Protective Cover With Corrugated Liner For Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional protective covers for mobile devices are either bulky and heavy, providing excessive protection at the cost of aesthetics and form factor, or sleek but offering insufficient protection against drops, leading to frequent screen damage and breakage.
Innovation Solution
A protective cover design featuring a housing with a rectangular frame structure, a rigid backplane for impact absorption, and a corrugated soft rubber or polymer liner with protrusions and voids that allow for deceleration reduction during impacts, maintaining a slim and attractive form while enhancing protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thick rubberized edges and bulky enclosures are used to provide protection, then protection level is improved, but weight and form factor deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into multiple functional segments: a rigid housing for structural support, a backplane for rear protection, and a corrugated liner with protrusions for impact absorption. Each segment performs a specific protective function, allowing the cover to provide comprehensive protection without requiring uniform thickness throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover combines multiple materials with different properties: a rigid material (aluminum or polycarbonate) for the backplane and housing structure, and a soft thermo-plastic elastomer for the corrugated liner. This composite construction allows the rigid parts to provide structural integrity while the soft liner absorbs impact energy, achieving high protection with reduced overall weight compared to uniformly thick rubberized covers.
2Reliability
If thick rubberized edges and bulky enclosures are used to provide protection, then protection level is improved, but form factor deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into multiple functional segments: a rigid housing for structural support, a backplane for rear protection, and a corrugated liner with protrusions for impact absorption. Each segment performs a specific protective function, allowing the cover to provide comprehensive protection without requiring uniform thickness throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated liner features localized protrusions that concentrate impact absorption capability at specific contact points with the mobile device, rather than requiring uniform thickness throughout. The squared corners of the housing provide localized reinforcement at high-risk impact zones. This localized quality approach maintains sleek overall dimensions while providing enhanced protection where needed.
3Weight of stationary object
If sleek designs are used to maintain form factor, then weight and aesthetics are improved, but protection level deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover combines multiple materials with different properties: a rigid material (aluminum or polycarbonate) for the backplane and housing structure, and a soft thermo-plastic elastomer for the corrugated liner. This composite construction allows the rigid parts to provide structural integrity while the soft liner absorbs impact energy, achieving high protection with reduced overall weight compared to uniformly thick rubberized covers.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated liner with protrusions is pre-configured to collapse and absorb impact energy before it reaches the mobile device. The squared corners of the housing are designed in advance to maximize stopping distance during corner drops. This beforehand cushioning approach ensures protection is already in place before impact occurs, maintaining both sleek design and high protection level.
4Length of stationary object
If sleek designs are used to maintain form factor, then aesthetics are improved, but protection level deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into multiple functional segments: a rigid housing for structural support, a backplane for rear protection, and a corrugated liner with protrusions for impact absorption. Each segment performs a specific protective function, allowing the cover to provide comprehensive protection without requiring uniform thickness throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated liner features localized protrusions that concentrate impact absorption capability at specific contact points with the mobile device, rather than requiring uniform thickness throughout. The squared corners of the housing provide localized reinforcement at high-risk impact zones. This localized quality approach maintains sleek overall dimensions while providing enhanced protection where needed.
5Reliability
If squared corners are used to maximize stopping distance, then protection level is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing and backplane are merged into a single integrated component that provides both structural support and rear protection. The squared corners are formed as an integral part of the housing geometry rather than as separate features. This merging approach maintains protection effectiveness while reducing the number of separate parts and assembly steps.
6Reliability
If corrugated liner with protrusions is used to reduce deceleration, then protection level is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The corrugated liner is designed with standard wave patterns and protrusion spacing that can be efficiently produced using conventional extrusion or molding processes. The geometric parameters of the corrugations are selected to provide effective impact absorption while aligning with standard manufacturing capabilities, thereby reducing the precision requirements compared to custom-designed features.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces deceleration and impact force on mobile devices during drops, minimizing breakage and damage while maintaining a sleek design, achieving a balance between protection and aesthetics.
Implementation Method 1
The liner has a corrugated soft rubber or polymer construction including a successive pattern of protrusions separated by a distance and is coupled to the inner portion of the housing. The distance between the protrusions is typically large enough to allow one or more adjacent protrusions to collapse into regions that are not contacting the mobile display device.
Implementation Method 2
The liner can be comprised of a soft thermo-plastic elastomer (TPE) or other suitable compound. The backplane is comprised of a rigid material and is coupled to a backside of the housing and provides a protective shell along a back side of the mobile display device.
Implementation Method 3
The backplane is a rigid material and operates to bypass and absorb an impact force directed to the housing. The backplane can be comprised of one of an aluminum or polycarbonate (PC) structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments include a protective cover for a mobile display device including a housing, a backplane, a liner, and a lip. The housing includes an outer portion and an inner portion, where the outer portion of the housing has a rectangular frame structure to provide a protective shell along an outer edge of the mobile display device, and where the inner portion receives and secures the mobile display device. The backplane is comprised of a rigid material and is coupled to a backside of the housing and provides a protective shell along a back side of the mobile display device. The liner has a corrugated soft rubber or polymer construction including a successive pattern of protrusions separated by a distance and is coupled to the inner portion of the housing. The lip is coupled to a front side of the housing to retain the mobile display device within the housing.