Electronic Devices Having Interior Antennas

A portable computer comprising:

• a metal housing having an upper housing portion that contains a display and having a lower housing portion, wherein the lower housing portion has opposing first and second conductive walls;
• hinges that connect the upper housing portion to the lower housing portion, wherein the upper housing portion is configured to rotate relative to the lower housing portion between an open position and a closed position, and the upper housing portion is separated from the second conductive wall by a slot when the upper housing portion is in the closed position;
• conductive structures in the lower housing portion that short the first conductive wall to the second conductive wall;
• a dielectric substrate that is mounted within the lower housing portion and that is located between the conductive structures and the slot;
• and
• an antenna resonating element on the dielectric substrate and interposed between the first and second conductive walls, wherein the antenna resonating element is configured to convey radio-frequency signals in a given frequency band through the slot when the upper housing portion is in the closed position, the antenna resonating element is located at a given distance from the conductive structures, and the given distance is at least one-sixteenth of a wavelength corresponding to a frequency in the given frequency band.

A portable computer comprising:

• a metal base housing containing a keyboard, wherein the metal base housing comprises first and second conductive walls;
• a metal lid containing a display;
• hinges that couple the metal lid to the metal base housing, wherein the metal lid is separated from the first conductive wall by an upper slot and is separated from the second conductive wall by a lower slot;
• an antenna resonating element that is mounted within the metal base housing between the first and second conductive walls and that is configured to transmit radio-frequency signals through the lower slot;
• and
• a parasitic antenna resonating element that is configured to redirect at least some of the transmitted radio-frequency signals through the upper slot.