WO2021099796A1

WO2021099796A1 - A case assembly for a mobile electronic device with a screen

Info

Publication number: WO2021099796A1
Application number: PCT/GB2020/052965
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Richard HOWARD; Henry Alistair Calum PROUT
Original assignee: Tech 21 Licensing Limited
Priority date: 2019-11-21
Filing date: 2020-11-20
Publication date: 2021-05-27
Also published as: GB201916972D0; GB2589846A

Abstract

A case assembly for a mobile electronic device with a screen. The assembly comprises a case 1 in the form of a housing with a rectangular configuration having a rear wall 10 and an upstanding sidewall 11 to define a cavity to receive the device. The rear wall 10 is provided on an outer face with a pair of case connectors 40 each providing an electrical and mechanical interface. The case has a communication output device 16 configured to communicate with the device. The assembly further comprises a pair of control modules 2. Each control module has at least one user operable interface 56, 57, 59, 60, 64 to allow a manual input to be detected, and a module connector complimentary to the case connectors providing an electrical and mechanical interface. The control modules 2 are removably attachable via the connectors 40 to the rear wall of the case such that the electrical interfaces allow information on the position of the user operable interface to be transmitted to the case 1 and, in use, to the device via the communication output device 16.

Description

A CASE ASSEMBLY FOR A MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH A SCREEN

The present invention relates to a case assembly for a mobile electronic device with a screen.

In particular, it relates to a case assembly which can provide enhanced functionality to the device.

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used to play video games. Given the prevalence of such devices and the improvement in screen and streaming technology, such devices are taking over from dedicated mobile gaming devices as a platform for mobile gaming.

The games are generally controlled via the mobile device’s touchscreen interface. This is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Firstly, it obscures a portion of the screen which is irritating for a player and/or limits the available size of the screen for the main aspect of the game. Secondly, a touchscreen interface lacks the responsiveness and robustness of the button and joystick controllers associated with a mobile gaming device.

A number of attempts have been made in order to provide physical buttons on a case for a mobile electronic device which replicate the action of the physical buttons on a mobile gaming device.

US2013/0341214 and US2011/0188222 disclose cases which have additional portions which can slide out from behind the main case in order to present a variety of physical buttons.

US2013/0184077 provides a case with a central mounting portion on either side of which physical buttons are present. The orientation of the mobile device can be changed depending on the format of the game. US2010/081505 is similar to US2013/0184077 except that the device is received in a single orientation in a central recess in a case with peripheral buttons. This idea of a single assembly with a central portion to receive the device with buttons on either side is typical of many devices on the market. Often these are telescopic to allow the parts with buttons to engage with the ends of the device. A case in which the buttons are at a fixed location adds significantly to the bulk of the device and is therefore awkward for a user as either they have to live with the fact that the device is bulky, or they have to carry a separate case to swap with the device when it is not being used which is similarly awkward.

Other products such as the “Gamevice GV157A” provide two separate control modules which slide onto opposite ends of the device. These do not provide a robust connection, cover part of the front of the device which, in modern phones, is likely to be a part with the screen, and require the user to remove their regular case before they can be fitted.

According to the present invention, there is provided a case assembly according to claim 1.

The case assembly comprises a case and a pair of removable control modules. With the modules removed, the case can be a low profile device which provides all of the convenience of a conventional case. If a user wishes to use their mobile device with enhanced gaming functionality, they can attach the control modules. When not used, these can easily be carried separately as they only need to be big enough to incorporate the necessary buttons and connector so that they are much more portable than the prior art devices which have to incorporate the case, all of the buttons and, in some cases, a retraction mechanism. By attaching the modules to the rear wall of the case, the connection can be made in a robust manner which does not obstruct the screen of the device.

In order to power the control modules, they could be provided with their own power supply such as a battery. Alternatively they may be powered using the battery of the mobile device. In order for the control modules to communicate with the mobile device, there may be a physical connection or a Bluetooth connection. However, preferably, the communication output from the case to the mobile electronic device is a near field communication (NFC) device.

NFC devices are generally only used for relatively short bursts of communication such as, for example, to make a payment between a mobile device and a contactless terminal. However, incorporating such an NFC device into the case, provides a means of communicating with case which does not require a wired connection and which has a reduced lag as compared to a Bluetooth connection, which is important in mobile gaming. The NFC between the mobile device and the case may, in use, provide power to the case and the control modules thereby removing the need for an on-board power supply in control modules and/or the case. This serves to further reduce the bulk of the device. Although providing such an NFC connection to power the control modules provides a further drain on the device battery, this does not produce a particularly significant burden given that the case is simply required to transmit to the mobile device information concerning the position of the user operable interface, while the power requirement of the control modules can be limited to the power required to operate a printed circuit board (PCB) in order to read and transmit information concerning the position of the user operable interface.

The control modules may be mountable in a single orientation. However, preferably, the control modules are configured to be attachable in different orientations. Preferably, each control module is configured to interface with either case connector. This provides the flexibility to the user to configure the controls according to the game that they are playing.

In this case, the case is preferably configured to detect the orientation of a connected control module and/or which of the control modules is connected. This information can be transmitted to the mobile electronic device such that it is automatically able to include the orientation of the modules in the gaming control.

Each of the modules preferably includes at least one of a joystick, D-pad and shoulder button. This should be positioned appropriately on the modules so as to be accessible in a convenient location when the modules are attached to the case.

Each module preferably has a generally L-shaped configuration with the at least one user operable interface being arranged on a long side of the L-shaped configuration and the module connector being on a protruding part of the L-shaped configuration. This allows the module connector to be attached to the rear wall of the case via the protruding part, while the long side with the user operable interface is conveniently positioned at a location alongside the case.

The long side is preferably thicker than the protruding part such that at least some of the user operable interfaces are in front of the rear wall of the case. Thus, although the modules are attached to a rear wall of the case, the user operable interface is readily accessible at a location alongside the case. The case may be devoid of any further user operable interface other than potentially being provided with the types of openings and buttons which are well known in the art in order to access ports and switches on the mobile device. However, preferably, the case is provided with at least one further user operable interface and a means of communicating the status of the further user interface operable interface to the device.

This provides a further mode of operation. The user can use the case on its own without connecting the control modules and still have a degree of enhanced interaction with the device. In this case, the further user operable interface may be at least one switch on the sidewall extending on a longer side of the device. More preferably, there may be a pair of switches on the sidewalls extending on a long side of the device. These are conveniently operable by a user when holding their mobile device in landscape mode to be operated by the index fingers on each hand. These switches may be configured also to operate one or more switches on the side of the mobile device. However, preferably, the switches are configured so as not to engage with any buttons on the mobile device.

In addition to or an alternative to the above switches, the further user operable interface may be at least one switch in the rear wall. Such switches can be readily accessible by the middle, fourth and little fingers on each hand.

The further user operable interface may be an on/off switch for the case assembly. Thus, once a user has finished using their device for gaming, they can switch off the connection to the case assembly such that the case assembly does not consume any further power.

If a further user operable interface is provided on the case, the attachment of one or both of the control modules is preferably configured to disable at least one further user operable interface. This effectively allows the control modules to override the further user operable interface on the case.

The further user operable interface may be configured to interact with the mobile device for functions other than gaming.

The mechanical connection between the case and the control modules should be reasonably robust as, in use, a user may apply a reasonable amount of force to the control modules which can transmit stress to the connection to the case. Preferably therefore, the case connector has an upstanding boss which mates with a corresponding boss on a control module.

The rear wall of the case surrounding the boss preferably has an increased thickness so that the boss does not protrude beyond the surrounding rear wall. This provides a contoured rear wall to the case and ensures that the boss does not catch on surrounding items which could potentially be irritating and could damage the connection.

The connection between a respective case connector and a module connector preferably has at least one resilient latch mechanism. The resilient latch mechanism can robustly secure the control module in place. A separate action is required to operate the resilient latch in order to allow the demounting of the control module. Again, this provides a robust way of connecting the control modules to the case.

The case preferably has an aperture to align with a camera on the mobile device and, the case connectors are offset from the aperture. By not covering the camera aperture, the camera is left exposed during gaming such that the device can still be used to take photographs and video whilst allowing augmented reality games to be played.

When not in use, the control modules can conveniently be stored in a pocket or a bag as they are relatively small. Preferably, the modules are connectable together. This allows them to be connected together for storage so that only a single item needs to be retrieved. The assembly may further comprise a connector for connecting the modules together. Such a connector could be attached to a strap enabling the controller modules to be conveniently stored ready for use.

An example of a case assembly 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 case;

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the case;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the control modules; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the case assembly showing the control modules connected in four different configurations;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a pendant and a connector; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a pair of control modules connected to the connector.

The case assembly is made up of three main components, namely the case 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and two control modules 2 as depicted in the remaining drawings.

The case will be described first with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

The main structural components of the case 1 are a rear wall 10 and a sidewall 11. The sidewall may have essentially the same form as a standard case. In this case, the sidewall 11 is a TPU moulding which may optionally be provided with additional layers for enhanced impact protection. The inner face of sidewall 11 has a number of ribs for the same purpose. The sidewall 11 also has a number of apertures 13 to accommodate various ports on the sidewall of the mobile device in a conventional manner. This sidewall portion is also provided with a number of buttons 14 which extend through the side wall so as to engage with buttons on the edge of the mobile device to be operated.

Positioned within the case and running across almost the entire inner face of the rear wall 10 is a PCB 15. This is provided with an NFC device 16 which is positioned as to be adjacent to the NFC device on the smartphone once it is inserted into the case 1.

Covering the PCB 15 is a cover 17, which is held in place by an adhesive tape layer 18. This may be thermally conductive tape to cool the mobile device in use. As will be apparent from Fig. 1 , the rear wall 10, side wall 11 , PCB 15, adhesive tape layer 18 and cover 17 all have aligned apertures 19A to E to provide a camera aperture 19 in the assembled case.

The case is provided with three types of additional buttons to provide a further user interface and described below. Firstly, there are a pair of trigger buttons 20 mounted on flexible trigger button mounts 21 which are fitted between aligned apertures 22, 23 in the side wall 10 and rear wall 11 respectively. The apertures 23 in the rear wall 10 are provided in a pair of upstanding bosses 24. Only one of the bosses is clearly visible in this figure. This boss provides a rigid mounting for the trigger button 20 and allows it to protrude slightly beyond the rest of the side wall as is apparent from Fig. 2.

Unlike the buttons 14 which mechanically couple with the buttons on the mobile device, the trigger buttons 20 each operate a respective electrical switch 25 attached to the PCB 15 by a respective conductive track 26.

In use, the trigger buttons 20 are positioned as shoulder buttons, which are readily accessible by the index fingers of a user when the case is held in landscape mode. The second set of buttons are two pairs of rear buttons 27, these are formed by a pair of resilient inserts 28 being inserted into corresponding apertures 29 in the rear wall 10. Each of the inserts 28 has a pair of protrusions 30, which are aligned with electronic switches (not shown) on the face of the PCB opposite to the face visible in Fig. 1. The rear buttons 27 are positioned to be engaged with any one of the middle, fourth and little fingers on the user’s hand when the case is held in landscape mode.

The final button is an on/off switch 31 in the form of a resilient pad 32 inserted in an aperture 33 in the rear wall 10. Again, this has a protrusion 34 aligned with an electronic switch on the PCB 15.

Turning now to Fig. 2, the connectors 40 for the control modules 2 will now be described. Two connectors 40 are provided, one at each lower rear corner of the rear wall 10. The connectors 40 are the same as one another and only one these will therefore be described. The connectors provide both a mechanical interface and an electronic interface with the control modules 2. In the centre of each connector 40 is a square array of electrical contacts 41 to provide an electrical connection to a control module 2.

Surrounding the electrical contacts 41 is an upstanding square boss 42 with an outer undercut lip 43 surrounded by a recess 44. The thickness of the rear wall 10 in the vicinity of the recesses 44 is greater than the thickness of the central portion of the rear wall such that the bosses 42 do not unduly protrude from the rear wall so as to reduce the possibility of snagging. Further, these thicker portions provide a more ergonomic grip when the case is used in a gaming mode without the control modules attached.

The control module 2 will now be described with reference to Fig. 3. There are two such modules. One is in the opposite configuration to the other, but they are otherwise generally the same. It is possible for one to have different buttons to the other. However only one module is described below as the other is essentially the same, except that it has the opposite orientation. The body of the control module 2 is made of an upper housing 50 and a lower housing 51 both having a complimentary L-shaped configuration. The two housing parts 51 , 52 are held together by screws 52. The long side of the L-shaped portion of the module 2, which is depicted generally on the right hand side in Fig. 3 provide a user operable interface region 53 while the protruding portion shown on the left hand side in Fig. 3 provides a connecting region 54.

A second PCB 55 is mounting within the user operable interface region 53. This portion has a series of switches including a pair of trigger buttons 56, 57, a D-pad 58 (consisting of four closely spaced buttons 59 in a diamond configuration) and a further auxiliary button 60. These buttons are manually depressible and are aligned with corresponding electrical switches on the second PCB 55. See, for example, the four electrical switches 61 for the D- pad 58 and the electrical switch 62 for the auxiliary button 60. The electrical switches for the trigger buttons 56, 57 are not shown in Fig. 3. While the D-pad buttons 59 and the auxiliary button 60 are returned to their original position by their own resilience, the trigger button 57 is biased by a spring 62 into its outer position. The trigger button 56 may have a similar spring or may return under its own resilience.

A joystick assembly 63 is screwed onto the PCB by a pair of screws 64 such that a joystick 64 protrudes from an aperture 65 in the upper housing 51. Within the joystick assembly 63 is a sensor to determine the position of the joystick 64 in two dimension and the assembly has an electrical connector 65 which is attached to the second PCB 55.

Moving on to the connecting region 54, the electrical connection is formed by an array of nine pogo-pins 67 connected to the second PCB 55 by an electrical connector 71 , the pogo-pins 70 have a spring loaded configuration and protrude through corresponding apertures 72 in the upper housing 5, in positions corresponding to the electrical contacts 41 on the case 1. The square array of contacts 41/pins 70 allows the PCB 15 to determine which control module has been attached and its orientation.

Surrounding the apertures 72 are a pair of lips 73 which are sized to be received within the recess 44 and to provide an interference fit with the boss 42. In between the lips 72 are a pair of latches 74 each of which is inwardly biased by a spring 75 into a position in which a tooth 76 fits under the complimentary lip 43 on the case. Thus, the pair of spring loaded latches hold each module in place while the complimentary boss 42 and lips 73 maintain the rigidity of the connection.

The latches 74 are retractable using a release mechanism 77. This consists of a frame 78 biased in a locked positioned by a spring 79 and operable by a button 80. Pressing the button 80 depresses the frame 70 against the action of the spring 70 whereupon the side faces of the frame push in the latches 70 outwards in order to release the 76 from the lip 43 thereby allowing the control module 2 to be released from the case 1.

In order to attach a control module 2 to the case 1 , it is first necessary for the user to decide on their preferred orientation for the controller given the particular game requirements. The control modules 2 are provided in a left hand configuration and a right hand configuration and, in view of the square nature of the connection between the boss 42 and the lips 73, each module can be attached on one of four different orientations. Further, each module can be connected to either of the connectors 40 on the back of the case 1. As shown in Fig. 4, this means that, there are various orientations in which the controllers can be attached, some of which are shown in Fig. 4. This represents all of the possible symmetrical configurations in which the controllers can be attached. However, if desired, the controllers can be attached in an asymmetrical configuration.

In order to attach a control module 2, it is simply offered up to the connector 40 on the case 1 to align the lips 73 on the control module with the boss 42 on the case and pushed into place. This pushing action causes the lip 43 to separate the latches 74 against the springs 60 until the lip 43 passes the teeth 76, whereupon the latches click into place urged by the springs 75 to latch the module 2 to the case 1.

Fig. 5 and 6 show an arrangement for connecting two control modules 2 together. This is done by a connector 90 attached to a strap 91. The strap 91 may be configured to be attachable, for example, to a bag or an item of clothing, or may be in the form of a necklace worn around the neck. The connector 90 is provided with a pair of bosses 92, (only one of which is shown in Fig. 5) which have the same configuration as the bosses 42 on the case. This allows the modules 2 to be snapped in place, on either side in the same manner that they are attached to the case 2. As shown in Fig. 6. This allows the two modules 2 to be connected to one another and to a strap 91 so that they can conveniently be stored or carried and easily retrieved. As is apparent from Fig. 6, because they are joined together in this way, the buttons 59, 60 as well as the joystick 64 of each module 2 face one another so that they are not exposed to damage.

Alternatively, the modules 2 could be connected by a mechanism which is independent of the mechanism by which they are attached to the case.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A case assembly for a mobile electronic device with a screen, the assembly comprising: a case in the form of a housing with a rectangular configuration having a rear wall and an upstanding sidewall to define a cavity to receive the device, the rear wall being provided on an outer face with a pair of case connectors each providing an electrical and mechanical interface, and the case having a communication output device configured to communicate with the device; and a pair of control modules, each control module having at least one user operable interface to allow a manual input to be detected, and a module connector complimentary to the case connectors providing an electrical and mechanical interface, the control modules being removably attachable via the connectors to the rear wall of the case such that the electrical interfaces allow information on the position of the user operable interface to be transmitted to the case and, in use, to the device via the communication output.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the communication output device from the case to the mobile electronic device is a near field communication (NFC) device.

3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein the near field communication device provides power to the case and the control modules.

4. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the control modules are configured to be attachable to the case in different orientations.

5. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein each control module is configured to interface with either case connector.

6. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the case is configured to detect the orientation of a connected control module and/or which of the control modules is connected.

7. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein each control module includes at least one of a joystick, D-pad and shoulder button.

8. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein each control module has a generally L-shaped configuration with the at least one user operable interface being arranged on a long side of the L-shaped configuration and the module connector being on a protruding part of the L-shaped configuration.

9. An assembly according to claim 8, wherein the long side is thicker than the protruding part such that at least some of the user operable interfaces are in front of the rear wall of the case.

10. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the case is provided with at least one further user operable interface and a means of communicating the status of the further user interface operable interface to the device.

11. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the further user operable interface is at least one switch on the sidewall of the wall extending on a longer side of the device.

12. An assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one switch is configured so as not to engage with any buttons on the mobile device.

13. An assembly according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the further user operable interface includes at least one switch in the rear wall.

14. An assembly according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the further user operable interface is an on/off switch for the case assembly.

15. An assembly according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the attachment of one or both of the control modules is configured to disable at least one further user operable interface.

16. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the case connector has an upstanding boss which mates with a corresponding boss on a control module.

17. An assembly according to claim 16, wherein the rear wall of the case surrounding the boss has an increased thickness so that the boss does not protrude beyond the surrounding rear wall.

18. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the connection between a respective case connector and a module connector has at least one resilient latch mechanism.

19. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the case has an aperture to align with a camera on the mobile device and, the case connectors are offset from the aperture.

20. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the modules are connectable together.

21. An assembly according to any preceding claim, further comprising a connector for connecting the modules together.