1. A phase shifting device for an array of antenna elements having respective antenna feed lines, formed on a printed circuit board, with respective open circuits formed therein, the device comprising:
a body slidable relative to the printed circuit board and carrying a first plurality of conductive strips and a second plurality of oppositely sensed conductive strips forming an RF connection across respective open circuits, the first and second plurality of conductive strips being formed at spaced locations on the body, wherein when the body moves in a first direction a phase length associated with a first open circuit of the first plurality of conductive strips is lengthened and a phase length associated with a second open circuit is shortened, the second open circuit being overlaid by the second plurality of conductive strips.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second plurality of conductive strips are capacitively connected to their respective feed lines.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is a rigid RF transparent block.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein at least one of the first and second plurality of conductive strips are printed, etched or formed on a surface of the block.
5. The device as claimed in claim 3 wherein at least one of the first and second plurality of conductive strips are mounted on a circuit that is fixed to the block with the body of the circuit interposable between the block and the printed circuit board.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1 further including a low friction thin dielectric layer interposed between engaging surfaces of the board and the conductive strips.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an actuator for causing the slidable movement and wherein the antenna element is slidably mounted with respect to the printed circuit.
8. The device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the printed circuit board is elongate and the body is movable in a longitudinally axial path.
9. A ground tilting antenna array comprising:
a phase shifting device comprising:
a body slidable relative to a printed circuit board; and,
a plurality of oppositely sensed antenna elements mounted to the circuit board in a vertical elongate array and defining upper antennae and lower antennae, the upper antennae being connected to feed lines that are lengthened when the body is moved in a first direction and the lower antenna elements being connected to the feed lines that are shortened when the body is moved in the first direction, whereby a phase shift is caused along the length of the array.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for protecting information on a user interface of a device, the method including:
identifying, by the device, a viewing position of a person other than a user with respect to information on the user interface of the device;
determining, by the device, an information viewability threshold for the person based at least in part on the information on the user interface, wherein the information viewability threshold is variable based at least in part on a type of the user interface, wherein the type of the user interface includes a type of display of the user interface, wherein determining an information viewability threshold for the person includes determining sensitivity of the information on the user interface and adjusting the viewability threshold based at least in part on the sensitivity of the information; and
performing, by the device, an action associated with the user interface based at least in art on the identified viewing position and a relationship of the identified viewing position to the determined information viewability threshold.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of display includes a resolution of the display.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of display includes a viewability angle associated with the display.
4. The method of claim 1, further including:
determining an identity of the person; and
determining whether the person is authorized to view the information on the user interface, wherein determining the information viewability threshold includes determining the information viewability threshold based at least in part on whether the person is authorized to view the information on the user interface.
5. An apparatus for protecting information on a user interface of a device, the apparatus comprising system components including:
a viewing position identifier component configured to identify a viewing position of a person other than a user with respect to information on the user interface of the device; and
an information viewability function component configured to determine an information viewability threshold for the person based at least in part on the information on the user interface, wherein the information viewability is variable based at least in part on a type of the user interface, wherein the type of the user interface includes a type of display of the user interface, and wherein the information viewability function component is configured to perform an action associated with the user interface based on the identified viewing position and a relationship of the identified viewing position to the determined information viewability threshold,
wherein at least one of the system components includes at least one electronic hardware component,
wherein the information viewability function component is configured to determine sensitivity of the information on the user interface and to adjust the viewability threshold based at least in part on the sensitivity of the information as part of determining the information viewability threshold for the person.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the type of display includes a resolution of the display.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the type of display includes a viewability angle associated with the display.
8. The apparatus of claim 5, further including a person identifier component configured to determine an identity of the person and to determine whether the person is authorized to view the information on the user interface, and wherein the information viewability function component is further configured to determine the information viewability threshold based at least in part on whether the person is authorized to view the information on the user interface.
9. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing executable instructions for execution by a processor of a device to result in the implementation of operations including:
identifying a viewing position of a person other than a user with respect to information on a user interface of the device;
determining an information viewability threshold for the person based at least in part on the information on the user interface, wherein the information viewability threshold is variable based at least in part on a type of the user interface, wherein the type of the user interface includes a type of display of the user interface, wherein determining an information viewability threshold for the person includes determining sensitivity of the information on the user interface and adjusting the viewability threshold based at least in part on the sensitivity of the information; and
performing an action associated with the user interface based at least in part on the identified viewing position and a relationship of the identified viewing position to the determined information viewability threshold.
10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the type of display includes a resolution of the display.
11. The medium of claim 9, wherein the type of display includes a viewability angle associated with the display.
12. The medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further include:
determining an identity of the person; and
determining whether the person is authorized to view the information on the user interface,
wherein determining the information viewability threshold includes determining the information viewability threshold based at least in part on whether the person is authorized to view the information on the user interface.
13. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing executable instructions for execution by a processor of a device to result in the implementation of operations including:
identifying a viewing position of a person other than a user with respect to information on a user interface of the device;
determining an information viewability threshold for the person based at least in part on the information on the user interface, wherein the information viewability threshold is variable based at least in part on a type of the user interface, wherein the type of the user interface includes a type of display of the user interface; and
performing an action associated with the user interface based at least in part on the identified viewing position and a relationship of the identified viewing position to the determined information viewability threshold, wherein performing the action associated with the user interface includes altering at least one of a font size or a zoom level of the information, and wherein the operations further include adjusting the viewability threshold based at least in part on the at least one of the font size or the zoom level of the information.
14. A method for protecting information on a user interface of a device, the method including:
identifying, by the device, a viewing position of a person other than a user with respect to information on the user interface of the device;
determining, by the device, an information viewability threshold for the person based at least in part on the information on the user interface, wherein the information viewability threshold is variable based at least in part on a type of the user interface, wherein the type of the user interface includes a type of display of the user interface; and
performing, by the device, an action associated with the user interface based at least in part on the identified viewing position and a relationship of the identified viewing position to the determined information viewability threshold, wherein performing the action associated with the user interface includes altering at least one of a font size or a zoom level of the information, and wherein the method further includes adjusting the viewability threshold based at least in part on the at least one of the font size or the zoom level of the information.
15. An apparatus for protecting information on a user interface of a device, the apparatus comprising system components including:
a viewing position identifier component configured to identify a viewing position of a person other than a user with respect to information on the user interface of the device; and
an information viewability function component configured to determine an information viewability threshold for the person based at least in part on the information on the user interface, wherein the information viewability is variable based at least in part on a type of the user interface, wherein the type of the user interface includes a type of display of the user interface, and wherein the information viewability function component is configured to perform an action associated with the user interface based on the identified viewing position and a relationship of the identified viewing position to the determined information viewability threshold, wherein performing the action associated with the user interface includes altering at least one of a font size or a zoom level of the information, and wherein the method further includes adjusting the viewability threshold based at least in part on the at least one of the font size or the zoom level of the information,
wherein at least one of the system components includes at least one electronic hardware component.