PROTECTIVE HOUSINGS FOR WIRELESS TRANSMISSION APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20090069061A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vertu Corporation Limited
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Williams, Stuart, Laurent, Kris, Millar, Caroline
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.700
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

A housing for an apparatus for portable wireless transmission, the apparatus for portable wireless transmission having an antenna element arranged to be able to resonate at a particular highest resonant operating frequency to send/receive transmissions substantially in a significant radiating direction. The housing comprises one or more metal piece areas arranged to, when assembled with the apparatus for the portable wireless transmission, be located over the antenna element in a significant radiating direction in electrical isolation from an electrical ground of the apparatus. The metal piece area(s) comprise a plurality of metal pieces arranged with the housing to be substantially electrically isolated from surrounding metal with dimensions having effective lengths of at most five-tenths of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the antenna element.

Claims

1. A housing for an apparatus for portable wireless transmission, the apparatus for portable wireless transmission having an antenna element arranged to be able to resonate at a particular highest resonant operating frequency to send/receive transmissions substantially in a significant radiating direction, the housing comprising:

one or more metal piece areas arranged to, when assembled with the apparatus for the portable wireless transmission, be located over the antenna element in a significant radiating direction in electrical isolation from an electrical ground of the apparatus,

wherein the one or more metal piece areas comprise a plurality of metal pieces arranged with the housing to be substantially electrically isolated from surrounding metal, with dimensions having effective lengths of at most five-tenths of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the antenna element.

2. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the maximum effective length for the dimensions is selected from the group comprising 9/20, four-tenths, 7/20, three-tenths, 5/20, two-tenths, 3/20 or one-tenth of the wavelength.

3. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding metal is other surrounding metal pieces of the housing.

4. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding metal is metal, which when the housing is assembled with the apparatus for portable wireless transmission, is adjacent the one or more metal piece areas or metal pieces.

5. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of metal pieces are arranged to be isolated from other metal such that each isolated metal piece has dimensions having effective lengths of at most one-tenth of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the antenna element.

6. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of metal pieces are arranged to be touching other metal to provide the dimensions for the touching metal having effective lengths of at most one-tenth of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the antenna element.

7. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element has a single resonant operating frequency, and the highest operating resonant frequency is the single resonant operating frequency of the antenna element.

8. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is a multi-band resonant antenna element, and the highest resonant operating frequency is the higher of the multiple resonant operating frequencies of the antenna element.

9. A housing according to claim 1, wherein a particular metal piece area is formed from a plurality of discrete metal pieces.

10. A housing according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of metal pieces are located proximal to one another with gaps at least about 0.1 mm.

11. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces have a maximum thickness of up to about 2 mm in the radiating direction.

12. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces has a dimension perpendicular to the radiating direction of the order of a few millimetres.

13. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces are formed from metal having at least one of an irregular shape and a regular shape.

14. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces are formed from metal having the shape of a symbol selected from the group consisting of an alphanumeric character and a graphical icon.

15. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces comprise a precious metal.

16. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces comprise a non-precious metal.

17. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces comprise a metal alloy.

18. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the one or more metal piece areas provide a matrix of substantially non-connected metal pieces.

19. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing provides an exterior housing for the apparatus.

20. A housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more of the metal pieces are formed using at least one of chemical etching, electroforming, stamping, extruding, grinding, and polishing processes.

21. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the one or more metal piece areas are formed on a substrate layer.

22. A housing according to claim 21, wherein the one or more metal piece areas are with the housing to provide a layer on top of the substrate layer.

23. A housing according to claim 21, wherein the one or more metal piece areas are with the housing to be substantially embedded within the substrate layer.

24. A housing according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the one or more metal pieces are applied to the substrate by one of mechanical methods and chemical methods.

25. A housing according to claim 21, wherein the one or more metal pieces are formed on the substrate layer during a moulding process to form the housing.

26. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the one or more metal piece areas substantially extend over the entire face of the housing.

27. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of discrete metal piece areas each for a different antenna element.

28. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the metal piece area is formed to extend over at least one of a corner region, a side region and an edge region of the housing.

29. A combination of a housing for an apparatus for portable wireless transmission and an apparatus for portable wireless transmission, the apparatus for portable wireless transmission having an antenna element arranged to be able to resonate at a particular highest resonant operating frequency to send/receive transmissions substantially in a significant radiating direction, the housing comprising:

one or more metal piece areas arranged to, when assembled with the apparatus for the portable wireless transmission, be located over the antenna element in a significant radiating direction in electrical isolation from an electrical ground of the apparatus,

wherein the one or more metal piece areas comprise a plurality of metal pieces arranged with the housing to be substantially electrically isolated from surrounding metal, with dimensions having effective lengths of at most five-tenths of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the antenna element.

30. A method of manufacturing a housing, comprising:

forming a housing for an apparatus for portable wireless transmission, the apparatus for portable wireless transmission having an antenna element arranged to be able to resonate at a particular highest resonant operating frequency to send/receive transmissions substantially in a significant radiating direction, the housing comprising;

one or more metal piece areas arranged to, when assembled with the apparatus for the portable wireless transmission, be located over the antenna element in a significant radiating direction in electrical isolation from an electrical ground of the apparatus,

wherein the one or more metal piece areas comprise a plurality of metal pieces arranged with the housing to be substantially electrically isolated from surrounding metal with dimensions having effective lengths of at most five-tenths of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the antenna element.

31. A means for housing for a means for portable wireless transmission, the means for portable wireless transmission having a means for resonating arranged to be able to resonate at a particular highest resonant operating frequency to send/receive transmissions substantially in a significant radiating direction, the means for housing comprising:

one or more metal piece areas arranged to, when assembled with the means for portable wireless transmission, be located over the means for radiating in a significant radiating direction in electrical isolation from an electrical ground of the means for portable wireless transmission,

wherein the one or more metal piece areas comprise a plurality of metal pieces arranged with the means for housing to be substantially electrically isolated from surrounding metal with dimensions having effective lengths of at most five-tenths of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the means for resonating.

32. A combination of a means for housing for a means for portable wireless transmission and a means for portable wireless transmission, the means for portable wireless transmission having a means for resonating arranged to be able to resonate at a particular highest resonant operating frequency to send/receive transmissions substantially in a significant radiating direction, the means for housing comprising:

one or more metal piece areas arranged to, when assembled with the means for portable wireless transmission, be located over the means for radiating in a significant radiating direction in electrical isolation from an electrical ground of the means for portable wireless transmission,

wherein the one or more metal piece areas comprise a plurality of metal pieces arranged with the means for housing to be substantially electrically isolated from surrounding metal with dimensions having effective lengths of at most five-tenths of a wavelength for the highest resonating operating frequency of the means for resonating.