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EP-4738055-A1 - CASE FOR TABLET TERMINAL

EP4738055A1EP 4738055 A1EP4738055 A1EP 4738055A1EP-4738055-A1

Abstract

[Problem] To realize a case for tablet terminal that makes a wired earphone usable without requiring a conversion adapter even if a tablet terminal is not equipped with an earphone jack. [Solution] A first cover 2 includes: a frame 5 to cover an outer periphery of a tablet terminal and capable of holding the tablet terminal; a Type-C cable 6 to be electrically connected to a USB Type-C port of the tablet terminal; and a wiring board 8 mounted on the frame 5 and connecting the Type-C cable 6 and a flat cable 7 to each other. A second cover 3 includes: an external interface unit 9 mounted on a casing 11 and connected to the flat cable 7; and an earphone jack provided at the external interface unit 9. The flat cable 7 is arranged in such a manner as to cross a coupler while passing through the inside of the coupler 4.

Inventors

  • USHIDA, Ken

Assignees

  • a-freak Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251016

Claims (9)

  1. A case for tablet terminal comprising: a first cover having an opening part for exposing a display surface of a tablet terminal and allowing the tablet terminal to be housed therein; a second cover covering the opening part of the first cover in a manner allowing the opening part to be opened and closed; and a coupler coupling the first cover and the second cover to each other, wherein the first cover includes: a frame to cover an outer periphery of the tablet terminal and capable of holding the tablet terminal; a Type-C cable to be electrically connected to a USB Type-C port of the tablet terminal; and a wiring board mounted on the frame and connecting the Type-C cable and a flat cable to each other, the second cover includes: a casing; a keyboard unit mounted on the casing and formed in a central part of the second cover; an external interface unit mounted on the casing and connected to the flat cable; and an earphone jack provided at the external interface unit, and the flat cable is arranged in such a manner as to cross the coupler while passing through the inside of the coupler.
  2. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1, wherein the coupler includes: a first material forming a surface on a back side; and a second material forming a surface on a side opposite to the first material, the flat cable is arranged in such a manner as to be interposed between the first material and the second material, and a reinforcing member capable of increasing the tearing strength of the coupler is attached between the first material and the second material.
  3. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flat cable is a flexible printed board.
  4. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the Type-C cable includes an L-shaped connector part where a connector extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction in which the cable extends, and the frame is provided with an enclosure housing the L-shaped connector part.
  5. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 4, wherein the Type-C cable is housed in such a manner as to extend along an inner side of a peripheral edge of the frame.
  6. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the external interface unit further includes a Type-C port usable for power feeding to the tablet terminal.
  7. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame is configured to cover a speaker part provided at a side part of the tablet terminal using a side part of the frame, and includes a speaker hole for emitting sound externally output from the speaker part, the speaker hole being provided at a front edge of the frame and in the vicinity of the speaker part.
  8. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame has an upper edge where a holder to hold a pen-type input device is provided, and the holder includes a protector to cover a pen tip of the pen-type input device in order to prevent the pen tip from being exposed to the outside.
  9. The case for tablet terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first cover includes: a backplate unit to support a back side of the tablet terminal; a lower fixed part fixed to the backplate unit; and an upper folding part separable from the backplate unit and bendable in an external direction about an upper end of the lower fixed part, the backplate unit is provided with a window part to make a part of a back-side surface of the tablet terminal visually recognizable when the upper folding part is folded back, and the window part is formed using transparent resin.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to a case for tablet terminal to be used while being attached to a tablet terminal (tablet-type computer device). The "case for tablet terminal" mentioned in the present invention is synonymous with items generally called by names such as a "case for mobile terminal," a "cover for tablet terminal," and a "cover for mobile terminal," and include all of these items. Background Art The tablet terminal is a multifunctional mobile terminal including a display having a substantially equal resolution to a compact notebook computer, and equipped with various functions such as reproduction of music and videos, Internet search, e-mails, browsing of electronic books, online meetings, document preparation, and spreadsheets. Efforts have been made to use such multifunctional mobile terminals in educational fields such as schools. With the aim of enhancing the education ICT environment, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology proposed the "GIGA school program" in 2019 intended to exploit the full potentials of teachers and students, and is promoting setup of high-speed and large-capacity communication networks at elementary and secondary schools and high schools throughout the country and preparation of one tablet terminal for one student. The tablet terminal, intended for educational use, etc., a keyboard may be provided at a protective cover for preventing damage of the tablet terminal. Proposal has also been made to provide the protective cover for preventing damage of the tablet terminal with a mechanism for allowing the tablet terminal to be used in an upright state. As an example, referring to a foldable computer cover according to Patent Literature 1, one side at the bottom of a tablet terminal is placed against a stop of a third panel provided with a keyboard to hold the tablet terminal in an upright state. Referring to a leather cover for tablet computer according to Patent Literature 2, a triangular support table is formed for fixing a front-side leather cover and a front-side substrate at an appropriate angle therebetween to hold a tablet computer in an upright state. Citation List Patent Literatures Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-24178Patent Literature 2: Japanese Examined Utility Model Registration Publication No. 3160806 Non-Patent Literatures Non-Patent literature 1: "2022 Apple 10.9-inch iPad (Wi-Fi, 64 GB)-Pink (10th generation), [online] Amazon, [searched on October 10, 2024] <https://amzn.asia/d/5LvG8Ta> on the Internet Summary of Invention Technical Problem Tablet terminals are provided as products by a plurality of manufactures in Japan and overseas, and iPads® are one of mainstream products well known to demanders. According to a policy made public in the second stage of the "GIGA school program" announced in April, 2024, OSs of tablet terminals to be used at school are to be selected from three types provided by overseas manufacturers, and one of these three options is an iOS®. New additional models of the iPad® have been released so far. Meanwhile, Apple® made an announcement in May, 2024 that Apple® would stop concurrent selling with products in the previous generations having been done previously and would focus on selling of models of the latest generation in the future in markets including the Japanese market. Here, as shown in Non-Patent Literature 1, the iPad® of the 10th-generation as the latest generation is not equipped with an earphone jack at a body of the iPad®, unlike those of the generations up to the 9th generation. Meanwhile, earphones are used in English listening classes at elementary and secondary schools, for example. Earphones are generally categorized into wireless earphones using Bluetooth® and the like and wired earphones with cables. If used for educational purposes in a situation where a large number of students gather in one classroom, the wireless earphones might become crossed between tablet terminals used by different students. For this reason, using the wired earphones free from the concern about the crossing are required to be used in classes at school. Hence, if the 10th-generation iPad® is employed as a tablet terminal to be used at elementary and secondary schools and high schools, etc., the absence of an earphone jack at a body necessitates the need to buy a conversion adapter additionally for the operation of the tablet terminal. For example, techniques such as those shown in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 have already been suggested conventionally as cases for tablet terminal. However, no technique to solve the foregoing problem has been found. The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above. A first object of the present invention is to realize a case for tablet terminal that makes a wired earphone usable without requiring a conversion adapter even if a tablet terminal is not equipped with an earphone jack. A second obje