Protective Case For A Mobile Device

Abstract

A mobile device case includes a soft protective housing defining a camera-lens aperture and a touchscreen display aperture, and a lens attachment interface including a capture plate protruding into the camera-lens aperture sufficient to overlap a coupling interface of a removable lens assembly along the optical path of the miniature camera module, and a catch to facilitate stable locking coupling of the removable lens assembly in optical alignment with the miniature camera module.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A mobile device case for a mobile device that includes a miniature camera module and a touchscreen display, comprising:
 (a) a soft protective housing defining a camera-lens aperture and a touchscreen display aperture, said soft protective housing being configured to securely couple around at least a portion of the periphery of said mobile device; and   (b) a lens attachment interface comprising
 (i) a capture plate protruding into the camera-lens aperture across at least a portion of a periphery of the camera-lens aperture sufficient to overlap an oblong rotatable coupling component of an auxiliary lens assembly along an optical path of the miniature camera module, and 
 wherein the capture plate comprises a gradually sloped detent segment configured to overlap with said oblong rotatable coupling component of said auxiliary lens assembly between first and second ends of said detent segment, to create pressure and hold the auxiliary lens assembly into place, and 
 (ii) a catch comprising a stop configured to prevent further rotation of said oblong rotatable coupling component at said second end of said detent segment to facilitate stable coupling of said auxiliary lens assembly in optical alignment with said miniature camera module. 
   
     
     
         3 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said oblong rotatable coupling component comprises a bayonet tab that is rotatable between said first and second ends of said detent segment. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said capture plate comprises a stamped plate and said stop comprises a stamped stop. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said detent segment of the capture plate between said first and second ends comprises between 45° and 135°. 
     
     
         6 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said capture plate comprises polycarbonate resin or a rigid material of texture MT-11010 or both. 
     
     
         7 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein an inner edge of case material that defines the periphery of the camera-flash aperture comprises a dark color. 
     
     
         8 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said case housing uniformly comprises a case material with said same dark color as said inner edge of said lens attachment aperture. 
     
     
         9 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said case housing comprises a soft outer material layer and a rigid inner material layer, and said camera-lens aperture comprises a uniform cutout from said soft outer material layer of said case housing, and said lens attachment interface comprises a bevel. 
     
     
         10 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein said lens attachment interface comprises polycarbonate. 
     
     
         11 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein the case housing is further configured to define therein said lens attachment interface. 
     
     
         12 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein the camera-lens aperture is further shaped to couple a lens attachment interface with the case. 
     
     
         13 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , wherein the camera-lens aperture is shaped to integrally include a lens attachment interface. 
     
     
         14 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , further comprising an auxiliary lens assembly coupled to said lens attachment interface. 
     
     
         15 . The mobile device case of  claim 14 , wherein the auxiliary lens assembly comprises a lens holder, a lens coupled to the lens holder, and said oblong rotatable coupling component. 
     
     
         16 . The mobile device case of  claim 14 , wherein the housing comprises a soft thermoplastic material and the lens attachment interface comprises a hard polycarbonate material. 
     
     
         17 . The mobile device case of  claim 2 , further comprising a rechargeable case battery that is disposed in a battery compartment defined in the case housing and configured to power the mobile device when the mobile device is low on battery power or is out of battery power. 
     
     
         18 . The mobile device case of  claim 17 , wherein the rechargeable battery is connected to a case connector interface that is connectable to an external power source across which data may be communicated. 
     
     
         19 . The mobile device case of  claim 17 , wherein the case further comprises a case processor and electrical circuitry embedded within the housing and configured to detect the presence of the auxiliary lens assembly coupled to the lens attachment interface. 
     
     
         20 . The mobile device case of  claim 19 , wherein the case processor and electrical circuitry are further configured to be programmable by a software application in accordance with a lens recognition process, selectable pre-capture settings or post-capture image editing or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The mobile device case of  claim 20 , wherein the rechargeable battery is further configured to power the case processor and electrical circuitry embedded within the case connector interface.