Housing for portable handheld electronic device
View Patent ↗An injection-molded housing for a handheld portable electronic device employs a minimal number of parts. The housing, made of a thermoplastic elastomer, is watertight, buoyant and exceptionally rugged. Principal components of the housing snap together without the need for adhesive bonding or fasteners using a tongue-and-groove closure mechanism.
1. A housing for a portable handheld electronic reader/scanner comprising:
a seamless one-piece, hollow body portion made of a thermoplastic elastomer having an electronics enclosure portion and a handle portion, said electronics enclosure portion having an aperture entirely surrounded by a body perimeter portion;
a substantially planar scan face made of the thermoplastic elastomer adapted to cover said aperture, said scan face entirely surrounded by a scan face perimeter portion;
one of the body perimeter portion and scan face perimeter portion having a groove and the other having a projecting tongue element for mating engagement with the groove.
2. The housing of claim 1 further comprising an end cap coupled to the handle portion.
3. The housing of claim 1 wherein the handle portion comprises a battery compartment.
4. The housing of claim 1 further comprising a gasket disposed around the tongue element.
5. The housing of claim 2 further comprising a gasket disposed around the end cap.
6. The housing of claim 1 wherein the tongue portion has a substantially “T”-shaped cross section.