Retractable antenna system

• US 6,266,017 B1
• Filed: 05/29/1997
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Aldous, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US08/865,553
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: H01/Q.124, 343/702, 343/905, 343/906, 343/846, 343/830, 343/848, 455/90, 455/557, 455/575, 455/348, 455/351
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/06 for computer periphery
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/60 Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/06 Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94

Abstract

The invention discloses a retractable antenna system for wireless communication devices. The invention allows the entire antenna assembly, including ground plane and impedance matching circuitry, to be moved away from the wireless communication device and extend beyond any housing, such as a portable computer, to improve antenna performance. The disclosed embodiments include movable sections which can move the ground plane and active radiating element of the antenna outside a housing which encloses or partially encloses the communication device, such as when a PC Card cellular modem is placed within the housing of a laptop or notebook computer. Other embodiments include sections which are detachable from the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device for use in a host system, the device comprising:

a housing containing electrical circuitry, the housing further including a connector that permits detachable connection to a connector slot formed in the host system, the housing and the connector conforming to the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standards;

an antenna module slidably connected to the housing along a longitudinal axis so as to be capable of being placed in a retracted position and an extended position relative to the housing, the antenna module having a width and a thickness that are each substantially equal to the width and the thickness of the housing, wherein the housing and the antenna module together form a substantially contiguous outer periphery when the module is placed in the retracted position; and

an antenna attached to the antenna module and operatively coupled to the electrical circuitry within the housing.

2. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 1, further comprising an RF ground structure that provides an RF ground to the antenna module when in it is placed in the extended position.

3. A wireless communication device as defined in claim 1, wherein the substantially contiguous outer periphery formed between the housing and the antenna module when the module is placed in the retracted position has physical dimensions that conform substantially to that which is defined by the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard.

4. A wireless communication device for use in a host system having a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard slot, the device comprising:

a housing containing electrical circuitry, the housing further including a PCMCIA-compliant connector that permits detachable connection to the slot formed in the host system;

an antenna module slidably connected to the housing along a longitudinal axis so as to be capable of being placed in a retracted position and an extended position relative to the housing, the antenna module having a width and a thickness that are each substantially equal to the width and the thickness of the housing, wherein the housing and the antenna module together form a substantially contiguous outer periphery having physical dimensions that conform substantially to that which is defined by the PCMCIA standard when the module is placed in the retracted position; and

an antenna attached to the antenna module and operatively coupled to the electrical circuitry within the housing.