Protective mask of mobile phone
Pith reviewed 2026-05-27 00:30 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
A phone protective mask achieves retention through an integrally formed body that maintains continuous frictional surface contact plus discrete inward edge extensions.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The protective mask comprises an integrally-formed mask body molded and contoured to conform and frictionally-fit tightly against the exterior shape of the exterior housing, with an inner surface in substantially continuous surface-to-surface contact and no substantial space between surfaces, plus at least one retainer with an extension protruding laterally inward that is retained to the exterior housing at an edge.
What carries the argument
Integrally-formed mask body that achieves retention by continuous frictional surface contact combined with at least one inward-protruding edge retainer.
If this is right
- The mask attaches and detaches without tools, adhesives, or additional hardware.
- Openings in the body preserve direct access to input and output interfaces.
- The housing and its internal battery and circuitry remain fully enclosed on the covered sides.
- The single-piece construction avoids multi-part assembly during manufacture.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- Similar frictional-plus-edge retention could be tested on tablets or portable audio devices whose housings have comparable edge geometry.
- If the continuous contact claim holds under repeated insertion and removal, the design may reduce dust ingress at seams compared with looser-fitting cases.
Load-bearing premise
The described combination of full-surface frictional contact and discrete edge retainers is novel and non-obvious compared with existing phone-case designs.
What would settle it
A single prior-art phone case that already uses both continuous inner-surface frictional fit and at least one inward edge extension to hold the case in place.
read the original abstract
1 . A protective mask molded for frictional retention to an exterior housing of a mobile phone having user input and output interfaces, and internal components including circuitry and a battery, wherein the exterior housing completely encloses the circuitry and the battery when the mobile phone is fully assembled and ready for use, the exterior housing having an exterior shape formed by a back surface, and at least portions of opposed side surfaces, the protective mask comprising: an integrally-formed mask body molded and contoured to conform and frictionally-fit tightly against the exterior shape of the exterior housing; an inner surface of the integrally-formed mask body defining an interior space of the integrally-formed mask body and conforming to and in substantially continuous surface-to-surface contact with the exterior shape of the exterior housing, with no substantial space between the inner surface of the integrally-formed mask body and the exterior shape of the exterior housing; at least one opening defined by the integrally-formed mask body permitting user access to at least the user input and output interfaces; and at least one retainer having an extension protruding laterally inward from the integrally-formed mask body and toward and into the integrally-formed mask body interior space, wherein the at least one retainer is retained to the exterior housing at an exterior housing edge when the mask is coupled to the mobile communication device, the at least one retainer participating in retaining the integrally-formed mask body to the mobile communication device.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript is a US utility patent whose sole independent claim describes a protective mask (phone case) comprising an integrally-formed mask body that is molded to conform to and frictionally engage the back and side surfaces of a mobile-phone exterior housing in substantially continuous surface-to-surface contact, together with at least one retainer that extends laterally inward to engage an exterior-housing edge, while leaving openings for user interfaces.
Significance. If the combination of continuous frictional contact plus discrete edge retainers is both novel and non-obvious over existing phone-case prior art, the claim would define a commercially relevant protective-accessory geometry; however, the text supplies neither comparative data nor a technical advantage that would allow an immediate assessment of inventive step.
minor comments (2)
- [Claim 1] The single paragraph of claim language repeats the phrase 'integrally-formed mask body' eight times; a defined term or consistent shorthand would improve readability.
- No dependent claims, drawings, or field-of-search citations are supplied, which is atypical for a utility-patent submission and limits technical evaluation.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for reviewing the utility patent. The independent claim recites a specific combination of an integrally-molded body providing substantially continuous frictional surface contact together with at least one laterally inward retainer engaging a housing edge. We address the single substantive observation below.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: If the combination of continuous frictional contact plus discrete edge retainers is both novel and non-obvious over existing phone-case prior art, the claim would define a commercially relevant protective-accessory geometry; however, the text supplies neither comparative data nor a technical advantage that would allow an immediate assessment of inventive step.
Authors: The manuscript is the granted U.S. patent itself (US10097676). Patentability was already examined by the USPTO; the claim was found novel and non-obvious over the cited prior art. The specification and file history contain the required enablement and support for the recited geometry. No additional comparative data are required or permitted within the four corners of a utility patent claim. revision: no
Circularity Check
No circularity; patent enumerates mechanical design features without derivation or self-reference
full rationale
The document is a US utility patent whose sole content is a set of mechanical claims describing an integrally-formed frictional mask body with edge retainers. No equations, fitted parameters, predictions, derivations, or citations (self or otherwise) appear anywhere in the text. The central claim is simply an enumeration of physical features; nothing reduces to its own inputs by construction or by load-bearing self-citation. This is the normal non-circular case for a pure design disclosure.
discussion (0)
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