Protective shell

Abstract

The utility model discloses a protective shell. The protective shell comprises a protective shell main body and a button surface layer, the protective shell main body part is used for being arranged on the back face of the electronic product and extending towards the side edge part of the electronic product, and the button surface layer is used for being arranged on the outer surface of a button of the electronic product; the protective shell main body and the button surface layer are connected in a non-integral forming mode or an integral forming mode, and the thickness of the button surface layer ranges from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm; therefore, the user can conveniently operate the button of the electronic product through the protective shell, and the control precision is high.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of electronic equipment accessories, especially a protective shell for electronic products. BACKGROUND

[0002] Electronic products such as mobile phones and notebook computers are usually protected by protective shells. Existing protective shells usually include a cover plate and a frame extending from the cover plate. The cover plate and the frame are usually integrally formed, and the cover plate and the frame have the same hardness. Some electronic products, such as mobile phones, are provided with buttons. Traditional protective shells often have a through hole at the position corresponding to the button to expose the button of the electronic product for user operation. This solution results in ineffective protection of the button of the electronic product. An existing solution is to add a discrete key sticker, such as a sensitive film, which can be attached to the button for protection. However, this discrete key sticker is prone to falling off, resulting in poor user experience. SUMMARY

[0003] The utility model aims to provide a protective shell for electronic products, which can facilitate the operation of the buttons of the electronic products and improve the control sensitivity.

[0004] The utility model discloses a protective shell for electronic products, which comprises a protective shell body and a button surface layer. When the protective shell and the electronic product are in an assembled state, the protective shell body is arranged on the back of the electronic product and extends towards the side edge of the electronic product. The button surface layer is arranged on the outer surface of the button of the electronic product. The protective shell body and the button surface layer are connected in a non-integral or integral manner, and the thickness of the button surface layer is 0.2mm to 1.2mm.

[0005] In some embodiments, the protective shell comprises a rigid region and a flexible region. The rigid region forms the protective shell body, and the flexible region forms the button surface layer. The rigid region is provided with a through hole, and the flexible region is arranged in the through hole and integrally connected with the rigid region to form a one-piece whole protective shell. The hardness of the flexible region is less than that of the rigid region.

[0006] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the flexible region is flush with the outer surface of the outer peripheral region of the rigid region located at the outer periphery of the flexible region, or the outer surface of the flexible region is recessed inwardly relative to the outer surface of the outer peripheral region, and the recessed depth is 0.1mm to 0.5mm.

[0007] In some embodiments, the one-piece integral protective shell is formed by at least a first material layer and a second material layer connected together; the first material layer is a rigid layer, and the second material layer is a flexible layer; the rigid layer itself forms the rigid area, or the rigid layer and the flexible layer overlap to form the rigid area; and the flexible layer corresponds to the part of the through hole to form the flexible area.

[0008] In some embodiments, the flexible layer completely covers the outer surface or the inner surface of the rigid layer.

[0009] In some embodiments, the one-piece integral protective shell is formed by at least a first material layer, a second material layer, and a third material layer connected together; the first material layer and the third material layer are at least partially overlapped and form the rigid area; and the second material layer is located at the position of the through hole to form the flexible area, and the edges of the rigid area and the flexible area are connected.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first material layer and the third material layer correspond to a first opening and a second opening, respectively; and the first opening and the second opening together form the through hole.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first opening and the second opening have the same shape and size and are arranged in direct overlap.

[0012] In some embodiments, the size of the second material layer is greater than the size of the first opening, and the second material layer is located at the position corresponding to the first opening and abuts against the first material layer; or the size of the second material layer is greater than the size of the second opening, and the second material layer is located at the position corresponding to the second opening and abuts against the third material layer.

[0013] In some embodiments, the aperture of the first opening is greater than or smaller than the aperture of the second opening.

[0014] In some embodiments, the protective shell is formed by a fifth material layer, and the fifth material layer forms the button surface layer and the protective shell body; the thickness of the button surface layer is less than the thickness of the protective shell body.

[0015] The utility model discloses a protective shell is divided into protective shell body and button surface layer, the button surface layer is adhered to the button position surface of electronic product, and the effective use thickness range of button surface layer is limited, so that the user can conveniently operate the button of electronic product through the protective shell, and the control sensitivity of button can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained without creative labor.

[0017] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the protective shell provided by the first embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0018] Figure 2 The exploded schematic diagram of the material layer of the protective shell provided by the first embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0019] Figure 3 The exploded schematic diagram of the material layer of the protective shell provided by the second embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0020] Figure 4 The exploded schematic diagram of the material layer of the protective shell provided by the third embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0021] Figure 5 The exploded schematic diagram of the material layer of the protective shell provided by the fourth embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0022] Figure 6 The exploded schematic diagram of the material layer of the protective shell provided by the fifth embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0023] Figure 7 The exploded schematic diagram of the material layer of the protective shell provided by the sixth embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0024] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the partial structure of the protective shell provided by another embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0025] Figure 9 The schematic diagram of the combination of the electronic product and the protective shell provided by the first embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of the present application.

[0027] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0028] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0029] It should also be further understood that the term "and / or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0030] like Figure 1 , 9 The protective case 100 shown is used for an electronic product 200. The protective case 100 includes a protective case body and a button surface layer. The protective case body is located on the back of the electronic product 200 and extends to the side of the electronic product. In other words, the protective case body includes a cover plate and a frame extending from the edge of the cover plate. The button surface layer is located on the outer surface of the button position of the electronic product 200. The protective case body and the button surface layer can be connected by a non-integral molding method or an integral molding method, and the thickness of the button surface layer is between 0.2 mm and 1.2 mm to ensure effective sensing contact.

[0031] Non-integral molding refers to a fixing method that is achieved through secondary processing via mechanical assembly, bonding / welding, or other connection methods, which is different from the non-separable nature of integral molding.

[0032] One example of a mechanical assembly method is to use a synthetic fiber material to make the main body of the protective shell, with a through hole on the side of the main body and a female fastener installed at the through hole; the button surface layer is made of an inorganic silicon compound with a thickness of 0.3mm, and a male fastener is fitted onto the outer edge of the button surface layer; the female and male fasteners are snapped together. A protective shell made in this way can be disassembled and replaced, simplifying the development process.

[0033] An example of the bonding / welding method is that a silicone is used to make the protective shell body, a through hole is formed in the side of the protective shell body, and a rubber with a thickness of 1.2 mm is used to make the button surface layer, and the button surface layer is bonded to the through hole by glue. The protective shell thus made has a lower requirement for production equipment and does not need to be additionally customized.

[0034] The integrally formed method refers to a manufacturing process that can be completed by one set of processes or one process. The characteristics after forming are generally that they cannot be split under the premise of non-violent disassembly. For example, one-time forming by injection molding, one-time forming by hot melting and hot pressing, etc.

[0035] The following Example 1 provides an example of the integrally formed method.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] Please refer to Figure 1 The protective shell 100 of the present embodiment includes a rigid area 1 and a flexible area 2, the rigid area 1 forms the protective shell body, the flexible area 2 forms the button surface layer, the rigid area 1 is provided with a through hole 10, and the flexible area 2 is arranged in the through hole 10 and connected to the rigid area 1 in an integrally formed manner to form a one-piece whole protective shell, and the hardness of the flexible area 2 is less than that of the rigid area 1. In the specification and claims, rigidity and flexibility are relative concepts, and the hardness of the flexible area 2 is less than that of the rigid area 1. In order to better define rigidity and flexibility, the present specification provides examples by material. In a specific material example, an aramid fiber material pre-impregnated with a thermoplastic resin is considered a flexible material after forming, and an aramid fiber material pre-impregnated with a thermosetting resin is considered a rigid material after forming; in more material examples, rigid materials can also be carbon fiber, glass fiber, etc. Artificial fiber materials, or metals, hard plastics, inorganic substances such as silicides, etc.; and flexible materials can also be silicone, latex, rubber, etc. In a special case, the materials of the rigid layer and the flexible layer can be the same, for example, both are thermoplastic elastomers, the difference is only that the thickness of the rigid layer is greater than that of the flexible layer, so that there is a relative comparison between the hardness of rigidity and flexibility.

[0038] The rigid area 1 is used to protect the back and sides of the electronic product, and the flexible area 2 is used to abut against the outer surface of the button of the electronic product when the protective shell body is installed to the electronic product; the flexible area 2 protects the button of the electronic product while maintaining the operation function of the button of the electronic product in the flexible area 2.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 9The electronic product 200 and the protective case 100 shown in the combination 500, the protective case 100 can be set to the electronic product 200, and the outer surface of the electronic product 200 is covered to protect the electronic product 200. The outer surface of the electronic product 200 is provided with a button. The flexible area 2 of the protective case 100 corresponds to the position of the button, and the flexible area 2 abuts against the outer surface of the button after the protective case 100 is set to the electronic product 200, which is used to protect the button. The thickness of the flexible area 2 ranges from 0.1mm to 1.2mm, so that the operation function of the button 210 is still maintained in the flexible area 2.

[0040] The specific thickness of the flexible area 2 can be 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 0.6mm, 0.7mm, 0.8mm, 0.9mm, 1.0mm, 1.1mm, 1.2mm, etc.

[0041] Preferably, the thickness of the flexible area 2 is greater than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 0.6mm. This thickness not only ensures the protection of the corresponding functional key structure on the electronic device 200 by the flexible area 2, but also does not affect the touch sensitivity of the functional key, such as the capacitive key.

[0042] The thickness of the flexible area 2 can be 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 0.6mm, etc.

[0043] Preferably, the outer surface of the flexible area 2 is flat or concave inward relative to the outer surface of the outer peripheral area of the rigid area 1 located at the outer periphery of the flexible area 3, for example, the depth H of the concave is 0.1mm to 0.5mm. In this way, the recognizability of the flexible area 2 when touched can be improved, and the aesthetic appearance of the protective case 100 will not be affected.

[0044] The depth H can be 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, etc.

[0045] Preferably, the shape of the flexible area 2 is an ellipse, a rectangle or a rounded rectangle, and the size area is at least large enough to cover the outer surface of the button. For example, the maximum length of the rectangular or rounded rectangular flexible area 2 ranges from 15mm to 50mm, and the maximum width ranges from 2mm to 12mm.

[0046] Embodiments 2-7 provide examples of the way of realizing integrated molding in the stacking mode.

[0047] Embodiment 2

[0048] Please refer to Figure 2In the embodiment, the protective shell 100 comprises a first material layer 11 and a second material layer 21, which are connected together to form a one-piece whole protective shell. The first material layer 11 is a rigid layer, which is provided with a through hole 10. The second material layer 21 is a flexible layer. The part of the rigid layer and the flexible layer that overlaps forms a rigid area of the one-piece whole protective shell. The part of the flexible layer corresponding to the through hole forms a flexible area. The second material layer 22 completely covers the first material layer 11. That is, the flexible layer completely covers the outer surface or the inner surface of the rigid layer.

[0049] The connection forming can be achieved in different ways, for example, by heating or pressurizing to melt the relevant substances in at least two layers of materials, and then flowing to a specific position under the action of pressure or mold, and then solidifying under the influence of temperature or pressure. The connection forming can also be achieved by bonding two layers of materials together through adhesive or other materials and then solidifying. The connection forming promotes the formation of an integral whole between at least two layers of materials that cannot be separated without violent intervention. Such an integral whole is also referred to as a "one-piece whole".

[0050] In the present application, the opening can be a full-enclosing through hole or a half-enclosing notch. The size of the opening refers to the size of the opening in the vertical plane of its axis.

[0051] Embodiment 3

[0052] For reference Figure 3 The difference between the embodiment and embodiment 2 is that the one-piece whole protective shell is formed by connecting the first material layer 11, the second material layer 21, and the third material layer 13 together. The first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 are at least partially overlapped and form the rigid area 1. The second material layer 21 is located at the position of the through hole 10 and forms the flexible area 2. The rigid area 1 and the flexible area 2 are connected at the edges.

[0053] Specifically, the first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 are respectively provided with a first opening 111 and a second opening 131, which together form the through hole 10. The first opening 111 and the second opening 131 have the same shape and size and are oppositely arranged. The size of the second material layer 21 is greater than the size of the first opening 111 and the second opening 131. The second material layer 21 is arranged between the first opening 111 and the second opening 131 and is connected with the first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 to form an integral whole. Since a part of the second material layer 21 covers the first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 in advance, the relative positions of the three can be stably maintained during the manufacturing process, so the protective shell 100 can not be provided with a fourth material layer 22 as in embodiment 3.

[0054] Example 4

[0055] Referring to Figure 4 , this embodiment differs from Figure 3 Example 3 in that the first aperture 111 and the second aperture 131 are not the same size. One of the first aperture 111 and the second aperture 131 is a large aperture and the other is a small aperture. The second material layer 21 is disposed in the large aperture and the second material layer 21 has a size greater than the size of the small aperture. The first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 are stably maintained in a relative position during the manufacturing process because a portion of the second material layer 21 is previously overlaid on the first material layer 11.

[0056] Referring to Figure 5 , in an alternative embodiment, the first aperture 111 is a large aperture and the second aperture 131 is a small aperture. The second material layer 21 is disposed in the large aperture and the second material layer 21 has a size greater than the size of the small aperture. The first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 are stably maintained in a relative position during the manufacturing process because a portion of the second material layer 21 is previously overlaid on the first material layer 11.

[0057] The large aperture and the small aperture described herein are relative size concepts. In a preferred example, the large aperture and the small aperture are both rectangular apertures and the width of the large aperture is comparable to the width of the small aperture, but the length of the large aperture is at least 1 / 10 - 1 / 5 longer than the length of the small aperture.

[0058] Example 5

[0059] Referring to Figure 6 , this embodiment differs from Figure 3 Example 3 in that the first aperture 111 of the first material layer 11 is a small aperture and the second aperture 131 of the third material layer 13 is a large aperture. The second material layer 21 has a size greater than the size of the large aperture. The second material layer 21 is disposed between the first aperture 111 and the second aperture 131 and is connected to the first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 to form an integrated whole. The first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13 are stably maintained in a relative position during the manufacturing process because a portion of the second material layer 21 is previously overlaid on the first material layer 11 and the third material layer 13.

[0060] Referring to Figure 7 , in an alternative embodiment, the first aperture 111 of the first material layer 11 is a large aperture and the second aperture 131 of the third material layer 13 is a small aperture.

[0061] Example 6 provides an example of a thickness ratio method for achieving integrated molding.

[0062] Example 6

[0063] Referring to Figure 8The protective shell 100 of the present embodiment is a one-piece integral protective shell formed of a fifth material layer 25 (e.g. thermoplastic elastomer, polyurethane material) with a change in thickness to form the rigid region 1 and the flexible region 2, the thickness of the flexible region 2 being less than the thickness of the rigid region 1, so that the thickness of the flexible region 2 is less than its thickness in the rigid region 1. Preferably, the rigid region 1 forms the protective shell body, the rigid region 1 has a through hole 10 corresponding to the position of the button of the electronic product, and the flexible region 2 is arranged in the through hole 10 and integrally connected to the rigid region 1 in one piece.

[0064] Preferably, the thickness of the flexible region 2 is 0.2 mm, and the thickness of the rigid region 1 is 1.0 mm. In this way, the material of the entire electronic product protective shell 100 is kept consistent, greatly improving the aesthetic appearance of the product; and can be integrally produced by injection molding process, with relatively low requirements on equipment cost.

[0065] In some embodiments, the button includes a sensing button, such as a capacitive sensing button.

[0066] In some embodiments, the electronic device includes a mobile phone, the sensing button includes a shooting key, and the protective shell is provided with a side wall for being arranged around the side of the mobile phone, and the flexible region is arranged on the side wall; the flexible region is arranged corresponding to the shooting key on the mobile phone to operate the shooting key through the flexible region. The shooting key is electrically connected to the master control of the electronic device, such as a micro processing unit, and can convert the pressing operation and / or touch operation of the user on the shooting key into an electrical signal to be transmitted to the micro processing unit, so that the micro processing unit controls the camera assembly and other related functional assemblies of the electronic device to work, thereby realizing at least one of the functions such as opening and closing of the camera, focal length adjustment, shooting, video recording, etc.

[0067] In some embodiments, the flexible region is formed with an identifiable part. The arrangement of the identifiable part can improve the efficiency and reliability of the identification of the flexible region, thereby improving the operation efficiency and operation reliability of the electronic device. The identifiable part can be realized by protruding or recessing the flexible region relative to the rigid region, or by setting the flexible region and the rigid region to have different textures, different colors, different reflectivity, etc. For example, the outer surface of the flexible region can be subjected to a surface treatment such as fluorescent treatment, so that the user can notice the flexible region at the first time. In a specific embodiment, a fluorescent agent is added to the material layer of the flexible region to help the user better notice the presence of the flexible region in a dark environment.

[0068] The above merely describes a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any skilled person in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be encompassed within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A protective case characterized by, The protective case for electronic products comprises a protective case body and a button surface layer, the protective case body is arranged on the back of the electronic product and extends towards the side of the electronic product when the protective case and the electronic product are assembled, and the button surface layer is arranged on the outer surface of the button of the electronic product. The protective case body and the button surface layer are connected in a non-integral or integral manner, and the thickness of the button surface layer is 0.2-1.2 mm.

2. The protective case of claim 1, wherein, The protective case comprises a rigid area and a flexible area, the rigid area forms the protective case body, and the flexible area forms the button surface layer; the rigid area is provided with a through hole, and the flexible area is arranged in the through hole and integrally connected with the rigid area to form a one-piece protective case, and the hardness of the flexible area is less than that of the rigid area.

3. The protective case of claim 2, wherein, The outer surface of the flexible area is flat or concave inward relative to the outer surface of the peripheral area of the rigid area located at the periphery of the flexible area, and the concave depth is 0.1-0.5 mm.

4. The protective case of claim 2, wherein, The one-piece protective case is formed by connecting the first material layer and the second material layer together; the first material layer is a rigid layer, and the second material layer is a flexible layer, the rigid layer itself forms the rigid area, or the overlapping part of the rigid layer and the flexible layer forms the rigid area. The part of the flexible layer corresponding to the through hole forms the flexible area.

5. The protective case of claim 4, wherein, The flexible layer completely covers the outer surface or inner surface of the rigid layer.

6. The protective case of claim 2, wherein, The one-piece protective case is formed by connecting the first material layer, the second material layer and the third material layer together; the first material layer and the third material layer are at least partially overlapped and form the rigid area; the second material layer is located at the position of the through hole to form the flexible area, and the rigid area is connected with the edge of the flexible area.

7. The protective case of claim 6, wherein, The first material layer and the third material layer are respectively provided with a first opening and a second opening, and the first opening and the second opening jointly form the through hole.

8. The protective case of claim 7, wherein, The first opening and the second opening are the same in shape and size and are arranged in direct overlap.

9. The protective case of claim 7, wherein, The size of the second material layer is greater than that of the first opening, and the second material layer is located at the position corresponding to the first opening and abuts against the first material layer. Alternatively, the size of the second material layer is greater than that of the second opening, and the second material layer is located at the position corresponding to the second opening and abuts against the third material layer.

10. The protective case of claim 7, wherein, The aperture of the first opening is greater than or smaller than that of the second opening.

11. The protective case of claim 1, wherein, The protective case is formed by a fifth material layer, the fifth material layer forms the button surface layer and the protective case body, and the thickness of the button surface layer is less than that of the protective case body.

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