Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – With radio cabinet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-08
2003-02-18
Najjar, Saleh (Department: 2154)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
With radio cabinet
C343S872000, C709S250000, C342S074000, C455S090300, C455S121000, C455S557000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06522299
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates generally to an antenna used in conjunction with a personal computer (PC) to communicate with a wireless network, and particularly to a retractable antenna that is compatible with a PC Card slot of a personal computer, such as a PCMCIA slot.
Portable communication devices, such as lap-top computers, palm-top computers, and PDA (personal digital assistants) are becoming common in offices. For these devices to communicate with a computer network, commonly referred to as a Local Area Network (LAN), the communication device must be able to attach to the network, typically through a LAN interface adapter attached to a LAN cable. Such LAN cable connections generally restrict the mobility of communication devices. Recently, networks have been developed that allow wireless communication. For the communication device to communicate with the wireless network, the communication device must have an antenna. Typically, the antenna is attached to a wireless network card inserted into the communications device. For example, in smaller devices such as laptops the card is inserted into a PC card slot, e.g., a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association). To avoid signal interference with the mechanics of the communications device card slot, the antenna for the wireless communications device must be located outside of the device's card slot or housing to function properly.
FIGS. 1 and 2
show a wireless network card assembly
10
. The assembly
10
includes a wireless network card
12
and a removable antenna
14
, where the removable antenna
14
connects to the wireless network card
12
with a cable
16
and connector
18
. The wireless network card
12
is typically a PCMCIA adapter card that is sized to fit into a PCMCIA slot in a communications device. The PCMCIA standard size is approximately 55 mm in width, 85 mm in length, and 5 mm in depth. A first end
18
of the wireless network card
12
is designed to electrically connect to the communications device when the wireless network card
12
is inserted into the PCMCIA slot of the communications device. The second end
20
is designed to accept a connector
22
located on the end of cable
16
. The antenna
14
may also have a base
24
to keep the antenna
14
in an upright position. When the antenna
14
is not in use, it may be detached.
FIG. 2
shows the detachment of the connector
22
from the wireless network card
12
. The antenna
14
is typically relatively large and bulky and if the user misplaces it, the communications device cannot generally communicate with the wireless network.
FIGS. 3 and 4
shows another wireless network card assembly
110
. The wireless network card assembly
110
includes a wireless network card
112
and a removable antenna
114
. This assembly
110
differs from the one shown in relation to
FIG. 1
in that the antenna
114
is smaller and has an integral connector
122
that attaches to a second end
120
of the wireless network card
112
. A first end
118
of the wireless network card
112
is designed to electrically connect to the communications device when the wireless network card
112
is inserted into a PCMCIA slot of the communications device. When the antenna
114
is not in use, it may be detached.
FIG. 2
shows the detachment of the antenna
114
from the wireless network card
112
. The antenna
114
is smaller than the antenna described in relation to
FIG. 1
, but again, if the user misplaces the antenna or breaks it, the communications device cannot communicate with the wireless network.
Antennas, such as the external detachable antenna (
14
,
114
) described above, are generally required by the communications device for the wireless network to function properly. The antenna is one additional piece of equipment that could be forgotten or lost, requiring the customer to order and receive a replacement antenna before the wireless network can be accessed and used. In addition, this separate antenna, requiring assembly from the customer, increases the probability of functional problems, possibly requiring technical support.
FIG. 5
shows an extended PC card
210
that tries to solve the problems described above. The extended PC card
210
includes a wireless network card portion
212
with a fixed antenna portion
214
. This PC card
210
differs from the wireless network card assemblies (
10
,
110
), described above, in that the antenna
214
is integral with the PC card
210
. This PC card helps solve the problem of misplacing or losing a removable antenna (
14
,
114
).
FIG. 6
shows the extended PC card
210
positioned in a PC card slot
230
, as a PCMCIA slot, in a laptop computer
240
. Unfortunately, any portion of a PC card
210
that extend outside the PC card slot
230
increases the likelihood of damage to the exposed portion during movement, in this case the fixed antenna portion
214
. In addition, a PC card that extends outside the PC card slot will not allow a laptop computer to be stored in a typical laptop computer carrying case without first removing the extended PC card. This loose card then becomes much more likely to be misplaced or lost. Also, the extended PC card
210
shown, with its fixed external antenna portion
214
, can interfere with other PC cards
235
positioned in adjacent PCMCIA slots in the computer
240
(see FIG.
7
). The other PC cards
235
may require a connector attachment
240
or other types of access which would interfere
250
with the extended PC card
210
.
SUMMARY
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a PC card with a retractable antenna for use in interfacing between a communications device and a wireless network, the PC card having an interface card portion and an antenna portion, the interface card portion having a first end, and an opposite second end, the first end having an electrical interface compatible with the communications device, the second end having an opening for slidably receiving the antenna portion, the interface card portion being dimensioned to be inserted into the PC card slot of the communications device, the antenna portion being in electrical communication with the interface card portion and dimensioned to fit inside the interface card portion, the antenna portion being accessible through the opening in the interface card portion by a user, the antenna portion being configured to extend out of the cavity and retract into the cavity of the interface card portion such that when the antenna portion is retracted into the cavity the antenna portion is substantially contained inside the interface card portion.
Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The PC card slot can be a PCMCIA slot. A locking mechanism can be located in the interface card portion, the locking mechanism being configured to selectably lock the antenna portion in the retracted position and release the antenna portion to be extended. A spring can be positioned in the cavity with one end attached to the interface card portion and the opposite end attached to the antenna portion, the spring being in a compressed state when the antenna portion is retracted in the cavity and the spring being in an extended state when the antenna portion is extended. The interface card portion can have internal rails and the antenna portion can have rail guides that are compatible with the rails such that during retraction or extension of the antenna portion the rail guides slide on the rails.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features a communications device for use in communicating with a wireless network, including a PC card slot, the PC card slot having an electrical connector; and a PC card sized to be insertable into the PC card slot, the PC card having a retractable antenna in electrical communication with the electrical connector, in an extended position a majority of the antenna being located outside of the PC card slot, in a retracted position a majority of the antenna being located inside the PC card slot.
Embodiments of the invention may
Beard Paul
Mitchell Eric P.
Christopher P. Maiorana P.C.
Cypress Semiconductor Corp.
Najjar Saleh
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