Antenna cover

• US 7,525,505 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Laird Connectivity Inc.
• Original Assignee: Antenex, Inc. (Laird Limited)
• Inventors: Cislo, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US11/520,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 343/872, 343/702, 343/895, 343/786
• US Class Current: 343/872
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material

Abstract

An antenna cover that can be fitted onto an existing antenna spring assembly. The antenna cover is constructed of a flexible and resilient material, with a base layer adapted to wrap around the bottom of an antenna spring assembly, the interior of said base layer defining an attachment aperture, a side wall coupled with the base layer and adapted to cover the spring section of an antenna spring, and a top portion coupled with the side wall and adapted to cover the top of the antenna spring assembly, the interior of said top portion defining a whip aperture. The antenna cover is fitted onto an existing spring assembly by inserting the spring into one of the cover'"'"'s apertures and forcing the cover over the spring assembly until the cover is fully in place. Alternatively, some or all of the cover may be composed of heat shrinkable material, so that when the cover is moved into place on the spring assembly, heat is applied to shrink the cover to closely fit the spring assembly.

Claims

1. An antenna cover, comprising:

a side wall adapted to cover the spring section of an antenna spring assembly,

a base layer having a diameter and coupled with the sidewall, said base layer adapted to wrap around the bottom of an antenna spring assembly,

an attachment aperture having a diameter defined by the interior of said base layer, wherein the ratio of the attachment aperture diameter to the base layer diameter is within a range from approximately two-tenths to approximately eight-tenths,

a top portion coupled with the side wall and adapted to tightly surround the top of a spring assembly, the interior of said top portion defining a whip aperture,

wherein at least the side walls are composed of a resilient, flexible, and durable material having an average thickness within a range from approximately two-hundredths of an inch to approximately one-tenth of an inch.

2. The antenna cover of claim 1, further comprising ribs integrated into the side walls.

3. The antenna cover of claim 2 wherein the ribs are in a stacked configuration.

4. The antenna cover of claim 1 wherein the resilient, flexible, and durable material is comprised of polyurethane.

5. The antenna cover of claim 1,

wherein at least a portion of the base layer is comprised of heat shrinkable material.

6. The antenna cover of claim 5, wherein such the heat shrinkable material is designed such that when heat is applied to said base layer it adapts to wrap around the bottom of the spring assembly.

7. The antenna cover of claim 5, wherein the side wall and top portion are also comprised of heat shrinkable material.

8. The antenna cover of claim 7, wherein the base layer, side wall, and top portion have heat shrinkable material that is specifically adapted to shrink to fit the portions of the spring assembly each of those elements is designed to cover.

9. The antenna cover of claim 5, wherein the side wall has ribs.

10. The antenna cover of claim 9, wherein the ribs are corrugations of the side wall and have a stacked configuration.

11. An antenna cover, comprising

a substantially cylindrical side wall, adapted to cover at least the spring section of an antenna spring assembly,

corrugated ribs integrated into said sidewall, said corrugated ribs having a stacked configuration,

a base layer having a diameter and coupled with the sidewall, said base layer adapted to wrap around the bottom of an antenna spring assembly,

an attachment aperture having a diameter defined by the interior of said base layer, wherein the ratio of the attachment aperture diameter to the base layer diameter is within a range from approximately thirty-five hundredths to approximately fifty-five hundredths,

a top portion coupled with the sidewall, said top portion adapted to tightly surround the top of the antenna spring assembly, and

a whip aperture defined by the interior of said top portion,

wherein the antenna cover is comprised of a resilient, flexible, and durable material having an average thickness within a range from approximately two-hundredths of an inch to approximately one-tenth of an inch, and when the antenna cover is fully formed it is adapted to be installed over an existing antenna spring assembly.

12. The antenna cover of claim 11 wherein the ratio of the attachment aperture diameter to the base layer diameter is within a range from approximately four tenths to approximately one-half.

13. The antenna cover of claim 11 wherein the average thickness of the cover is within a range from approximately thirty-five hundredths of an inch to approximately sixty-five hundredths of an inch.

14. The antenna cover of claim 13 wherein the average thickness of the cover is within a range from approximately forty-five hundredths of an inch to approximately fifty-five hundredths of an inch.