Apple Wins Patents for a Telephonic MacBook Antenna & GPS System
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 17 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second report of the day we cover two patents. The first patent covers a GPS testing system to ensure that the GPS circuitry doesn't overhead and readings remains accurate. Interestingly, Apple notes that GPS could one day be integrated into wearable computers such as an Apple wrist-watch. The second patent covers an antenna that will provide future MacBooks with telephonic capabilities. Being that the GPS patent points to the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular telephone standard being used in future portables, it may hint that we may see a telephonic MacBook hopefully in the next two years as Apple rolls out devices with 4G capabilities.
Apple Wins a Patent for the Antenna within a Future Telephonic MacBook
Apple has received their second Granted Patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for an antenna that that may be used in future telephonic MacBooks. The patent specifically states that "communications are possible in data service bands such as the 3G data communications band at 2100 MHz band (commonly referred to as UMTS or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)." The same antenna will also provide Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities.
Apple's patent FIG. 7 is a perspective schematic view of an illustrative antenna that has a ground strip that serves as a reflector. FIG. 1 is the exemplary targeted device for this antenna.
Apple's First Claim: A parallel plate waveguide antenna comprising: a radiator plate; a ground plate, wherein the ground plate includes a ground strip that reflects radio-frequency signals generated by the antenna; and a solid dielectric between the radiator plate and the ground plate, wherein the parallel plate waveguide antenna is mounted inside a conductive case of a laptop computer and wherein the solid dielectric comprises epoxy-fiberglass.
Apple credits Bing Chiang, Douglas Kough, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Eduardo Camacho and Gregory Springer as the inventors of patent 8,054,232 originally filed in Q3 2010.
More details about this antenna could be found in our original report covering Apple's first Telephonic MacBook antenna patent win back in September 2010. Other related patent reports on this topic include: Apple Advances the Antenna System for the Telephonic MacBook and Apple Introduces us to the Telephonic MacBook.
Apple Wins a Patent Related to a GPS Testing System
Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to portable electronic devices with satellite navigation system capabilities or GPS services. Interestingly, the patent points to the devices beyond today's iOS devices or future MacBooks but also wearable or miniature devices such as a wrist-watch, pendant or earphones. We seem to be getting closer to that Dick Tracy wrist watch every year.
Apple's abstract states that a portable user device may provide Global Positioning System (GPS) services and include a GPS receiver. A user may use the device to perform tasks. Certain tasks may generate excess heat or de-generate heat that causes the GPS receiver to perform unsatisfactorily. Methods are provided that could test GPS receiver performance during acquisition mode and during tracking mode.
Apple's First Claim: A method of testing a device under test in a test system, wherein the device under test comprises a satellite navigation system receiver and wireless transceiver circuitry, the method comprising: with the test system, turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit radio-frequency signals at a desired output power level; and while the wireless transceiver circuitry is transmitting radio-frequency signals at the desired output power level and while the satellite navigation system receiver is rising in temperature as a result of turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry and transmitting radio-frequency signals with the wireless transceiver circuitry, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired a satellite navigation system fix.
To review Apple's 29 other patent claims and invention detailing, see granted patent 8,054,221. Apple credits Anh Luong and Daniel Kong as the inventors of this patent which was originally filed in Q4 2010.
Notice: Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.
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