FR3054942A1 - DEVICE FOR PROTECTING A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for protecting a portable electronic device (21), such as a mobile phone, comprising a flexible frame (11) capable of surrounding said apparatus and having at least one upper peripheral lip (111) adapted to receiving and maintaining a transparent protective window (13) of the screen of said apparatus.

Description

(54) DEVICE FOR PROTECTING A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE.

(57) The invention relates to a device for protecting a portable electronic device (21), such as a portable telephone, comprising a flexible frame (11) capable of surrounding said device and having at least one upper peripheral lip (111 ) able to receive and maintain a protective glass (13) transparent to the screen of said device.

FR 3 054 942 - A1

£ i

Protection device for a portable electronic device.

1. scope of the invention

The field of the invention is that of the protection of “smartphone” type devices, having a generally touch screen over their entire upper surface, at least over a large surface. The invention can also be applied to similar devices, for example of the audio player, GPS type. Subsequently, smartphones are essentially described, the protection system of the invention of which is easily adaptable to similar devices in their form and their external constitution.

For the purposes of the description, we consider the smartphone as it is when it is placed on a table. The face carrying the screen is called the upper face, the bottom or rear face of the smartphone and the peripheral edge the edge connecting the bottom and the screen.

2. prior art

These devices have at least a double fragility: an intrinsic fragility of the case and of the components contained inside, and a particular fragility of the screen.

To protect the device in general, many types of cases have been proposed, more or less complex, in all kinds of materials, from the simplest to the most luxurious. Often, these protective means are insufficiently resistant, for example in the event of an impact or a fall of the device, and / or relatively bulky.

Furthermore, most of the known devices form a shell protecting the housing of the device, but leaving the screen free and unprotected. This is explained on the one hand, that users want to keep a good readability, and on the other hand, that the screen is touchscreen and that a protection must not prevent or alter the detection of contact of a finger on the screen.

Solutions have however been proposed. Plastic films are thus known which can be stuck on the surface of the screen. They are however not very effective, and deteriorate the quality of the restored image. More recently, it has been proposed to add on the surface of the screen a window, for example of tempered glass. In this case, the image quality is not affected. However, the glass is glued to the surface of the screen, which can cause problems. Especially if dust is caught between the screen and the glass, the glass may permanently damage the screen. It will therefore subsequently be unusable, or at the very least the dust cannot be removed, causing a bubble and disturbing the reproduction of the images on the screen.

There is therefore a need for a new solution, ensuring both the overall protection of the device, in the event of a fall for example, and the protection of the screen, for example, against scratches or breakage, which is simple to use and implement and does not affect the quality of image reproduction, without having the drawbacks of the prior art.

3. presentation of the invention

This objective is achieved by means of a device for protecting a portable electronic device, such as a portable telephone, comprising a first flexible frame capable of surrounding said device. According to the invention, said first frame has at least one upper peripheral lip capable of receiving and maintaining a transparent protective glass for the screen of said device.

Thus, the protective glass is effectively maintained, and its edges are protected. It can be easily removed for cleaning or removing dust between the glass and the device screen.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the protection device comprises a second frame surrounding said protective window, said second frame being secured to said first frame using said upper peripheral lip.

The assembly, maintenance and / or protection of the glass is thus improved.

For the same reason, at least one angle of said second frame may have an excess thickness and / or a reinforcement.

According to a particular embodiment, said second frame may have a lip for holding said window against the surface of said screen.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, said protective window can be made of tempered glass.

According to a particular embodiment, said first frame may have at least one lower lip capable of receiving bottom protection of said device.

Depending on the implementation, this bottom protection can be detached (for example by clipping) from the first frame, or secured to the latter, for example via a double injection.

This bottom protection can for example comprise two superimposed elements, an interior element, in contact with the bottom of said device, and an exterior element, covering said interior element.

Said external element may in particular have a peripheral boss, cooperating with said lower lip.

Said inner element can be made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), and more generally of a flexible material capable of absorbing shocks, and said outer element can be made of polycarbonate (PC), and more generally of a rigid material.

According to a particular embodiment, said interior and exterior elements have complementary structures, allowing their fitting together.

4. list of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a particular embodiment, by way of illustration and not limitation, and of the appended drawings among which:

Figure 1 illustrates the three elements intended to be secured to bring a protective glass above the screen of a smartphone, according to a particular embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 illustrates the three elements of Figure 1, during assembly, a smartphone being present;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the two frames of Figure 2;

Figure 4 illustrates the assembly, once mounted, of the elements of Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the protective elements of the bottom of the smartphone;

Figure 6 illustrates an exploded view of the various protective elements on the bottom and top of the smartphone.

5. description of a particular embodiment

As indicated above, the invention relates to the protection of a device, such as a smartphone, equipped with a touch screen. In the embodiment described below, this device is designed and sized to receive a smartphone of “iPhone” type (registered trademark). It is of course possible to adapt the dimensions and the shapes of the various constituent elements to adapt the protection device to other brands and / or models of smartphone, and more generally of similar devices.

The invention provides a simple and effective solution for protecting the screen 211 of the smartphone 21 (FIG. 2), using the combination of the elements illustrated in FIG. 1:

a first frame 11, intended to cover the edges of the smartphone 21;

a window 13, for example, of tempered glass, intended to cover and protect the screen 211;

a second frame 12, securing and maintaining the window 13, in cooperation with the first frame 11.

The first frame 11 can for example be made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). One of the two frames having to be rigid, the second frame 12 is for example made of polycarbonate (PC).

In this embodiment, the frame 11 carries a bottom 14, which can be removable and / or made in two parts, as explained below. In other embodiments, it can be permanently secured to the first frame 11, or even be absent.

According to the invention, the window 13 is not glued, unlike the prior art, but maintained effectively, using a lip 111 provided for this purpose on the frame 11, and appearing more clearly in the figure 3.

According to the illustrated embodiment, this lip cooperates with a boss 121 provided for this purpose on the second frame 12.

This second frame 12 has, moreover, a lip 122 for holding the window 13.

Thus, the window 13 is easily put in place, since it is guided by the two frames 11 and 12, and effectively kept in contact with the screen 211. The assembly is simply assembled, by clipping.

However, it is easy to remove the window 13, if necessary, by separating (“unclipping”) the second frame 12 from the first frame 11.

Conventionally, the first frame 11 includes the necessary openings 112i to 112 ₄ , to allow the passage of sound to the microphones, the connection to charging means, access to a control button and / or access and protection of the camera lens.

Similarly, the window has the necessary openings 131i and 131 ₂ to allow access to a speaker or a button.

In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 12 has angles 123 having an extra thickness and / or reinforcement, so as to improve the retention of the second frame 12 in the first frame 11.

As seen in Figure 4, once assembled on the smartphone 21, the glass 13 is pressed against the surface of the screen 211 by the second frame 12, which is itself held and sandwiched with the smartphone 21 by the first frame 11.

In a simplified version, provision may be made for the window 13 to be held pressed against the screen directly by a lip adapted from the first frame 11.

As indicated above, the device of the invention may have a bottom, protecting the bottom 212 of the smartphone.

According to one embodiment of the invention, illustrated by FIG. 5, this base can be made up of two parts 51 and 52 assembled together.

According to this embodiment, this protection comprises a first plate 52, made of flexible plastic, for example made of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), which comes into contact with the bottom 212 of the smartphone, and a second plate 51, coming to cover the first plate 52, and therefore forming the outside of the protection. This second plate is rigid, and for example made of polycarbonate (PC).

The two plates 51 and 52 can be transparent.

The first plate 52 has in particular the function of absorbing shocks. For this reason, it is made of flexible plastic. In addition, it may have one or more zones 522 having a honeycomb surface, effectively absorbing shocks. The walls of this honeycomb compress against the bottom of the smartphone, in the event of impact.

To allow their assembly, the first plate 52 has grooves or slots 521, capable of receiving ribs 511 formed in the second plate 51. Other assembly means, such as lugs can be provided.

The second plate 51 has, moreover, a peripheral boss 512 able to cooperate with a lower peripheral lip 113, provided for this purpose on the first frame 11. Thus, the two plates, previously assembled, are held in the first frame 11, without gluing, or the need to use any tool.

The plates 51 and 52, as well as the frame 11, have the cutouts adapted to allow access to the buttons and not to cover the camera optics 213 of the smartphone.

Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the device of the invention comprises, in this embodiment, five elements which can be assembled together by interlocking and / or clipping, and which therefore come to overlap and take the smartphone 21 "in sandwich ":

the second frame 12; the tempered glass pane 13; the first frame 11; the first plate 52; the second plate 51.

It is the first frame 11 which ensures the final maintenance of the assembly, thanks to the lips holding on the one hand the second frame 12 and on the other hand the bottom plates 51 and 52.

According to a particular embodiment, the first frame 11 and the first plate 51 are previously secured to each other, for example via a double injection.

Claims (10)

1. Device for protecting a portable electronic device (21), such as a portable telephone, comprising a first flexible frame (11) able to surround said device, characterized in that said first frame (11) has at least one upper peripheral lip (111) capable of receiving and maintaining a transparent protective pane (13) of the screen (211) of said device. 2. Protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second frame (12) surrounding said protective window (13), said second frame (12) being secured to said first frame (11) using of said upper peripheral lip (111). 3. Protective device according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one angle of said second frame (12) has an excess thickness and / or a reinforcement (123). 4. Protective device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that said second frame (12) has a retaining lip (122) of said window against the surface of said screen. 5. Protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said protective window (13) is made of tempered glass. 6. Protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said first frame (11) has at least one lower lip (113) capable of receiving bottom protection of said device. 7. Protection device according to claim 6, characterized in that said bottom protection comprises two superimposed elements, an inner element (52), in contact with the bottom (212) of said device, and an outer element (51), covering said interior member (52). 8. Protective device according to claim 7, characterized in that said external element (51) has a peripheral boss (512), cooperating with said lower lip (113). 9. Protective device according to any one of claims 7 and 8, 5 characterized in that said inner element (52) is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) and said outer element (51) is made of polycarbonate (PC ). 10. Protection device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that said interior (52) and exterior (51) elements have 10 complementary structures, allowing their fitting together. 3/5 l F 111