Mobile terminal case and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729183-B2
Application number	US-201314044369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Oct 5, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A mobile terminal case and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The mobile terminal case includes a three-dimensional curved body or plane shape having a circumferential edge lower than its center and formed from a fiber reinforced composite material; and a gradation paint layer formed at an outer surface of the body formed from fiber reinforced composite material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal case, comprising:
a three-dimensional curved body having an outer surface with a circumferential edge lower than a center, the three-dimensional curved body being formed from a fiber reinforced composite material and the outer surface being engraved with a hairline pattern during formation, the hairline pattern being a geometric pattern of scratches, unevenness, or grooves formed in the outer surface of the fiber reinforced composite material; and
a gradation paint layer formed on the outer surface of the three-dimensional curved body formed of the fiber reinforced composite material,
wherein the gradation paint layer has a low transparency only on portions of the mobile terminal case that correspond to fastening areas where internal parts of a mobile terminal are fastened to the mobile terminal case, so as to hide all of the internal parts and reveal the hairline pattern more clearly as transparency of the gradation paint layer increases, and
wherein the gradation paint layer is formed on the fiber reinforced composite material and the internal parts by sequentially loading a primer application layer, a translucent coating layer, a gradation coating layer, and a clear coating layer.

2. The mobile terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforced composite material comprises a prepreg material comprising at least one of glass fiber reinforced plastic, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, aramid fiber (Kevlar) reinforced plastic, boron fiber reinforced plastic, and basalt fiber reinforced plastic.

3. The mobile terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the gradation paint layer is formed at varying thicknesses and is thereby gradated with different levels of transparency on different areas of the outer surface.

4. The mobile terminal case of claim 3 , wherein the gradation paint layer of an area facing the internal parts housed at an inside of the case has relatively low transparency.

5. The mobile terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the gradation paint layer of portions of the outer surface adjacent to the center has continuously changing transparency.

6. The mobile terminal case of claim 1 , wherein the gradation paint layer of portions adjacent to the center have a high transparency and the gradation paint layer of portions adjacent to an outer edge have the low transparency.

7. The mobile terminal case of claim 6 , wherein the gradation paint layer is graduated between the portions adjacent to the center having the high transparency and the portions adjacent to the outer edge having the low transparency.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bae Kwangjin
• Moon Heecheul
• Jung Iksu
• Choi Jongchul

Classifications

• B29C45/14786

  Fibrous material or fibre containing material, e.g. fibre mats or fibre reinforced material · CPC title

• B29L2031/3437

  Cellular phones · CPC title

• B29C45/1418

  the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure · CPC title

• H04M1/0283 Primary

  for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate · CPC title

• B05D3/12

  by mechanical means · CPC title