Antenna system for radiating directional patterns

Claim 1

AN ANTENNA SYSTEM FOR RADIATING DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA PATTERNS HAVING LOW SIDE LOBE LEVELS, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, (A) ANTENNA ELEMENTS, (B) A RADIO FREQUENCY CIRCUIT HAVING A PLURALITY OF FIRST PORTS AND A SUCCESSION OF SECOND PORTS COUPLED TO SAID ANTENNA ELEMENTS, TRANSMISSION PATHS OF DIFFERENT RELATIVE PHASE DELAYS BETWEEN EACH OF SAID FIRST PORTS AND ALL OF SAID SECOND PORTS, SAID PATHS BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AS TO COUPLE A SIGNAL FROM ANY GIVEN FIRST PORT EQUALLY TO EACH SECOND PORT WITH A UNIFORM PHASE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE SECOND PORTS, SO THAT SAID ANTENNA ELEMENTS RADIATE DIFFERENT SPACED BEAMS WHEN A SIGNAL IS APPLIED TO DIFFERENT FIRST PORTS, SAID TRANSMISSION PATHS INCLUDING FOURPORT COUPLERS CROSS-CONNECTING SAID PATHS AND ISOLATING SAID FIRST PORTS FROM EACH OTHER AND SAID SECOND PORTS FROM EACH OTHER, (C) A PLURALITY OF THIRD PORTS, AND (D) TRANSMISSION MEANS (1) INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST PORTS WITH SAID THIRD PORTS SO THAT AT LEAST TWO FIRST PORTS ARE ENERGIZED WHEN A SIGNAL IS DELIVERED TO ONE OF SAID THIRD PORTS, AND (2) ADAPTED TO IMPART A PHASE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIGNAL COMPONENTS DELIVERED TO SAID ENERGIZED FIRST PORTS SO THAT SAID ANTENNA ELEMENTS HAVE A SUBSTANTIALLY COMMON PHASE CENTER.