PROTECTIVE COVER FOR LAPTOP COMPUTER

Abstract

A protective cover for a laptop computer having a screen portion and an attached keyboard portion. The cover has a bottom shell for placement on the keyboard portion, or a top shell for placement on the screen portion, or both a bottom shell and a top shell. The cover also has at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell, or attaches to the top shell when placed on the screen portion. The locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into a slot in the bottom shell or top shell to internally lock the shell to the keyboard portion or the screen portion. A tool can be inserted into the slot to compress the protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell or top shell from the keyboard portion or the screen portion.

Claims

1. A protective cover for a laptop computer having a screen portion and an attached keyboard portion, said cover comprising at least one of: a) a planar bottom shell for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion, said bottom shell having front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the keyboard portion to prevent it from moving backward, and at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell, wherein the at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion; and b) a planar top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion, said top shell having front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the screen portion to prevent it from moving backward, and at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the top shell is placed on the screen portion, wherein the at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

2. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein two removable corner locking clips internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion.

3. The protective cover of claim 2 wherein each removable corner locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front of the bottom shell and at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion.

4. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein two removable corner locking clips internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

5. The protective cover of claim 4 wherein each removable corner locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front of the top shell and at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

6. The protective cover of claim 5 wherein two removable corner locking clips internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion and each removable corner locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front of the bottom shell and at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion.

7. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, or a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

8. The protective cover of claim 7 wherein two removable corner locking clips internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion and two removable corner locking clips internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

9. The protective cover of claim 8 wherein each removable corner locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front of the top or bottom shell and at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the side of the top or bottom shell.

10. The protective cover of claim 7 further comprising at least two holes in the bottom shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, or at least two holes in the top shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

11. The protective cover of claim 1 made of a resilient plastic material.

12. A protective cover for a laptop computer having a screen portion and an attached keyboard portion, said cover comprising: a) a planar bottom shell for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion, said bottom shell having front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the keyboard portion to prevent it from moving backward, and at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell, wherein the at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion; and b) a planar top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion, said top shell having front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the screen portion to prevent it from moving backward, and at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the top shell is placed on the screen portion, wherein the at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

13. The protective cover of claim 12 wherein two removable corner locking clips internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion and two removable corner locking clips internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

14. The protective cover of claim 13 wherein each removable corner locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front of the top or bottom shell and at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the side of the top or bottom shell.

15. The protective cover of claim 12 wherein a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and the tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

16. The protective cover of claim 15 further comprising at least two holes in the bottom shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and at least two holes in the top shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

17. The protective cover of claim 12 made of a resilient plastic material.

18. A protective cover for a laptop computer having a screen portion and an attached keyboard portion, said cover made of a resilient plastic material and comprising: a) a planar bottom shell for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion, said bottom shell having front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the keyboard portion to prevent it from moving backward, and at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell, wherein the at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion; and b) a planar top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion, said top shell having front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the screen portion to prevent it from moving backward, and at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the top shell is placed on the screen portion, wherein the at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion; wherein a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and the tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

19. The protective cover of claim 18 wherein two removable corner locking clips internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion and two removable corner locking clips internally lock the top shell to the screen portion, and each removable corner locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front of the top or bottom shell and at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the side of the top or bottom shell.

20. The protective cover of claim 18 further comprising at least two holes in the bottom shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and at least two holes in the top shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a keyboard portion of a laptop computer inside a protective cover of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protective cover for the keyboard portion of the computer of FIG. 1.

[0016] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 1.

[0017] FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cut away sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 1, with a tool inserted into a slot in the bottom shell of the cover to compress protruding flanges of the removable locking clip to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion.

[0019] FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 1, with the locking clip removed to unlock the bottom shell of the cover from the keyboard portion.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a keyboard portion of a laptop computer inside another protective cover of the invention.

[0021] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 7.

[0022] FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 7, with a removable screw inserted into a hole in the bottom shell of the cover to prevent a tool from being inserted into a slot in the bottom shell to compress a protruding flange of the removable locking clip and unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion.

[0023] FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 7, with a removable screw removed from a hole in the bottom shell of the cover so a tool can be inserted into a slot in the bottom shell to compress a protruding flange of the locking clip and unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion.

[0024] FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 7, with a tool inserted into a slot in the bottom shell of the cover to compress a protruding flange of the locking clip and unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion.

[0025] FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the keyboard portion and protective cover of FIG. 7, after a tool inserted into a slot in the bottom shell of the cover has compressed a protruding flange of the locking clip and unlocked the bottom shell from the keyboard portion.

[0026] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a screen portion of a laptop computer inside another protective cover of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The protective cover of the present invention is designed to protect a laptop computer having a screen portion and an attached keyboard portion, particularly laptops that are fully foldable or have rotatable screens, from damage during transportation, storage and use. The cover provides such protection without interfering with normal operation of the computer.

[0028] In one embodiment, the protective cover comprises a planar bottom shell for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion of the laptop computer. The bottom shell has front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the keyboard portion to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion. The at least one protruding flange is typically made of a resilient, flexible plastic material. Since the bottom shell is internally locked to the keyboard portion, it cannot be easily removed by users and has no exposed retaining snaps or tabs that may break if the computer is dropped. This internal locking feature is particularly useful on 360 degrees foldable laptops that lack space and edges to secure conventional protective shells or covers having rear and side snaps or tabs around the perimeter to grip the computer.

[0029] In another embodiment, the protective cover comprises a planar top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion of the laptop computer. The top shell has front, left and right sides and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the screen portion to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the top shell is placed on the screen portion. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion. The at least one protruding flange is typically made of a resilient, flexible plastic material. Since the top shell is internally locked to the screen portion, it cannot be easily removed by users and has no exposed retaining snaps or tabs that may break if the computer is dropped. This internal locking feature is particularly useful on 360 degrees foldable laptops that lack space and edges to secure conventional protective shells or covers having rear and side snaps or tabs around the perimeter to grip the computer.

[0030] In another embodiment, the protective cover comprises both the above bottom shell for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion, and the above top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion. Both the bottom shell and the top shell can be separably attached to the computer. The screen portion of the computer, with or without the top shell attached, can be raised or lowered without interfering with the keyboard portion with the bottom shell attached. Similarly, the screen portion of the computer with the top shell attached can be raised or lowered without interfering with the keyboard portion, with or without the bottom shell attached. The bottom shell can also be separated from the keyboard portion while the top shell remains attached to the screen portion, and the top shell can be separated from the screen portion while the bottom shell remains attached to the keyboard portion, all while the screen and keyboard portions remain attached. The bottom shell and/or top shell can be quickly and easily removed or attached to the computer while it remains in assembled mode.

[0031] The protective cover, including its bottom shell and/or top shell and at the least one removable locking clip, is typically made of a resilient plastic material that helps protect the computer if it is dropped onto a hard surface or a heavy object is placed on top of it. The protective cover may further comprise structural components having a rigid layer, a resilient layer, and/or fabric layer(s). A rigid layer helps maintain the flat configuration if the computer is dropped onto a hard surface or a heavy object is placed on top of it. A resilient layer absorbs energy if the computer is dropped onto a hard surface. A fabric layer(s) provides convenient means of construction, by sewing, and a durable outside surface material.

[0032] Other advantages of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by reference to the following detailed description and the appended claims and drawings. It should be noted that terminology referring to or suggesting orientation of either a laptop computer or the protective cover describes orientation with respect to the position of a user, who has positioned the computer on his/her lap or on a work area in front of himself/herself.

[0033] A keyboard portion of a typical laptop computer 10 is shown in FIG. 1. In one example, when closed, the computer is about 11.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches top-to-bottom by 0.5 inches thick. The size of the protective cover of the invention can be adjusted to accommodate larger or smaller laptop computers. The computer 10 is comprised of two major components, a bottom 12 which houses a keyboard portion 14 (keys not shown) and may house other components, cable connectors and disk drives, and a screen portion (not shown), which houses the display screen and may house other components and connectors of the computer. The bottom and screen portion of the computer are connected by a suitable hinge, as known in the art.

[0034] The laptop computer 10 can be effectively operated while it is inside a protective cover of the invention, such as protective cover 30 shown in FIG. 1. The protective cover 30 comprises a planar bottom shell 32 for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion 14. The bottom shell 32 has a front side 33, a left side 34, a right side 35, and a rear side 36 that wraps around the rear of the keyboard portion 14 to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion. In the example shown in FIGS. 1-6, the protective cover 30 comprises two removable corner locking clips 50 that have protruding flanges 52 that insert into slots 54 in the front, left and right sides of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion.

[0035] The protective cover 30 typically further comprises a planar top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion of the laptop computer. The top shell has a front side, a left side, a right side, and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the screen portion to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the top shell is placed on the screen portion. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion. In one example, the protective cover 30 comprises two removable corner locking clips, such as locking clips 50, that have protruding flanges, such as protruding flanges 52, that insert into slots, such as slots 54, in the front, left and right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

[0036] In another embodiment, a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and/or the tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the top shell from the screen portion. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-6, tool 60 can be inserted into slots 54 in the front, left and right sides of the bottom shell to compress the protruding flanges 52 of the removable locking clips 50 to unlock the bottom shell 32 from the keyboard portion 14. The same tool or a different tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the top shell from the screen portion. The tool may, or may not, be integrated into the protective cover for the laptop computer.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a keyboard portion of a laptop computer 110 inside another protective cover 130 of the invention. The laptop computer 110 can be effectively operated while it is inside the protective cover 130, as shown in FIG. 7. The protective cover 130 comprises a planar bottom shell 132 for placement on a bottom surface of the keyboard portion 114. The bottom shell 132 has a front side 133, a left side 134, a right side 135, and a rear side 136 that wraps around the rear of the keyboard portion 114 to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the bottom shell when the keyboard portion is placed in the bottom shell. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion. In the example shown in FIGS. 7-12, the protective cover 130 comprises two removable corner locking clips 150 that have protruding flanges 152 that insert into slots 154 in the front, left and right sides of the bottom shell to internally lock the bottom shell to the keyboard portion.

[0038] The protective cover 130 typically further comprises a planar top shell for placement on a top surface of the screen portion of the laptop computer. The top shell has a front side, a left side, a right side, and a rear side that wraps around the rear of the screen portion to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the top shell is placed on the screen portion. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion. In one example, the protective cover comprises two removable corner locking clips, such as locking clips 150, that have protruding flanges, such as protruding flanges 152, that insert into slots, such as slots 154, in the front, left and right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

[0039] In another embodiment, a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and/or the tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the top shell from the screen portion. In the example shown in FIGS. 11-12, tool 160 can be inserted into slots 154 in the front, left and right sides of the bottom shell to compress the protruding flanges 152 of the removable locking clips 150 to unlock the bottom shell 132 from the keyboard portion 114. The same tool or a different tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the top shell from the screen portion. The tool may, or may not, be integrated into the protective cover for the laptop computer.

[0040] In another embodiment, the protective cover further comprises at least two holes in the bottom shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the bottom shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, and/or at least two holes in the top shell that hold removable screws that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 7-9, removable screws 162 can be inserted in holes 164 in the bottom shell 132 of the cover to prevent a tool from being inserted into slots in the bottom shell to compress the protruding flanges of the locking clips 152 to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion. FIGS. 10-12 show one screw 162 removed from hole 164 in the bottom shell of the cover so tool 160 can be inserted into slot 154 in the bottom shell to compress the protruding flange 152 of locking clip 150 to unlock the bottom shell 132 from the keyboard portion 114. After tool 160 has compressed the protruding flange of the locking clip to unlock the bottom shell from the keyboard portion, the tool can be removed, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0042] FIG. 13 shows a screen portion 116 of laptop computer 110 inside protective cover 130. The laptop computer can be effectively operated while it is inside the protective cover. Protective cover 130 comprises a planar top shell 140 for placement on a top surface of screen portion 116. The top shell 140 has a front side 143, a left side 144, a right side 145, and a rear side (not shown) that wraps around the rear of the screen portion 116 to prevent it from moving backward. The protective cover further comprises at least one removable locking clip that attaches to the front, left or right side of the top shell when the screen portion is placed in the top shell. The at least one removable locking clip has at least one protruding flange that inserts into at least one slot in the front, left or right side of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the protective cover 130 comprises two removable corner locking clips 150 that have protruding flanges 152 that insert into slots 154 in the front, left and right sides of the top shell to internally lock the top shell to the screen portion.

[0043] As described above, a tool can be inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange of the at least one removable locking clip to unlock the top shell from the screen portion. For example, a tool such as tool 160 can be inserted into slots 154 in the front, left and right sides of the top shell to compress the protruding flanges 152 of the removable locking clips 150 and unlock the top shell 140 from the screen portion 116. As described above, the protective cover may further comprise at least two holes, such as holes 164, in the top shell that hold removable screws, such as screws 162, that prevent the tool from being inserted into the at least one slot in the top shell to compress the at least one protruding flange to unlock the top shell from the screen portion.

[0044] To further resist damage to the computer if it is dropped onto a hard surface or a heavy load placed on top of the computer, the top shell and the bottom shell of the protective cover may be comprised of a rigid layer and a resilient layer. For the bottom shell, a rigid layer may be nearer to the interior of the protective cover than a resilient layer. For other components, a resilient layer may be nearer to the interior. The bottom shell may be so designed because some laptop computers have ventilation ports through the bottom surfaces of their bottoms. A resilient layer adjacent to the bottom of such a computer might obstruct the ventilation ports. Otherwise, having a resilient layer adjacent the computer offers cushioning against shock should the computer be dropped. A flexible layer of polymeric material, such as polystyrene, for example, about 0.01 inches thick, may be inserted between rigid and resilient layers.

[0045] The materials employed in manufacturing the protective cover can be selected for light weight, durability and resistance to moisture. The material for rigid layers may be rigid polypropylene sheeting. Other materials, such as corrugated polymeric material, compressed wood fiber or metal sheet, may be employed. The material for resilient layers may be a polymeric foam material, such as polyethylene or polyurethane foam, e.g., a fairly dense grade of polyethylene foam. A fabric layer on the exterior of the protective cover may be a heavy-duty fabric, typically made of nylon, polyester or polyvinyl chloride. It may be bonded to a thin polymeric foam backing, which improves durability and water tightness. In one example, the cover has a ballistic nylon exterior to provide a high degree of protection and a rugged appearance. A vinyl exterior fabric may be used for a more fashionable appearance or to allow the cover to be wiped clean more easily. A lightweight, tightly woven nylon fabric may be used on the interior of the protective cover. In another embodiment of the invention, natural leather, synthetic leather or a sheet polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride may be substituted for either or both of the fabric layers.

[0046] While the present invention may include a fabric layer, together with rigid and/or resilient layers, a protective cover could be constructed from a rigid shell, with resilient materials incorporated inside the shell. It would also be possible to fabricate such a protective cover from molded polyethylene foam with cloth coverings bonded to both sides.

[0047] Means for carrying the protective cover, and a laptop computer therein, may include a handle attached to bottom shell 32 of protective cover 30. A shoulder strap may also be attached to the bottom shell of the cover. An elastic strap, attached to the exterior surface of the bottom shell at the front and back and/or left and right may be provided to secure the computer and protective cover to one wrist of the user, while he/she operates the computer with the other hand.

[0048] In another embodiment, the invention relates to a combination a laptop computer as described above and a protective cover as described above.

[0049] While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereby. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications in the design and construction of a protective cover for a laptop computer, as described herein, lie within the spirit and scope thereof, and all such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the invention defined by the following claims.