments include features that enhance the use of mobile devices. Preferred embodiments of the protective case include a body and a cover. In these embodiments, the body provides a form-fitting reservoir for a charging device including any associated charging cable. In certain embodiments, the form-fitting reservoir includes a structure that facilitates winding of the cable. A preferred embodiment of the split cover includes a circular cutout that is lined with a flexible foam or elastic material that accommodates the charger. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1is a side perspective view of an embodiment in a closed configuration.

[0007] Figure 2 is a side perspective view of one embodiment for attaching a personal electronic device and a charging mechanism in a fixed tilted viewing configuration.

[0008] Figure 3 An embodiment of a variable tilt viewing angle configuration is shown.

[0009] Figure 4 An embodiment is shown with a covered recess for the charging plug.

[0010] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a charger recess.

[0011] Figure 6 A front view of a charger recess is shown according to one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 7 is a side view of a charger recess and cable channel according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 8 is a side view of the protective case showing the charger recess adjustability.

[0014] Fig. 9 is a photograph showing the depressions and finger holes in the back side of one embodiment.

[0015] Fig.10 is a top plan view showing the front side and internal structure of the protective shell according to one embodiment.

[0016] Fig.11 is a left side elevation view of one embodiment of a housing.

[0017] Fig.12 is a bottom elevation view of one embodiment of a housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In the following description, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers represent the same or similar elements. Throughout the specification, "one embodiment", "an embodiment" or similar language means that the specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, throughout the specification, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in one embodiment", "in certain embodiments" and similar language may but may not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. It can be noted that in this description, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said" include plural references unless the context clearly provides otherwise.

[0019] The features, structures or characteristics of the present invention may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable situation. In the following description, many specific details are listed to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented without one or more specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring the various aspects of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 1 An embodiment of a protective shell is shown, and the protective shell shows a shell cover 1, which is attached to and surrounds the shell 2. The shell cover 1 in this embodiment can be made of a variety of flexible materials, such as fabrics, polymers, fabrics coated with polymers, or leather. The internal structure of the shell cover 1 is a rigid or semi-rigid plate surrounded by the above-mentioned flexible materials, as will be discussed in detail below. The shell 2 in this embodiment is made of a substantially rigid material. Typically, this material including the internal structure of the shell cover 1 and the shell 2 is fiberglass, polypropylene, or polycarbonate, but other suitable rigid materials can be used. The rigid material underneath is wrapped in a soft material, such as felt, or synthetic microfiber, or suede-like material, which is typically composed of polyester or a polyester blend. The soft covering material is typically attached to the shell underneath using a suitable adhesive, which is a thinly applied adhesive or a hot melt adhesive die-cut from a sheet. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Different configurations of the housing cover 1 are shown to allow for different viewing arrangements. Figure 2 shows a fixed tilt viewing angle configuration, while Figure 3 A variable tilt viewing angle configuration is shown.

[0021] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the shell cover 1 comprises a plurality of structural panels 3, 4, 5, 6. The structural panels 3, 4, 5, 6 comprise a rigid or semi-rigid material such as fiberglass, polypropylene or polycarbonate panels and provide structural stability to the shell cover. The structural panels 3, 4, 5, 6 are covered in a flexible fabric material; the gaps between these structural panels define flexible hinges 7, 8, 9 which, in the disclosed embodiment, take advantage of the flexibility of the fabric surrounding the structural panels. Figure 4 As shown, hinge 9 is attached to shell 2 and joins structural panels 5 and 6. In these embodiments, the covering material is sewn to the wire fabric, which is then adhered to shell 2. Figure 4It is also shown that the structural plate 6 covers a plug recess 10 which is located in the upper half of the rear side 21 of the housing 2. The plug recess 10 is aligned with the internal cable channel 11 and forms a part of the internal cable channel 11. Figure 3 The structural plate 6 is shown covering the plug recess 10 and the internal cable channel 11 in a first configuration and Figure 4 The second configuration shown allows access to the personal electronic device plug 12. Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the personal electronic device plug 12 is fitted into the plug recess 10 and is securely held in the plug recess 10 by the retaining lugs 13. The retaining lugs 13 are at least partially formed of an elastomeric material to allow the personal electronic device plug 12 to be securely held and quickly removed if necessary. The internal cable channel 11 is located between the front side 20 and the rear side 21 and is defined by the internal support 26. Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the sides of the inner support 26 between the front side 20 and the rear side 21 are concave or convex to facilitate wrapping the power cable 17 around the periphery of the inner support 26 .

[0022] Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Fig.10 The front side 20 and sides of the housing 2 are shown, which include a mounting recess 14 that is shaped to accommodate a magnetic wireless charger 15 and a power cord 17. A notch 16 extends through the mounting recess 14 and the front side 20 and allows the cable to be passed through the front side 20 and from there to the internal cable channel 11. In some embodiments, the mounting recess 14 is formed by a rigid substrate that is overmolded with a soft material that can provide a form-fitting assembly for the wireless charger, the rigid substrate being, for example, polycarbonate, nylon, ABS, or a glass-filled variant, the soft material being, for example, TPU, TPE, or silicone. The mounting recess 14 is attached at its bottom linear edge using a fabric covering that forms a flexible linear hinge 27, such as Fig. 9 As shown. Since the magnetic wireless charger is round, the overall tombstone shape 15 of the mounting recess 14 is created. However, if the mounting recess 14 is round, the lower flexible hinge will be impractically narrow and prone to premature failure after repeated use. Therefore, the bottom linear edge of the mounting recess 14 is used to accommodate the longer hinge 27. In some embodiments, the mounting recess 14 also has a retaining lug on the top of the arch to prevent the mounting recess 14 from over-extending, i.e., popping out of the hole in which it resides. As shown Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the rear side 21 includes a recess 24 with a finger hole 25 that allows the mounting recess 14 to be pushed slightly outward from the front side 20 with a finger, such as Figure 8 This allows the magnetic wireless charger 15 to be mounted to meet the back of a personal electronic device 23, which may have a protruding camera on its back side that would otherwise prevent the personal electronic device from sitting completely flush with the front side 20. In some embodiments, the front side 20 may also have a separate cavity to accommodate the protruding camera.

[0023] The personal electronic device 23 is designed so that only a designated rear portion of the device engages with the magnetic wireless charger 15. Therefore, the mounting recess 14 must be positioned in the case according to the specific design of the personal electronic device 23 so that when the device is attached, the top and bottom edges of the personal electronic device 23 are aligned with the top and bottom edges of the case 2, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 shown.

[0024] Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig.11 shows a side view of the housing 2, which comprises a front side 20 and a rear side 21, and Fig.12 A bottom plan view of the housing 2 is shown. The front side 20 and the rear side 21 are connected by an internal support 26. The power cord 17 can be wrapped around the internal support 26, allowing the free end of the power cord 17 with the personal electronic device plug 12 to be securely held by the plug recess 10, while the other end of the power cord 17 is held when the magnetic wireless charger 15 is inserted into the mounting recess 14. The opening in the rear side 21 extending toward the front side 20 helps to separate the magnetic wireless charger 15 from the mounting recess 14.

[0025] Reference again Figure 3 , the side of structural plate 3 that includes the shell cover 1 has a series of parallel grooves 22 that are configured to receive the lower edge of the rear side 21 of the shell 2. When the shell cover 1 is folded into the configuration shown, structural plates 3 and 4 provide a base, and structural plate 5 functions as a support member. It should also be noted that the length of structural plates 3 and 4 in the disclosed embodiment is approximately equal to the length of structural plates 5 and 6, respectively, and is less than the width of hinges 7 and 9. In addition, the length of hinge 8 is equal to or greater than the thickness of the shell 2, and the thickness of the shell 2 is the sum of the thickness of the front side 20, the rear side 21, and the internal support 26.

[0026] The embodiments disclosed herein are used by first opening the housing cover 1 and inserting the magnetic wireless charger 15 into the mounting recess 14 until the magnetic wireless charger 15 is secured, wherein the proximal end of the power cord 17 is placed in the recess 16 so that the power cord 17 enters the internal cable channel 11, and any excess power cord is wrapped around the periphery of the internal support 26. The distal end of the power cord 17 can then be inserted into a power outlet or secured in the plug recess 10 using the retaining lug 13, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown. The structural plate 6 then covers the plug recess 10. The personal electronic device 23 is then attached in this manner, aligning the appropriate rear portion of the personal electronic device 23 with the magnetic wireless charger 15 until the personal electronic device is magnetically attached to the inductive charger.

[0027] In order to use personal electronic devices, such as Figure 2 or Figure 3 The housing cover 1 is configured as shown. Figure 2 A fixed tilt viewing mode is shown, wherein the structural panels 5 and 6 provide support for the rear side 21, while the structural panel 3 is folded inwardly about the hinge 7 so that the structural panel 3 is parallel to and in contact with the rear side 21, and the free upper edge of the structural panel 3 is in contact with the hinge 9 and the rear side 21. Figure 3 In the variable tilt viewing angle configuration shown in FIG. 1 , the bottom edge of the housing 2 can be inserted into one of the plurality of parallel grooves 22. Figure 2 As shown, the charging cord can be unwound from the internal support and the plug 12 can be plugged into a suitable AC / DC inverter to enable charging of the personal electronic device 23.

[0028] It may be noted that the terms used above are for reference only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as "upper", "lower", "above", "below", "right", "left", "clockwise", and "counterclockwise" refer to directions in the reference drawings. For another example, terms such as "inward" and "outward" may refer to directions toward and away from the geometric center of the member being described, respectively. For another example, "front", "rear", "side", "left side", "right side", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "horizontal", and "vertical" describe the directions of the parts of the member within a consistent but arbitrary reference frame, which becomes clear under discussion by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the member. Such terms will include the words specifically mentioned above and their derivatives, as well as words with similar meanings.

[0029] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with the above-mentioned specific embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that many substitutions, modifications and variations will be apparent. In fact, the disclosure described herein includes all possible combinations of the above-mentioned specific features, whether or not they are specifically disclosed herein. For example, in the case where a specific feature is disclosed to be present in a specific aspect, arrangement, configuration or embodiment, the specific feature may also be combined with and / or present in other specific aspects, arrangements, configurations or embodiments of the present invention within a possible range, and in the general case of the present invention. In addition, the content disclosed herein includes a mirror image, i.e. a mirror configuration, made from any angle of any accompanying drawing or other configuration shown or described herein. Therefore, the invention as described above is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A device adapted for use with a wireless charger comprising at least one attachment magnet disposed in a wireless charger housing and a power cord including a plug, wherein: The power cord is attached to the wireless charger housing, and the device includes: A housing, the housing comprising: front side; a rear side, the rear side including a plug recess; an internal cable channel disposed around a perimeter of an internal support member joining the front side and the rear side; an aperture disposed through the front side, the inner support, and the rear side, the aperture having a first opening in the front side and a second opening in the rear side; a first recessed section disposed in the front side, the first recessed section extending from a bottom edge of the first opening to a bottom edge of the front side, wherein the first recessed section includes a passageway to the internal cable channel; a mounting recess disposed in the hole, the mounting recess comprising an upper side corresponding to the front side, a cavity in the upper side having a shape adapted to accommodate a wireless charger, a linear bottom edge, a retaining tab adapted to engage edges of the first opening and the second opening, and a second notch segment, a first end of the second notch segment being coupled to a first end of the first notch segment, wherein the linear bottom edge hingedly engages a bottom edge of the hole such that a top edge of the mounting recess is adapted to extend outwardly beyond the first opening; and A housing cover is attached to the rear side, the housing cover comprising a plurality of structural panels connected by one or more hinges.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of structural panels connected by one or more hinges include: a first structural panel; a second structural panel; a third structural panel; and a fourth structural panel; a first hinge connecting the first structural panel and the second structural panel; a second hinge connecting the second structural panel and the third structural panel; and a third hinge connecting the third structural panel and the fourth structural panel.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The housing cover is attached to the rear side at a third hinge.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: A fourth structural plate is disposed over the plug recess when in the closed position.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The first structural plate includes a plurality of parallel grooves disposed on a first side, wherein the plurality of parallel grooves are adapted to receive a lower edge of the rear side of the housing.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The mounting recess also includes a finger hole in the bottom of the cavity to enable access to a portion of the wireless charger housing from the rear side of the housing.

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