# US 2014/0153211 A1 · Electronic Device With Antenna Cable Bracket > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153211 A1 - Document ID: US20140153211A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/690,629 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Shayan Malek; John B. Ardisana, II; Michael B. Wittenberg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153211A1 ## CPC - H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas} - H01Q 1/38: formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142)} - H02G 3/32: using mounting clamps - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) - H02G: INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES ## Abstract An electronic device contains circuitry such as radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antenna structures that are coupled using transmission line paths such as coaxial cable paths. A coaxial cable is mounted within an electronic device housing cable mounting structures. The coaxial cable has a meandering portion that forms a service loop. The cable mounting structures includes grooves that receive the meandering portion of the cable. The grooves may be formed within a molded plastic body. Patterned metal may be formed on the surface of the molded plastic body using laser-based processing techniques. The cable in the meandering portion may have a segment in which an outer cable conductor is exposed. The patterned metal on the molded plastic body may short the exposed outer conductor to the electronic device housing or other ground structure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Apparatus, comprising: a cable mounting structure body having at least one cable retention groove; and at least one conductive trace on the cable mounting structure body that overlaps the cable retention groove. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the cable mounting structure body comprises plastic. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the at least one cable retention groove comprises at least three grooves including a middle groove and wherein the conductive trace overlaps at least the middle groove. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus defined in claim 3 further comprising a cable with a meandering path portion that forms a service loop having parallel cable segments retained in the three grooves. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein at least some of the cable in the service loop has an exposed conductor that is shorted to the conductive trace. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus defined in claim 5 further comprising an electronic device housing structure, wherein the cable is mounted to the electronic device housing structure using the cable mounting structure body. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising a cable having a segment in the groove, wherein the segment of the cable in the groove has an exposed outer conductor that is shorted to the conductive trace. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus defined in claim 7 further comprising an electronic device housing, wherein the cable is pressed towards the electronic device housing by the cable mounting structure body and wherein the conductive trace comprises a metal trace that is shorted to the electronic device housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus defined in claim 8 further comprising antenna structures coupled to the cable. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus defined in claim 9 further comprising radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the cable has opposing first and second ends, wherein the first end is coupled to radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, and wherein the second end is coupled to the antenna structures. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein the cable has a meandering path that forms a service loop in a portion of the cable between the first and second ends and wherein the at least one groove comprises a plurality of grooves that receive the cable in the service loop. ### Claim 12 An electronic device, comprising: a housing; radio-frequency transceiver circuitry mounted in the housing; an antenna resonating element mounted in the housing; a coaxial cable that is coupled between the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the antenna resonating element, wherein the coaxial cable has a meandering portion that forms a service loop; and cable mounting structures having metal traces and having cable retention features that receive the coaxial cable in the meandering portion and that attach the coaxial cable in the meandering portion to the housing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the cable retention features comprise grooves that receive the cable in the meandering portion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the coaxial cable includes a center conductor and an outer conductor, wherein a segment of the outer conductor is exposed in the meandering portion and wherein the metal traces short an exposed outer conductor to the housing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the cable mounting structures include a plastic body in which the grooves are formed, wherein the metal traces are formed on a surface of the plastic body, and wherein the metal traces contact the exposed outer conductor in at least one of the grooves. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the cable mounting structures include at least one screw hole and wherein the electronic device further comprises a screw that passes through the screw hole to mount the cable mounting structures to the housing. ### Claim 17 A method of forming cable retention structures, comprising: forming a cable retention structure body having cable retention features configured to receive a coaxial cable; and forming a patterned metal layer on the cable retention structure body that includes portions overlapping the cable retention features. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method defined in claim 17 wherein the cable retention features comprises grooves configure to receive the coaxial cable and wherein forming the cable retention structure body comprises injection molding plastic to form a molded plastic body for the cable retention structures. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method defined in claim 18 wherein forming the patterned metal layer comprises activating a selected surface area on the molded plastic body with laser light. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method defined in claim 19 wherein forming the patterned metal layer comprises selectively plating metal in the selected surface area to form a metal trace.