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Meter antennaMeter antenna description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070085750, Meter antenna. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
NOTICE REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL [0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to antennas for use with utility meters. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Antenna performance parameters such as efficiency, radiation/reception pattern, and resonant frequency are affected when the antenna is placed in the vicinity of metallic infrastructures. The incumbent or resident metallic infrastructures in conventional electromechanical utility meters (such as GE Watthour Meter 1-70-S and ABB AB-1) greatly affect the performance parameters of conventional half-wave dipole or quarter-wave whip antennas when such antennas are incorporated within the confines of a conventional meter. The interactions between the metallic infrastructure in a conventional meter and such conventional antennas are highly sensitive in the sense that the difference in the metallic infrastructures themselves between different meter models is sufficient to cause inconsistent antenna performance. The goal of the invention is to increase the stability and efficiency of antenna performance over many meter types. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] There is provided an antenna arrangement for a conventional utility meter having a cover and metallic infrastructure plus RF communications capability, comprising a slot antenna formed to fit under the cover and cooperating with said RF communications capability. [0005] There is also provided a method of managing the varying effects of differing incumbent metallic infrastructures on the performance of a radiating/receiving element of an antenna, comprising the steps of inserting a metallic structure closer to the radiating/receiving element than the incumbent metallic infrastructure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: [0007] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a RF retrofit module with the slot antenna of the present invention. [0008] FIG. 2 shows the slot antenna of the present invention, formed to the contour of the RF retrofit module. [0009] FIG. 3 shows the actual dimensions of the slot antenna of the preferred embodiment. [0010] FIG. 4 shows a view complementary to that of FIG. 1. [0011] FIG. 5 shows a front perspective, partially broken away view of a meter with the RF retrofit module that includes the antenna invention installed. [0012] FIG. 6 shows a view complementary to that of FIG. 5. [0013] All drawings are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the drawings with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiment will be explained or will be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, RF performance and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. [0014] Where used in the various drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms "top", "bottom", "first", "second", "inside", "outside", "edge", "side", "front", "back", "length", "width", "inner", "outer", and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0015] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional meter 100 houses electro-mechanical (incumbent or resident) metallic infrastructures (consisting of gears, brackets, prongs, tumblers, disks, rivets and the like, identified generally as 140) enclosed by a transparent (typically glass or plastic) cover 90. Herein, the term "metallic infrastructure" is meant to describe the (resident or incumbent) metallic infrastructure 140 whereas the term "metallic structure" is meant to describe the contribution of the present invention. [0016] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention teaches the use of a slot antenna 10 and 20 with a RF retrofit module 40 that is placed within meter 100 under the cover 90. RF retrofit module 40 has transceiver assembly 70 and is shaped to be attached to the resident metallic infrastructure 140 of meter 100. Details of quarter-wave slot 125 in antennas 10 and 20 are explained below. The fully assembled version of the exploded view of FIGS. 1-2, is shown in FIGS. 5-6. [0017] Those skilled in the art realize that an efficient antenna that is insensitive to meter incumbent metallic infrastructures placed in its vicinity, faces conflicting requirements. In the present invention, the quarter-wave radiating/receiving RF slot 125 is inherently adjacent to the metallic structure of brass sheet 115 it is cut out of. Thus the metallic infrastructure 140 of the conventional meter 100 is (compared to the metallic structure of brass sheet 115) relatively "far" away from the slot 125, resulting in an antenna that is less sensitive to de-tuning when compared to the aforementioned conventional antennas. [0018] Cover 90 is typically frusto-conical (as the result of conventional manufacturing processes). RF retrofit module 40 is pre-formed and shaped accordingly as a smaller frusto-cone to fit under cover 90. The brass sheet 115 of antennas 10 and 20 is required to fit snugly over the frusto-cononical outer surface of RF retrofit module 40 and under cover 90, as seen in FIGS. 1,4-6 and so is correspondingly frusto-conical itself and is dimensioned to fit over as much of the outer surface RF retrofit module 40 as physically allowed thereby under cover 90. Continue reading about Meter antenna... Full patent description for Meter antenna Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Meter antenna patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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