Delay line having non planar ground plane, each loop bracketing two runs of meandering signal line

Claim 2

An electrical component comprising signal conducting means for conducting an electrical signal, an enclosure of nonconductive material surrounding at least a portion of said signal conducting means and having an upper and a lower surface, at least one of said upper and lower surfaces comprising a plurality of nonplanar portions juxtaposed across the length of said enclosure, said signal conducting means including a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor spacially displaced from said first signal conductor and electrically cooperable therewith, said first signal conductor being formed by a plurality of pairs of serially connected interdigit elements which are in adjacent and substantially parallel relationship, and at least one of said plurality of nonplanar portions brackets at least one of said plurality of pairs of interdigit elements.

Claim 3

An electrical component comprising signal conducting means for conducting an electric signal, an enclosure of nonconductive material surrounding at least a portion of said signal conducting means and having an upper and a lower surface, at least one of said upper and lower surfaces comprising a plurality of nonplanar portions juxtaposed across the length of said enclosure, said signal conducting means including a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor spacially displaced from said first signal conductor and electrically cooperable therewith, said first signal conductor being formed by a plurality of pairs of serially connected interdigit elements which are in adjacent and substantially parallel relationship, said plurality of nonplanar portions each comprising a convex section, each of said convex sections being sized to bracket a respective pair of said interdigit elements.

Claim 4

An electrical component comprising signal conducting means for conducting an electric signal, an enclosure of nonconductive material surrounding at least a portion of said signal conducting means and having an upper and a lower surface, at least one of said upper and lower surfaces comprising a plurality of nonplanar portions juxtaposed across the length of said enclosure, said signal conducting means including a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor spacially displaced from said first signal conductor and electrically cooperable therewith, said first signal conductor being formed by a plurality of pairs of serially connected interdigit elements which are in adjacent and substantially parallel relationship, said plurality of nonplanar portions each comprising a convex section, each of said convex sections being sized to bracket a respective pair of said interdigit elements.

Claim 5

An electrical component comprising signal conducting means for conducting an electric signal; said signal conducting means including a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor spacially displaced from said first signal conductor and electrically cooperable therewith; an enclosure of nonconducting material surrounding at least a portion of said signal conducting means and having an upper and a lower surface; said material having a dielectric constant substantially independent of frequency, low dielectric loss and a magnetic permeability greater than unitY; said upper and lower surfaces comprising a plurality of nonplanar portions juxtaposed across the length of said enclosure, said first signal conductor comprising a plurality of pairs of serially connected interdigit elements which are in adjacent and substantially parallel relationship, each one of said nonplanar portions of said upper surface being defined by indentations which are aligned with and spaced from indentations defining a respective nonplanar portion of said lower surface to provide a plurality of sets of aligned nonplanar portions, said sets and said interdigit elements being sized and positioned so that at least a pair of interdigit elements is received within each set of nonplaner portions.

Claim 6

An electrical component comprising signal conducting means for conducting an electric signal; said signal conducting means including a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor spacially displaced from said first signal conductor and electrically cooperable therewith; an enclosure of nonconducting material surrounding at least a portion of said signal conducting means and having an upper and a lower surface; said material having a dielectric constant substantially independent of frequency, low dielectric loss and a magnetic permeability greater than unitY; said upper and lower surfaces comprising a plurality of nonplanar portions juxtaposed across the length of said enclosure, said first signal conductor comprising a plurality of pairs of serially connected interdigit elements which are in adjacent and substantially parallel relationship, each one of said nonplanar portions of said upper surface being defined by indentations which are aligned with and spaced from indentations defining a respective nonplanar portion of said lower surface to provide a plurality of sets of aligned nonplanar portions, said sets and said interdigit elements being sized and positioned so that at least a pair of interdigit elements is received within each set of nonplaner portions.

Claim 7

An electrical component as in claim 3, in which said second signal conductor comprises electrically conductive elements connected to said upper and lower surfaces and conforming to the shape of said nonplanar portions.

Claim 8

An electrical component as in claim 3, and a plurality of taps on said first signal conductor extending beyond said enclosure and adapted to be connected to respective output circuits.

Claim 9

An electrical component as in claim 3, in which said first signal conductor includes an upper and a lower surface, and a coating of silver material on said upper and lower surfaces of said first signal conductor.

Claim 10

An electrical component as in claim 3, in which said nonplanar portions are convex in shape.

Claim 11

An electrical component as in claim 7, in which said second signal conductor comprises a plurality of pairs of serially connected interdigit elements which are in adjacent and substantially parallel relationship, each one of said interdigit elements of said first signal conductor being positioned adjacent to a respective interdigit element of said second signal conductor, said first and second signal conductors and said sets of nonplanar portions being sized and positioned so that each set of convex portions bracket at least an interdigit element of said first signal conductor and an interdigit element of said second signal conductor.

Claim 12

An electrical component as in claim 8, and electrically conductive elements connected to said upper and lower surfaces.