Antenna Apparatus and a Method

1 . An apparatus comprising:

a central portion extending at least in a first direction on an upper surface of a dielectric substrate;

a first lateral portion and a second lateral portion extending at least in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, on one or more side surfaces of the dielectric substrate to the upper surface of the dielectric substrate;

wherein the central portion provides a first conductive path between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion;

a second conductive path between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion; and

a monopole antenna element extending in the second direction,

wherein the combination of the first conductive path and the second conductive path is configured to have a first resonance and wherein the monopole antenna element is configured to have a second resonance adjacent the first resonance, wherein the first resonance and the second resonance form a combined resonance for the apparatus.

2 . (canceled)

3 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dielectric substrate has a depth in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, a width in the first direction and a height in the second direction wherein the depth is less than the width and less than the height.

4 . (canceled)

5 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dielectric substrate is at least one of ceramic, and plastic, and a combination of ceramic and plastic.

6 . (canceled)

7 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the combined resonance is characterized by an operational bandwidth having less than 10 dB return loss between at 7.2 and 8.5 GHz.

8 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an electrical length of the combination of the first conductive path and the second conductive path is controlled to control characteristics of the combined resonance.

9 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an electrical length of the combination of the first conductive path and the second conductive path is controlled to control a first resonant frequency and/or a first operational bandwidth of the first resonance.

10 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an electrical length of the monopole antenna element is controlled to control characteristics of the combined resonance.

11 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an electrical length of the monopole antenna element is controlled to control a second resonant frequency and/or a second operational bandwidth of the second resonance.

12 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first lateral element and the second lateral element extend in the second direction to a first height and have a first width wherein the first width is controlled to control characteristics of the first resonance and the second resonance.

13 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein increasing the first width increases a resonant frequency of the first resonance, increases an operational bandwidth of the first resonance, decreases a resonant frequency of the second resonance and decreases an operational bandwidth of the second resonance.

14 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the central portion has a central portion width wherein the central portion width is controlled to control characteristics of the first resonance.

15 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein increasing the central portion width decreases a resonant frequency of the first resonance and increases an operational bandwidth of the first resonance.

16 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the monopole antenna element extends in the second direction to a second height and wherein the second height is controlled to control characteristics of the first and/or second resonances.

17 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein increasing the second height increases an operational bandwidth of the first resonance and decreases a resonant frequency of the second resonance and decreases an operational bandwidth of the second resonance.

18 - 21 . (canceled)

22 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 configured to operate as an ultra wide-band transmitter and/or receiver without lumped reactive components.

23 . A user apparatus comprising the apparatus of claim 1 .

24 . A method comprising:

providing

a central portion extending at least in a first direction on an upper surface of a dielectric substrate;

a first lateral portion and a second lateral portion extending at least in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, on one or more side surfaces of the dielectric substrate to the upper surface of the dielectric substrate;

wherein the central portion provides a first conductive path between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion; and

a second conductive path between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion; and

providing a monopole antenna element extending in the second direction,

wherein the combination of the first conductive path and the second conductive path is configured to have a first resonance and wherein the monopole antenna element is configured to have a second resonance adjacent the first resonance, wherein the first resonance and the second resonance form a combined resonance for the apparatus.

25 - 35 . (canceled)

36 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the central portion provides a third conductive path, different from the first conductive path and the second conductive path, between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion.

37 . An apparatus as claimed in claim 36 , wherein the first conductive path and the third conductive path provided by the central portion form a closed loop.

38 . A method as claimed in claim 24 , wherein the central portion provides a third conductive path, different from the first conductive path and the second conductive path, between the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion.