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Apple patents curved antenna design for device feet

Apple describes an electronic device with a non-metallic foot that holds a specific type of wireless antenna. The antenna uses folded metal pieces to match the curved shape of the device's base, allowing it to fit inside the housing without blocking signals.

Why it mattersThis design helps maintain wireless signal strength in devices with curved or rounded bases, which is a common challenge in hardware engineering.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device may include a housing and wireless circuitry. The housing may include a conductive body mounted to a dielectric foot. The wireless circuitry may include wedge-shaped cavity-backed antennas mounted within the dielectric foot. Each antenna may include a dielectric wall, a conductive plate, and a conductive cavity mounted to the conductive plate. The conductive cavity and the conductive plate may define edges of an antenna cavity. The dielectric wall may be mounted to the conductive plate and the conductive cavity overlapping the antenna cavity. The dielectric wall may have an outer surface with a continuous curvature that matches a curvature of the dielectric foot. The dielectric wall may have an inner surface facing the antenna cavity. An antenna resonating element may be mounted to the inner surface. The antenna resonating element may include planar segments separated by folds to help approximate the continuous curvature of the outer surface.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device comprising: a housing that includes a dielectric foot and a conductive body, wherein the dielectric foot includes a first wall coupled to the conductive body, a second wall parallel to the first wall, and a sidewall that couples the first wall to the second wall and that is curved around a central axis of the electronic device; and an antenna mounted to the second wall within the dielectric foot, wherein the antenna includes a conductive plate, a conductive cavity mounted to the conductive plate, a dielectric wall mounted to the conductive plate and the conductive cavity, wherein the dielectric wall has a first surface facing and curved parallel to the sidewall of the dielectric foot, and an antenna resonating element mounted to a second surface of the dielectric wall that faces the conductive cavity.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Electronic device with foot antenna
Patent number
US12763479B2
Application number
18913952
Filed
Oct 11, 2024
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
20

Classified under

H01Q 13/18 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/22 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 1/48 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.