Telecommunications – Carrier wave repeater or relay system – Portable or mobile repeater
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-08
2001-11-27
Maung, Nay (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Carrier wave repeater or relay system
Portable or mobile repeater
C455S427000, C370S316000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324381
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to methods and systems for communicating high rate data to customers in a satellite-based communications networks.
BACKGROUND ART
A number of applications continue to drive the need for high speed data transport. Industry specific examples include remote film editing, medical image transport, and financial service data consolidation and backup. Business communications and training needs further accelerate information transfer needs across all sectors. As business, government and educational institutions disseminate more information, greater importance is attached to data transfer. In this environment, reliable, high speed video and data transport becomes even more critical.
Furthermore, a tremendous growth in Internet traffic has caused a strain on the capacity of telephony networks. Network shortcomings include network outages, insufficient access bandwidth, and insufficient internode bandwidth. Currently, providers need to make significant investments, as well as experience installation delays, to upgrade network infrastructure, yet they cannot pass the costs on to the end users.
Corporate LANs/WANs also generate an insatiable demand for higher bandwidth. The demand for bandwidth goes up as more and more users are connected. The users, in turn, demand more services and improved network speed. Personal computers are being used to process not only text, but graphics and video as well., all on networks that are increasingly global. Widespread implementation of corporate intranets and extranets further drive the move to increased bandwidth applications. High speed networking is also driven by the growth of video distribution, client/server technology, decentralized systems, increased processing power and developments in storage capacity.
Thus, it is important to relieve congestion among the heavily used communications links in high-density areas and to bring such service to isolated rural ares which have not been able to participate fully in the communications world. While existing satellite systems offer ubiquitous service, they do not offer direct connection to the end user at moderate to high data rates. Existing Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) systems employ wide channel bandwidths and relatively large beamwidths making them more suited to point-to-point trunking service rather than to end user connectivity. The wide area coverage, limited Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP), and constrained flexibility of these systems makes any attempt to serve many small users both inefficient and costly.
The emerging cellular type satellite services serve a very large number of potential subscribers but only at very low data rates. The on-board processing and packet-switched nature of their signal structure severely limits the practical user data rates that can be accommodated within the technology limitations of the processor. Thus, there exists a need for a satellite communications system that serves the demand for high data rate business users including the high end individual as well as small business users that demand direct and affordable connection.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is thus a general object of the present invention to provide a satellite-based communications network providing reliable high data rate communications service to customers throughout the world.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, a satellite-based communications network provides wideband data communications service to subscribing customers. The system includes a plurality of communications satellites each having an uplink and a downlink antenna for receiving and transmitting a plurality of spot beams corresponding to a plurality of coverage areas at a plurality of frequencies. The system further includes a plurality of dedicated communications links between a source location in one of the plurality of coverage areas and a destination location in another one of the plurality of coverage areas wherein the plurality of dedicated communications links are each assigned an exclusive time interval for transmitting and receiving communications signals to and from each of the plurality of satellites. The plurality of satellites each have an uplink and downlink antenna beam switch coupled to the uplink and downlink antennas for selecting a reconfigurable subset of the plurality of soot beams based on the time interval. The plurality of satellites each further have a primary communication payload for receiving and transmitting signals at a primary range of frequencies in each of the plurality of spot beams and a secondary communication payload for receiving and transmitting signals at a secondary range of frequencies in each of the plurality of spot beams upon occurring a drop-out of the primary communication payload. The system further includes a plurality of user terminals having a primary communication antenna for transmitting and receiving signals to and from each of the plurality of satellites at the primary range of frequencies..
The above object and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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Anselmo Carl S.
Houston Sam W.
Sullivan Daniel P.
Duraiswamy Vijayalakshmi D.
Hughes Electronics Corporation
Maung Nay
Sales Michael W.
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