Button antenna for handheld devices
First Claim
1. A handheld electronic device button antenna, comprising:
- a movable button member;
a resonating element disposed in the button member; and
a ground formed at least partly from a conductive handheld electronic device case.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Antennas, handheld electronic devices containing antennas, and methods for using antennas and handheld electronic devices are provided. A handheld device may have a conductive case. The antenna can be formed as part of a button such as a pushbutton. The pushbutton may protrude from the conductive case sufficiently to allow good transmission and reception of wireless signals. The protruding antenna contains a radiating element, while the conductive case serves as a ground. The radiating element may be formed from a low-profile antenna structure such as a planar antenna structure formed on a circuit board substrate. The pushbutton may be used to control operation of the handheld electronic device. With one suitable arrangement, actuation of the pushbutton antenna causes the antenna to protrude from the case and turns on transceiver circuitry in the handheld device.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A handheld electronic device button antenna, comprising:
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a movable button member; a resonating element disposed in the button member; and a ground formed at least partly from a conductive handheld electronic device case. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electronic device comprising:
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storage that stores data; processing circuitry coupled to the storage that generates data for wireless transmission and that processes wirelessly received data; and wireless communications circuitry that communicates with the processing circuitry, wherein the wireless communications circuitry comprises a movable button antenna comprising a resonating element formed on a planar substrate. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A handheld electronic device comprising:
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a button antenna that is movable between a deployed position and an undeployed position; processing circuitry that is used to operate the handheld electronic device; radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to the processing circuitry and to the button antenna that transmits and receives radio-frequency signals using the button antenna when the button antenna is in the deployed position; and a metal housing that forms a ground for the button antenna. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for using a handheld electronic device having a movable button antenna, wherein the movable button antenna has a button member that contains a resonating element and wherein the handheld electronic device comprises a conductive case that forms a ground for the button antenna, the method comprising:
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placing the movable button antenna in an in position in which the resonating element is substantially recessed within the conductive case; and placing the movable button antenna in an out position in which the resonating element substantially protrudes from the conductive case and transmits and receives radio-frequency wireless signals. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A pushbutton antenna for an electronic device that has a conductive case with a conductive case surface, comprising:
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a button member having a top surface; a radiating element attached to the button member; and a pushbutton latching mechanism that holds the pushbutton antenna in a deployed position in which the radiating element protrudes outwardly beyond the conductive case surface and an undeployed position in which the radiating element is recessed beneath the conductive case surface. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A handheld electronic device comprising:
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a movable button antenna, wherein the movable button antenna has a button member that contains a resonating antenna element formed on a planar substrate; a radio-frequency transceiver; and a flexible conductive path that conveys signals between the radio-frequency transceiver and the movable button antenna and that maintains an electrical connection between the resonating antenna element and the radio-frequency transceiver as the movable button antenna is moved from an in position to an out position. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification