Fabric Items with Anti-Soiling Features

Abstract

A fabric item that comes into repeated contact with a staining agent may be provided with anti-soiling features to help prevent the staining agent from transferring to the fabric. The fabric item may be a case or strap for an electronic device or may be an integral portion of an electronic device. The anti-soiling features may include a raised lip of material having a higher elastic modulus than the fabric. The anti-soiling features may include an incompressible material (e.g., fused fabric, fabric impregnated with adhesive, or non-fabric materials such as metal or glass), edge piping, molded fabric, protruding ridges, stitches covered with welt, a recess that receives a cord of a removable strap, and/or compressible fabric regions. An internal frame member may protrude through the fabric or may press on an inner surface of the fabric to form anti-soiling features.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A case for an electronic device, the case comprising:
 a back panel;   a sidewall extending from the back panel and surrounding a recess configured to receive the electronic device, wherein the sidewall and the back panel comprise fabric; and   anti-soiling features located at a periphery of the back panel and configured to prevent transfer of a staining agent onto the back panel.   
     
     
         2 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise a monofilament strand. 
     
     
         3 . The case defined in  claim 2  wherein the fabric comprises multifilament strands that are interlaced with the monofilament strand. 
     
     
         4 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features are formed from a portion of the fabric and wherein the portion of the fabric has a higher density than other portions of the fabric of the back panel. 
     
     
         5 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features are formed from a portion of the fabric and wherein the portion of the fabric comprises at least one of: fused strands and strands impregnated with adhesive. 
     
     
         6 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise an incompressible member and wherein the incompressible member comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: metal, plastic, and glass. 
     
     
         7 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise an incompressible member that forms a raised lip that extends at least partially around the periphery of the back panel. 
     
     
         8 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise an incompressible member and wherein the sidewall and the back panel are joined by a corner and wherein the incompressible member protrudes outwardly from the corner. 
     
     
         9 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise edge piping that extends along a seam between the sidewall and the back panel. 
     
     
         10 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise molded fabric that extends along a seam between the sidewall and the back panel. 
     
     
         11 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the sidewall and the back panel are joined by a corner and wherein the anti-soiling features comprise ridges at the corner. 
     
     
         12 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise stitching. 
     
     
         13 . The case defined in  claim 12  wherein the stitching comprises box stitching and wherein the box stitching is covered with welt. 
     
     
         14 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise at least one of: a low friction coating and directional ridges in the fabric. 
     
     
         15 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the sidewall and the back panel are joined by a corner and wherein the anti-soiling features are selected from the group consisting of: a compressible region of the fabric at the corner and a layer of optically clear silicone that is overmolded onto the corner. 
     
     
         16 . The case defined in  claim 1  wherein the anti-soiling features comprise:
 a recess in the fabric; and 
 a cord located in the recess, wherein the cord forms a removable strap for the case. 
 
     
     
         17 . A case for an electronic device, the case comprising:
 a back panel;   a sidewall extending from the back panel and surrounding a recess configured to receive the electronic device, wherein the sidewall and the back panel comprise an internal frame member and fabric covering the internal frame member; and   a protrusion on the internal frame member that extends at least partially around a periphery of the back panel to reduce transfer of a staining agent onto the back panel.   
     
     
         18 . The case defined in  claim 17  wherein the protrusion extends through an opening in the fabric and is exposed on an outer surface of the back panel. 
     
     
         19 . The case defined in  claim 17  wherein the protrusion presses against an inner surface of the fabric to create a locally thinned fabric region with higher density than other regions of the fabric. 
     
     
         20 . A fabric item, comprising:
 a fabric layer configured to come into repeated contact with a staining agent; and   a raised lip that extends around an outer periphery of the fabric layer and that is raised relative to the fabric layer, wherein the raised lip is formed from a material having a higher elastic modulus than the fabric layer and is configured to prevent the staining agent from transferring to the fabric layer.