Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – With transmitter-receiver switching or interaction prevention
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-07-03
Vo, Nguyen T. (Department: 2682)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
With transmitter-receiver switching or interaction prevention
C455S280000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256480
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the art of broadcast couplers for radios and communications equipment located in vehicles, and more particularly to a new and improved broadcast coupler for coupling an unmodified vehicle antenna to communications equipment and a broadcast radio receiver in the vehicle.
An important area of use of the present invention is antenna systems for vehicles for operation with both standard broadcast radio receivers and additional communications equipment such as receivers, transmitters or transceivers for surveillance, law enforcement and similar functions. There are broadcast couplers which are commercially available which will couple such additional communications equipment into an original equipment manufacture (OEM) antenna without tuning. Lack of tuning capability can be a disadvantage, however, because the vehicle manufacturer does not control the antenna characteristics closely in the broadcast frequency range, much less any other frequency ranges of interest. Other commercially available devices will tune a modified replacement antenna for coupling to such communications equipment. This, however, has the disadvantage of added expense in replacing the OEM supplied antenna.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to provide a broadcast coupler which has tuning capability and which is used with the existing OEM vehicle antenna.
The present invention provides a broadcast coupler which couples both a broadcast radio receiver and communications equipment in a vehicle to the existing OEM vehicle antenna wherein no physical modifications are made to either the antenna mast or the antenna base or the antenna feed line. The broadcast coupler has a built-in tuner capability which permits the existing OEM supplied antenna to function as a low standing wave ratio (SWR) communications antenna. The broadcast coupler tunes the existing OEM antenna and provides the necessary isolation to permit the communications equipment, i.e., transmitter, receiver or transceiver, to function without detection by the operator of the vehicle. Since the existing OEM antenna is tuned by the broadcast coupler, the vehicle does not have to be modified and a new antenna does not have to be purchased.
The foregoing and additional advantages and characterizing features of the present invention will become clearly apparent upon a reading of the ensuing detailed description together with the included drawing wherein:
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patent: 5258728 (1993-11-01), Taniyoshi et al.
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patent: 5771026 (1998-06-01), Stengel, Jr.
Hodgson & Russ LLP
Mehrpour Naghmeh
Sti-Co Industries, Inc.
Vo Nguyen T.
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