Retractable antenna for portable communicator

• US 6,034,639 A
• Filed: 12/22/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T&M Antennas
• Original Assignee: T & M Antennas
• Inventors: Hahn, Brian L., Rawlins, Roger R., Memmen, Stephan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hoanganh
• Application Number:
  US08/995,489
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/900, 343/901, 343/906, 343/895, 343/725, 343/729
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/103 Latching means; ensuring extension or retraction thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/244 extendable from a housing along a given path
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas

Abstract

A retractable antenna for a portable communication device. The antenna retracts to a size within a portable communicator, such as a cell phone, which is smaller than the extended size of the antenna, while being flexible and otherwise suitable for the demanding environment of portable communicators. The antenna includes a contact sleeve which moves relative to an elongated conductor of the antenna, and also moves with the antenna while allowing the antenna to maintain electrical contact with another element in the antenna or the communicator. The sleeve may be connected to a helical conductor which forms part of the antenna and remains outside the housing of the portable communicator. Alternatively, the sleeve may be conductive on its inner and outer portions to move with and connect the elongated conductor to separate retracted and extended contact points within the portable communicator. Separate sections of elongated conductor may also extend separately from ends of the sleeve, with each being relatively movable. The antenna is accordingly adaptable to direct electrical contact, capacitive coupling, or a combination of both. The preferred antenna includes an elongated conductor having an enlarged contact which is spring loaded into the sleeve.

Claims

1. A retractable antenna for a portable communicator including a housing having an antenna mount with a hole, the antenna comprising:

an elongated conductor, said elongated conductor being sized to pass through the hole of the antenna mount;

a protective coating on said elongated conductor;

an enlarged electrical contact disposed on said elongated conductor; and

an elongated electrical contact sleeve surrounding and contacting said contact, said contact and said sleeve maintaining electrical contact with each other through spring force exerted on an inner surface of said sleeve by said contact while being movable with each other as the antenna is moved between retracted and extended positions relative to the housing, said contact and said sleeve further being movable relative to each other so that the antenna may be extended further when further extension of the sleeve is prevented and so that the antenna may be retracted further when further retraction of the sleeve is prevented.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, the portable communicator having a retracted contact point and an extended contact point within the housing, wherein:

said contact and said sleeve are disposed at an end of said elongated conductor to be disposed within the housing so said sleeve will electrically contact the retracted contact point when the antenna is in a retracted position and electrically contact the extended contact point when the antenna is in an extended position.

3. The antenna according to claim 2, wherein ends of the sleeve are restricted to prevent passing of the contact.

4. The antenna according to claim 3, where the ends of the sleeve are crimped.

5. The antenna according to claim 2, wherein said sleeve includes a tapered end disposed toward a middle portion of said elongated conductor, said tapered end being sized to pass through the hole.

6. The antenna according to claim 5, wherein said sleeve is sized to pass through the hole except at its lower end.

7. The antenna according to claim 2, wherein the lenght of said sleeve between its ends defines a range of relative movement between said enlarged contact and said sleeve.

8. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein said contact includes plural legs separated from each other having a natural distance of separation greater than that permitted by the inner surface of said sleeve.

9. The antenna according to claim 1, further comprising:

a helical conductor; and

an electrode connected to and electrically contacting an end of said helical conductor and an upper end of said sleeve.

10. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein an outer surface of said sleeve is nonconductive and an inner surface of said sleeve is conductive.

11. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein said contact is formed at an end of said elongated conductor disposed in said sleeve and further comprising a nonconductive formation at an opposite end of said elongate conductor from said contact, said formation having a portion larger than the hole.

12. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein a lower end of said sleeve is restricted to prevent passing of said contact.

13. The antenna according to claim 12, where the lower end of said sleeve is crimped.

14. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein said sleeve includes a tapered end disposed toward a middle portion of said elongated conductor, said tapered end being sized to pass through the hole.

15. The antenna according to claim 14, wherein said sleeve is sized to pass through the hole in its entirety.

16. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein the length of said sleeve between its ends defines a range of relative movement between said enlarged contact and said sleeve.

17. The antenna according to claim 9, wherein said contact includes plural legs separated from each other having a natural distance of separation greater than that permitted by the inner surface of said sleeve.

18. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein said elongated conductor is formed from two sections, and each section has a contact disposed in said sleeve which is movable with said sleeve and movable relative to said sleeve.

19. The antenna according to claim 18, wherein said sleeve is formed from conductive material.

20. The antenna according to claim 18, wherein lower and upper ends of said sleeve are resticted to prevent passing of said contacts out of said sleeve.

21. The antenna according to claim 20, where the lower and upper ends of said sleeve are crimped.

22. The antenna according to claim 18, wherein upper and lower ends of said sleeve are tapered and said sleeve is sized to pass through the hole in its entirety.

23. The antenna according to claim 18, wherein the length of said sleeve between its ends defines a range of relative movement between said contacts and said sleeve.

24. The antenna according to claim 23, wherein said contacts separately exert a spring force on an inner surface of said sleeve.

25. The antenna according to claim 24, wherein each of said contacts includes plural legs separated from each other having a natural distance of separation greater than that permitted by the inner surface of said sleeve.

26. A retractable antenna for a portable communicator including a housing having an antenna mount with a hole, the antenna comprising:

an elongated conductor sized to pass through the hole;

an enlarged spring contact disposed on a potion of said elongated conductor; and

continuous electical contact means for continuously compressing said enlarged spring contact to maintain electrical contact therewith and for connecting the enlarged contact to another conductive element, said continuous electrical contact means being movable with the enlarged contact and being movable relative to the enlarged contact.

27. The antenna according to claim 26, wherein said another conductive element comprises:

a retracted contact point within the portable communicator which is electrically contacted when the antenna is in a retracted position; and

an extended contact point within the portable communicator which is electrically contacted when the antenna is in an extended position.

28. The antenna according to claim 26, wherein said another conductive element comprises an electrode and a helical conductor sized to prevent passing of the helical conductor through the hole.

29. The antenna according to claim 28, wherein further comprising a nonconductive formation at an opposite end of the elongated conductor from the contact, said formation having a portion larger than the hole.

30. The antenna according to claim 26, wherein said continuous contact means and said contact are mechanically engaged and said continuous contact means includes means for preventing separation of said contact and said continuous contact means.

31. The antenna according to claim 26, wherein a length of said continuous contact means defines a range of relative movement between said contact and said continuouse contact means.

32. A retractable antenna for a portable communicator having an antenna mount with a hole, the antenna comprising:

an elongated conductor sized to pass through the hole;

an electrical contact sleeve disposed around at least a potion of said elongated conductor; and

an enlarged spring contact disposed on a portion of said elongated conductor, and which exerts a spring force on an inner surface of said sleeve to maintain continuous electrical contact between said sleeve and said elongated conductor while allowing relative movement between said sleeve and said elongated conductor.

33. The antenna according to claim 32, wherein said enlarged spring contact includes a plurality of legs separated from each other having a natural distance of separation greater than that permitted by the inner surface of said sleeve.