Protective enclosure for an electronic device
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a three-layer protective enclosure that provides resistance to water, dust, dirt, and bump protection for sensitive computers. In one embodiment, an inner membrane layer is provided, which is a thin, flexible layer that protects portions of a computer and allows the user to interact with keyboards, push buttons and other interactive features of the computer. A protective hard shell fits tightly over the membrane and provides additional sealing and rigidity to the protective enclosure. A stretchable cushion layer is placed over the hard shell which conforms to the hard shell and seals moisture, dust and dirt from entering the hard shell. The stretchable cushion layer provides cushioning and also allows access to certain controls on the computer. In another embodiment, a touch screen cover may be used with, or without, a membrane over other portions of the computer.
1. A protective enclosure for an electronic device, the protective enclosure comprising:
a hard shell cover that fits over the electronic device;
a membrane attached to the hard shell cover, the membrane configured to cover a front portion of the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the protective enclosure, wherein the membrane allows interactive access to a touchscreen on a front portion of the installed electronic device, the membrane further configured to extend beyond an edge of the touchscreen of the installed electronic device and around a sound feature of the installed electronic device, the membrane having an opening proximate the sound feature of the installed electronic device; and
an acoustic screen attached to the membrane and configured to fit over the opening of the membrane to cover the sound feature of the installed electronic device, wherein the acoustic screen allows transmission of acoustical waves through the opening of the membrane while the electronic device is installed in the protective enclosure.
2. The protective enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the hard shell cover includes one or more openings that allow access to controls of the installed electronic device.
3. The protective enclosure of claim 1 , wherein one or openings of the hard shell cover allow access to a camera feature of the electronic device.
4. The protective enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the sound feature of the electronic device is a speaker.
5. The protective enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the sound feature of the electronic device is a microphone.
6. A protective enclosure for an electronic device, the protective enclosure comprising:
a hard shell cover that fits over the electronic device; and
a flexible membrane that is configured to cover at least a front portion of the electronic device, the flexible membrane allowing for interactive access to a touchscreen on the front portion of the electronic device through the flexible membrane when the electronic device is installed in the protective enclosure, the flexible membrane including an acoustic screen attached to an opening in the flexible membrane, the acoustic screen configured to allow transmission of acoustical waves through the opening in the flexible membrane while the electronic device is installed in the protective enclosure.
7. The protective enclosure of claim 6 , the acoustic screen comprising a water-resistant material.
8. The protective enclosure of claim 6 , wherein the acoustic screen is located proximate a speaker of the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the protective enclosure.
9. The protective enclosure of claim 6 , wherein the acoustic screen is located proximate a microphone of the electronic device when the electronic device is installed in the protective enclosure.
10. The protective enclosure of claim 6 , wherein the hard shell cover comprises a front shell formed to correspond with a front portion of the electronic device and a back shell formed to correspond with the back portion of the electronic device.
11. The protective enclosure of claim 10 , the front shell comprising a raised portion surrounding a perimeter of the touchscreen of the installed electronic device.
12. The protective enclosure of claim 11 , further comprising a stretchable cushion layer that is disposed over the hard shell cover, the stretchable cushion layer having sufficient elasticity to substantially conform to the hard shell cover and provide cushioning to the protective enclosure, the stretchable cushion layer exposing at least a portion of the hard shell cover.
13. The protective enclosure of claim 6 , wherein the flexible membrane is optically transparent.