JP7180062B2 - protective case - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a protective case that protects a portable electronic device and also serves as a stand.

Protective cases for protecting portable electronic devices such as smartphones and electronic dictionaries are known. Such a protective case has, for example, a case body into which a housing of an electronic device is fitted and accommodated, and a lid attached to the case body so as to be freely opened and closed. When the cover is closed, it overlaps the surface of the liquid crystal display panel of the electronic device, and can protect the liquid crystal display panel from external impact (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In some cases, the case body is made of a relatively hard material such as resin or metal, and the lid is made of a flexible material.

The protective case may be configured so that the cover can be bent and hooked on the case body to stand. In this case, uneven portions are formed on the side of the lid so that the case body stays at a predetermined position with respect to the lid, and the side surfaces of the case body are engaged.

JP 2016-040898 A

In the above-described protective case, it is necessary to form a holding portion in the lid portion in order to lean and support the attached portable terminal. In addition, since the inner frame and the back portion are provided on the back side, the overall thickness is increased.

As one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protective case for a device, comprising: a covering portion covering a part of the back surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device; A first support device that is capable of supporting the device so that when the device is supported in an inclined state with respect to a mounting surface on which the device is mounted, the device stands up with respect to the mounting surface. a supporting portion; a second support provided so as to abut on the mounting surface or a plate-shaped member placed on the mounting surface when the device is supported in an inclined state; The position where the second support portion protrudes from the portion is such that when the device is supported in an inclined state with respect to the mounting surface at a set angle, the planar portion is located on the mounting surface or the above-described mounting surface. The angle of the surface of the planar portion of the second support portion is set so that the device is positioned with respect to the mounting surface. This is the angle at which the surface of the planar portion is parallel to the mounting surface or the upper surface of the plate-like member placed on the mounting surface when the plate-like member is supported in an inclined state.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the electronic dictionary is fitted into the protective case according to the embodiment of the present invention and is supported in an upright position; The front view which shows the state which made the same protective case fit an electronic dictionary, and was made to stand and support it. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 and showing a state in which the electronic dictionary is fitted and housed in the same protective case and shown in the direction of the arrow; The front view which shows the same protective case. The rear view which shows the same protective case. The side view which shows the case main body of the same protective case. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the protective case taken along line BB in FIG. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; A side view showing the lower end of the protective case. The back view which shows the modification of the same protective case.

1 to 8 are explanatory diagrams of a protective case 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the protective case 10 has the function of selectively protecting the electronic dictionary 100 shown in FIG. there is It should be noted that 100 in these figures indicates an electronic dictionary (equipment). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic dictionary 100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 110 . In addition, 111 in the drawing indicates the lower end surface of the housing 110 . A liquid crystal display panel 120 and a speaker 130 are provided on the front side of the housing 110 . Further, an operation switch 140 for a power supply or the like is provided on the upper side, an operation switch 150 for a volume or the like is provided on the right side, and an operation switch 160 for a cursor or the like is provided on the front side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protective case 10 includes a dish-shaped case body (cover/back holding part) 20 that covers the back side of the electronic dictionary 100, and a plate-like movable support plate attached to the case body 20. It has 50. The case body 20 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the movable support plate 50 is made of, for example, artificial suede. The case body 20 and the movable support plate 50 are formed with substantially the same thickness. Note that G in FIG. 1 indicates the position of the center of gravity of the electronic dictionary 100 when the electronic dictionary 100 is fitted in the protective case 10 .

The case main body 20 includes a rectangular plate-shaped back portion (first covering portion) 30 forming a surface facing the back surface of the electronic dictionary 100, and a front side along the outer edge of the back portion 30. It has an outer edge wall 40 provided.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the back surface portion 30 is shaped to partially cover the back surface of the electronic dictionary 100 when the protective case 10 is attached to the electronic dictionary 100 . A rectangular opening 31 is formed in the rear portion 30 by cutting from the lower edge side (see FIG. 4). The first support portion 60 connected to the back surface portion 30 supports the electronic dictionary 100 with respect to the mounting surface P on which the electronic dictionary 100 is mounted. The electronic dictionary 100 is supported as follows. A part of the first support portion 60 connected to the back portion 30 is stored in the opening portion 31 of the back portion 30 . As described above, since the case body 20 and the movable support plate 50 are formed with substantially the same thickness, the thickness of the back surface portion 30 and the thickness of the first support portion 60 are substantially the same.

The outer edge wall portion 40 includes an upper edge wall portion 41 located on the upper side in FIG. 2, a lower edge wall portion (lower end face holding portion) 42 located on the lower side, a right edge wall portion 43 located on the right side, and a left edge wall portion 43 located on the left side. A left edge wall portion 44 is provided. The thickness of the lower edge wall portion 42 is substantially the same as the thickness of the second flexible portion 64 . The lower edge wall portion 42 is formed with a notch portion 42a in the horizontal direction in FIG. The cutout portion 42 a is formed by extending the opening portion 31 to the lower edge wall portion 42 . The width of the notch portion 42a is slightly larger than the width of the second flexible portion 64 in the horizontal direction in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, an insertion portion 32 into which the one end side 61 of the first support portion 60 is inserted is formed along the upper end of the opening 31 of the back portion 30 . A rib 33 is formed at the upper end of the insertion portion 32 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the movable support plate 50 is formed in a plate shape, and its horizontal dimension is set to fit within the opening 31, and the first support portion (first support portion) facing the back side of the electronic dictionary 100 (first support portion). 2 covering portion 60 and a lid portion 70 integrally provided on the lower end side of the first support portion 60 in FIG. 1 via a second flexible portion 64 . That is, between the case main body 20 and the mounting surface P, the first support portion 60 for supporting the electronic dictionary 100 on the mounting surface P is positioned. A second support portion 45 for supporting the electronic dictionary 100 is provided between the outer surface of the lower edge wall portion 42 (opposed to the lower end portion 111 when the electronic dictionary 100 is leaned) and the mounting surface P. ing. The lower surface of the second support portion 45 (the surface facing the mounting surface P when the electronic dictionary 100 is supported on the mounting surface P) is formed flat. In addition, one lower edge wall portion 42 and one second support portion 45 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the opening 31 of the back surface portion 30 .

One end side 61 of the first support portion 60 is divided into two parts in the thickness direction and inserted into the insertion portion 32 described above. Also, in the vicinity of the one end side 61, a first flexible portion 63 is formed which is linearly bendable in parallel with the mounting surface P in FIG. It is connected. Further, the other end side 62 of the first support portion 60 is arranged toward the mounting surface P side.

A second flexible portion 64 is provided in a straight line parallel to the mounting surface P between the other end side 62 of the first support portion 60 and the lid portion 70 . The lid portion 70 is rotatably connected to the other end side of the first support portion 60 at the position of the second flexible portion 64 with respect to the first support portion 60 . The lid portion 70 can be interposed between the second support portion 45 and the mounting surface P when the back surface of the electronic dictionary 100 is supported by the first support portion 60 so as to stand against the mounting surface P. is provided. Lid portion 70 can be installed at a position that covers at least part of the front surface of electronic dictionary 100 in a state where protective case 10 is attached to electronic dictionary 100 , and can be placed on the other end side of first support portion 60 . rotatably connected. The upper surface side of the lid portion 70 in FIG. 1 is called a first main surface 71, and the lower surface thereof is called a second main surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , the first support portion 60 is not bent at the positions of the first flexible portion 63 and the second flexible portion 64 , and the second flexible portion 64 is bent along the lower edge wall portion 42 . , and the lid portion 70 is positioned on the front side of the case body 20 , the first main surface 71 faces the liquid crystal display panel 120 . Thus, the liquid crystal display panel 120 is protected by the lid portion 70 . Note that the tip 70 a of the lid portion 70 is set to a dimension that does not block the speaker 130 .

When the protective case 10 is attached to the electronic dictionary 100 and the lid portion 70 is arranged to face the front of the electronic dictionary 100, the first support portion 60 is positioned on the back portion 30 when the electronic dictionary 100 is viewed from the side. Overlapping dimensions.

According to the protective case 10 configured in this manner, it is possible to selectively perform storage/protection and leaning support (stand). That is, when performing the standing support as shown in FIG. is supported on the mounting surface P by the first support portion 60 . In addition, the weight of the case body 20 and the electronic dictionary 100 urges the second support portion 45 of the case body 20 toward the lid portion 70 , so that the planar lower surface of the second support portion 45 faces the lid portion 70 . The planar lower surface of the second support portion 45 is arranged in parallel with the mounting surface P by contacting the first main surface 71 . In other words, the second support portion 45 has a planar portion whose surface on the mounting surface P side is formed in a planar shape. and supports the electronic dictionary 100 so that the surface of the planar portion on the side of the mounting surface P is substantially parallel to the mounting surface P. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the electronic dictionary 100 is supported with respect to the mounting surface P, the angle with respect to the mounting surface P is kept constant.

In addition, the center of gravity G of the electronic dictionary 100 is below the plane passing through the surface of the first support portion 60 . Since it exists within the range of the acute angle formed by the plane P, the electronic dictionary 100 is stabilized when the electronic dictionary 100 is supported by the protective case 10 .

On the other hand, during storage, the first flexible portion 63 and the second flexible portion 64 are wound along the lower end surface of the case body 20 . When the cover portion 70 is arranged to face the front of the electronic dictionary 100 with the protective case 10 attached to the electronic dictionary 100 in this manner, the second flexible portion 64 faces the electronic dictionary 100 . At least a portion thereof contacts the lower end portion 111 of the electronic dictionary 100 . Thereby, the cover part 70 is laminated on the surface of the liquid crystal display panel 120 and can be protected. In addition, since the thickness of the back surface portion 30 and the first support portion 60 and the thickness of the lower edge wall portion 42 and the thickness of the second flexible portion 64 are substantially the same, the case body 20 is viewed from the side. , the portion between the first flexible portion 63 and the second flexible portion 64 of the first support portion 60 is hidden by the back surface portion 30 and cannot be seen, and the second flexible portion 64 is hidden by the lower edge wall portion 42. Become invisible. Therefore, the appearance is good, and since the dimension of the case body 20 in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 does not increase, the appearance is compact.

FIG. 9 is a rear view showing a protective case 10A according to a modified example. In FIG. 9, portions having the same functions as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The protective case 10A has a case body 20A provided with a pair of openings 31A instead of the openings 31, two rows of movable support plates 50A instead of the movable support plates 50, and a first support portion. Instead of 60, a pair of first support portions 60A are provided. The pair of first support portions 60A are inserted into the pair of openings 31A.

In the protective case 10A thus formed, the center of gravity is lower than that of the case main body 20 when the case main body 20A is supported in an upright position, so stability can be improved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described example, the lid portion 70 is provided between the second support portion 45 and the mounting surface P. 45 may be placed directly. Further, in the example described above, the back surface of the electronic dictionary 100 is supported by the first support portion 60 with respect to the mounting surface P, and the second support portion 45 is brought into contact with the central portion of the lid portion 70. However, the dimensions may be set so that the angle with respect to the mounting surface P of the electronic dictionary 100 is maintained at another angle when it is brought into contact with the tip portion 70a. Moreover, fine unevenness may be formed on the surface of the second support portion 45 . In this case, the heights of the tips of the protrusions of the unevenness are formed to be the same, so that the lower surface of the second support portion 45 (virtual surface connecting the tips of the protrusions) is flat. can be These irregularities can increase the frictional force between the lower surface of the second support portion 45 and the first main surface 71 or the placement surface P of the lid portion 70 . In particular, when the first main surface 71 of the lid portion 70 or the placement surface P has fine irregularities, the effect of increasing the frictional force is great. Furthermore, although an electronic dictionary having a liquid crystal display panel on the front is exemplified as a device, it is needless to say that the present invention can be similarly applied to mobile terminals such as mobile phones and radios having no liquid crystal display panel. In addition, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof. The invention described in the original claims of the present application is appended below.
[Appendix 1]
A protective case for equipment,
a covering part that covers a part of the back surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device;
a first support that supports the device such that the device stands up from the mounting surface when the device is supported on the mounting surface on which the device is mounted;
The surface on the mounting surface side has a planar portion formed in a planar shape, and when the device is supported, the planar portion is interposed between the lower end portion of the device and the mounting surface. a second support portion that supports the device such that a surface of the portion facing the mounting surface is substantially parallel to the mounting surface.
[Appendix 2]
The protective case according to [Appendix 1], wherein one end side of the first support portion is rotatably connected to the covering portion.
[Appendix 3]
The protective case according to [Appendix 1], wherein a first flexible portion is provided between one end side of the first support portion and the covering portion.
[Appendix 4]
A cover portion which can be installed in a position covering at least a part of the front surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device, and which is rotatably connected to the other end side of the first support portion. The protective case of [Appendix 1], further comprising:
[Appendix 5]
The lid portion is provided so as to be interposed between the second support portion and the mounting surface while the device is supported on the mounting surface by the first support portion. The protective case described in Supplementary note 4].
[Appendix 6]
The protective case according to [Note 4], wherein a second flexible portion is interposed between the other end side of the first support portion and the lid portion.
[Appendix 7]
A protective case for equipment,
a first covering portion including a holding portion that covers a portion of the back surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device, the holding portion having an opening;
a second covering portion partly arranged in the opening of the first covering portion and connected to the first covering portion via a first flexible portion;
a lid portion rotatably connected to the second covering portion via a second flexible portion;
A protective case in which the thickness of the first covering portion and the thickness of the second covering portion are substantially the same.
[Appendix 8]
The protective case according to [Appendix 7], wherein the holding portion has a lower end surface holding portion that further covers the lower end surface of the device, and the opening is formed to extend to the lower end surface holding portion.
[Appendix 9]
The protective case according to [Appendix 8], wherein the thickness of the lower end surface holding portion is substantially the same as the thickness of the second flexible portion.
[Appendix 10]
When the protective case is attached to the device and the lid portion is arranged to face the front of the device, at least part of the portion of the second flexible portion facing the device The protective case according to [Appendix 9], which abuts on the lower end face of the device.
[Appendix 11]
When the protective case is attached to the device and the lid portion is arranged to face the front of the device, the second covering portion and the second flexible portion are the The protective case according to [Appendix 9], which is dimensioned to overlap the first cover.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10A... Protective case 20... Case main body (covering part/back holding part) 30... Back part (first covering part) 31... Opening 31A... Opening 32... Insertion part 33... Rib , 40... Outer edge wall part, 42... Lower edge wall part (lower end surface holding part), 45... Second support part, 50, 50A... Movable support plate, 60, 60A... First support part (second covering part), DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 63... 1st flexible part 64... 2nd flexible part 70... Lid part 100... Electronic dictionary (equipment) 110... Case 111... Lower end part 120... Liquid crystal display panel 130... Speaker 140 , 150, 160 . . . operating switches.

Claims (6)

A protective case for equipment,
a covering part that covers a part of the back surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device;
One end side is rotatably connected to the covering portion, and when the device is supported in an inclined state with respect to a mounting surface on which the device is mounted, the device is positioned with respect to the mounting surface. a first support for supporting the device to stand up;
A planar portion protruding from a lower edge wall portion on the mounting surface side of the covering portion and having a planar surface on the mounting surface side is provided, and the device is tilted with respect to the mounting surface. a second support provided so as to come into contact with the mounting surface or a plate-shaped member placed on the mounting surface when supporting in the state;
with
The position where the second support portion protrudes from the lower edge wall portion is such that when the device is supported in a state of being inclined at a set angle with respect to the mounting surface, the planar portion is positioned so that the mounting surface is at a certain angle. The angle of the surface of the planar portion of the second support portion, which is the position where the plate-shaped member placed on the surface or the mounting surface abuts, and the angle of the surface of the device with respect to the mounting surface The angle at which the surface of the planar portion is parallel to the mounting surface or the upper surface of the plate-like member placed on the mounting surface when the plate-like member is supported in an inclined state at the set angle. protective case. A cover portion which can be installed in a position covering at least a part of the front surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device, and which is rotatably connected to the other end side of the first support portion. further comprising
The lid portion is provided so as to be interposed between the second support portion and the mounting surface in a state in which the device is supported on the mounting surface by the first support portion. It functions as a plate-shaped member,
2. The protective case according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of said cover portion, which is said plate-like member, is flat without unevenness for locking said second support portion at a predetermined position. 3. The protective case according to claim 2, wherein a second flexible portion is interposed between the other end side of the first support portion and the lid portion. A protective case for equipment,
a covering part that covers a part of the back surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device;
One end side is rotatably connected to the covering portion, and when the device is supported in an inclined state with respect to a mounting surface on which the device is mounted, the device is positioned with respect to the mounting surface. a first support for supporting the device to stand up;
A planar portion protruding from a lower edge wall portion on the mounting surface side of the covering portion and having an imaginary surface on the mounting surface side formed in a planar shape; a second support provided so as to abut on the mounting surface or a plate-shaped member placed on the mounting surface when supporting the in an inclined state;
with
The position where the second support portion protrudes from the lower edge wall portion is such that when the device is supported in a state of being inclined at a set angle with respect to the mounting surface, the planar portion is positioned so that the mounting surface is at a certain angle. Concavities and convexities are formed on the surface of the planar portion of the second support portion, which is a position that abuts on the plate-like member placed on the surface or the mounting surface, and the tip of the convex portion is formed. A virtual surface connecting the parts is planar, and the angle of the virtual surface is such that when the device is supported in a state inclined at the set angle with respect to the mounting surface, the is an angle at which the surface of the planar portion is parallel to the mounting surface or the upper surface of the plate-like member placed on the mounting surface;
protective case. The covering part is
a first covering portion including a holding portion that covers a portion of the back surface of the device when the protective case is attached to the device, the holding portion having an opening;
a second covering portion partly arranged in the opening of the first covering portion and connected to the first covering portion via a first flexible portion;
5. The protective case of any one of claims 1-4, comprising: 6. The protective case according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the first covering portion and the thickness of the second covering portion are substantially the same.

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