DE20201741U1 - phone case - Google Patents

Description

PATENT ATTORNEY * &iacgr;&iacgr; .* · · ·*

Oipl.-lng. A. Wasmeier Dipl.-lng. H. Graf

Authorized before the European Patent Office + Trade Mark Office · Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office + Trade Mark Office

Patent Attorneys PO Box 10 08 26 93008 Regensburg

German Patent and Trademark Office Zweibrückenstr.

80297 Munich D-93008 REGENSBURG P.O. BOX 10 08 26

D-93055 REGENSBURG GREFLINGERSTRASSE 7

phone

(0941)79 20 85 (0941)79 20 86 (0941)79 5106

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E-mail:
wasmeier-gr3f@t-0nline.de

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B/g 20,558

Date
Date

04.02.2002 vv-ra

Applicant:

Helmut Böhm Asamstr. 92366 Hohenfels

Title:

Cell phone case

Accounts: HypoVereinsbank (bank code 750 200 73) 5 839

Postgiroamt Müncti«) {Qll.700 ipp 80J _# 893 _# 69-801 _## Place of jurisdiction Regensburg

A20558.DOC
12:12

Cell phone case

The innovation concerns a mobile phone case made of flexible material, e.g. textile, plastic, leather, which in the conventional way has a hinged lid and a closure on the front as well as a holder for attaching the case with the mobile phone to a belt, a bag or the like on the back.

Cell phone cases are usually made of soft material, preferably plastic or leather, which protects the cell phone surface from scratches or dirt. However, in many cases, e.g. craftsmen, forestry workers, people working in agriculture, etc., the problem always arises that the cell phone is exposed to considerable mechanical influences from the outside, e.g. bumps, blows and the like, so that the risk of a cell phone being damaged or destroyed by such unintentional mechanical stress is very high. It also often happens in these and many other professions that the cell phone, which is held by a hook or clip on a belt or in a jacket pocket, falls to the ground and is damaged.

The aim of the innovation is therefore to propose a mobile phone case that is designed in such a way that it can withstand such mechanical stresses or that conventional mobile phone cases can be modified in such a way that they can withstand mechanical stresses.

According to the innovation, this is achieved by making the cell phone case with shock-resistant or impact-resistant walls or by having shock-resistant and impact-resistant walls. This can be achieved by making the walls of the case sufficiently rigid and strong so that impacts and blows from the outside against the case are absorbed and not transferred to the cell phone in the case, i.e. by appropriately designing the case walls themselves, e.g. by using double walls with shock-resistant material in between.

A20558.DOC · * ··· * Il I * I

On the other hand, this task is solved by inserting a solid insert into a conventional soft cell phone case, e.g. in the form of a cuboid-shaped, break-proof plastic insert that can be pushed into the case. Such an insert preferably has the shape of a cuboid that is closed at the bottom, the open top side of which is protected by a reinforced lid part of the case, and which holds the cell phone. The external dimensions of the insert are designed so that the insert fits exactly into the cell phone case. In all cases in which the cell phone has too much play in the interior of the insert, it is proposed to equip the inner surface of the insert with a lining made of soft, elastically flexible material, e.g. foam, or with self-adhesive soft rubber strips, so that the cell phone is well secured and firmly positioned within the remaining space. In this way, a cell phone case with a solid and stable insert can be adapted to any size of cell phone.

When using a stable insert, the innovation proposes providing recesses on two opposite side walls into which the mobile phone user can reach in order to pull the mobile phone out of the insert when the mobile phone is to be used. Such recesses are open at the top so that the mobile phone can be easily removed. By dimensioning the recesses sufficiently, mobile phones of different sizes or heights can be easily taken out of the pocket and put back in again.

Cell phone cases are usually designed in portrait format, but can also be made in landscape format, so that the stable plastic insert has its long dimension in the transverse direction and the case is worn across the belt. The cell phone case is usually attached to the belt using a hook or Velcro. Neither type of attachment is suitable for secure fastening. In a further development of the innovation, it is therefore proposed to firmly attach two loops on the back of the cell phone case, arranged symmetrically to the central axis and equally spaced apart, to the case, e.g. by sewing, gluing, welding or the like, which can be used as belt loops variably in the longitudinal or transverse direction, and furthermore offset by 90°, also in the middle.

two further loops can be attached in the same way so that the mobile phone case can be worn either in landscape or portrait format. Furthermore, the innovation proposes to attach a separate loop to the case in a detachable manner, e.g. using Velcro, a snap hook or the like, in order to attach the mobile phone case to a bicycle, backpack, etc.

The innovation is explained below in conjunction with the drawing using examples. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a mobile phone case with a rigid insert; Fig. 2 is a side view of the case according to Figure 1 with a loop on the back, also with

Mission;
Fig. 3 a part of the insert with inserted mobile phone (shown in dash-dotted lines);

Fig. 4 a schematic representation of a mobile phone case in landscape format with insert; Fig. 5 a schematic representation of a mobile phone case in portrait format with elastic

flexible compensating insert in oblique view; Fig. 6 the arrangement according to Figure 5 in section along the line A-A; Fig. 7 schematically the back of a mobile phone case with a pair of loops for carrying in landscape format and (dash-dotted line) a pair of loops with indicated belt for carrying the case in portrait format.

Figures 1 and 2 show a cuboid cell phone case 1 in portrait format in front and side views. 2 designates the front, 3 the back, 4, 5 the side walls, 6 the base and 7 the cover with the adjoining flap 8, which engages in a plug-in fastener 9, which can be designed as a plug-in fastener or as a snap fastener in the conventional manner, and which snaps into a plug-in bracket 10. Instead of such a plug-in fastener, the fastener can also be designed as a Velcro fastener. On the back 3 of the case 1, a closed loop 12 is shown for fastening to a belt, for example. The loop 12 is firmly connected to the case 1 at 13, e.g. sewn, glued or the like.

A20S58DOC

In the case of the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2, the cell phone case 1 is made of a flexible material, e.g. textile, plastic, leather or the like; this corresponds to a conventional cell phone case. In order to make such a cell phone case shock and impact resistant and to protect it against mechanical stress of any kind, an insert 11 according to Figure 3 is provided, which is inserted into the case with a fit, so that the case with insert forms a stable unit. The insert 14 is a cuboid-shaped body, which is made of e.g. hard plastic, hard rubber or a corresponding material, into which the cell phone 15 (shown in dash-dotted lines) is inserted from the cover side 7. The body 14 consists of the four side surfaces and the body base. The open top (cell phone insertion side) is stabilized by placing a corresponding cover on the body, or by stiffening the cover of the case and making it shock-proof. Such a stable upper closure can be omitted if the security of the cell phone by the body being open at the top is considered sufficient. On the cell phone indicated in dash-dotted lines, a display is indicated at 16 and dial keys are indicated at 17. The insert 11 has upwardly open recesses 18, 19 on the two opposite side walls, which can have a U, V or similar shape and which serve to make it easier for the user to access the cell phone 15 in the insert and to remove the cell phone from the insert. The depth of these recesses is selected so that the cell phone can be easily grasped through the two recesses.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a mobile phone case i1 in landscape format (Figures 1 and 2 in portrait format), whereby this mobile phone case also has a stabilizing insert 11' with lateral recesses 18', 19', so that this is a construction which basically corresponds to that according to Figures 1 - 3.

In the embodiment of a mobile phone case according to the innovation shown in Figures 5 and 6, instead of a retractable body that can be subsequently inserted into the mobile phone case and is thus suitable for retrofitting, a corresponding impact- and shock-resistant insert is integrated into the walls of the mobile phone case, i.e. the walls of the mobile phone case themselves are made of a stiffening, shock- and shock-resistant material, with the mobile phone case being lined on the outside with textile,

A20S58DOC

Plastic, leather or the like, i.e. a soft, attractive and pleasant material. The construction of the walls can be double-walled or double-shelled with shock-absorbing material arranged in between, or the walls can be made of any pressure-resistant material that is able to absorb mechanical stress particularly well, so that the innovation is not limited to certain materials; for example, the walls can be made of clad panels made of high-strength light metal constructions.

Since the dimensions of different cell phones can vary considerably, it is suggested that adapters for the inserts according to the embodiments in Figures 1 - 3 as well as those in Figures 5 and 6 be used to adapt the cell phone case to different cell phone sizes. Such adapter inserts are made of soft or elastically flexible material, e.g. in the form of foam linings or in the form of soft rubber strips that are glued to the inside of the inserts or the reinforced walls of cell phone cases. These adaptation inserts are designed to be interchangeable or firmly connected to the stable inserts according to Figure 3. The shape of these soft inserts can be designed in such a way that they are adapted to the shape of the cell phone and thus also serve as guides and holders for the cell phone.

Figures 5 and 6 show a schematic representation of a cell phone case 20 with reinforced side walls 21, 22, reinforced front wall 23, reinforced back wall 24, reinforced base 25, reinforced lid 26 and reinforced flap 27. 28 indicates a Velcro fastener at the connection point between the lid flap and the front wall of the case. 29, 30 indicate soft guide ribs on 21, 22, and 31, 32 indicate corresponding soft guide ribs on 23, 24. 33 indicates the cell phone in the case (dash-dotted line).

Figure 7 shows the back panel 24 of a mobile phone case, on which a pair of loops 34, 35 for holding a belt 36 and for securing the mobile phone in landscape format

A20558.DOC

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is attached, while a pair of loops 37, 38 with belt 39 (indicated by dash-dotted lines) is shown for use of the same mobile phone case in portrait format.

A20558.DOC

Claims (12)

1. Cell phone case made of flexible material, e.g. textile, plastic, leather, with a hinged lid and a fastener on the front and a holder on the back of the case for securing the case with the cell phone, characterized in that the cell phone case has shock- and impact-resistant walls. 2. Mobile phone case according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a solid insert which is closed except for the opening side. 3. Mobile phone case according to claim 2, characterized in that it has a body made of rigid, shock- and impact-resistant material. 4. Mobile phone case according to one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the insert or body has an insertable adapter insert made of flexible material which is fitted to the inner shape of the insert and the outer shape of the mobile phone. 5. Mobile phone case according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the inner sides of the insert have at least partially elastically flexible strip- or rib-like projections which fix the mobile phone in the insert. 6. Cell phone case according to claim 5, characterized in that the projections are designed as guides for inserting and removing the cell phone. 7. Mobile phone case according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the insert in the upper region of the two side walls has upwardly open recesses in the form of handle openings. 8. Mobile phone case according to one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the outer bag shape and/or the shape of the insert is cuboid-shaped. 9. Mobile phone case according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that a closed loop for attachment to a belt is attached to the back of the mobile phone case. 10. Cell phone case according to claim 9, characterized in that in addition to the fixed loop, a detachable loop, e.g. a loop closable by means of a Velcro fastener, is provided. 11. Cell phone case according to claims 1-10, characterized in that two pairs of loops offset by 90° are provided on the back of the cell phone case, such that the cell phone case can be worn upright or crosswise on the body or belt. 12. Mobile phone case according to one of claims 1-11, characterized in that the outside of the case has reflectors or similar signal elements.