Patents by Inventor Alan D. MacDonald

Alan D. MacDonald has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5506592
    Abstract: An antenna which comprises a plurality of spaced apart antenna segments (1-8) which are electrically isolated from each other and form a conical antenna structure, an insulator (9) disposed between each of the antenna segments, a plurality of conductors (11), each coupled to a different one of the antenna segments, for sampling a predetermined parameter at the associated antenna segment and a ground plane (10) normal to the axis of the conical structure. The antenna segments are substantially pie-shaped. In a second embodiment of the invention, the antenna segments are disposed on an electrically insulating sheet, each of the antenna segments being flared at the corner regions thereof (22) remote from the apex of the conical structure. The space between each of the segments is a slot, the slot operational as a slot antenna when the segments on opposing sides of the slot are excited 180 degrees out of phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1996
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Alan D. MacDonald, Landon Rowland