Patent GB-1064206-A (GB)
Title: Antenna assemblies for electronic equipment
IPC: F16C11/06
Filed: 1964-06-10
Abstract: 1,064,206. Aerials; radio receiver aerial arrangements. ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS Inc. June 10, 1964 [June 13, 1963], No. 24104/64. Headings H3Q and H4A. [Also in Division E2] In an aerial assembly integral with portable or other radio equipment, a ball 48, Fig. 4, is supported immediately inside an aperture 72 in the equipment housing 70 by a resilient clip 10, and has a through bore which is traversed by a set of nesting tubes 52 which are contained within the housing when retracted, but may be extended to project therefrom when required, the aerial so formed being tiltable, with consequent rotation of the ball in a seating formed in the clip. A pair of such aerial assemblies may be included in a television receiver and may be oriented by the user in directional relationship with a transmitter (Fig. 2, not shown). As described, the clip 10, Figs. 1, 3 and 4, is made of springy metal and has a generally J-shaped configuration. Substantially spherical apertured seatings are formed out of the upper and lower legs, the metal surrounding the lower seating being reversely bent to form a passageway 36. A connection tab 44 is struck out of the under side of the clip and the end 28 of the clip is brought upwards by bends forming a flange 26 so that it is level with leg 12. Fixing holes 20, 30, Fig. 3, are distorted (Fig. 6, not shown) to provide engaging means for screw threads. The ball 48 is in the form of a truncated sphere with a through bore for the outer tube 52 of the aerial and with a collar 50 on top, and pivots inside the spherical seating of resilient clip 10, by which it is frictionally gripped when fixing screws 78, 80 are tightened. The outer tube of the aerial has beaded flanges 54, Fig. 4, and (58), Fig. 5, at its lower and upper ends and may also have an intermediate flange (56). The aerial tubes and the ball may be preassembled and sprung into place in the clip before it is fixed in the housing. A slot (90), Fig. 9, may be provided in the upper leg of the clip to facilitate assembly. An insulating tube (80a), Fig. 5, may be fitted to the clip by a spring (82), to contain the retracted aerial tubes. The clip may be made with passageway 36 at an angle so that the retracted aerial tubes are not perpendicular to the face of housing 70 (Fig. 7, not shown). As indicated in Fig. 3, the grip of the clip on the ball is enhanced by forming the spherical surfaces of the lower and upper parts of the clip with displaced centres. Alternatively, the portions of the clip containing the fixing holes may be relatively displaced (Fig. 10, not shown). Instead of spherical surfaces the clip may have frustoconical surfaces for contacting the ball (Fig. 8A, not shown). The ball may be formed with annular grooves (98), Fig. 11, for co-operating with protuberances (96) extending inwardly from the lower seating surface of the clip, to provide a ratcheting effect. Various arrangements in which one or both of the fixing screws are dispensed with are described. A hook (100), Fig. 12, may be struck upwards from the upper leg of the clip and engage the housing through a fixing hole in replacement of the screw 78. Or, similarly, a hook (102), Fig. 13, may replace the screw 80. By providing suitable fixed abutments within the housing both fixing screws may be replaced (Figs. 18, 19, not shown). The upper leg may be made of the same length as the lower leg and be provided with a clearance hole for the fixing screw 80 (Fig. 14, not shown). If the housing is made of metal, an intermediate insulating plate (108), Fig. 15, is provided. This has bossed apertures (112), (116), (118), Fig. 16, for fitting, respectively, into holes (124), (122), (126) in the housing. The apertures in the bosses (116), (118) are countersunk. The aerial assembly is first fixed by countersunk-headed screws (119) to plate (108) which is then mated with the housing, whereupon the screws (119) are tightened so that the insulating material from the bosses (116), (118) spreads over the edges of the apertures (122), (126) so securing the entire assembly in place (Fig. 17, not shown). In another embodiment the resilient clip (101), Fig. 20, is of S-shaped configuration and is secured in place by wedging in a recess formed in the housing. Down-turned tabs (134) prevent outward movement of the assembly once it has been put in position. An electrical terminal tab (441) is struck from the clip to extend outwards from the recess. In a similar embodiment to that shown in Fig. 20, the upper leg of the clip is replaced by a separate collar (136), Fig. 21, and the clip becomes U-shaped (Fig. 22, not shown). A flared hollow member (138), Figs. 24, 25, may be fitted in the lower leg of the U-shaped clip to serve as a guide for the aerial when it is retracted. In anothe embodiment (Fig. 28, not shown) the resilient clip is Z-shaped (Figs. 26, 27, not shown) and is associated with a separate collar, bearing against the upper surface of the ball, as in the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 21 and 24.