TELLECOMMUNICATIONS CARD WITH INTEGRATED ANTENNA

• US 20090124216A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Option Incorporated (Crescent NV)
• Original Assignee: Option Incorporated (Crescent NV)
• Inventors: Ward, Nick, Lintern, Richard, Dillon, Charles
• Application Number:
  US12/328,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124216A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/90.100
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB

Abstract

A telecommunications card comprising a cavity in which an antenna structure is movably mounted between a first position in which the antenna structure is substantially located within the cavity and a second position in which the antenna structure is extended from the cavity, the telecommunications card further comprising moving means for moving the antenna structure from the first position to the second position, the antenna structure comprising a slide portion and an antenna portion which are movably connected to each other, characterised in that the antenna structure further comprises erecting means for erecting the antenna portion from the second position to a third position suitable for wireless communication with a telecommunications network.

Claims

1. A telecommunication system comprising:

a laptop computer having a side with a slot for receiving a telecommunications card, and

a telecommunications card located in said slot for establishing wireless communication between the laptop computer and a telecommunication network, the telecommunications card comprising;

a cavity in which an antenna structure is movably mounted between a first position in which the antenna structure is substantially located within the cavity and a second position in which the antenna structure is extended from the cavity parallel to the plane of the telecommunications card, the antenna structure comprising a slide portion and an antenna portion which are movably connected to each other,

moving means for moving the antenna structure from the first position to the second position,

erecting means at the movable connection between the slide portion and the antenna portion for erecting the antenna portion from the second position to a predetermined third position in which the antenna portion forms an angle larger than 30°

but smaller than 90°

with the slide portion and a free space is maintained between the antenna portion and the side of the laptop computer.

2. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein in the third position, the antenna portion forms an angle of approximately 60°

with the slide portion.

3. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the antenna portion is removably mounted on the slide portion.

4. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card further comprises a connector for connecting the telecommunications card to an external antenna.

5. The telecommunication system of claim 4, wherein the telecommunications card is provided with switching means for selecting between wireless communication using the internal antenna of the card and wireless communication using the external antenna connected to the connector.

6. The telecommunication system of claim 5, wherein the switching means are incorporated in the connector.

7. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card is provided with detecting means for detecting whether the antenna portion is in the first position or the third position.

8. The telecommunication system of claim 7, wherein the detecting means comprise a magnet and a hall effect sensor, which are mounted such that the magnet is located adjacent the sensor only when the antenna portion is in the third position.

9. The telecommunication system of claim 7, wherein the switching means are operated by the detecting means for detecting whether the antenna portion is in the first position or the third position.

10. The telecommunication system of claim 9, wherein the detecting means comprise a magnet and a hall effect sensor, which are mounted such that the magnet is located adjacent the sensor only when the antenna portion is in the third position.

11. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card comprises an audio connector for connecting the telecommunications card to audio equipment.

12. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card has a housing with a top layer, an intermediate layer and a bottom layer, the intermediate layer being provided to include the components of the card.

13. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card further comprises a slot with a SIM connector for receiving a SIM card.

14. The telecommunication system of claim 12, wherein the slot is provided with an opening which is shaped such as to allow a user to remove the SIM card from the slot by means of a finger and to avoid contact between the finger and the SIM connector.

15. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card is provided with locking means for locking the antenna structure in the first position, the locking means being constructed such that a user can unlock the antenna structure by pressing an edge of the antenna structure which is accessible from outside the telecommunications card.

16. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the movable connection between the antenna portion and the slide portion is formed by a hinge and the erecting means comprise a torsion spring inside the hinge.

17. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein only a front side of the telecommunications card is user accessible while the telecommunications card is located in the slot and the antenna structure located on the front side of the card.

18. The telecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications card 1 comprises an interface located on a back side of the card.