Electronic device case with antenna

• US 9,209,851 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluflux RF Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Bluflux RF Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Wilmhoff, Benjamin Russell, Rowser, Andrew David
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Application Number:
  US14/574,675
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 455/83, 455/575.7, 455/575.1, 340/572.5, 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 342/375, 342/368, 342/372
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID

Abstract

A method for improving signal quality for a mobile electronic device and an apparatus embodying the method, comprising a protective case comprising a shell that encases at least a portion of the mobile electronic device; an external antenna assembly position-ably attached to the shell; a transmission line attached to the shell and electrically interconnected to the case antenna; and a near-field coupling device attached to the shell and having a feed port electrically interconnected to the transmission line, the near-field coupling device configured to near-field couple to a native antenna of the encased mobile electronic device to capture an electromagnetic signal generated by the native antenna of the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A protective case for improving radio frequency signal quality of a mobile electronic device, the protective case comprising:

a shell that encases at least a portion of the mobile electronic device;

an external antenna assembly position-ably attached to the shell to improve signal strength by positioning the external antenna assembly relative to the shell;

a transmission line attached to the shell and electrically interconnected to the case antenna; and

a near-field coupling device attached to the shell and having a feed port electrically interconnected to the transmission line, the near-field coupling device configured to near-field couple to a native antenna of the encased mobile electronic device to capture an electromagnetic signal generated by the native antenna of the mobile electronic device and further configured to receive a second electromagnetic signal at the feed port and near-field couple the second electromagnetic signal to the native antenna of the mobile electronic device, the second electromagnetic signal received at the feed port from the case antenna through the transmission line.

2. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the near-field coupling device is configured to near-field couple to a native antenna of the encased mobile electronic device by being disposed close to the native antenna.

3. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the near-field coupling device is substantially impedance matched to the native antenna of the mobile electronic device.

4. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein the near-field coupling device is substantially impedance matched to the native antenna of the mobile electronic device by adjusting the tuning parameters of the near-field coupling device.

5. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the near-field coupling device reduces an uncoupled radiation level of the native antenna when the near-field coupling device is coupled to the native antenna, the uncoupled radiation level being a level of radiation produced by the native antenna of the mobile electronic device when the near-field coupling device is not coupled to the native antenna of the mobile electronic device.

6. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external antenna position-ably attached to the shell has at least a stowed position and an unstowed position.

7. The protective case as claimed in claim 6, wherein the near-field coupling device near-field coupling to the native antenna is discontinued when the external antenna is in the stowed position.

8. The protective case as claimed in claim 6, wherein the near-field coupling device is configured to near-field couple to the native antenna in response to the external antenna being moved from the stowed position to the unstowed position.

9. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external antenna is configured to pivot relative to the shell while maintaining the electrical interconnection to the transmission line in order to improve the signal strength or quality.

10. The protective case as claimed in claim 9, wherein the external antenna has a degree of movement relative to the shell in addition to the pivoting relative to the shell.

11. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission line is a two conductor transmission line and the captured signal is passively conducted from the near-field coupler to the case antenna through the transmission line.

12. A method of improving signal quality for a smartphone using a protective encasement for the smartphone, the protective encasement having a near-field coupler, a supplementary antenna, and an electrical transmission line electrically interconnecting the near-field coupler and the supplementary antenna, the method comprising:

wirelessly capturing a signal electromagnetically radiated by an internal antenna of the smartphone using the near-field coupling device, the near-field coupling device positioned in proximity to the internal antenna of the smartphone by the encasement to near-field couple to the internal antenna of the smartphone to receive the signal radiated by the internal antenna of the smartphone;

conducting the captured signal from a feed port of the near-field coupling device through the transmission line to the supplementary antenna of the encasement;

transmitting the captured signal by the supplementary antenna;

receiving an electromagnetically radiated second signal by the supplementary antenna of the encasement;

conducting the received second signal from the supplementary antenna of the encasement through the transmission line to the near-field coupling device to couple the received second signal into the internal antenna of the smartphone; and

positioning the external antenna assembly relative to the protective encasement to improve strength of the transmitted captured signal and the received second signal.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the captured and the received signals are passively conducted through the transmission line.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the wireless capturing, the transmitting, and the receiving occur only when the near-field coupling device is in an activated state.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the near-field coupling device is toggled between the activated state and a deactivated state based on a position of the supplementary antenna relative to the encasement.