Patent ID: 7688275

Claim:
A multimode antenna structure for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in a communications device, the communications device including circuitry for processing signals communicated to and from the antenna structure, the antenna structure comprising: a plurality of antenna ports operatively coupled to the circuitry; a plurality of antenna elements, each operatively coupled to a different one of the antenna ports; and one or more connecting elements electrically connecting the antenna elements at a location on each antenna element that is spaced apart from an antenna port coupled thereto to form a single radiating structure and such that electrical currents on one antenna element flow to a connected neighboring antenna element and generally bypass the antenna port coupled to the neighboring antenna element, the electrical currents flowing through the one antenna element and the neighboring antenna element being generally equal in magnitude, such that an antenna mode excited by one antenna port is generally electrically isolated from a mode excited by another antenna port at a given desired signal frequency range and the antenna structure generates diverse antenna patterns.