MOBILE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WITH AN INTEGRATED BATTERY/ANTENNA AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20110275421A1
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Whitmore, John Alfred, Man, Ying Tong, Wong, Joshua Kwan Ho
• Granted Patent: US 9,413,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• 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 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

A mobile wireless communications device may include a portable housing, a cellular transceiver carried by the portable housing, and a battery carried by the portable housing and comprising a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte therebetween. The mobile wireless communications device may further include a wireless communications circuit carried by the portable housing and configured to wirelessly communicate via at least one of the electrodes.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a portable housing;

a cellular transceiver carried by said portable housing;

a battery carried by said portable housing and comprising a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte therebetween; and

a wireless communications circuit carried by said portable housing and configured to wirelessly communicate via at least one of said pair of electrodes.

2. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications circuit is configured to operate via magnetic field induction.

3. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications circuit comprises a Near Field Communication (NFC) circuit configured to send and receive NFC signals via at least one of said electrodes.

4. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications circuit comprises a frequency modulation (FM) circuit configured to receive FM signals via at least one of said electrodes.

5. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said pair of electrodes and electrolyte are arranged in a layered stack.

6. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 5 wherein said layered stack has at least one fold therein.

7. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising at least one tertiary coil adjacent said battery.

8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein said battery is positioned within said at least one tertiary coil.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a cellular antenna carried by said portable housing and coupled to said cellular transceiver.

10. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a portable housing;

a cellular transceiver carried by said portable housing;

a battery carried by said portable housing and comprising a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte therebetween, said cathode, anode, and electrolyte being arranged in a layered stack; and

a Near Field Communication (NFC) circuit carried by said portable housing and configured to wirelessly communicate via at least one of said pair of electrodes.

11. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 wherein said layered stack has at least one fold therein.

12. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 further comprising at least one tertiary coil;

and wherein said battery is positioned within said at least one tertiary coil.

13. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 further comprising a cellular antenna carried by said portable housing and coupled to said cellular transceiver.

14. A method of operating a mobile wireless communications device comprising coupling a cellular transceiver, a battery, and a wireless communications circuit within a portable housing, the battery comprising a pair of electrodes and an electrolyte therebetween the method comprising:

using the wireless communications circuit to wirelessly communicate via at least one of the electrodes.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless communications circuit is configured to operate via magnetic field induction.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless communications circuit comprises a Near Field Communication (NFC) circuit configured to send and receive NFC signals via at least one of the electrodes.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless communications circuit comprises a frequency modulation (FM) circuit configured to receive FM signals via at least one of the electrodes.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the pair of electrodes and electrolyte are arranged in a layered stack.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the layered stack has at least one fold therein.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising using at least one tertiary coil adjacent to the battery.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the battery is within the at least one tertiary coil.