Patents Represented by Attorney Lorraine A. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5483247
    Abstract: An automotive antenna system for receiving FM broadcast band radio signals includes a conformal antenna and a glazing panel having an electrically conductive coating. A conductive trace integrated with a front windshield panel, for example, forms an active slot antenna which is connected by a coaxial cable to the automobile's FM radio receiver. A transparent conductive layer is applied over a substantial portion of the rear window opening which is typically dimensioned such that it would otherwise be resonant within the FM broadcast band and parasitically coupled to the active antenna, which would cause the active antenna to have an undesirable directional pattern. The transparent layer has a sufficiently high conductivity and is applied over a sufficiently large portion of the resonant window opening to substantially reduce or eliminate resonances within the FM broadcast band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Andrew Adrian, Bruce R. Jones, George F. Tannery, IV