US6642899B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Omnidirectional antenna for a computer system
Assignee: EMS Technologies Canada Ltd
•
Filing: 2001-10-17
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Granted: 2003-11-04
•
Expires: 2021-10-17
Abstract
Abstract An antenna assembly comprising a radiating element which passively receives a signal fed by a vertically-stacked pair of asymmetrically-shaped, conductive cone elements mounted below the radiating element. The cone elements are centrally fed by a coaxial cable input at a common junction formed the apex of each cone element. This antenna assembly provides a low-profile antenna to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) energy with high gain and desirable antenna patterns for data transmission in an in-building, wireless local area network. The antenna assembly can be mounted in a standard ceiling or wall-mounted enclosure, with the low-profile antenna extending beneath the surface of a conductive enclosure cover that serves as the ground plane for the antenna element. This configuration achieves high antenna gain with a downtilt-beam, omnidirectional radiation pattern, which is highly desirable in an in-building wireless local area network (WLAN) application.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter C. Strickland
- 👤 Kurt Alan Zimmerman
- 👤 John Elliott Wann
- 👤 Thomas Steven Taylor
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 06:48
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q9/00; H01Q9/04; H01Q9/16; H01Q9/28; H01Q1/00; H01Q1/007
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
An antenna assembly, comprising: a cone assembly comprising at least two structures of conductive material separated by a dielectric substance for generating electromagnetic signals, the cone assembly operative to passively feed the electromagnetic signals of the antenna assembly to an antenna element, the antenna element mounted to the cone assembly and operative to radiate the electromagnetic signals in response to passive feeding of the electromagnetic signals by the cone assembly; and a pound plane for increasing passive feeding of electromagnetic signals with the antenna.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
84 words
An antenna assembly, comprising: a cone assembly comprising at least two structures of conductive material separated by a dielectric substance for generating electromagnetic signals, the cone assembly operative to passively feed the electromagnetic signals of the antenna assembly to an antenna element, the antenna element mounted to the cone assembly and operative to radiate the electromagnetic signals in response to passive feeding of the electromagnetic signals by the cone assembly; and a pound plane for increasing passive feeding of electromagnetic signals with the antenna.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the two structures form a bicone having a basal cone of conductive material and an upper cone of conductive material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ground plane comprises a conductive surface of a ceiling tile.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pound plane comprises a conductive surface of a wall.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pound plane comprises a grid.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The antenna assembly of claim 5 , wherein one of the conductive structures further comprises a set screw.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The antenna assembly of claim 5 , wherein the antenna assembly is mounted within a ceiling enclosure.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The antenna assembly of claim 5 , wherein the antenna assembly is mounted within a wall enclosure.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The antenna assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ground plane comprises an enclosure cover.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The antenna assembly of claim 9 , wherein the enclosure cover comprises an HVAC enclosure cover.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The antenna assembly of claim 9 , wherein the enclosure cover comprises a cover for a speaker of an audio system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
120 words
An antenna system comprising: a network; a central computer linked to the network; a client computer linked to the network; and an access point for linking the client computer to the network, the access point comprising: an antenna assembly comprising: a cone assembly comprising at least two structures of conductive material separated by a dielectric substance for generating electromagnetic signals, the cone assembly operative to passively feed the electromagnetic signals of the antenna assembly to an antenna element, the antenna element mounted to the cone assembly and operative to radiate the electromagnetic signals in response to passive feeding of the electromagnetic signals by the cone assembly; and a ground plane for increasing passive feeding of electromagnetic signals with the antenna.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
120 words
An antenna system comprising: a network; a central computer linked to the network; a client computer linked to the network; and an access point for linking the client computer to the network, the access point comprising: an antenna assembly comprising: a cone assembly comprising at least two structures of conductive material separated by a dielectric substance for generating electromagnetic signals, the cone assembly operative to passively feed the electromagnetic signals of the antenna assembly to an antenna element, the antenna element mounted to the cone assembly and operative to radiate the electromagnetic signals in response to passive feeding of the electromagnetic signals by the cone assembly; and a ground plane for increasing passive feeding of electromagnetic signals with the antenna.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The antenna system of claim 12 , wherein the access point further comprises a communications device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The antenna system of claim 12 , wherein the two structures of the antenna assembly form a bicone having a basal cone of conductive material and an upper cone of conductive material.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The antenna system of claim 12 , wherein the ground plane comprises a conductive surface of a ceiling tile.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The antenna system of claim 12 , wherein the ground plane comprises a conductive surface of a wall.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The antenna system of claim 12 , wherein the g round plane comprises a grid.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The antenna system of claim 12 , wherein the network comprises a local area network.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
100 words
A method for receiving and transmitting signals wit an antenna linked to a computer network comprising the steps of: generating data signals wit a central computer; modulating the data signals onto RE signals; separating at least two structures of conductive material with a dielectric substance; feeding the RE signals to a cone assembly comprising the at least two structures of conductive material; propagating the RE signals with the cone assembly to an antenna element mounted to the cone assembly, and radiating the RE signals with the antenna element in response to receiving the RE signals propagated from the cone assembly.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
100 words
A method for receiving and transmitting signals wit an antenna linked to a computer network comprising the steps of: generating data signals wit a central computer; modulating the data signals onto RE signals; separating at least two structures of conductive material with a dielectric substance; feeding the RE signals to a cone assembly comprising the at least two structures of conductive material; propagating the RE signals with the cone assembly to an antenna element mounted to the cone assembly, and radiating the RE signals with the antenna element in response to receiving the RE signals propagated from the cone assembly.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of forming a bicone with the two structures of conductive material prior to feeding the RE signals.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of positioning a ground plane adjacent to the cone assembly for increasing passive coupling of the RF signals wit the antenna.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of receiving the radiated RE signals with a client computer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 19 , further comprising the steps of: generating data signals with a client computer; modulating the client computer data signals onto RE signals; radiating the RE signals; and receiving RF signals generated by the client computer with die antenna element.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 19 , further comprising the step of mounting the antenna element within an interior of a building.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-11-03 | 2007-05-05 | 2007-11-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-11-03 | 2011-05-05 | 2011-11-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-11-03 | 2015-05-05 | 2015-11-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |