US20140246340A1

US20140246340A1 - Protective cover for electronic device

Info

Publication number: US20140246340A1
Application number: US14/037,394
Authority: US
Inventors: Peng-Jun Jiang; Hong-Ye Zhang; Chung-Chi Tseng
Original assignee: Hongfujin Precision Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hongfujin Precision Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-03-01
Filing date: 2013-09-26
Publication date: 2014-09-04
Also published as: TW201448703A; CN104013181A; JP2014170542A

Abstract

A protective cover for protecting and supporting a portable electronic device includes a bottom cover and a top cover including three segments. One of the segments at a first side of the top cover is pivotably attached to the bottom cover. Another one of the segments at a second side of the top cover is magnetically attracted to a back of the bottom cover. The segment at the second side of the top cover is slidable along the back of the bottom cover to adjust an angle of the bottom cover relative to a platform.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to portable electronic devices, and more particularly to a protective cover for a tablet computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Tablet computers can be protected by protective covers. Some protective covers can also function as a stand to support the tablet computer at an angle relative to a surface. However, it is difficult to adjust an angle of the tablet computer relative to the surface with such protective covers. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a protective cover.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of circled portion II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an assembled, isometric view of the protective cover of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3, but shows the protective cover in a state of use.

FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 are side plan views showing different states of use of the protective cover of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one”.
Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of a protective cover 100 is used for protecting and supporting a portable electronic device 200, such as a tablet computer. The protective cover 100 includes a bottom cover 10, a top cover 20, and two connecting members 30.
The bottom cover 10 includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate 11, a pivoting sidewall 12 extending up from one side of the bottom plate 11, and three sidewalls 13 extending up from the other three sides of the bottom plate 11. The bottom plate 11, the pivoting sidewall 12, and the sidewalls 13 cooperatively bound a receiving space 18 for receiving the portable electronic device 200. A recess 111 is defined in a middle of an inner surface of the bottom plate 11. A first attraction member 15 is received in the recess 111. An adhesive member 17 is adhered to the inner surface of the bottom plate 11 to sandwich and fix the first attraction member 15 to the bottom plate 11. In other embodiments, the first attraction member 15 can be fixed to the inner surface of the bottom plate 11 by any other fixing method, such as screwing, for example.
The pivoting sidewall 12 defines two spaced cutouts 121. Two ribbed plates 123 are connected between the pivoting sidewall 12 and the bottom plate 11 and bound each of the cutouts 121. Each ribbed plate 123 forms a sloped surface 124. The sloped surface 124 defines a pivot slot 125 and an opening 126 communicating with the pivot slot 125.
The top cover 20 is a foldable segmented flap having a first segment 21, a second segment 22 foldably connected to a side of the first segment 21, and a third segment 23 foldably connected to a side of the second segment 22 opposite to the first segment 21. The first segment 21, the second segment 22, and the third segment 23 are made of various materials, such as plastic, leather, or cloth. The first segment 21, the second segment 22, and the third segment 23 each include a core piece for reinforcing the corresponding segment, and a packaging member packaging the core piece. In this embodiment, the core piece of the first segment 21 is a second attraction member 211. The core piece of the second segment 22 is a reinforcing plate 221, and the core piece of the third segment 23 is a reinforcing plate 231. The reinforcing plates 221 and 231 are both made of rigid materials, such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, hard plastic, or aluminum. The first to third segments 21-23 are connected by the packaging members. A junction between every two adjacent packaging members of the first to third segments 21-23 is flexibly connected.
The third segment 23 forms a sleeve 25 at a side opposite to the second segment 22. A shaft 27 is pivotably received in the sleeve 25, such that opposite ends of the shaft 27 extend out of opposite ends of the sleeve 25, respectively.
Each connecting member 30 includes an arc-shaped main body 31. A substantially columnar first pivoting side 33 and a second pivoting side 35 are formed at opposite sides of the main body 31, respectively. Two pins 351 extend out from opposite ends of the second pivoting side 35, respectively. A pivot hole 331 is axially defined in the first pivoting side 33.
In assembly, opposite ends of the shaft 27 are pivotably received in the pivot holes 331 of the connecting members 30. The connecting members 30 are received in the cutouts 121, such that the pins 351 of each connecting member 30 are received in the corresponding pivot slot 125 through the opening 126. Thus, the first pivoting side 33 of each connecting member 30 is pivotably connected to the top cover 20, and the second pivoting side 35 of each connecting member 30 is pivotably connected to the pivoting sidewall 12 of the bottom cover 10.
Referring to FIG. 4, the portable electronic device 200 is received in the receiving space 18 of the bottom cover 10, such that a display of the portable electronic device 200 faces away from the bottom plate 11. The top cover 20 is pivoted to cover the display of the tablet computer.
In this embodiment, the first attraction member 15 is a magnetic sheet, and the second attraction member 211 is a sheet made of material, such as steel, that can be attracted by the magnet. In other embodiments, the first attraction member 15 is a sheet made of material that can be attracted by a magnet, and the second attraction member 211 is a magnetic sheet. The first attraction member 15 and the second attraction member 211 can be both made of magnets to attract each other.
FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 show different states of use of the protective cover 100. The first segment 21 parallel adheres to a back of the bottom cover 10 because of the second attraction member 211 being magnetically attracted to the first attraction member 15. In FIG. 5, the first to third segments 21-23 cooperatively form a triangular prism-shaped structure to support the bottom cover 10. The bottom cover 10 and the tablet computer are adjusted to form a needed acute angle relative to the platform by sliding the first segment 21 along the back of the bottom cover 10 away from the pivoting side 12 (as shown in FIG. 6). An angle of the tablet computer is also adjusted relative to the platform by supporting the tablet computer on a junction of the first and second segments 22 and 23 and one of the sidewalls 13 opposite to the pivoting sidewall 12 (as shown in FIG. 7).
In this embodiment, each pivot slot 125 communicates with an opening 126, which is used for detachably assembling the top cover 20 to the bottom cover 10. When a tablet computer is received in the bottom cover 10, the back of the tablet computer blocks the openings 126 for preventing the pins 351 of the connecting members 30 from releasing from the openings 126. In other embodiments, the pivot slots 125 can be pivot holes for pivotably receiving the pins 351.
In this embodiment, the top cover 20 is pivotably attached to the bottom cover 10 by the two connecting members 30. In other embodiments, the top cover 20 can be pivotably attached to the bottom cover 10 by other methods, such as by using a flexible belt, for example.
In this disclosure, the first segment 21 is attracted to a back of the bottom cover 10 and is slidable along the back of the bottom cover 10 to adjust the angle between the tablet computer and the platform.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the description or sacrificing all of their material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A protective cover comprising:

a bottom cover comprising a bottom plate with a first attraction member, and a pivoting sidewall formed at one side of the bottom plate; and

a top cover comprising a first segment, a second segment foldably connected to a side of the first segment, and a third segment foldably connected to a side of the second segment opposite to the first segment, wherein the first segment comprises a second attraction member;

wherein one side of the third segment opposite to the second segment is pivotably attached to the pivoting sidewall of the bottom cover, the first segment is attractable to parallel contact with a back of the bottom cover through the second attraction member attracted to the first attraction member, the first segment is slidable along the back of the bottom cover to adjust an angle of the bottom cover relative to a surface whereupon the protective cover rests.

2. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate is substantially rectangular, the bottom cover further comprises three sidewalls extending from the other three sides of the bottom cover, the bottom plate, the pivoting sidewall, and the sidewalls cooperatively bound a receiving space.

3. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein a recess is defined in a middle of an inner surface of the bottom plate, the first attraction member is fixed in the recess.

4. The protective cover of claim 3, further comprising an adhesive member, wherein the adhesive member is adhered to the inner surface of the bottom plate to sandwich the first attraction member together with the bottom plate.

5. The protective cover of claim 1, further comprising two connecting members pivotably connected between the pivoting sidewall and the side of the third segment.

6. The protective cover of claim 5, wherein each connecting member comprises a main body, a first pivoting side and a second pivoting side formed at opposite sides of the main body, the first pivoting side is pivotably connected to the side of the third segment, the second pivoting side is pivotably connected to the pivoting sidewall of the bottom cover.

7. The protective cover of claim 6, wherein two pins extend out from opposite ends of the second pivoting side, the pivoting sidewall defines two spaced cutouts, and forms two ribbed plates bounding each of the cutouts and connected between the pivoting sidewall and the bottom plate, each ribbed plate defines a pivot slot, the pins are pivotably engaged in the corresponding pivot slots.

8. The protective cover of claim 7, wherein each of the pivot slots comprises an opening, the pins extend through the corresponding openings to engage in the corresponding pivot slots.

9. The protective cover of claim 6, wherein a pivot hole is defined in the first pivoting side of each connecting member, the third segment forms a sleeve at a side opposite to the second segment, a shaft is pivotably received in the sleeve, with opposite ends of the shaft extending out of opposite ends of the sleeve, the opposite ends of the shaft are pivotably inserted in the pivot holes of the connecting members.

10. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the first and second attraction members are attracted to each other by magnetic force.

11. The protective cover of claim 10, wherein the first attraction member is a sheet made of magnet, the second attraction member is a sheet made of material that is attracted by magnet.

12. The protective cover of claim 10, wherein the first attraction member is a sheet made of material that is attracted by magnetic, and the second attraction member is a sheet made of magnet.

13. The protective cover of claim 10, wherein the first attraction member and the second attraction member are both made of magnets for attracting each other.

14. A protective cover comprising:

a bottom cover to be used for receiving a portable electronic device; and

a top cover being a foldable segmented flap having a plurality of segments foldably connected one by one;

wherein a first one of the segments at a first side of the top cover is pivotably attached to one side of the bottom cover, a second one of the segments at a second side of the top cover opposite to the first side is attractable to contact with a back of the bottom cover by magnetic force, the second one of the segments is slidable along the back of the bottom cover to adjust an angle of the bottom cover relative to a surface whereupon the protective cover rests.

15. The protective cover of claim 14, wherein the bottom cover comprises a substantially rectangular bottom plate, a pivoting sidewall formed at one side of the bottom plate, and three sidewalls extending from the other three sides of the bottom cover, the bottom plate, the pivoting sidewall, and the sidewalls cooperatively bound a receiving space for receiving the portable electronic device.

16. The protective cover of claim 15, further comprising two connecting members pivotably connected between the bottom cover and the first one of the segments.

17. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein each connecting member comprises a main body, a first pivoting side and a second pivoting side formed at opposite sides of the main body, two posts extend out from opposite ends of the second pivoting side, the pivoting sidewall defines two spaced cutouts and forms two ribbed plates bounding each of the cutouts between the pivoting sidewall and the bottom plate, each ribbed plate defines a pivot slot, the posts are pivotably engaged in the corresponding pivot slots, a pivot hole is defined in the first pivoting side of each connecting member, the first one of the segments forms a sleeve, a shaft is pivotably received in the sleeve, with opposite ends of the shaft extending out of opposite ends of the sleeve, the opposite ends of the shaft are pivotably inserted in the pivot holes of the connecting members.

18. The protective cover of claim 14, wherein the bottom cover mounts a first attraction member, the second one of the segments mounts a second attraction member, the first and second attraction members are attracted to each other by magnetic force, the first attraction member is a sheet made of magnet, the second attraction member is a sheet made of material that is attracted by magnet.

19. The protective cover of claim 14, wherein the bottom cover mounts a first attraction member, the second one of the segments mounts a second attraction member, the first and second attraction members are attracted to each other by magnetic force, the first attraction member is a sheet made of material that is attracted by magnet, and the second attraction member is a sheet made of magnet.

20. The protective cover of claim 14, wherein the bottom cover mounts a first attraction member, the second one of the segments mounts a second attraction member, the first and second attraction members are attracted to each other by magnetic force, the first attraction member and the second attraction member are both made of magnets for attracting each other.