Antenna/push-button assembly and portable radiotelephone including the same

• US 20030117326A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Gerard James Hayes, Mark Gordon Douglas, Michael D. Doub
• Inventors: Hayes, Gerard James, Douglas, Mark Gordon, Doub, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,812,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers

Abstract

An antenna/push-button assembly includes a first contact, a second contact movable relative to said first contact, and a button member including an integral antenna. The button member is movable to engage the second contact with the first contact. The antenna may be a patch antenna. A portable telecommunications device includes an antenna/push-button assembly comprising a button member. The button member includes an integral antenna. The button member is operable to control a function of the device.

Claims

1. An antenna/push-button assembly comprising:

a) a first contact;

b) a second contact movable relative to said first contact; and

c) a button member including an integral antenna;

d) wherein said button member is movable to engage said second contact with said first contact.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said second contact is mounted on said button member.

3. The assembly of claim 1 including a spring member operative to bias said second contact away from said first contact.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said spring member includes a membrane spring.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said button member includes a button cover covering at least a portion of said patch antenna.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said antenna is a patch antenna.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said patch antenna comprises a dielectric substrate having upper and lower opposed surfaces, an electrically conductive patch element disposed on said upper surface, and a ground plane layer disposed on said lower surface.

8. The assembly of claim 7 including a flexible grounding connector having a first end connected to said ground plane layer and a second end adapted to be connected to a supplemental ground plane spaced from said ground plane layer.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said grounding connector includes a resilient coil spring.

10. The assembly of claim 7 including an antenna feed line extending through said ground plane layer and said dielectric substrate and electrically coupled to said patch element.

11. The assembly of claim 10 including a coaxial cable and wherein said antenna feed line includes a center conductor of said coaxial cable.

12. The assembly of claim 10 including a pogo pin connector having a base and wherein said antenna feed line includes a pin of said pogo pin connector, said pin being displaceable with respect to said base.

13. The assembly of claim 10 including an electrically conductive resilient spring finger, wherein said antenna feed line is connected to said spring finger and said second contact is mounted on said spring finger.

14. The assembly of claim 10 including a pivot pin connector having a base and a pin which is pivotable about said base, wherein said antenna feed line includes said pin of said pivot pin connector.

15. The assembly of claim 14 including a third contact and a fourth contact, wherein said button member is pivotable about said base to selectively engage said first contact with said second contact and said third contact with said fourth contact.

16. A portable telecommunications device comprising:

an antenna/push-button assembly comprising a button member including an integral antenna, said button member operable to control a function of said device.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein said antenna is a patch antenna.

18. A portable telecommunications device comprising:

a) a circuit board; and

b) an antenna/push-button assembly comprising;

a first contact mounted on said circuit board;

a second contact movable relative to said first contact; and

a button member including an integral antenna;

wherein said button member is movable to engage said second contact with said first contact.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said antenna is a patch antenna.

20. The device of claim 18 including:

a transceiver that transmits and receives radiotelephone communications;

a processor coupled to said transceiver that processes the radiotelephone communications transmitted and received by said transceiver;

a speaker coupled to said processor that generates sound responsive to the received radiotelephone communications; and

a microphone coupled to said processor that generates electrical signals for the transmitted radiotelephone communications responsive to outside sound; and

wherein said antenna includes a conductive layer that receives electromagnetic signals and said antenna is coupled to at least one of said processor and said transceiver.

21. The device of claim 20 further comprising a keypad having a key coupled to said processor, wherein said antenna is disposed adjacent said keypad.

22. The device of claim 20 wherein said antenna comprises a GPS patch antenna adapted to receive electromagnetic global position signals from a GPS satellite.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein said processor comprises a GPS receiver that processes the received electromagnetic global position signals.

24. The device of claim 18 further comprising a housing body, wherein said circuit board is disposed in said housing body and said button member is movably received in said housing body.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein said housing body has a front face and said antenna is a patch antenna including an electrically conductive patch element disposed substantially parallel to said front face of said housing body.

26. A portable telecommunications device comprising:

a) a circuit board having a ground plane; and

b) a patch antenna/push-button assembly comprising;

a first contact mounted on said circuit board;

a second contact movable relative to said first contact;

a button member including an integral patch antenna, said patch antenna comprising a dielectric substrate having upper and lower opposed surfaces, an electrically conductive patch element disposed on said upper surface, and a ground plane layer disposed on said lower surface;

an antenna feed line extending through said ground plane layer and said dielectric substrate and electrically coupled to said patch element;

a flexible grounding connector having a first end connected to said ground plane layer and a second end connected to said ground plane of said circuit board;

a button cover covering at least a portion of said patch antenna; and

a spring member operative to bias said second contact away from said first contact;

wherein said button member is movable to engage said second contact with said first contact.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein said second contact is mounted on said button member.

28. The device of claim 26 wherein said spring member includes a membrane spring.

29. The device of claim 26 wherein said grounding connector includes a resilient coil spring.

30. The device of claim 26 including a coaxial cable and wherein said antenna feed line includes a center conductor of said coaxial cable.

31. The device of claim 26 including a pogo pin connector having a base and wherein said antenna feed line includes a pin of said pogo pin connector, said pin being displaceable with respect to said base.

32. The device of claim 26 including an electrically conductive resilient spring finger, wherein said antenna feed line is connected to said spring finger and said second contact is mounted on said spring finger.

33. The device of claim 26 including a pivot pin connector having a base and a pin which is pivotable about said base, wherein said antenna feed line includes said pin of said pivot pin connector.

34. The device of claim 33 including a third contact and a fourth contact, wherein said button member is pivotable about said base to selectively engage said first contact with said second contact and said third contact with said fourth contact.

35. The device of claim 26 further comprising a housing body, wherein said circuit board is disposed in said housing body and said button member is movably received in said housing body.