Removable electronic device case with supplemental wireless circuitry

• US 9,654,164 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ayala Vazquez, Enrique, Hu, Hongfei, Pascolini, Mattia, Caballero, Ruben, Irci, Erdinc
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US14/685,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 455 903, 4555751, 4555755, 4555757, 4555758
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers

Abstract

A removable case may receive an electronic device. A male connector in the case may mate with a female connector in the device. A battery in the case may supply power to the device through the male connector. The electronic device may have an antenna formed from peripheral conductive housing structures and an antenna ground. The antenna may include a slot antenna resonating element. The case may have supplemental antenna structures such as a metal patch that overlaps an end of the slot antenna resonating element to retune the slot antenna resonating element to a desired operating frequency after being detuned by dielectric loading from the case. The supplemental antenna structures may overlap antennas of other types and may include tunable circuitry that is adjusted based on information received from the electronic device.

Claims

1. A removable electronic device case that is configured to mate with an electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a connector port and comprises an antenna with an antenna resonance at a desired operating frequency, the removable electronic device case comprising:

a body that is configured to receive the electronic device and that shifts the antenna resonance away from the desired operating frequency;

a connector that mates with the connector port;

control circuitry that is configured to receive control signals from the electronic device through the connector; and

supplemental antenna structures that are configured to retune the antenna by shifting the antenna resonance back to the desired frequency.

2. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna of the electronic device includes a slot resonating element and wherein the supplemental antenna structures include a metal structure that is configured to overlap the slot when the body receives the electronic device.

3. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 2 wherein the slot antenna resonating element has an end and a length and wherein the metal structure comprises a patch that is configured to overlap the end and shortens the length when the body receives the electronic device.

4. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 1 wherein the supplemental antenna structures include a tunable component that is actively adjusted by the control circuitry to tune the antenna based on the control signals received by the control circuitry from the electronic device through the connector.

5. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 4 wherein the tunable component comprises at least one switch.

6. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 5 wherein the antenna includes a slot antenna resonating element and the switch is configured to bridge the slot antenna resonating element when the body receives the electronic device.

7. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 4 wherein the supplemental antenna structures comprise a monopole parasitic antenna resonating element.

8. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 7 wherein the tunable component is interposed within the monopole parasitic antenna resonating element.

9. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises an inverted-F antenna and the supplemental antenna structures comprise a metal patch that is configured to overlap part of the inverted-F antenna when the body receives the electronic device.

10. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 9 wherein the inverted-F antenna has a resonating element arm with a first end coupled to a ground and a second end and the metal patch is configured to overlap the second end when the body receives the electronic device.

11. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 9 wherein the inverted-F antenna has a resonating element arm and a return path coupled between the resonating element arm and a ground, and the metal patch is configured to overlap the return path when the body receives the electronic device.

12. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 9 wherein the inverted-F antenna has a resonating element arm and the metal patch has a portion that is configured to overlap the resonating element arm and a portion that is configured to overlap an antenna ground when the body receives the electronic device.

13. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a first battery and the removable electronic device case further comprises:

a second battery that is configured to charge the first battery by conveying power to the electronic device through the connector while the electronic device mates with the electronic device case.

14. A removable electronic device case that is configured to mate with an electronic device that has an antenna and a connector port, comprising:

a body that is configured to receive the electronic device;

a connector that is configured to mate with the connector port; and

supplemental antenna structures that include a tunable component that is adjusted based on signals received through the connector to tune a resonance of the antenna when the body receives the electronic device.

15. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 14 wherein the tunable component comprises a switch.

16. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 15 wherein the antenna includes a slot antenna resonating element and the switch is configured to bridge the slot antenna resonating element when the body receives the electronic device.

17. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 15 wherein the electronic device includes storage and processing circuitry, the removable electronic device case further comprising:

a battery that is configured to supply power to the electronic device through the connector when the body receives the electronic device; and

control circuitry that is configured to communicate with the storage and processing circuitry through the connector and to adjust the tunable component when the body receives the electronic device.

18. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 14, wherein the connector port comprises a female connector port and the connector comprises a male connector that mates with the female connector port while the electronic device is received by the removable electronic device case, the male connector and the female connector port each comprise at least four contacts, and the at least four contacts comprise at least one signal pin that conveys control signals and at least one power pin that conveys power.

19. A removable electronic device case that is configured to mate with an electronic device that includes a connector port and that has a slot antenna resonating element with an end, the removable electronic device case comprising:

a body that is configured to receive the electronic device;

a metal patch that is configured to overlap the end of the slot antenna resonating element and shorten a perimeter of the slot antenna resonating element to tune a resonance of the slot antenna resonating element to a desired frequency when the body receives the electronic device; and

a connector that is configured to mate with the connector port.

20. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 19 further comprising:

a battery that is configured to supply power to the electronic device through the connector when the body receives the electronic device, wherein the body comprises dielectric that lowers a resonant frequency for the slot antenna resonating element below a desired resonant frequency of operation, and the metal patch is located at a position within the body that overlaps the end of the slot antenna resonating element sufficiently to raise the lowered resonant frequency to the desired resonant frequency of operation when the body receives the electronic device.

21. The removable electronic device case defined in claim 19, wherein the metal patch is configured to shorten the perimeter of the slot antenna resonating element when radio-frequency signals are conveyed through the slot antenna resonating element and the metal patch is configured to not be in direct contact with the slot antenna resonating element when the removable electronic device case mates with the electronic device.