Waterproof case

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9795044-B2
Application number	US-201313835915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Aug 22, 2011
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A protective case for an electronic device includes a main housing and a lid. The main housing and lid are removably joined to define a water tight volume receiving an electronic device. Air trapped within the protective case transfers acoustic energy from a sound source within the case to at least one membrane wherein the membrane vibrates in response to an air pressure differential transmitting sound to an exterior of the case.

First claim

We claim:

1. A protective case for an electronic device comprising:
a main housing;
a lid;
the main housing and lid removably joined to define an air and water tight volume receiving an electronic device;
at least one air cavity defined by the device inserted into the volume, the air cavity located between the device and the main housing or lid;
at least one membrane positioned on the main housing or lid, wherein the membrane is compliantly mounted and is impermeable to air and sized to vibrate and translate acoustic energy from a sound source into vibrational energy without significant attenuation allowing sound waves to be generated on an opposing side of the membrane either internal or external to the volume.

2. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the at least one membrane is formed of a wall of the main housing or lid.

3. The protective case of claim 1 including a membrane attached to the main housing or lid wherein the device and membrane define an air gap and the screen acts as an acoustic membrane transferring sound from the device within the case to an exterior of the case or to the device within the case from an exterior of the case.

4. The protective case of claim 1 including at least one secondary sound port transmitting sound to or from the electronic device positioned in the volume.

5. The protective case of claim 4 including at least one membrane assembly applied over the secondary sound port, the membrane assembly being non permeable to water, the membrane assembly compliantly mounted with respect to the secondary sound port allowing the membrane to freely vibrate.

6. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the at least one membrane assembly includes a membrane attached to the housing using a visco-elastic adhesive.

7. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the membrane has a thickness of from 5 microns to 2000 microns.

8. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the membrane has a Young's Modulus from 50 MPa to 80 GPa.

9. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the membrane has a density from 500 kg/m3 to 2500 kg/m3.

10. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the membrane is formed of TPU, PI, PEN, PVDF, PET or PC material.

11. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the main housing or lid includes a raised lip or recess formed thereon locating the membrane assembly.

12. The protective case of claim 5 wherein at least one secondary sound port on the main housing or lid is a microphone port and has a membrane assembly attached thereon wherein the membrane assembly is non-permeable to water and the membrane assembly compliantly mounted with respect to the microphone port allowing the membrane to freely vibrate and transmit sound from exterior of the case to the device within.

13. The protective case of claim 12 wherein at least one isolated air cavity is formed that seals and defines an air volume between the device and the main housing or lid that surrounds and includes the microphone port to channel sound from the microphone port to a microphone on the device.

14. The protective case of claim 13 wherein the air cavity to seal and define an air volume is formed of a foam, rubber or elastomer material.

15. The protective case of claim 14 wherein the sealing foam, rubber or elastomer material is attached to the membrane by a viscoelastic adhesive and formed as a part of the membrane assembly.

16. The protective case of claim 13 wherein the main housing or lid includes a microphone port having an isolated and sealed air cavity formed of a gasket of foam, rubber or elastomer that surrounds the microphone to isolate sound and that also surrounds a flash or camera to isolate light from reflecting into the camera, the gasket located using a raised lip or recess formed on the main housing or lid.

17. The protective case of claim 16 wherein the main housing or the lid includes a microphone port having a membrane assembly attached thereon with a membrane that is formed of a clear material allowing a light from a flash, camera or sensor to pass through the membrane to or from the device and also transfer acoustic signals across the membrane.

18. The protective case of claim 17 wherein the gasket includes a cutout section having the membrane disposed within to receive a flash and that may be formed with a notch in the air cavity formed therein to direct and allow acoustic energy to travel to a microphone of the device and the gasket also contains an adjacent cut out section to receive a camera from the electronic device, such that the camera is isolated from the flash that passes through the membrane by the gasket.

19. The protective case of claim 18 wherein the gasket is attached to the membrane by a viscoelastic adhesive and formed as a part of the membrane assembly.

20. A protective case for an electronic device comprising:
a main housing including at least one port formed therein;
a lid;
the main housing and lid removably joined to define an air and water tight volume receiving an electronic device;
a membrane assembly attached to the main housing or lid in the region of the port, the membrane assembly including a non-porous membrane compliantly mounted with respect to the port allowing the membrane to freely vibrate and the housing being sealed from air and water ingress.

21. The protective case of claim 20 wherein the at least one membrane assembly includes a membrane, the membrane attached to a visco-elastic adhesive material which is attached to the main housing.

22. A protective case for an electronic device comprising:
a main housing;
a lid;
the main housing and lid removably joined to define an air and water-tight volume receiving an electronic device;
at least one air cavity is formed of a foam, rubber or elastomer material that seals and defines an air volume between the device and any of the lid or main housing in which the air cavity is used to isolate or channel sound to or from a specified area of a microphone or speaker of the device.

Assignees

• Catalyst Lifestyle Ltd

Inventors

• Lai June
• Wright Joshua

Classifications

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title

• H05K5/06

  Hermetically-sealed casings {(specially adapted for small components H05K5/0095)} · CPC title

• H05K5/0086 Primary

  portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus (casings for switching devices H01H9/02) · CPC title

• G06F1/1626

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• H04R1/02

  Casings; Cabinets {; Supports therefor;} Mountings therein (H04R1/28 takes precedence {; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075}) · CPC title