Abstract:
A carrying case for a personal computer card may include an integral antenna. The carrying case may be secured onto a laptop computer so that the antenna extends above the laptop computer. The case may include a pair of hingedly connected portions, one of which may extend along the screen of the laptop computer and the other which may extend above the laptop computer while the case is secured to the upper edge of the laptop computer display screen. A cable may extend from the antenna within the case down to a personal computer card plugged into the computer.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to antennas for processor-based systems and, particularly, to antennas usable with personal computer cards. 
     A personal computer card or PC card is a removable add-in that plugs into a slot to accommodate a modem, fax, network card, wireless communication device or storage device. Typically, these cards plug into laptop or mobile computers and provide added functions not available with the computer as purchased. 
     One application for PC cards is providing a wireless modem function. The card may include the wireless network interface circuitry and an antenna that enables the computer to act as a wireless terminal. 
     Current wireless modem PC cards use fixed or removable antennas that flip-up into a vertical position when the card is installed into the computer. These antennas may have radio frequency performance disadvantages including limited gain, corrupt radiation patterns, and unbalanced feed points close to the computer processor and digital transport mediums. 
     Thus, there is a need for better ways to provide for radio reception and transmission in connection with PC cards. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  in a partially open configuration in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention in position on a laptop computer; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present invention in an opened configuration; 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of a portion of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5  in one embodiment with the cable in use; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a system schematic depiction of one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a carrying case  10  for a wireless modem PC card may include an enlarged portion  12  and a hinged top portion  14  in one embodiment. A PC card (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) may be positioned under the top portion  14  and the enlarged portion  12  in one embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the top portion  14  may be connected to a bottom portion  16  by a hinge  24  in one embodiment. As a result, the top portion  14  may open on the hinge  24  to enable access to the PC card  52  as indicated in  FIG. 5 . There, the top portion  14  has been hinged open, revealing a PC card  52  with an enlarged portion  38 . The card  52  may be slidably received in a slot defined by a peripheral, L-shaped receiver  56  on the bottom portion  16  so that the card  52  may slide out and away from the hinge  24 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the case  10 &#39;s top portion  14  and bottom portion  16  may be connected by the hinge  24  that allows the bottom portion  16  to pivot relative to the top portion  14 . The bottom portion  16  may be rotated counter-clockwise about 300 degrees from a closed position of  FIG. 2 , while the top portion  14  may remain fixed. The lower edge of the top portion  14  may sit on a horizontal surface, such as a desk in one example. Then, the bottom portion  16  is elevated to extend an antenna in the bottom portion  16  into the air. The hinge  24  may be adapted to hold the bottom portion  16  at a displaced position relative to the top portion  14  in some embodiments. The card  52  may be removed and plugged into a computer slot so that an antenna in the portion  16  acts as an elevated antenna for the card  52 . 
     The bottom portion  16  may include an upper surface  15  and a lower surface  17 . In the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 , only the lower surface  17  may be exposed in one embodiment. 
     The top portion  14  may include a hinged catch  18 . The catch  18  may be pivotally connected by the hinge  24  to the top portion  14  for angular rotation counterclockwise relative to the top portion  14 . The catch  18  may include a receiving portion  21  and a transverse prong  19  on its free end. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the case  10  may be opened to have an elongated configuration, with the top portion  14  extending along the back surface of the display screen  36  of a laptop computer  32 . The catch  18  may be pivoted so that the prong  19  is latched over the top of the display screen  36 . Then the case  10  is mounted on the screen  36  due to the limited angle of upward rotation of the catch  18 . In one embodiment, the edge  60  of the catch  18  engages the lower portion  16  to prevent further upward rotation of the catch  18 . The receiving portion  21  may engage the upper edge of the display screen  36 . The top portion  14  may provide further stability to the structure by extending along the back side of the display screen  36 . A cable  40  may couple the lower portion  16  electrically to the PC card  52 , removed from the case  10 , and positioned in a PC card slot in the base  34  of the laptop computer  32 . 
     In this configuration, an antenna (not shown) on the lower portion  16  provides wireless reception for the PC card  52  that may be a wireless modem card in one embodiment of the present invention. By extending the antenna upwardly in a vertical direction, improved radio frequency performance may be achieved in some embodiments. Moreover, by positioning the antenna at a higher position over the laptop computer  32 , radio frequency transmission and reception may be improved in some cases. Also, the antenna may be spaced from the card  52  and the electronics (not shown) that may be contained in the base  34  of the laptop computer  32 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the lower surface  17  of the bottom portion  16  may receive a pair of dipole antenna portions  44   a  and  44   b . In one embodiment, the antenna portions  44  may have an almost closed C-shaped configuration. The wires  40  make an electrical connection to each antenna portion  44   a . The wires  40  then may extend downwardly along the length of the screen  36  to the PC card  52  in one embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 4 . In one embodiment, each antenna portion  44  may be a planar metallization deposited on a flexible printed circuit board  42 . The board  42  may be slidably and removably engaged within an L-shaped bracket  61 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , on the surface  17  of the bottom portion  16  opposite to the surface  15  shown in  FIG. 3 , the wires  40  may be wrapped around a cable organizer  57  and provided in a coiled configuration for eventual use. In one embodiment, the cable organizer  57  may be the exterior of the bracket  61 . The free ends of the wires  40  may have a connector for removably electrically coupling to the PC card  52 . 
     In some embodiments of the present invention, the antenna portions  44  may provide improved radio frequency performance including better gain, better radiation patterns, and the reduction of unbalanced feed points close to the processor and digital transport mediums. Thus, improved radio frequency performance can be achieved in some embodiments. The present invention may be applicable to processor-based systems in a wide variety of situations that use a PC card. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a processor-based system  32  may include a processor  61  coupled by a bus  62  to a memory  64 , such as a system memory. An input/output (I/O) interface  66  may also be provided on the bus  62  in some embodiments. 
     The PC card  52  may provide a card interface  68  for the processor-based system  32 . In one embodiment, the interface  68  may be a global system for mobile communications (GSM) wireless transceiver. It may receive a wireless modem PC card  52  in a sliding or plugging engagement. The card  52  may be coupled to the antenna portions  44  to form a dipole antenna in one embodiment of the present invention. 
     While the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this present invention.