Docking sleeve with electrical adapter
Patent No. US9602639 (titled "Docking sleeve with electrical adapter") on Aug 18, 2015. The application was issued on Mar 21, 2017.
What is this patent about?
'639 is related to the field of protective covers for portable electronic devices, specifically addressing the limitations of existing covers in providing efficient and reliable docking capabilities. Traditional protective skins often hinder the seamless connection of devices to docking stations, requiring removal of the cover or cumbersome workarounds.
The underlying idea behind '639 is to integrate an electrical adapter directly into a flexible protective cover. This adapter features a male plug that mates with the device's input/output socket and a contactor with external contacts for easy connection to a docking cradle. This eliminates the need to remove the cover for docking, streamlining the user experience.
The claims of '639 focus on a docking system comprising a protective cover with an integrated adapter and a docking cradle with a movable arm. The protective cover includes a flexible shell that houses the electronic device and an adapter with a male plug for connecting to the device's socket and a contactor for external connection. The docking cradle has a tray to receive the cover, a movable arm to secure the device, and a docking connector to mate with the contactor.
In practice, the electronic device is placed inside the flexible cover, establishing an electrical connection between the device's input/output socket and the adapter's male plug. The cover, with the device inside, is then placed in the docking cradle. The movable arm secures the device, and the docking connector on the cradle makes contact with the adapter's external contacts, enabling seamless data transfer or charging without removing the cover.
This design differentiates itself from prior art by providing a built-in electrical pathway through the protective cover. Instead of simply protecting the device's exterior, it actively facilitates docking. The movable arm on the docking cradle further enhances the connection's reliability, ensuring consistent contact between the cradle's connector and the adapter's contacts, even with slight variations in device or cover dimensions.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the mid-2010s when ’639 was filed, protective accessories for mobile hardware were typically implemented using simple passive skins or rigid shells that required manual removal to access physical data ports. At a time when systems commonly relied on standard cable-based charging and data transfer rather than integrated docking ecosystems, hardware constraints made the reliable alignment of internal connectors within a flexible protective layer non-trivial. Consequently, most protective solutions were designed as standalone barriers, often lacking the integrated electrical pathways necessary to bridge a device’s internal port to an external contact array without sacrificing the shock-absorbent properties of the cover.
Prosecution Position
The examiner allowed the claims because the prior art did not demonstrate a specific combination of a protective shell and a movable docking component. Specifically, the prior art failed to show a shell designed to partially cover the front or back of an electronic device while wrapping around multiple side faces and a peripheral edge to hold the device securely, combined with a movable arm. This arm is uniquely designed to transition between an extended position away from the docking tray and a closed position near the tray to facilitate the connection.
Claims
There are 19 claims in total, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a docking system comprising a protective cover with a flexible shell and adapter, and a docking cradle with a movable arm and docking connector. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific features and configurations of the docking system described in the independent claim, such as the movable arm, positioning interface, magnetic coupling, and shell coverage.
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US9602639
- Application Number
- US14829378A
- Filing Date
- Aug 18, 2015
- Publication Date
- Mar 21, 2017
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents