Apple Granted Patent for Advanced Antenna and Proximity Sensor Design

Strategic Insights -

Apple Inc. has been awarded a groundbreaking patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its innovative antenna and proximity sensor design, which enables seamless connectivity and gesture recognition on electronic devices. The patent, titled "Antenna and Proximity Sensor Structures Having Printed Circuit and Dielectric Carrier Layers," has been assigned patent number 9,093,745 and was granted on July 28, 2015. The sophisticated design integrates a dielectric support structure with a notch and a conductive housing, allowing for improved signal strength and reduced interference.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patented design features a conductive housing with an antenna window, a display cover layer, and antenna and proximity sensor structures that include a dielectric support structure with a notch.
  • The antenna window has a protruding portion that extends into the notch between the display cover layer and the antenna and proximity sensor structures.
  • The antenna and proximity sensor structures have an antenna feed that is coupled to a first conductive layer by a high pass circuit and capacitive proximity sensor circuitry that is coupled to the first conductive layer and a parallel second conductive layer by a low pass circuit.
  • The first conductive layer is formed from a metal coating on the support structure, while the second conductive layer is formed from patterned metal traces in a flexible printed circuit.
  • The patent was filed on May 10, 2012, under application number 13/468,289.
  • Inventors Salih Yarga, Nirali Shah, Qingxiang Li, and Robert W. Schlub from Apple Inc. are credited with developing the innovative design.
  • Apple Inc. has been assigned the patent, demonstrating the company's commitment to pushing the boundaries of electronic device technology.

Statistics:

  • Patent number: 9,093,745
  • Grant date: July 28, 2015
  • Application number: 13/468,289
  • Filed date: May 10, 2012
  • Inventors: Salih Yarga, Nirali Shah, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub
  • Assignee: Apple Inc.

Sources:

  • United States Patent and Trademark Office
  • Apple Inc.
  • "U.S. Patent and Trademark Office"