UHF DIGITAL BOOSTER KIT FOR A TELEVISION ANTENNA AND METHOD

• US 20100117911A1
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winegard Company
• Original Assignee: Winegard Company
• Inventors: Conrad, Timothy John, McCollum, Gail Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 8,018,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/713
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/005 Patch antenna using one or more coplanar parasitic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna

Abstract

An aftermarket UHF parasitic antenna kit and method for a mobile television antenna includes: a base having an engagement surface and an extending boom; rivet holes in the engagement surface that correspond in size and location to a corresponding number of holes in the bottom of the mobile television antenna; push rivets that engage the rivet and bottom holes to hold the base to the bottom of the mobile television antenna; base foot holes in the engagement surface and boom; resilient base feet that engage the base foot holes; and at least one parasitic antenna element connected to the boom.

Claims

1. A universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit as an operational addition to one of a plurality of different types of mobile television antennas, each of said plurality of different types of mobile television antennas having a bottom with a pattern of holes for receiving resilient feet, said kit comprising:

a base, said base having an engagement surface and an extending boom portion;

a plurality of formed rivet hole patterns in said engagement surface corresponding in size and location to at least some of said bottom hole patterns for said plurality of different types of mobile television antennas;

a number of push rivets, said number of push rivets engaging formed rivet holes in the rivet hole pattern corresponding to the bottom hole pattern of one of said plurality of different types of mobile television antennas, when said resilient feet are removed, to firmly hold said base to the bottom of the aforesaid one mobile television antenna;

an ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element connected to said extending boom portion.

2. The universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit of claim 1 wherein said extending boom portion is integral with said base.

3. The universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit of claim 1 wherein said base further includes three side walls around said engagement surface forming a retention cavity to hold said bottom of said mobile television antenna.

4. The universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit of claim 1 wherein said engagement surface corresponds to the size of said bottom.

5. The universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit of claim 1 wherein said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna comprises at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element connected to said boom.

6. The universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit of claim 5 wherein said at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element has at least one raised rib providing strength in wind and vibration.

7. The universal aftermarket ultra high frequency antenna kit of claim 1 wherein said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna comprises three spaced ultra high frequency parasitic antenna elements connected to said boom.

8. In a mobile television antenna having a bottom with a plurality of resilient feet for stowing against the roof of a vehicle, the combination with said mobile television antenna of:

a base, said base having an engagement surface configured to said bottom of said mobile television antenna, said base having an extending boom;

a plurality of formed rivet holes in said engagement surface of said base corresponding in size and location to a corresponding plurality of formed holes in said bottom when said plurality of resilient feet are removed from said bottom;

a plurality of push rivets, said plurality of push rivets engaging said plurality of formed rivet holes and said plurality of bottom holes to firmly hold said base to said bottom of said mobile television antenna;

a plurality of formed foot holes in said engagement surface and said bottom of said base;

a plurality of resilient base feet engaging said plurality of formed foot holes for stowing against said roof of said vehicle;

an ultra high frequency parasitic antenna connected to said boom.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said base further includes a plurality of side walls around said engagement surface forming a retention cavity to hold said bottom of said mobile television antenna.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna comprises at least one ultra high frequency parasitic antenna element connected to said boom.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna comprises three spaced ultra high frequency antenna elements connected to said boom.

12. The combination of claim 9 wherein said plurality of resilient base feet form a triangular shape between said engagement surface and said boom stabilizing said combination when stored against said roof.

13. A method for retrofitting an ultra high frequency parasitic antenna to operate with a mobile television antenna comprising:

removing resilient feet from foot holes in a bottom of said mobile television antenna;

aligning formed rivet holes in a base of said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna over said formed foot holes in said bottom of the mobile television antenna;

inserting rivets into said aligned formed rivet and foot holes to attach said base of said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna to the mobile television antenna, said attached base holding said ultra high frequency parasitic antenna to increase ultra high frequency performance of said mobile television antenna.