Contoured Mobile Phone Casing with Variable Wall Thickness

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile phones have become extremely fragile due to their compact and lightweight design, compromising durability and ergonomics while maintaining portability.

Innovation Solution

A ruggedized mobile phone design featuring a contoured casing with variable wall thickness, rounded corners, and additional screws for secure attachment, along with a gasket for sealing, and interchangeable attachment points for enhanced durability and ergonomic handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Weight of moving object

If mobile phones are made compact and lightweight for portability, then ease of handling and storage is improved, but durability and ruggedness deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephone weightVSAvoidphone durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by implementing variable wall thickness in the phone casing, with thicker regions at corners and edges for impact resistance, and thinner regions in flat areas for weight reduction. This allows different parts of the same component to have different structural properties optimized for their specific functional requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite materials by combining multiple materials with different properties in the phone construction. The casing uses materials with varying densities and strength characteristics in different zones, creating a composite structure that balances weight and durability requirements across different regions of the device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Volume of moving object

If mobile phones are made compact for portability, then ease of storage is improved, but impact resistance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephone sizeVSAvoidimpact resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality through strategically placed thickened regions at high-stress areas such as corners and edges, while maintaining thinner walls in less vulnerable areas. This localized reinforcement provides impact resistance where needed without uniformly increasing the overall device volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies spheroidality by rounding corners and edges of the phone casing rather than using sharp angles. This curvature distributes impact forces more effectively across the surface, improving impact resistance while maintaining a compact overall form factor.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Weight of moving object

If mobile phones are made lightweight for portability, then ease of handling is improved, but structural strength deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephone weightVSAvoidstructural strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by concentrating structural reinforcement only in critical areas such as corners, edges, and mounting points, while using lighter materials and thinner walls in non-critical areas. This selective reinforcement maintains overall structural strength without uniformly increasing weight.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs segmentation by dividing the phone casing into multiple sections with different thicknesses and material properties. This segmented approach allows optimized weight distribution while maintaining structural integrity through strategically placed reinforcement zones.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If mobile phones are ruggedized for durability, then impact resistance is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephone durabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality through variable wall thickness design that can be implemented using standard injection molding techniques with programmable cavity designs. This allows complex geometries to be manufactured in single-shot processes, reducing assembly steps while achieving the desired durability characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10334092B2Mobile Phone
Publication Date: 2019.06.25 TOUGHBUILT IND INC
  • US10334092B2 patent drawing
  • US10334092B2 patent drawing
  • US10334092B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A mobile phone body for enclosing one or more mobile phone components is disclosed. The mobile phone body may include a face, a back side, and two lateral sides. The face may include a screen. The screen may be a touch screen. The back side may be contoured.