Patent Grant
9786994
A large and growing population of users is enjoying entertainment through the consumption of digital media items, such as music, movies, images, electronic books, and so on. The users employ various electronic devices to consume such media items. Among these electronic devices (referred to herein as user devices) are electronic book readers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable media players, tablet computers, netbooks, laptops and the like. These electronic devices wirelessly communicate with a communications infrastructure to enable the consumption of the digital media items. In order to wirelessly communicate with other devices, these electronic devices include one or more antennas.
The present inventions will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the present invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the present invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.
Antenna structures and methods of operating the same of an electronic device are described. One apparatus includes a first radio frequency (RF) feed, a second RF feed and an antenna structure. The antenna structure includes a ground plane, a first antenna element coupled to the first RF feed, a second antenna element coupled to the second RF feed and coupled to the ground plane at a first grounding point located at a distal end of the second antenna element. The first antenna element operates as a first driven element and the second antenna element operates as a first parasitic ground element when the first RF feed is driven in a first frequency range. The second antenna element operates as a second driven element when the second RF feed is driven in a second frequency range, the second frequency range being higher than the first frequency range. The first antenna element is grounded by the RF short circuit when the second RF feed is driven in the second frequency range. The antenna structure can be used in a compact dual-feed configuration in various portable electronic devices, such as a tablet computer, mobile phones, personal data assistances, electronic readers (e-readers), or the like. In conventional dual-feed antenna structures for low-band and high-band, both bandwidth and efficiency in the high-band can be limited by the space availability and interference between the high-band antenna and the low-band antenna in a compact electronic device. Embodiments of the antenna structures described herein can be used to improve radiation efficiency in desired frequency bands, as well as increase isolation between the low-band antenna and the high-band antenna, reducing or eliminating interference between the low-band antenna and the high-band antenna. The co-located, multi-element antenna structure can be used for Long Term Evolution (LTE) frequency bands, third generation (3G) frequency bands, Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® frequency bands or other wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency band, wide area network (WAN) frequency bands, global positioning system (GPS) frequency bands, or the like.
The electronic device (also referred to herein as user device) may be any content rendering device that includes a wireless modem for connecting the user device to a network. Examples of such electronic devices include electronic book readers, portable digital assistants, mobile phones, laptop computers, portable media players, tablet computers, cameras, video cameras, netbooks, notebooks, desktop computers, gaming consoles, DVD players, media centers, and the like. The user device may connect to a network to obtain content from a server computing system (e.g., an item providing system) or to perform other activities. The user device may connect to one or more different types of cellular networks.
One problem for antenna design engineers in user device is that it is difficult to design a single-feed, multi-band antenna for some compact user devices. In particular, small mobile devices typically need to support 4G LTE communications and dual-band Wi-Fi® multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) operation. However, it is difficult to design an antenna to support the various frequency ranges, including 699-960 MHz, 1.45-2.17 GHz, 2.3-2.7 GHz and 5 GHz to 6 GHz, in a compact device with space constraints. Another problem for antenna design engineers is that conventional multi-feed antenna designs suffer from performance issues. Closely spaced antennas suffer from low isolation and high interference between the multiple antennas of the multi-feed antenna design. The embodiments described herein are directed to a co-located, multi-element antenna structure that uses two feeds. The co-located, multi-element antenna structure uses two feeds, share common antenna elements to ease the antenna design, save space and to create high isolation between the two feeds. Driving one of the two feeds results in a first antenna radiating structure of the multiple antenna elements of the co-located, multi-element antenna structure, while driving the other one of the two feeds results in a second different antenna radiating structure of the multiple antenna elements. Thus, the co-located, multi-element antenna structure has separate antenna radiating structures for different frequencies. The embodiments described herein also can be configured to short circuit one of the RF feeds (low-band freed) at some frequencies (e.g., high frequencies such as the GPS band, Wi-Fi® 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands). The antenna structure is considered to be a co-located, multi-element antenna structure because at least portions of multiple antenna elements of the structure are disposed proximate to one another to form a coupling section between the multiple antenna elements. The coupling section may be a capacitive coupling or an inductive coupling. In some embodiments, the portions of the coupling section are disposed on a same plane. In other embodiments, the portions of the coupling section can be disposed on two or more planes when the co-located, multi-element antenna structure is a three-dimensional structure.
In another embodiment, the antenna structure 100 further includes a third antenna element, labeled parasitic ground element 108. The parasitic ground element 108 is coupled to the ground plane 140 at a second grounding point 111. The second grounding point 111 is closer to the second RF feed 144 than the first grounding point 109. The proximity of the parasitic ground element 108 to the second RF feed 144 forms a coupling between the parasitic ground element 108 and the second antenna element 104. When driven by the second RF feed 144, the second antenna element 104 parasitically induces current on the parasitic ground element 108 that is coupled to the ground plane 140. Although there is a gap between the conductive traces, the parasitic ground element 108 is in close enough proximity to form a close coupling (also referred to herein as “coupling”), such as a capacitive coupling or an inductive coupling, between the parasitic ground element 108 and the second antenna element 104. The parasitic ground element 108 is an element of the antenna structure 100 that is not driven directly by the second RF feed 144. Rather, the second RF feed 144 directly drives another element of the antenna structure 100 (e.g., the second antenna element 104), which parasitically induces a current on the parasitic ground element 108. The other element is referred to as a directly-fed or driven element. In particular, by directly applying current on the other element by the second RF feed 144, the directly-fed element radiates electromagnetic energy, which induces another current on the parasitic ground element 108 to also radiate electromagnetic energy. In the depicted embodiment, the parasitic ground element 108 is parasitic because it is physically separated from the second antenna element 104, which is driven at the second RF feed 144, but the parasitic ground element 108 forms a coupling between the other antenna element(s). For example, the second antenna element 104 parasitically excites the current flow of the parasitic ground element 108. By coupling the driven element and the passive element, additional resonant modes can be created or existing resonant modes can be improved, such as decreasing the reflection coefficient or extending the bandwidth. The depicted antenna structure 100 can use multiple resonant modes to cover various frequency ranges. For example, the antenna structure 100 can be used in a compact device with space constraints to cover approximately 699 MHz to approximately 960 MHz, approximately 1.45 GHz to approximately 2.17 GHz, approximately 2.3 GHz to approximately 2.7 GHz and approximately 5 GHz to approximately 6 GHz. In other embodiments, additional resonant modes can be achieved.
In the depicted embodiment, the first antenna element 102 has an L-shape with a first base portion 121 that extends from the first RF feed 142 to a first junction 122 in a first direction and the first portion 123 that extends from the first junction 122 in a second direction. The second antenna element 104 has a T-shape, including a second base portion 131 that extends from the second RF feed 144 to a second junction 132 in the first direction; the second portion that extends from the second base portion 131 in a third direction; a third portion 134 that extends from the second junction 132 in the second direction towards a third junction 136; and a fourth portion 135 that extends from the third junction 136 to the first grounding point 109 in a fourth direction. In this embodiment, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to the first direction and the fourth direction is parallel to the first direction. In one embodiment, the first portion 123 is parallel to the second portion 133 for a specified distance to create a coupling between the first antenna element 102 and the second antenna element 104. It should be noted that a “junction” or “fold” refers to a bend, a corner or other change in direction of the antenna element. For example, the junction may be where one segment of an antenna element changes direction in the same plane or in a different plane. Typically, junctions or folds in antennas can be used to fit the entire length of the antenna within a smaller area or smaller volume of a user device. The antenna structure 100 can be formed by using one or more conductive traces on a printed circuit board, metal traces disposed on the antenna carrier, or the like.
In another embodiment, the antenna structure includes the ground plane 140, a first antenna element coupled to a first RF feed, a second antenna element coupled to a second RF feed and coupled to the ground plane. The second antenna element is coupled to ground plane at a first grounding point located at a distal end of the second antenna element. The distal end being the farthest from the second RF feed. The first antenna element operates as a first driven element and the second antenna element operates as a first parasitic ground element when the first RF feed is driven in a first frequency range. The second antenna element operates as a second driven element when the second RF feed is driven in a second frequency range, the second frequency range being higher than the first frequency range. The first antenna element is grounded by the RF short circuit when the second RF feed is driven in the second frequency range. The first RF feed can be configured to operate as an RF short when the second RF feed is driven, as described herein.
In a further embodiment, the antenna structure further includes a third antenna element coupled to the ground plane at a second grounding point nearer to the second RF feed than the first grounding point. The third antenna element operates as a second parasitic ground element when the second RF feed is driven in the second frequency range.
In another embodiment, the first antenna element extends from the first RF feed towards the second RF feed. The first antenna element is not conductively coupled to the second RF feed. The first antenna element includes a first portion that extends from the first RF feed towards the second RF feed and is not conductively coupled to the second antenna element. The first portion is disposed to be parallel to a second portion of the second antenna element to closely couple the first antenna element and the second antenna element.
The antenna structure 100 radiates electromagnetic energy in multiple resonant modes. The first antenna element 102 and the second antenna element 104 radiate electromagnetic energy in a first resonant mode when the first RF feed 142 is driven in a low-band (e.g., a frequency range between approximately 699 MHz to approximately 960 MHz). The first antenna element 102, second antenna element 104, and parasitic ground element 108 (third antenna element) radiate electromagnetic energy in at least two resonant modes when the second RF feed 144 is driven in one or more bands higher than the low-band (e.g., one or more frequency ranges). The two or more resonant modes may cover a second frequency range that includes multiple sub-ranges. For example, in one embodiment, the second frequency range includes a first sub-range between approximately 1.565 GHz to approximately 1.605 GHz; a second sub-range between approximately 2.4 GHz to approximately 2.5 GHz; and a third sub-range between approximately 5 GHz to approximately 6 GHz.
In a further embodiment, the second antenna element 104 operates as a second parasitic ground element when the first RF feed 142 is driven in a low-band. The second antenna element 104 operates as a driven element when the second RF feed 144 is driven in one or more bands higher than the low-band. In some embodiments, the first RF feed 142 includes a RF short tank that operates to ground the first RF feed 142 when the second RF feed 144 is driven in one or more bands higher than the low-band. Grounding the first RF feed 142 may increase higher isolation between the first RF feed 142 and the second RF feed 144 at certain frequencies. For example, a RF short can be configured to increase the isolation between the first RF feed 142 and the second RF feed 144 at an operating frequency in the high-band. The antenna structure 100 has common elements that operate as separate antenna radiating structures when RF signals are separately applied to the two RF feeds 142, 144.
In one embodiment, antenna structure 100 is disposed on an antenna carrier (not illustrated), such as a dielectric carrier of the electronic device. The antenna carrier may be any non-conductive material, such as dielectric material, upon which the conductive material of the antenna structure 100 can be disposed without making electrical contact with other metal of the electronic device. In another embodiment, the antenna structure 100 is disposed on, within, or in connection with a circuit board, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). In one embodiment, the ground plane 140 may be a metal chassis of a circuit board. Alternatively, the antenna structure 100 may be disposed on other components of the electronic device or within the electronic device as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. It should be noted that the antenna structure 100 illustrated in
In some embodiments, the antenna elements of the antenna structure 100 may be disposed on one side of an antenna carrier. In other embodiments, the antenna elements of the antenna structure 100 can be folded two or more sides of the antenna carrier. In one embodiment, the portions of the first antenna element 102, second antenna element and parasitic ground element 108 are disposed on two sides of the antenna carrier, such as a front side and a top side of the antenna carrier. This can be done to fit the antenna structure 100 in a smaller volume while maintaining the overall length of the antenna elements. The embodiments of the antenna structure 100 can be used in compact devices with space constraints. For example, in one embodiment, the antenna structure 100 fits within a volume of 5 mm height (h1), 47 mm width (w1) and 6 mm depth (d1). This volume can still accommodate additional components of the device. In other embodiments, smaller or larger volumes can be used.
In one embodiment, the first RF feed 142 is a WAN LB feed, the second RF feed 144 is a WLAN/GPS feed, the first antenna element 102 is a WAN LB antenna (e.g., approximately 699 MHz to approximately 960 MHz), the second antenna element 104 is a WLAN/GPS antenna (e.g., approximately 1.565 GHz to approximately 1.605 GHz and approximately 2.4 GHz to approximately 2.5 GHz), and the parasitic ground element 108 is a WLAN antenna (e.g., approximately 5 GHz to approximately 6 GHz). The second antenna element 104 can operate as a shared element or common element when driven in the LB mode (LB signals applied to the LB feed) and in the HB mode (HB signals applied to the HB feed) as illustrated and described below with respect to current flows of
The dimensions of the antenna structure 100 may be varied to achieve the desired frequency range as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, however, the total length of the antennas is a major factor for determining the frequency, and the width of the antennas is a factor for impedance matching. It should be noted that the factors of total length and width are dependent on one another. The antenna structure 100 may have various dimensions based on the various design factors. The first antenna element 102 has a first effective length that is roughly the distance between the first RF feed 142 along the conductive trace(s). In one embodiment, the antenna structure 100 has an overall height (h1), an overall width (W1), and an overall depth (d1). The overall height (h1) may vary, but, in one embodiment, is about 5 mm. The overall width (W1) may vary, but, in one embodiment, is about 47 mm. The overall depth (d4) may vary, but, in one embodiment, is about 6 mm. Alternatively, other dimensions may be used for the antenna structure 100.
In a further embodiment, as illustrated in
In this embodiment, the antenna structure 100 is a 3D structure as illustrated in the perspective view of
As described herein, strong resonances are not easily achieved within a compact space within user devices, especially within the spaces on smart phones and tablets. The structure of the antenna structure 100 of
In another embodiment, when RF signals are applied to the first RF feed 142, the first antenna element 102 parasitically induces current on the second antenna element 104 (and possibly on the parasitic ground element 108) that is coupled to the ground plane 140. Although there is a gap between the conductive traces, the second antenna element 104 is in close enough proximity to form a close coupling (also referred to herein as “coupling”) with the first antenna element, such as a capacitive coupling or an inductive coupling, between the first antenna element 102 and second antenna element 104. Because the second antenna element 104 is coupled to the ground plane 140 at the first grounding point 109, the second antenna element 104 operates as a parasitic ground element that is not driven directly by the first RF feed 142 during a first mode. That is RF signals are not directly applied to the second antenna element 104, but currents are parasitically induced on the second antenna element 104. The first RF feed 142 directly drives another element of the antenna structure 100 (e.g., the first antenna element 102), which parasitically induces a current on the second antenna element 104, which is coupled to the ground plane 140 at a distal end, the distal end being the farthest from the second RF feed 144. In particular, by directly applying current on the other element (also referred to as a driven element or directly-fed element) by the first RF feed 142, the directly-fed element radiates electromagnetic energy, which induces another current on the second antenna element 104 to also radiate electromagnetic energy. In the depicted embodiment, the parasitic ground element 108 is physically separated from the first antenna element 102 and the second antenna element 104, but the parasitic ground element 108 forms a coupling between these antenna elements. By coupling the first antenna element 102 and the second antenna element 104, additional resonant modes can be created or existing resonant modes can be improved, such as decreasing the reflection coefficient or extending the bandwidth. The depicted antenna structure 100 can use two or more resonant modes to cover various frequency ranges as described herein.
In another embodiment, a tunable element (not illustrated) is coupled between the second grounding point 111 (or the first grounding point 109) where the parasitic ground element 108 is coupled to the ground plane 140. The tunable element can be used to tune the resonant frequency of the parasitic ground element 108.
The RF short circuit 320 is coupled in parallel to the ground plane. In a further embodiment, the antenna structure 300 includes an antenna tuner 322 coupled to the first antenna 302 and a low-band low pass filter 324 (LPF) coupled between the antenna tuner 322 and one or more WAN channels of a WAN transceiver via a front-end LB circuit 326. For example, the front-end LB circuit can coupled to a wireless transceiver for bands 17 and 12 (B17 and B12) 328, band 20 (B20) 330, band 5 (B5) 332 and band eight (B8) 334. The antenna tuner 322 can be used to tune the first antenna 302 to operate in various frequency bands, as illustrated in the exemplary equivalent circuits of
In one embodiment, the RF short circuit 320 includes three conductive paths coupled in parallel between a first RF feed 342 and a ground plane (not illustrated in
The equivalent circuit 512 of the WAN tunable LB antenna 500 can include a first capacitance in parallel to the load and a second capacitance in series with the load, the first and second capacitances being tuned for B20 band. The corresponding graphs below the equivalent circuit 512 shows a return loss 514 and efficiency 516 of the equivalent circuit 512. Return loss 514 is tuned to be centered at approximately 810 MHz.
The equivalent circuit 522 of the WAN tunable LB antenna 500 can include a first capacitance in parallel to the load and a second capacitance in series with the load, the first and second capacitances being tuned for B5 band. The corresponding graphs below the equivalent circuit 522 shows a return loss 524 and efficiency 526 of the equivalent circuit 522. Return loss 524 is tuned to be centered at approximately 870 MHz.
The equivalent circuit 532 of the WAN tunable LB antenna 500 can include a capacitance in series with the load, the capacitance being tuned for B8 band. The corresponding graphs below the equivalent circuit 532 shows a return loss 534 and efficiency 536 of the equivalent circuit 532. Return loss 534 is tuned to be centered at approximately 940 MHz.
In a further embodiment, a fourth current is applied to the second RF feed to transmit or receive RF signals in a third frequency range using a third antenna element of the antenna structure. The third antenna element operates as a second parasitic ground element when the fourth current is applied to the second RF feed.
In a further embodiment, applying the first current causes the antenna structure to radiate electromagnetic energy at the first frequency range between approximately 699 MHz to approximately 960 MHz. Applying the third current causes the antenna structure to radiate electromagnetic energy in at least one of the following: a first sub-range of the second frequency range between approximately 1.565 GHz to approximately 1.605 GHz; a second sub-range of the second frequency range between approximately 2.4 GHz to approximately 2.5 GHz; and a third sub-range of the second frequency range between approximately 5 GHz to approximately 6 GHz. In a further embodiment, the first antenna element is grounded at approximately 1.575 GHz when the third current is applied to the second RF feed to radiate in the first sub-range. The first antenna element is grounded at approximately 2.45 GHz when the third current is applied to the second RF feed to radiate in the second sub-range. The first antenna element is grounded at approximately 5.5 GHz when the third current is applied to the second RF feed to radiate in the third sub-range.
In response to the applied current(s), when applicable, the antenna structure radiates electromagnetic energy to communicate information to one or more other devices. Regardless of the antenna configuration, the electromagnetic energy forms a radiation pattern. The radiation pattern may be various shapes as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In a further embodiment, the antenna structure can be tuned with an antenna tuner coupled between the first antenna element and a WAN transceiver. In a further embodiment, a low pass filter can be coupled between the antenna tuner and the WAN transceiver. Alternatively, the antenna structure can be tuned with one or more other tunable elements.
The antenna structure of the co-located, multi-element antenna structure can provide different resonant modes for various bands, such as a low-band, mid-band, high-band, or any combination thereof. For example, the antenna structure provides two or more resonant modes.
The user device 1005 also includes a data storage device 1014 that may be composed of one or more types of removable storage and/or one or more types of non-removable storage. The data storage device 1014 includes a computer-readable storage medium 1016 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions embodying any one or more of the functions of the user device 1005, as described herein. As shown, instructions may reside, completely or at least partially, within the computer-readable storage medium 1016, system memory 1006 and/or within the processor(s) 1030 during execution thereof by the user device 1005, the system memory 1006 and the processor(s) 1030 also constituting computer-readable media. The user device 1005 may also include one or more input devices 1020 (keyboard, mouse device, specialized selection keys, etc.) and one or more output devices 1018 (displays, printers, audio output mechanisms, etc.).
The user device 1005 further includes a wireless modem 1022 to allow the user device 1005 to communicate via a wireless network (e.g., such as provided by a wireless communication system) with other computing devices, such as remote computers, an item providing system, and so forth. The wireless modem 1022 allows the user device 1005 to handle both voice and non-voice communications (such as communications for text messages, multimedia messages, media downloads, web browsing, etc.) with a wireless communication system. The wireless modem 1022 may provide network connectivity using any type of digital mobile network technology including, for example, cellular digital packet data (CDPD), general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), UMTS, 1 times radio transmission technology (1×RTT), evaluation data optimized (EVDO), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi® network), etc. In other embodiments, the wireless modem 1022 may communicate according to different communication types (e.g., WCDMA, GSM, LTE, CDMA, WiMax, etc.) in different cellular networks. The cellular network architecture may include multiple cells, where each cell includes a base station configured to communicate with user devices within the cell. These cells may communicate with the user devices 1005 using the same frequency, different frequencies, same communication type (e.g., WCDMA, GSM, LTE, CDMA, WiMax, etc.), or different communication types. Each of the base stations may be connected to a private, a public network, or both, such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), or the like, to allow the user devices 1005 to communicate with other devices, such as other user devices, server computing systems, telephone devices, or the like. In addition to wirelessly connecting to a wireless communication system, the user device 1005 may also wirelessly connect with other user devices. For example, user device 1005 may form a wireless ad hoc (peer-to-peer) network with another user device.
The wireless modem 1022 may generate signals and send these signals to transceiver 1080 or transceiver 1086 for amplification, after which they are wirelessly transmitted via the co-located, multi-element antenna structure 1000, including first antenna element 1002 and second antenna element 1004. Although
In one embodiment, the user device 1005 establishes a first connection using a first wireless communication protocol, and a second connection using a different wireless communication protocol. The first wireless connection and second wireless connection may be active concurrently, for example, if a user device is downloading a media item from a server (e.g., via the first connection) and transferring a file to another user device (e.g., via the second connection) at the same time. Alternatively, the two connections may be active concurrently during a handoff between wireless connections to maintain an active session (e.g., for a telephone conversation). Such a handoff may be performed, for example, between a connection to a WLAN hotspot and a connection to a wireless carrier system. In one embodiment, the first wireless connection is associated with a first resonant mode of the co-located, multi-element antenna structure 1000 that operates at a first frequency band and the second wireless connection is associated with a second resonant mode of the co-located, multi-element antenna structure 1000 that operates at a second frequency band. In another embodiment, the first wireless connection is associated with the first antenna element 1002 of the co-located, multi-element antenna structure 1000 and the second wireless connection is associated with the second antenna element 1004. In other embodiments, the first wireless connection may be associated with a media purchase application (e.g., for downloading electronic books), while the second wireless connection may be associated with a wireless ad hoc network application. Other applications that may be associated with one of the wireless connections include, for example, a game, a telephony application, an Internet browsing application, a file transfer application, a global positioning system (GPS) application, and so forth.
Though a wireless modem 1022 is shown to control transmission to both antenna elements 1002 and 1004, the user device 1005 may alternatively include multiple wireless modems, each of which is configured to transmit/receive data via a different antenna and/or wireless transmission protocol. In addition, the user device 1005, while illustrated with two antenna elements 1002 and 1004, may include more or fewer antennas in various embodiments. For example, a third antenna element, as described herein, can be used in connection with the first antenna element 1002 and second antenna element 1004.
The user device 1005 delivers and/or receives items, upgrades, and/or other information via the network. For example, the user device 1005 may download or receive items from an item providing system. The item providing system receives various requests, instructions and other data from the user device 1005 via the network. The item providing system may include one or more machines (e.g., one or more server computer systems, routers, gateways, etc.) that have processing and storage capabilities to provide the above functionality. Communication between the item providing system and the user device 1005 may be enabled via any communication infrastructure. One example of such an infrastructure includes a combination of a wide area network (WAN) and wireless infrastructure, which allows a user to use the user device 1005 to purchase items and consume items without being tethered to the item providing system via hardwired links. The wireless infrastructure may be provided by one or multiple wireless communications systems, such as one or more wireless communications systems. One of the wireless communication systems may be a wireless local area network (WLAN) hotspot connected with the network. The WLAN hotspots can be created by Wi-Fi® products based on IEEE 802.11x standards by Wi-Fi Alliance. Another of the wireless communication systems may be a wireless carrier system that can be implemented using various data processing equipment, communication towers, etc. Alternatively, or in addition, the wireless carrier system may rely on satellite technology to exchange information with the user device 1005.
The communication infrastructure may also include a communication-enabling system that serves as an intermediary in passing information between the item providing system and the wireless communication system. The communication-enabling system may communicate with the wireless communication system (e.g., a wireless carrier) via a dedicated channel, and may communicate with the item providing system via a non-dedicated communication mechanism, e.g., a public Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet.
The user devices 1005 are variously configured with different functionality to enable consumption of one or more types of media items. The media items may be any type of format of digital content, including, for example, electronic texts (e.g., eBooks, electronic magazines, digital newspapers, etc.), digital audio (e.g., music, audible books, etc.), digital video (e.g., movies, television, short clips, etc.), images (e.g., art, photographs, etc.), and multi-media content. The user devices 1005 may include any type of content rendering devices such as electronic book readers, portable digital assistants, mobile phones, laptop computers, portable media players, tablet computers, cameras, video cameras, netbooks, notebooks, desktop computers, gaming consoles, DVD players, media centers, and the like.
In the above description, numerous details are set forth. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, that embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the description.
Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “inducing,” “parasitically inducing,” “radiating,” “detecting,” determining,” “generating,” “communicating,” “receiving,” “disabling,” or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Embodiments also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.
The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, the present embodiments are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the present invention as described herein. It should also be noted that the terms “when” or the phrase “in response to,” as used herein, should be understood to indicate that there may be intervening time, intervening events, or both before the identified operation is performed.
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. The scope of the present embodiments should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
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