Extending socket for portable media player

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 as a continuation of U.S. patent application No. 17/105,794, filed Nov. 11, 2020, now RE49,702, which is an application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,560,031. Each of the aforementioned patent and applications claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/453,375, filed Mar. 16, 2011.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to extending sockets for portable media players. In particular, embodiments of the one or more present inventions relate to portable media cases including one or more socket extensions.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Portable media players such as MP3 players and smart phones are often housed in protective covers or cases in order to protect the media player from scratching or damage from dropping. Such cases increase the effective size of the media player and typically serve no purpose beyond protection.

Some portable media player cases include an extra feature to enable a single further function beyond protection. For instance, some cases have an arm that extends for standing the case on its side; one has an arm that extends for headset management; some have a pocket for storing headsets; some have two humps to function as gaming grips; one has two extendable flaps with finger holes to be used as gaming grips; and some have a clip for mounting the player on a belt. However, there is no case that serves all of these functions, and there is no case that serves the mounting functions without adding significant effective size to the player.

A need remains in the art for portable media player cases and extending sockets that perform a multitude of functions, such as the aforementioned functions, without adding significantly to the effective size of the player.

One or more embodiments of the one or more present inventions are directed to portable media player cases that include extending sockets for serving other purposes beyond protection of the player itself, such as one or more of storing headphone cords and preventing the cords from tangling, forming stand legs, forming gaming grips, clipping to belts, waistbands and shirt pockets, forming legs for wedging players that are phones between the shoulder and ear, and forming a grip that allows a user to securely hold and manipulate the player with one hand. Such cases include sockets extendable outward from the case. The sockets generally include extending elements, called “accordions,” comprising cylindrical or conical membranes with flexural hinges having feet at their distal ends. The sockets are structured to allow headphone cords to be wound around the accordions when the sockets are extended, to prevent the cords from tangling. Cavities in the case are provided so that the sockets may collapse flush with the case and may be partially or fully retracted with headphone cords wrapped around them in order to save space. Buttons may attach at the distal ends of the socket and in at least one embodiment are rigid, and in at least one embodiment extend radially past the distal end of the sockets to secure cords and the like.

In at least one embodiment, the sockets further act as stand legs for propping the player in various tilted or upright positions for viewing, data entry, video conferencing, etc. In their expanded states, the sockets act as comfortable grips for gaming, data entry, and searching the Internet. In at least one embodiment, the sockets act as a belt mount: two sockets can collapse onto a belt between them, thereby securing the belt between the sockets and the back of the case. The sockets in their expanded state facilitate hands-free talking on phone players, allowing user to comfortably wedge the player between the ear and shoulder. A socket in its expanded state facilitates one-hand control of the player by allowing the user to wedge fingers between the socket and the back of the case, while manipulating the front of the player with the thumb of the same hand.

The extending elements may comprise accordions, including flexural hinges interspersed with walls. The accordion structures allow the buttons to extend not just straight outward from the case, but also to curve away from the outward axis at various oblique angles. The buttons may snap onto the ends of the accordions, be glued on, or be feet integrally formed with the accordions. In particular, in at least one embodiment the accordions form cones having rotating “flipper” walls as well as fixed walls that jointly result in the walls folding down next to one another (such that the walls are generally parallel to the axis of the accordion) rather than stacking on top of one another.

A socket maintains full functionality without the buttons, and its feet may further form suction cups for attaching the player temporarily to flat surfaces. A socket may be attached to the case or directly to a portable media player. It may be attached permanently or temporarily, for instance by snap-fit or suction cup, and it may be integrally formed with the case. The buttons' purpose includes, but is not limited to, decoration. Designs can be added to the surface of the buttons. The buttons may also take on different forms to play different roles, such as mounting jacks for players that function as cameras or suction cups to attach to a surface.

In one embodiment, the case comprises an outer body, covering the edges and part of the back of the player, formed of a soft, flexible material such as thermoplastic urethane; an inner body or “socket-board”, covering the inner region of the back of the player, formed of a hard plastic, such as polycarbonate, integrally formed with the outer body; two accordions, formed of flexible material, for example a polyester-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer such as Skythane® S190A, snap-fit to the socket-board; and two buttons, formed of hard plastic, such as polycarbonate, glued to the accordions. The case forms an opening for the portable media player screen in the front, with two socket extensions in the back.

Other embodiments include variations in (i) part material; (ii) number of socket extensions; (iii) location of socket extensions; (iv) mode of attachment of button to accordion; (v) mode of attachment of accordion to case body or portable media player; (vi) presence or absence of: button, case body, and socket-board; (vii) number of case body parts; and (viii) presence or absence of a component for connecting sockets extensions to the electronic components of the player to enable further functionality such as speakers.

The following table lists elements of the illustrated embodiments of the invention and their associated reference numbers for convenience.

Ref. No. Element  1. Button  2. Accordion  3. Socket-board  4. Outer case body  5. Vertical button wall  6. Button ring  7. Accordion vent  8. Accordion top vertical wall  9. Accordion flexural hinge 10 Accordion flipper wall 11 Accordion middle vertical wall 12 Accordion bottom vertical wall 13 Accordion male snap-fit 14 Socket-board flange 15 Socket-board socket cavity 16 Socket-board female snap-fit 17 Case body camera hole 18 Case body power button hole 19 Case body lip 20 Case body speaker hole 21 Case body port hole 22 Case ringer hole 23 Case volume button 24 Socket (comprises 1 and 2) 25 Headphone jack hole 26 Headphone jack (not part of invention) 27 Headphone cord (not part of invention) 28 Belt (not part of invention) 29 Folding portion of accordion 30 Socket-board camera and flash bole 31 Suction-cup 32 Suction-cup tape platform 33 Suction-cup tape 34 Suction-cup female snap-fit 35  Suction-cup tape platform female snap-fit 100.  Portable media player case constructed to attach a socket 101.  Portable media player case not constructed to attach a socket (not part of invention) 200.  Media player (not part of invention)

1 FIG. 1 1 1 1 1 FIGS.A,B,C,D, andE 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.B 100 2 24 100 2 comprises.is an isometric back view drawing of a portable media player caseaccording to the present invention with the accordionsof its socketsretracted, or collapsed.is an isometric back view of portable media player casewith its accordionsopened, or extended.

100 4 3 24 24 2 100 15 1 2 1 2 Casecomprises outer case body, including socket-board, and sockets. Each socketgenerally comprises a collapsible accordionattached to casesuch that it collapses to nestle within cavity, and a buttonattached to the distal end of accordion. Buttonmay comprise a separate attached element or may be integral with accordion.

1 FIG.A 1 FIG.B 2 5 FIGS.- 100 24 15 1 1 15 1 4 100 100 shows casein a collapsed configuration. In a preferred embodiment, each socketfits within its cavity(shown in) such that the outer surface of buttonis essentially flush with the back of the case body, and the circumference of buttonfills cavityleaving little gap between buttonand the back of case body. The advantage of this embodiment is that the back of caseforms a fairly smooth surface that does not catch on other items or collect detritus. Thus, the case is very similar to conventional portable media player cases in this configuration. Casemay be unitary or constructed as shown in, described below.

100 20 21 22 23 25 Like conventional cases, casegenerally includes openings forming ports applicable to the media player, for example speaker holes, port hole, ringer hole, volume buttons, and headphone jack hole.

1 FIG.B 100 2 24 1 4 2 2 1 24 24 shows casewith accordionsof socketsextended. The user pulls buttonsout from case body, and accordionsunfold and extend outward. Preferably, accordionsare stable in their extended position so they stay open until buttonsare pressed and socketsclose again. The advantages of extendable socketsare described below in detail, and include allowing headphone cord storage and forming adjustable stands for the media player.

1 FIG.C 1 FIG.D 1 FIG.E 100 24 100 100 3 15 16 2 100 200 100 200 100 200 200 1 2 is an isometric back view of portable media player case, with its socketsremoved. This allows an unobstructed view of the back of case. In this embodiment, the back of caseis formed of an attached socket-board, forming socket cavitieshaving female snap-fit portionsfor attaching accordions.is an isometric front view of portable media case, with a media player(such as an iPhone™ smart phone) disposed within the case.is an isometric front view of portable media case, with media playerremoved. Caseis sized to fit media player. For example, in the case where media playercomprises an iPhone™, it might be about 118 mm tall by 62 mm wide by 16 mm thick. Buttonsmight be around 40 mm in diameter 4 mm thick, and accordionsmight extend outward about 22 mm.

2 5 FIGS.- 2 3 4 FIGS.,andA 4 5 FIGS.B and 3 FIG.A 100 24 show examples of the construction and operation of the case with the sockets.show exploded views of case, andshow cutaway views, sectioned along line A-A indicated in, illustrating the operation of the sockets.

2 FIG. 4 5 FIGS.and 4 5 FIGS.and 3 FIG.B 100 4 3 14 4 15 16 24 2 1 2 13 16 7 29 29 is an isometric exploded back view of one embodiment of portable media case. In this embodiment, the back surface of outer case bodycomprises a socket-boardincluding a socket-board flangeover-molded onto outer case bodyand forming socket-board cavitieswhich have female snap-fit portions. Socketscomprise accordionsand buttons. Each accordionincludes a male snap-fit portionfor attachment to socket-board female snap-fit(better shown in). In a preferred embodiment, each accordion is structured with accordion ventsto allow for air movement during expansion and contraction, and a folding sectioncomprising walls and hinges (better shown in). As an alternative, folding sectioncould be configured similarly to the bendable portion of a bendable straw or Slinky® Pop Toob as shown in. (see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,094,268 and 4,846,510, incorporated herein by reference).

4 3 1 2 In a preferred embodiment, case bodyis formed of TPU or TPE. Socket-boardis formed of PC or ABS, as are buttons. Accordionsare formed of Skythane® S190A or low-density polypropylene.

3 FIG. 3 3 FIGS.A andB 3 FIG.A 2 2 29 10 11 12 9 2 2 8 1 12 comprises.is an exploded end view illustrating the structure of a preferred embodiment of accordionin detail. Each accordionincludes a folding sectioncomprising a series of relatively rigid walls,,interspersed with flexural (or “living”) hinges, which flex as accordionis collapsed or expanded. Accordionfurther comprises top vertical wall(for connection to button) and bottom vertical wall.

3 FIG.B 3 FIG.A 5 FIG. 3 FIG.B 29 2 29 2 8 10 11 12 29 29 shows an alternative folding sectionA of accordion. In these examples, folding sectionsA comprises flexible membranes including hinges. In the embodiment of, accordionforms a cone. This allows walls,,,to fold next to one another (as shown in) rather than stacking on top of one another as is the case with the embodiment of. Both embodimentsandA are stable in various extended configurations.

4 FIG.A 1 FIG. 3 FIG.A 4 FIG.B 1 FIG. 24 5 8 13 16 1 2 2 3 is an isometric exploded side view of the portable media case of, sectioned along the line indicated in.is a sectioned isometric side view of the portable media case of, after fabrication. Socketsare extended outward. As an example, vertical button wallis glued to accordion top vertical wall. Accordion male snap-fitengages with socket-board female snap-fit element. Other embodiments might have buttonformed integrally with, or snap-fitted to, accordion, or have accordionpermanently affixed to socket-board.

5 FIG. 1 FIG. 3 FIG.A 24 9 10 11 10 2 2 8 11 12 5 is a detailed sectioned isometric side view of a portion of the portable media player case of, sectioned along the line A-A indicated in. Socketis in its collapsed position. Note that flexing of hingesallows wallsandto fold up in a generally parallel configuration next to one another, rather than stacking on top of one another. Wallsare designated as flipper walls, because they are oriented diagonally upward when accordionsare extended and diagonally downward when accordionsare closed. Walls,, andremain oriented vertically in both configurations, and do not rotate. Wallis rigid and does not rotate. Note that the terms “upward” and “downward” are used for convenience in describing the drawings, but are specifically intended to include the case in various other orientations.

2 8 10 11 12 9 2 8 10 11 12 24 5 FIG. In one embodiment, accordionis a cone formed of Skythane® S190A. Walls,,,are all about 1 to 2 mm thick and 2 to 5 mm long. Flexural hingesare about 0.2 to 0.4 mm thick and 1 to 2 mm long. Flipper walls are about 20-40 degrees off vertical when accordionis in an expanded state. This allows walls,,,to fold next to one another in a generally parallel configuration as show in, reducing the profile of socketin its collapsed configuration.

6 13 16 Button ringpresses into accordion male snap-fit, in order to urge it to engage with socket-board female snap-fit.

6 FIG. 7 FIG. 8 FIG. 100 24 4 100 100 24 is a side view of portable media casepropped upright (called the video conference mode) by extending the lower of the two socketsat an oblique angle to outer case body.is an isometric side view of caseslightly tilted (called the text mode) by extending the upper of the two sockets.is an isometric side view of the casedisposed sideways and tilted (called the theater mode) by extending the two sockets, either straight out for a steeper angle, or obliquely for a shallower angle.

9 FIG. 8 FIG. 24 is a side view of the portable media case configured in the theater mode similar to, with socketsextended obliquely. When resting on the faces of the buttons in this configuration, portable media case is in what is called surfing mode, well suited for browsing the Internet.

10 FIG. 10 10 FIGS.A andB 10 FIG.A 10 FIG.B 10 FIG.A 11 FIG. 100 27 100 26 200 25 27 2 24 27 100 1 1 2 1 27 28 comprises, and shows caseused to retain a headset cordwithout tangling.is a back isometric view of casewith the sockets extended. The user has inserted a headset jackinto media playervia headset jack hole, and has wound headphone cordaround accordions.is similar to, except that socketshave been mostly retracted. This retains cord, reduces the thickness of case, and lowers the chance of catching buttonson other objects. It is helpful for buttonsto extend radially past accordionsso that buttonsform a lip for retaining cord(or a beltas shown in).

11 FIG. 11 11 FIGS.A andB 11 FIG.A 11 FIG.B 11 FIG.A 24 28 100 100 28 1 2 24 28 100 comprises, and shows socketsgripping a belt, in order to retain case.is a back isometric view of casewith the sockets extended, so that beltcan be inserted under buttonsand between accordions.is similar to, except that socketshave been mostly retracted, to grip beltmore tightly and reduce the profile of case.

12 FIG. 12 12 FIGS.A andB 12 FIG.A 12 FIG.B 24 101 200 24 31 200 101 200 101 24 24 32 33 200 101 24 200 101 33 32 24 comprises, and shows socketattaching either to portable media caseor to portable media player.is an exploded side view of a socket, a suction cup, and either a portable media playeror a portable media player caseaccording to an embodiment of the present invention wherein the socket attaches to a portable media playeror portable media player caseby way of a suction cup that is snap-fitted to one end of the socket.is an exploded side view of a socket, a suction-cup tape platform, suction-cup tape, and either a portable media playeror a portable media player caseaccording to an embodiment of the present invention wherein the socketattaches to a portable media playeror portable media player caseby way of suction-cup tapewhose surface opposite the suction-cup surface is glued to a platformthat is snap-fitted to one end of the socket.

200 4 While the exemplary preferred embodiments of the present invention are described herein with particularity, those skilled in the art will appreciate various changes, additions, and applications other than those specifically mentioned, which are within the spirit of this invention. For example, media playermight be a tablet or an MP3 player or other device such as an iPod Touch™. Casewould then be sized accordingly, and the appropriate portholes provided. In addition, more or fewer sockets may be provided. The sockets and buttons may have different shapes and sizes. They might be resilient rather than rigid, or form suction cups.