WO2017013442A2

WO2017013442A2 - A case for a mobile electronic device

Info

Publication number: WO2017013442A2
Application number: PCT/GB2016/052229
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jason Roberts; Wilhelm Marschall; Benjamin Thorpe
Original assignee: Tech 21 Licensing Limited
Priority date: 2015-07-23
Filing date: 2016-07-22
Publication date: 2017-01-26
Also published as: GB2540759A; GB201513030D0; WO2017013442A3

Abstract

A case for a mobile electronic device comprising a housing, the housing having a rear face (4) adjacent to which a rechargeable battery (3) is housed. Upstanding side walls (5) extend away from all sides of the rear face to define a cavity for the phone. An opening in the front face of the housing surrounds the side walls. The battery is electronically coupled to an inductive charging coil (12) which is accessible for charging an inductively chargeable device at the rear face on the side opposite to the cavity.

Description

A Case for a Mobile Electronic Device

The present invention relates to a case for a mobile electronic device. In particular, it relates to a case for a mobile electronic device which has an integral battery. Such a device may, for example, be a smart phone, tablet or e-reader.

Some mobile electronic devices such as popular smart phones, have a battery within the device which will typically last for a little more than a day if used intensively. For many users, particularly those who travel extensively, this is often not sufficient.

In addition to these mobile electronic devices, the devices such as the Apple Watch (RTM) are emerging which require inductive charging. These are even smaller devices and may have even more limited battery lives. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a case for a mobile electronic device according to claim 1 .

Such a device is extremely convenience for a user. Not only does the integration of the battery into the case prolong the life of the mobile device itself, it can also be used to charge an inductively chargeable device such as the Apple Watch (RTM). This can all be done without the user needing to carry any spare power packs or leads. All of the functionality that they require is integrated directly into the phone case. Furthermore, with the mobile device in the case according to the present invention, a user can plug this into the mains to recharge the mobile device and case battery overnight and can also couple their inductively chargeable device to the case to charge that too. Again, this significantly simplifies the manner in which the two devices and the case battery are charged as a single lead is all that is required.

The case preferably further comprises a magnet adjacent to the inductive charging coil. This magnet can be the opposite polarity to a magnet in the inductively chargeable device to ensure a reliable coupling between the inductive charging coil and the inductively chargeable device.

The case also preferably includes a control circuit to control the flow of power from the battery to the mobile device and/or the inductive coil. This allows the case to manage the power flow. There may be one or more user inputs to allow them to selectively choose which device to couple to the power supply or whether to charge the case battery. There may also be one or more user inputs to allow the user to selectively choose which, if any, of the mobile electronic device or inductive chargeable device are charged by the battery.

An inductively charged device such as the Apple Watch (RTM) has a convex rear face. In view of this, some means of accommodating this may be provided in the case. For example, the inductive charging coil may be moveable between a retracted position in which it does not protrude from the rear face of the case to an extended position for charging of the conductively chargeable device. This may be achieved by providing a spring loading resilient component and latch to selectively bias the inductive charging coil between the two positions. The latch can be arranged to be latched and unlatched by depressing the inductive charging coil. Additionally or alternatively, the rear face of the case may be provided with one or more recesses adjacent to the external edges to accommodate a strap of the conductively chargeable device.

However, preferably, the inductively charging coil is positioned in a port of the rear face which is not occupied by the battery. This helps minimise the thickness of the case.

A number of cases exist which incorporate integrated batteries. In effect, these are cases which have an integral battery which sits on a rear wall of the case behind the mobile device which is placed in the case. These batteries are relatively large rigid components and the cases which accommodate these are relatively large and rigid. These relatively rigid materials are not ideal in terms of protecting the device for a number of reasons. Firstly, the rigid case provides poor impact protection in terms of its ability to absorb and dissipate any impact on the external surface of the case. The rigid material is itself relatively brittle and prone to cracking either when dropped or repeatedly reapplied to the device.

Because of the rigid nature of the case that is required for the battery, the cases are two part structures which are slid together from opposite ends of the device in order to fully encase the device. Such sliding structures are awkward to fit, often unsightly, and the engagement between the two halves can wear loose if repeatedly reapplied. Other cases with batteries are known in which the case is open at one end so that the phone can be slid in in a direction coplanar to the battery. This again offers poor impact protection particularly adjacent to the end without the wall which remains unprotected.

In order to address these issues, the housing is preferably a one piece housing and the opening is preferably large enough and the side walls flexible enough to allow the mobile device to be inserted into the case via the front face. This case combines the convenience of an integral battery with a case which can provide optimal impact protection as well as the above-mentioned inductive charging. The edges of the device are the most vulnerable to being damaged when dropped and therefore the presence of the flexible walls allows a material with good impact absorption properties to be used for the walls in the region which surrounds the edge of the device. Because the side walls extend from all sides of the rear face, they offer protection to all edges of the device.

The case preferably has a plug projecting inwardly from one of the side walls which will, in use, engage with a charging port in the electronic device. If the side walls are sufficiently flexible, it is possible that the device can be inserted into the case in a position in which the plug in the case is above the charging port. The resilience of the material of the side walls can then push the device fully onto the plug. However, preferably, the plug is mounted so as to be deflectable from a first orientation in which it is substantially parallel to the rear face to a second orientation in which it faces away from the rear face. The deflectable plug can be deflected to the second orientation to allow the charging port on the device to dock with the plug before the device has fully engaged with the side walls. The plug can then return to the first orientation as the device is fitted between the remaining side walls.

Alternatively, there may be no such plug and an external connection may be used to connect the case battery to the mobile device.

The deflectable mounting may take the form of the plug being pivotally mounted so as to rotate about an axis or being mounted to a resilient component which deforms. The battery may be removable from the case so that it can be recharged separately from the case and replaced as necessary. However, preferably, the battery is irremovably sealed within a rear compartment in the case. The term "irremovably sealed" is used to denote the fact that a user cannot access the battery in normal use. Instead, in order to do so they would have to irreparably damage the casing material.

The battery may be any suitable battery including those known in the art. However, preferably, the battery is a lithium ceramic battery. Such a battery is thin, flexible, leak- proof and not prone to overheating. It can therefore safely be incorporated into the case without unduly adding to the bulk of the case.

Preferably the maximum thickness of the case is 15mm.

The case may simply engage with the side walls of the device in order to retain it in place. However, preferably, the side walls have an inwardly projecting lip configured to engage with the upper peripheral surface of the device. Such an arrangement provides a more secure engagement with the device.

The side walls are preferably formed of a layer of flexible polymer. It may comprise a single material. However, preferably, a layer of damping material which is softer than the flexible polymer is provided within the flexible polymer layer. This damping material may have a plurality of protrusions projecting inwardly from a substantial portion of the inner periphery of the damping material to engage with the device. The protrusions are preferably arranged so that, in normal use, there is substantially no contact between the side walls with the protrusions and the device other than through the protrusions.

Preferably the damping material is provided with a plurality of outwardly projecting protrusions which are embedded in the flexible polymer material. The rear face of the case may be of the same flexible material as the side walls. However, preferably, the rear face is made of a material which is more rigid than the side walls.

The battery may be exposed to the rear of the device. However, preferably a plate extends across the case to separate the battery from the device compartment. The plate is preferably made of a material which is more rigid than the side walls. Preferably the plate and rear wall form a sealed compartment for the battery.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a case for a mobile device according to claim 20.

Such a case is effectively the same as the case according to the first aspect of the invention but without the battery. The case allows a convenient connection via the case to an inductive charging coil such that a user can charge a device such as the Apple Watch (RTM) without the need for a separate charging cable.

The case according to the second aspect of the present invention preferably may have any of the preferred features of the first aspect of the present invention which are not dependent upon the battery.

An example of a case in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the case and mobile device;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the case;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the front of the case with the device in place;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rear of the case with the device in place; Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the connections between the batteries and inductive charging port; and Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the control circuitry.

As best apparent from Fig. 1 , the case is made of a main housing 1 and a base plate 2 between which a flat rectangular battery 3 is contained.

The main housing 1 has a generally rectangular configuration with a planar rear face 4 of a relatively hard material such as PC. The base place 2 is made of a similarly hard material. A number of upstanding side walls 5 surround the rear face 4. These are made of a softer material such as TPU with hardness ranging from Shore 50A to Shore 100A and Shore 0D to Shore 70D. The outer wall may have an inner layer formed in a dual injection process or as an insert mould of a soft polymer which is softer than TPU with hardness ranging from Shore 10A to Shore 70A and Shore 0OO to Shore 9500. The soft polymer layer may have a number of inwardly projecting ribs which project towards the device and may also have a number of outwardly projecting ribs which protect towards the outer layer. These assist with the dissipation of impact forces on the case. The case has the usual orifices 6, 7 for device features such as a recharge plug and camera lens and is also provided with features 8 which allow access to various controls on the device. A lip 9 at the top of the side walls 5 will extend, in use, to a small extent across the face of the device. The present drawing shows a case for an i-Phone 6 but it will be readily appreciated that similar features should be provided depending upon the nature of the device.

The battery 3 is a lithium ion battery which is accommodated between the rear face 4 and the base plate 2 such that the compartment housing the battery 3 is sealed off from the user. The base plate 2 has, at the end adjacent to the charging port of the phone, a housing 10 which fulfils a number of functions. This is a rigid structure which is shaped to fit around the lower edge of the device. It is, however, surrounded by the lower side wall 5 which protects it from impact. A plug 1 1 extends inwardly from the housing 10 and is configured to fit within the charging port of the device. The plug 1 1 may be mounted to a resilient portion of the housing 10 such that it can deflect from a normal in use position in which it projects generally parallel to the plane of the rear face to a plane facing away from the rear face. In this forward position, the device can be placed onto the plug 1 1 whereupon the device and the plug are both deflected downwardly into the case into the position shown in Fig. 3 where it is held by the side walls 5 and lip 9. To remove the device, the side walls 5 can be peeled back from the top corners of the device and the device tilted forwards deflecting the plug 1 1 forwards until the device can be slid off from the plug 1 1 .

Built into the rear face 4 is an induction coil 12 which is electrically connected to the case battery 3 as shown in Fig. 5. This induction coil 12 surrounds a magnet 13 to enhance the coupling with the inductively chargeable device. In the case of a charger for an Apple Watch (RTM), the induction coil 12 and magnet 13 have the same configuration as that of the charger for the watch charger supplied with the Apple Watch (RTM). This will protrude slightly from the case to accommodate the watch. It will be appreciated that any suitable inductively charged device can be charged in this way with a complimentary configuration for the inductive charges.

Also within the housing 10 is the control circuitry 14 (shown in detail in Fig. 6) which determines the control strategy of the battery 3 as well as the battery in the device. It also shows socket 15 for recharging plug 16. For example the control circuitry will determine when the battery 3 is fully charged to switch off the charging process and will determine when to charge the device battery from the battery 3. It will also determine when an inductively chargeable device is connected and switch the battery to charge that. This may be done simultaneously or sequentially with the mobile device charging. The case may incorporate a user operable switch to allow a user to select whether to charge the mobile device or the inductively chargeable device. There is also an electrical connection between the battery 3 and the housing 10. Lights 16 are provided on the rear of the case to show the charging level.

The housing 10 may be provided with a relatively large hole in the vicinity of the headphone socket of the device to allow access to the headphone socket. Alternatively, there may be a plug in the housing 10 which engages with the headphone socket in the device. This plug may be flexibly mounted in a similar way to the charging plug 1 1 . There may then be a corresponding orifice in the housing 10 to receive the headphone plug in a manner which is electrically connected to the plug from the housing 10 into the device.

It will be appreciated particularly from Fig. 2 that a design using the lithium ceramic battery mounted as it is between two relatively thin layers of PC is a very low profile device. The thickness T of the case is preferably less than 13mm.

As an alternative to the design shown in Fig. 4, the battery 3 may terminate short of the bottom edge of the rear face 4 allowing space for the induction coil 12 and magnet 13 to be mounted below the battery. This results in a reduced overall thickness of the case.

The second aspect of the present invention is effectively the case as described above but without the battery. Thus, with reference to Fig. 5, the case battery 3 and its associated switch are absent but otherwise the circuit is as shown in Fig. 5. The control circuitry 14 is optionally present to provide control of the power supply when the recharging plug 16 is in place and the device is being charged by the inductive coil. Alternatively, the supply of power between the phone battery B and the inductive charger 12 can be managed by onboard power management systems in the devices themselves.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A case for a mobile electronic device comprising a housing, the housing having a rear face adjacent to which a rechargeable battery is housed, upstanding side walls extending away from all sides of the rear face to define a cavity for the phone and an opening in the front face of the housing surrounding the side walls, the battery being electronically coupled to an inductive charging coil which is accessible for charging an inductively chargeable device at the rear face on the side opposite to the cavity.

2. A case according to claim 1 , further comprising a magnet adjacent to the inductive charging coil.

3. A case according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a control circuit to control the flow of power from the battery to the mobile device and/or the induction coil.

4. A case according to claim 3, further comprising one or more user inputs to switch the power flow selectively between a mains power supply, the rechargeable battery, the mobile electronic device and the inductive charging coil.

5. A case according to claim 1 , wherein the inductive charging coil is positioned in part of the rear face which is not occupied by the battery.

6. A case according to any preceding claim, wherein the housing is a one piece housing and the opening is large enough and the side walls being flexible enough to allow the mobile device to be inserted into the case via the front face.

7. A case according to any preceding claim, further comprising a plug projecting inwardly from one of the side walls which will, in use, engage with a charging port in the electronic device.

8. A case according to claim 7, wherein the plug is mounted so as to be deflectable from a first orientation in which it is substantially parallel to the rear face to a second orientation in which it faces away from the rear face.

9. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery is irremovably sealed within a rear compartment in the case.

10. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery is a lithium ceramic battery.

1 1 . A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the maximum thickness of the case is 15mm.

12. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the side walls have an inwardly projecting lip configured to engage with the upper peripheral surface of the device.

13. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the side walls are formed of a layer of flexible polymer.

14. A case according to claim 13, wherein a layer of damping material which is softer than the flexible polymer is provided within the flexible polymer layer.

15. A case according to claim 13, wherein a plurality of protrusions projecting inwardly from a substantial portion of the inner periphery of the damping material to engage with the device.

16. A case according to claim 13, wherein arranged so that, in normal use, there is substantially no contact between the side walls with the protrusions and the device other than through the protrusions.

17. A case according to claims 14 to 16, wherein the damping material is provided with a plurality of outwardly projecting protrusions which are embedded in the flexible polymer material.

18. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear face is made of a material which is more rigid than the side walls.

19. A case according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plate extends across the case to separate the battery from the device compartment.

20. A case for a mobile electronic device comprising a housing, the housing having a rear face and upstanding side walls extending away from all sides of the rear face to define a cavity for the device and an opening in the front face of the housing surrounding the side walls;

an electrical connection port in the case to receive an external recharging plug; a plug in the case in electrical contact with the electrical connection port, and positioned to engage, in use, in a socket in the device to allow the device to be recharged by the external recharging plug via the electrical connection port;

and an inductive charging coil in the rear face of the case, the coil being in electrical contact with the electrical connection port to allow charging of an inductively chargeable device at the rear face on the side opposite to the cavity.

21 . A case according to claim 20 wherein the case is a one-piece housing and the end of the opening is large enough and the side walls being flexible enough to allow the mobile device to be inserted into the case via the front face.