CN107305407B

CN107305407B - Protective shell and manufacturing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN107305407B
Application number: CN201610242456.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 温宏权; 郭彦均; 王玠凯
Original assignee: HTC Corp
Current assignee: HTC Corp
Priority date: 2016-04-19
Filing date: 2016-04-19
Publication date: 2021-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2036-04-19
Also published as: CN107305407A

Abstract

The invention discloses a protective shell and a manufacturing method of the protective shell. The protective shell is suitable for protecting the electronic device. The electronic device has a display area. The protective housing comprises a back cover and a face cover. The back cover is suitable for being assembled to the electronic device. The face cover is suitable for covering the display area of the electronic device and is flexibly connected to the back cover. The surface cover is provided with a plurality of light-transmitting areas and bendable lines. The transparent areas are arranged on the surface cover, so that an image displayed in the display area of the electronic device can be projected into another image through the transparent areas. The face cover can be bent along the bendable line, and the bent face cover can support the back cover assembled with the electronic device.

Description

Protective shell and manufacturing method thereof

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to protective cases, and particularly to a protective case for an electronic device and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background

Due to the diversified functions and the thin design, thin devices such as smart phones and tablet computers are very popular among consumers. Therefore, the related accessories are also vigorously developed. In particular, accessories such as protective cases are most popular among consumers. When the protective shell is provided with a back cover and a face cover. The back cover is used for fixing the thin device. The surface cover is used for covering a display area (such as a touch display screen) of the thin device so as to prevent the display area from being scratched.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a protective cover for protecting an electronic device, projecting a low-resolution image in cooperation with a display area of the electronic device, and supporting the electronic device.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing the protective cover.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a protective case adapted to protect an electronic device. The electronic device has a display area. The protective housing comprises a back cover and a face cover. The back cover is suitable for being assembled to the electronic device. The face cover is suitable for covering the display area of the electronic device and is flexibly connected to the back cover. The surface cover is provided with a plurality of light-transmitting areas and bendable lines. The transparent areas are arranged on the surface cover, so that an image displayed in the display area of the electronic device can be projected into another image through the transparent areas. The face cover can be bent along the bendable line, and the bent face cover can support the back cover assembled with the electronic device.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a protective shell, which is suitable for manufacturing the protective shell for protecting an electronic device, wherein the electronic device is provided with a display area, and the method for manufacturing the protective shell comprises the following steps. And coating the opaque material on the plurality of light transmitting sheets through the hot-pressing common mode to form the opaque part and the flexible part extending from the opaque part. The opaque portion, the transparent sheet and the flexible portion constitute a surface cover. The surface cover is suitable for covering a display area of the electronic device, the light-tight part is provided with a linear weakening area to form a bendable line, the bendable line is positioned between the light-transmitting sheets, the light-tight part is provided with a plurality of openings, and the openings are respectively exposed out of a plurality of parts of the light-transmitting sheets so as to define a plurality of light-transmitting areas on the light-transmitting sheets. The flexible portion of the face cover is connected to the back cover. The back cover is suitable for being assembled to the electronic device, the face cover can be bent along the bendable line, and the bent face cover can support the back cover assembled with the electronic device.

Based on the above, the protective sleeve can provide functions of protecting the electronic device, projecting an image with low resolution by matching with the display area of the electronic device, and supporting the electronic device. In addition, the manufacturing method of the protective sleeve is used for manufacturing the protective sleeve.

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective sheath according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the protective casing of FIG. 1 taken along line I-I;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the protective sheath of FIG. 2 in an open position;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the protective sheath of FIG. 2 in a bent state;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the protective sheath of FIG. 1 in a folded state;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the case of FIG. 5A assembled with an electronic device;

fig. 6A to 6C illustrate a method for manufacturing a protective sheath according to an embodiment of the invention.

Description of the symbols

50: electronic device

52: display area

100: protective shell

110: back cover

120: face cover

120 a: the first side edge

120 b: second side edge

122: light-transmitting sheet

124: opaque part

124 a: opening of the container

124 b: linear zone of weakness

126: flexible part

128: ultrasonic wave mounting

131: back magnetic part

132: surface magnetic part

A: light-transmitting region

B: bendable line

C: light-impermeable material

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the protective case 100 is suitable for protecting an electronic device 50, such as a smart phone or a tablet computer. The protective case 100 includes a back cover 110 and a face cover 120. The back cover 110 is adapted to be assembled to the electronic device 50. The face cover 120 is adapted to cover the display area 52 of the electronic device 50. The cover 120 has a plurality of transparent regions a, and the transparent regions a are arranged on the cover 120, so that the image displayed in the display region 52 of the electronic device 50 can be projected into another image through the transparent regions a. In addition, as shown in fig. 3, the face cover 120 is flexibly connected to the back cover 110 such that the face cover 120 can be flipped open with respect to the back cover 110. In addition, referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, the surface cover 120 has a foldable line B. Therefore, as shown in fig. 4, 5A and 5B, the face cover 120 can be bent along the bendable line B, and the bent face cover 120 can support the back cover 110 assembled with the electronic device 50. In another embodiment, not shown, the bendable line B is not limited to one, but may be a plurality of lines parallel to each other, so that the face cover 120 can be rolled up.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the face cover 120 has a first side 120a and a second side 120B opposite to the first side 120a, the first side 120a is flexibly connected to the back cover 110, and the bendable line B is located between the first side 120a and the second side 120B. In addition, referring to fig. 4, the protective case 100 includes a back magnetic member 131 and a front magnetic member 132. The back magnetic member 131 is disposed on the back cover 110, and the face magnetic member 132 is disposed on the face cover 120. The back magnetic member 131 and the surface magnetic member 132 can magnetically attract each other to temporarily fix the position of the surface cover 120 relative to the back cover 110 after being bent. In the present embodiment, the back magnetic element 131 is disposed at the center of the back cover 110, and the face magnetic element 132 is disposed at the second side 120b, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, not shown, for the face cover 120 rolled along the plurality of foldable lines B, the face magnetic element 132 may be disposed at a position of the face cover 120 close to the back cover 110 where the back magnetic element 131 is disposed.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the cover 120 includes two transparent sheets 122 and an opaque portion 124. The material of the light-transmitting sheet 122 is, for example, PC (Polycarbonate). The opaque portions 124 can be formed by encapsulating the opaque material (e.g., the opaque material C of fig. 6A) on the transparent sheets 122 through a co-mold (co-mold) process. The opaque portion 124 is made of rubber, for example. The opaque portion 124 has a plurality of openings 124a, and the openings 124a respectively expose a plurality of portions of the transparent sheets 122 to define the transparent regions a on the transparent sheets 122. The opaque portion 124 is made of rubber, for example. In addition, the opaque portion 124 has a linear weakened region 124B to form a bendable line B. In the present embodiment, the linear weakening region 124b is a linear recess recessed from the inner surface of the opaque portion 124 relative to the back cover 110. Further, the linear recesses spatially overlap with the corresponding openings 124 a. In another embodiment, not shown, the number of the light-transmitting sheets 122 is not limited to two, but can be increased according to the number of the foldable lines B.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, the face cover 120 has a flexible portion 126, and the flexible portion 126 extends from the opaque portion 124 and is fixed to one side of the back cover 110, so that the opaque portion 124 is flexibly connected to the back cover 110. In this embodiment, in the process of forming the opaque portion 124, the flexible portion 126 can be formed together with the opaque material C forming the opaque portion 124. In addition, the face cover 120 has an ultrasonic fixing member 128, and the flexible portion 126 is fixed to the ultrasonic fixing member 128, and the ultrasonic fixing member 128 is welded to the back cover 110. For example, in the process of forming the flexible portion 126, the flexible portion 126 may be formed on the ultrasonic fixing member 128, thereby increasing the bonding strength between the flexible portion 126 and the ultrasonic fixing member 128. In addition, the material of the ultrasonic fasteners 128 may be the same as or similar to that of the back cover 110. Accordingly, welding the ultrasonic wave fixing member 128 to the back cover 110 via the ultrasonic wave can improve the bonding strength between the ultrasonic wave fixing member 128 and the back cover 110. In another embodiment, not shown, the ultrasonic fasteners 128 may be omitted, such that the flexible portion 126 is welded or fastened directly to the back cover 110.

Referring to fig. 6A and 6B, first, a plurality of light-transmissive sheets 122 are coated with an opaque material C by a hot-press co-molding process to form an opaque portion 124 and a flexible portion 126 extending from the opaque portion 124, as shown in fig. 6B. The opaque portion 124, the plurality of light transmitting sheets 122, and the flexible portion 126 constitute the face cover 120. The detailed structure of the face cover 120 is illustrated in fig. 1 and 2, and is not described herein. Next, referring to fig. 6B and fig. 6C, the flexible portion 126 of the front cover 120 is connected to the back cover 110. In the present embodiment, in the step of forming the flexible portion 126, the flexible portion 126 is formed on the ultrasonic fixing member 128 by thermocompression molding, as shown in fig. 6B, and in the step of connecting the flexible portion 126 of the face cover 120 to the back cover 110, the flexible member is welded to the back cover 110 via the ultrasonic fixing member 128 by ultrasonic waves, as shown in fig. 6C.

Referring to fig. 6B, after the surface cover 120 is completed, the surface magnetic member 132 may be fixed to the surface cover 120 by, for example, adhesion, and the back magnetic member 131 may also be fixed to the back cover 110 by, for example, adhesion. Therefore, the position of the surface cover 120 relative to the back cover 110 after being bent is temporarily fixed by the magnetic attraction between the back magnetic member 131 and the surface magnetic member 132, as shown in fig. 4 and 5A.

In summary, in the present invention, the linear weakened area is formed on the surface cover having the plurality of light-transmitting areas as the bendable line, so that the surface cover can be bent along the bendable line, and the bent surface cover can support the back cover assembled with the electronic device. Therefore, the front cover not only provides a display area for protecting the electronic device and projects an image with low resolution by matching with the display area of the electronic device, but also can be bent to support the back cover assembled with the electronic device. Therefore, the protective case has diversified functions.

While the invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A protective case adapted to protect an electronic device having a display area, the protective case comprising:

a back cover adapted to be assembled to the electronic device; and

a face cover adapted to cover the display area of the electronic device and flexibly connected to the back cover, wherein the face cover has a plurality of transparent areas and a bendable line, the transparent areas are arranged on the face cover, so that an image displayed in the display area of the electronic device can be projected into another image through the transparent areas, the face cover can be bent along the bendable line, and the bent face cover can support the back cover assembled with the electronic device,

the transparent regions form a plurality of point-shaped recesses on the surface cover, and the bendable line is positioned between the transparent regions.

2. The protective case of claim 1, further comprising:

the back magnetic piece is arranged on the back cover; and

the surface magnetic part is arranged on the surface cover, wherein the back magnetic part and the surface magnetic part can be mutually magnetically attracted so as to temporarily fix the position of the surface cover relative to the back cover after being bent.

3. The protective case of claim 1, wherein the face cover comprises:

a plurality of light transmissive sheets;

and the opaque part is coated on the transparent pieces and is provided with a plurality of openings, the openings are respectively exposed out of a plurality of parts of the transparent pieces so as to define the transparent areas on the transparent pieces, the opaque part is provided with a linear weakening area so as to form the bendable line, and the bendable line is positioned between the transparent pieces.

4. The protective case of claim 3, wherein the linear weakened area is a linear recess recessed from the opaque portion relative to the inner face of the back cover.

5. The protective case of claim 4, wherein the linear recess on the lower side of the face cover spatially overlaps with the corresponding openings, and the corresponding openings on the upper side of the face cover are arranged along the bendable line.

6. The protective case of claim 3, wherein the face cover has a flexible portion extending from the opaque portion and secured to one side of the back cover such that the opaque portion flexibly connects to the back cover.

7. The protective case of claim 6, wherein the face cover has an ultrasonic fastener, and the flexible portion is secured to the ultrasonic fastener, and the ultrasonic fastener is welded to the back cover.

8. A method for manufacturing a protective case adapted to manufacture a protective case for protecting an electronic device, the electronic device having a display area, the method comprising:

coating a plurality of light transmitting sheets with a light-tight material by a hot-pressing common mode to form a light-tight part and a flexible part extending from the light-tight part, wherein the light-tight part, the light transmitting sheets and the flexible part form a surface cover, the surface cover is suitable for covering the display area of the electronic device, the light-tight part is provided with a linear weakening area to form a bendable line, the bendable line is positioned between the light transmitting sheets, the light-tight part is provided with a plurality of openings, and the openings are respectively exposed out of a plurality of parts of the light transmitting sheets so as to define a plurality of light transmitting areas on the light transmitting sheets; and

connecting the flexible part of the face cover to a back cover, wherein the back cover is suitable for being assembled to the electronic device, the face cover can be bent along the bendable line, and the bent face cover can support the back cover assembled with the electronic device,

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the linear weakened area is a linear recess recessed from the opaque portion relative to the inner face of the back cover.

10. The method of manufacturing a protective case according to claim 9, wherein the linear recess at the lower side of the face cover spatially overlaps with the corresponding openings, and the corresponding openings at the upper side of the face cover are arranged along the bendable line.

11. The protective case manufacturing method of claim 8, comprising:

fixing a face magnetic member to the face cover; and

and fixing the back magnetic piece on the back cover, wherein the back magnetic piece and the surface magnetic piece can be magnetically attracted with each other so as to temporarily fix the position of the surface cover relative to the back cover after being bent.

12. The method of manufacturing a protective case according to claim 8, wherein in the step of forming the flexible portion, the flexible portion is formed on an ultrasonic fixing member by thermo-compression molding, and in the step of connecting the flexible portion of the face cover to the back cover, the flexible member is welded to the back cover via the ultrasonic fixing member by ultrasonic waves.