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AppleGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Apple patents laptop hinge design that uses a metal tunnel for antennas

Apple has been granted a patent for a laptop design where the hinge mechanism includes a metal part with a specific tunnel cut through it. This tunnel acts as an antenna slot, allowing radio signals to pass through the metal housing gaps regardless of how the laptop lid is opened.

Why it mattersThis design helps maintain consistent wireless connection quality in laptops by using the existing hinge structure for signal transmission.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device such as a laptop computer may have an upper housing and a lower housing. The lower housing may have a clutch barrel. The upper housing may be coupled to the clutch barrel by a hinge. The lower housing may have an upper metal wall separated from the upper housing by a first gap and a lower metal wall separated from the upper housing by a second gap. The clutch barrel may include a conductor. An antenna may be formed from a radiating slot in the conductor. The radiating slot may have a tunnel extending from a first opening to a second opening in the conductor across a diameter of the conductor. The tunnel may be linear or non-linear. The tunnel may have a uniform or tapered width. The radiating slot may convey radio-frequency signals through both gaps regardless of the orientation of the upper housing.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A laptop computer comprising: a lower housing having an upper metal wall and a lower metal wall that define an interior volume of the lower metal housing; a clutch barrel mounted to the lower housing, the clutch barrel having a conductor, a first opening in the conductor, a second opening in the conductor, and a tunnel that extends from the first opening to the second opening through the conductor; an upper housing coupled to the clutch barrel by a hinge; and an antenna having an antenna feed coupled across the first opening in the conductor.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Electronic device having clutch barrel antenna slot
Patent number
US12737014B2
Application number
18477202
Filed
Sep 28, 2023
Granted
Sep 15, 2026
Inventors
9
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 1/1681 Physics & computingH01Q 13/10 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.