Portable communications device

• US 20030032443A1
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rawdah, Omar, Dʼsouza, Winand, Johnson, Alan, Phelps, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US10/179,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032443A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use

Abstract

A portable communications device such as an integrated hands-free mobile telephone includes an antenna cavity which doubles as an audio cavity for an integrated hands-free speaker. By using the antenna cavity as an audio cavity, space within the telephone can be saved and the telephone made smaller overall without compromising audio performance.

Claims

1. A portable communications device including a speaker and an antenna, the antenna being associated with an antenna cavity which is arranged to form an audio cavity for the speaker.

2. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a ground plane and a radiating conductor spaced from the ground plane, the antenna cavity comprising the space between the radiating conductor and the ground plane.

3. A portable communications device according to claim 2, further comprising a printed circuit board to which device components are mounted, wherein the ground plane comprises the printed circuit board.

4. A portable communications device according to claim 2, further comprising a printed circuit board to which at least one radio frequency screening can is mounted, wherein the ground plane comprises a surface of said at least one of the screening cans.

5. A portable communications device according to claim 2, wherein the antenna comprises a patch antenna.

6. A portable communications device according to claim 5, wherein the antenna comprises a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA).

7. A portable communications device according to claim 1, including a housing to which the antenna is mounted, wherein the antenna includes a radiating element spaced from the housing and the antenna cavity comprises the space between the radiating element and the housing.

8. A portable communications device according to claim 7, wherein the antenna is selected from a meander antenna or a planar antenna.

9. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is internal to the antenna cavity.

10. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is external to the antenna cavity.

11. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna cavity is defined by antenna support means.

12. A portable communications device according to claim 11, wherein the antenna support means defines a sealed volume which is used as an audio cavity.

13. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the speaker is located outside the antenna cavity.

14. A portable communications device according to claim 13, wherein the speaker is located adjacent to the antenna.

15. A portable communications device according to claim 13, further comprising a duct for connecting the speaker to the audio cavity.

16. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the audio cavity comprises a sealed volume.

17. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the audio cavity comprises a back volume for the speaker.

18. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the audio cavity comprises a front volume for the speaker.

19. A portable communications device according to claim 1, comprising a mobile telephone.

20. A portable communications device according to claim 1, wherein the speaker comprises a hands-free speaker.