Dock with isolated dock connector and methods of making and using
AssigneeNational Products, Inc.
InventorJeffrey D. Carnevali
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dock for an electronic device includes a base configured to fit over at least a portion of a back surface of the electronic device; a tray extending from the base for receiving one side of the electronic device; and a dock connector arrangement that includes a dock connector formed of a first rigid or hard plastic material, a plurality of contacts extending out of, or disposed on, the dock connector, an elastomeric sleeve molded around at least a perimeter of the dock connector, and a contact box, wherein at least a portion of the contact box is molded around at least a perimeter of the elastomeric sleeve, wherein at least the portion of the contact box is formed of a second rigid or hard plastic material, wherein the contact box is coupled to, or part of, the base or the tray.
Claims20
A method of making a dock for an electronic device, the method comprising:
- molding an elastomeric sleeve around at least a perimeter of a dock connector, wherein the dock connector is formed of a first rigid plastic material and the elastomeric sleeve is formed of a thermoplastic material;
- and
- molding at least a portion of a contact box around at least a perimeter of the elastomeric sleeve, wherein at least the portion of the contact box is formed of a second rigid plastic material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.