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A protective case for a portable electronic device includes a hinged cover comprising a set of boards connected by a flexible cover sheet, and a receptacle which is rotatably and detachably connected to the cover by an intermediate connector forming an adjustable joint. The intermediate connector is

A protective case for a portable electronic device includes a hinged cover comprising a set of boards connected by a flexible cover sheet, and a receptacle which is rotatably and detachably connected to the cover by an intermediate connector forming an adjustable joint. The intermediate connector is releasably coupled to a fixed coupling element which is contained within the thickness of one of the boards of the cover, so that the assembled cover can be manufactured by pressing in a conventional press or casemaker. The receptacle includes a flexible latch and a recess whereby the user can insert a fingertip to lift the device from the receptacle.

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1. A protective case for a portable electronic device, the case comprising: a receptacle defining a viewing aperture and configured to releasably retain the device so that a screen of the device is exposed at the viewing aperture; anda cover including: a plurality of boards, each board having major,

1. A protective case for a portable electronic device, the case comprising: a receptacle defining a viewing aperture and configured to releasably retain the device so that a screen of the device is exposed at the viewing aperture; anda cover including: a plurality of boards, each board having major, length and breadth dimensions and a minor thickness dimension, and defining two generally flat, parallel surfaces separated by the thickness dimension;a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion including at least a first said board and the rear portion including at least a second said board, the front and rear portions being connected together by at least one hinge region and foldable about the hinge region to define an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein in the closed configuration the front and rear portions are arranged in parallel superposed relation and the receptacle is received between the front and rear portions; anda flexible outer sheet bonded to each of the first and second boards;wherein the receptacle is coupled to the rear portion of the cover by an adjustable joint, the adjustable joint including a first coupling element, the first coupling element being fixedly contained substantially within the thickness dimension of the second board. 2. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the first coupling element is an integral part of the second board and includes at least one recess;the adjustable joint includes at least one projection which is receivable in the recess to couple the receptacle to the rear portion of the cover; andthe viewing aperture has a length dimension which extends in parallel with a length dimension of the at least one hinge region and with the length dimension of each of the first and second boards in the closed configuration, the length dimension of each of the first and second boards and the at least one hinge region being at least equal to the length dimension of the viewing aperture. 3. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustable joint includes an intermediate connector, the intermediate connector being releasably attachable to the first coupling element and being rotatably attached to the receptacle to define a rotation axis, the receptacle being rotatable about the rotation axis when attached to the cover to define a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation with respect to the cover. 4. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein the intermediate connector is releasable from the first coupling element only when the receptacle is in the portrait orientation or the landscape orientation. 5. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein the intermediate connector is releasable from the first coupling element when the receptacle is in a respective one of the portrait and landscape orientations but not when the receptacle is in the other respective one of the portrait and landscape orientations. 6. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first coupling element includes at least one recess and the intermediate connector includes at least one projection which is receivable in the recess to couple the intermediate connector to the first coupling element. 7. The protective case as claimed in claim 6, wherein the intermediate connector includes a plate which is substantially contained within a thickness dimension of a rear wall of the receptacle, the thickness dimension being defined between opposite front and rear surfaces of the rear wall of the receptacle, and wherein the projection extends outwardly from the plate. 8. The protective case as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plate and the receptacle define cooperating abutment surfaces which limit the rotation of the plate relative to the receptacle, and the abutment surfaces are substantially contained within the thickness dimension of the rear wall of the receptacle. 9. The protective case as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plate and the receptacle define a detent mechanism which retains the receptacle in each of the portrait and landscape orientations, the detent mechanism being releasable by applying a threshold torque to rotate the receptacle about the rotation axis. 10. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the receptacle includes a tray with a rear wall and a peripheral wall extending between the rear wall and the viewing aperture, the peripheral wall being divided to define a latch portion and two adjacent portions, the latch portion being connected to the adjacent portions by the rear wall and including a lip;the latch portion is resiliently moveable relative to the adjacent portions between a retaining position in which the lip extends towards the viewing aperture to retain the device in the receptacle and a release position in which the lip is retracted outwardly away from the viewing aperture so as to release the device from the receptacle; andan aperture is provided in the peripheral wall such that an edge region of the device is exposed at the aperture when the device is retained in the receptacle, the aperture being configured to receive a fingertip of a user to lift the device from the receptacle. 11. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacle includes a tray with a rear wall and a peripheral wall extending between the rear wall and the viewing aperture, the peripheral wall including at least one ventilation aperture and the rear wall including at least one recess extending in parallel with the viewing aperture and communicating with the ventilation aperture. 12. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one ferromagnetic strip is embedded in the front board of the cover, and the receptacle is provided with at least one magnet to engage the ferromagnetic strip in the cover. 13. The protective case as claimed in claim 12, wherein the front board is made from a plastics material and the ferromagnetic strip is provided with a series of holes, the plastics material of the front board extending into the holes to bond the ferromagnetic strip to the front board. 14. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein a pair of ferromagnetic strips are embedded in parallel relation in the front board of the cover, and the receptacle is provided with at least four magnets arranged in pairs on respective long and short sides of the receptacle to engage the ferromagnetic strips in the cover in each of the landscape and portrait orientations. 15. A method of manufacturing a protective case for a portable electronic device, the method comprising: providing a receptacle, the receptacle defining a viewing aperture and configured to releasably retain the device so that a screen of the device is exposed at the viewing aperture;providing a plurality of boards, each board having major, length and breadth dimensions and a minor thickness dimension, and defining two generally flat, parallel surfaces separated by the thickness dimension;providing a flexible sheet;bonding the boards to the flexible sheet to define a cover, the cover including a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion including at least a first said board and the rear portion including at least a second said board, the front and rear portions being connected together by at least one hinge region and foldable about the hinge region to define an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein in an assembled configuration of the receptacle and the cover, the front and rear portions are arranged in parallel superposed relation and the receptacle is received between the front and rear portions in the closed configuration;fixing a first coupling element substantially within the thickness dimension of the second board;bonding the boards to the flexible sheet by pressing the boards and the flexible sheet together between opposed compression surfaces of a pressing apparatus; andcoupling the receptacle to the first coupling element in the assembled configuration to define an adjustable joint. 16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the receptacle is coupled to the first coupling element by an intermediate connector, and the intermediate connector is engaged in snap-fit relation with the receptacle to define a rotatable joint between the intermediate connector and the receptacle. 17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the intermediate connector is slidingly and releasably engaged with the first coupling element in a direction aligned with a respective one of a length dimension and a breadth dimension of the receptacle. 18. A protective case for a portable electronic device, the case being manufactured by a method comprising: providing a receptacle, the receptacle defining a viewing aperture and configured to releasably retain the device so that a screen of the device is exposed at the viewing aperture;providing a plurality of boards, each board having major, length and breadth dimensions and a minor thickness dimension, and defining two generally flat, parallel surfaces separated by the thickness dimension;providing a flexible sheet;bonding the boards to the flexible sheet to define a cover, the cover including a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion including at least a first said board and the rear portion including at least a second said board, the front and rear portions being connected together by at least one hinge region and foldable about the hinge region to define an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein in an assembled configuration of the receptacle and the cover, the front and rear portions are arranged in parallel superposed relation and the receptacle is received between the front and rear portions in the closed configuration;fixing a first coupling element substantially within the thickness dimension of the second board;bonding the boards to the flexible sheet by pressing the boards and the flexible sheet together between opposed compression surfaces of a pressing apparatus; andcoupling the receptacle to the first coupling element in the assembled configuration to define an adjustable joint.