/Patent Tracker
SamsungGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Samsung patents phone frame that acts as both antenna and heat sink

This patent describes a smartphone design where the metal side frame is split into two separate sections. One section connects to the radio antenna, while the other uses special material to pull heat from internal components and spread it across the frame.

Why it mattersIt shows how manufacturers can use existing structural parts to handle two different jobs, potentially making phones thinner or better at cooling down.

In the filing’s own words

In various embodiments, an electronic device may comprise: a housing including a front plate, a rear plate opposite to the front plate, and a side frame surrounding the space between the front plate and the rear plate; and a printed circuit board disposed in the space and having a front end module (FEM) and a heating element comprising a thermally conductive material mounted thereon, wherein the side frame is segmented into at least a first metal portion and a second metal portion, a segmentation member comprising a non-conductive material is disposed between the first metal portion and the second metal portion, and the first metal portion is electrically connected to the front end module, and the second metal portion is connected to the heating element by heat transfer members comprising a thermal interface material.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device, comprising: a housing comprising a front plate, a rear plate facing an opposite direction to the front plate, and a side frame surrounding a space between the front plate and the rear plate; a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the space and comprising a front-end module (FEM) and a heating element comprising a thermally conductive material mounted thereon, wherein the side frame is segmented into at least a first metal portion and a second metal portion, wherein, between the first metal portion and the second metal portion, a segmentation member comprising a non-conductive material is disposed, and wherein the first metal portion is electrically connected to the FEM, and the second metal portion is connected to the heating element through a heat transfer structure and first and second heat transfer members each comprising a thermal interface material; a battery disposed behind the PCB in the space; and the heat transfer structure comprising a thermal interface material and comprising a front portion disposed on a front surface of the battery and connected to the heating element, and a side portion extending from the front portion along a side surface of the battery and connected to the second metal portion, wherein the first heat transfer member is disposed between the heating element and the front portion, and the second heat transfer member is disposed between the side portion and the second metal portion.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
Electronic device with side frame serving as an antenna and heat dissipation member
Patent number
US12730414B2
Application number
18462807
Filed
Sep 7, 2023
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
17

Classified under

G04G 17/04 Physics & computingG04G 17/02 Physics & computingG04G 17/08 Physics & computingG04G 19/00 Physics & computingH01Q 1/273 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/44 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.