Mobile interactive satellite services

• US 10,270,550 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DBSD Corporation (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Network Corporation
• Inventors: Zufall, David Robert, Mulford, Gerard Daniel, Raab, Stefan Bernard, Sorond, Mariam Aghdasi, Le Maitre, Marcus John
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Paul P
• Application Number:
  US15/055,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301, 455 302, 455 121, 455 131, 455 132, 455 134, 455 95, 4554041, 4554141, 4554221, 455427, 455428, 455429, 455430, 455443, 455446, 455447, 455522, 4555501, 342352, 342354, 342356, 34235715, 34235717, 370208, 370316, 370321, 370323, 370329, 370389, 370390, 370430, 370466, 370468, 370474, 370501, 370542, 370 54, 370 2, 701 1, 701 36, 701200, 701201, 701207, 701208, 701213, 709223, 709204, 709206, 709217, 709238, 725 63, 725 64, 725 71, 725 72, 725105
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18526 Arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18536 Shadowing compensation therefor, e.g. by using an additional terrestrial relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18567 Arrangements for providing additional services to the basic mobile satellite telephony service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18591 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/19 Earth-synchronous stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/195 Non-synchronous stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/22 Arrangements for broadcast of identical information via plural broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system for providing mobile interactive satellite services includes a satellite operable to communicate with mobile units, a terrestrial base transceiver station operable to communicate with mobile units, and a ground station in communication with the satellite and the terrestrial base transceiver station to provide mobile interactive satellite services. The mobile interactive satellite services include a multicast component and an interactive component such that the ground station provides both the multicast component and the interactive component using the satellite, with the terrestrial base transceiver station used to provide an ancillary terrestrial component. A device for communicating with a mobile interactive satellite service system includes an antenna, a transceiver coupled to the antenna and operable to communicate with a mobile interactive satellite service system, a user input device, an output device, a processor unit, and a network interface. The processor unit is coupled to the user input device, the output device, and the transceiver such that the processor is operable to output received information from the transceiver using the output device, to receive interactive information from the user input device, and to transmit data based on the received interactive information using the transceiver. The network interface is coupled to the processor such that the processor is operable to side load information.

Claims

1. A terrestrial base transceiver station for providing ancillary terrestrial communications in a mobile interactive satellite service, the terrestrial base transceiver station comprising:

a first terrestrial base transceiver station configured for use in a mobile interactive satellite service that includes use of a mobile unit configured to combine a first component of multicast content and a second component of multicast content;

the first terrestrial base transceiver station further comprising;

a ground station communication link for communicating the first component of multicast content and interactive content between a ground station and the first terrestrial base transceiver station;

wherein the multicast content includes a second component of multicast content, distinct from the first component of multicast content;

wherein the second component of multicast content is communicated separately to a mobile unit by at least one of a satellite and a second terrestrial base transceiver station;

a mobile unit downlink that transmits the first component of multicast content and the interactive content from the first terrestrial base transceiver station directly to the mobile unit;

wherein the mobile unit is configured for use with the mobile interactive satellite service;

a mobile unit uplink that receives interactive content directly from the mobile unit; and

a processor unit coupled to the ground station communication link, the mobile unit downlink, and the mobile unit uplink, and configured to provide ancillary terrestrial communications in the mobile interactive satellite service.

2. A method for providing ancillary terrestrial communications in a mobile interactive satellite service system, the method comprising:

providing mobile interactive satellite services using a first terrestrial base transceiver station, the mobile interactive satellite services including a multicast component and an interactive component;

wherein the multicast component comprises a first multicast content component and a second multicast content component;

wherein the first terrestrial base transceiver station is configured for use with a mobile interactive satellite service configured for use with a mobile unit configured to combine the first multicast content component and the second multicast content component;

transmitting information for the first multicast content component and the interactive component to the terrestrial base transceiver station using a satellite; and

transmitting information for the first multicast content component and the interactive component from and using the first terrestrial base transceiver station directly to the mobile unit;

wherein the second multicast content component, distinct from the first multicast content component, is communicated separately to the mobile unit by at least one of a satellite and a second terrestrial base transceiver station.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, at the terrestrial base transceiver station, information for the interactive component transmitted via the satellite.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving information for the interactive component using the terrestrial base transceiver station.

5. A terrestrial base transceiver station operable for use with a mobile interactive satellite service, comprising:

a ground station transceiver for communicating with a satellite ground station for a mobile interactive satellite service;

wherein the terrestrial base transceiver station and the mobile interactive satellite service are configured for use with a mobile unit configured to combine a first multicast content component and a second multicast content component;

a mobile unit downlink transceiver for directly communicating information to the mobile unit;

a mobile unit uplink transceiver for communicating information received directly from the mobile unit; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the ground station transceiver, the mobile unit downlink transceiver and the mobile unit uplink transceiver;

wherein the mobile interactive satellite service includes a multicast component and an interactive component;

wherein the multicast component includes the first multicast content component and the second multicast content component;

wherein the first multicast content component is distinct from the second multicast content component;

wherein the mobile unit downlink transceiver is configured to communicate the first multicast content component directly to the mobile unit;

wherein at least one of a satellite and a second terrestrial base transceiver station is configured to communicate the second multicast content component to the mobile unit; and

wherein the mobile unit is configured for use with the mobile interactive satellite service.

6. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5, wherein the mobile unit downlink transceiver is operable to communicate information related to interactive component of the mobile interactive satellite service directly to the mobile unit.

7. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5, wherein the mobile unit downlink transceiver is operable to communicate information related to an interactive component of the mobile interactive satellite service to the mobile unit.

8. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5 wherein the at least one processor is operable to provide ancillary terrestrial communications services to the mobile interactive satellite service.

9. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5, comprising:

a backhaul network interface operable to connect the terrestrial base transceiver station to at least one backhaul network.

10. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 9,

wherein the at least one backhaul network communicatively couples the terrestrial base transceiver station to the satellite ground station using a data network.

11. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 10,

wherein the data network comprises at least one of an Internet, a local-area-network, a wide-area-network, and a virtual private network.

12. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 9,

wherein the backhaul network comprises at least one of a wired network and a wireless network.

13. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5, comprising:

a terrestrial core system operable to execute at least one computer software based application configured to perform the operation of authenticating the mobile unit.

14. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5, comprising:

a terrestrial cores system operable to interconnect the mobile unit with an external network.

15. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 14,

wherein the external network is the Internet.

16. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5,

wherein the terrestrial base transceiver station is configured to operate with the mobile interactive satellite service comprising:

a satellite operable to communicate the second multicast content component to the mobile unit using a first multicast regional beam and a first interactive spot beam, the satellite operable to communicate with a second mobile unit using the first multicast regional beam and a second interactive spot beam;

wherein the satellite ground station is configured to be in communication with the satellite; and

wherein the mobile unit downlink transceiver is configured to send data for the first multicast content component to the mobile unit via a second multicast regional beam.

17. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 16,

wherein the satellite is configured to send data for an interactive component to the mobile unit using the first interactive spot beam and the satellite is configured to send data for the interactive component to the second mobile unit using the second interactive spot beam.

18. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5,

wherein the multicast component includes at least one of:

broadcast audio;

broadcast video;

broadcast data;

interactive audio;

interactive video;

interactive data; and

telephony.

19. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5, comprising:

an antenna unit communicatively coupled to at least one of the ground station transceiver, the mobile unit downlink transceiver and the mobile unit uplink transceiver.

20. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 19,

wherein the antenna unit communicates information to the mobile unit using linear polarization.

21. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 19,

wherein the antenna unit communicates information to the mobile unit using circular polarization.

22. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 19, comprising:

a mobile interactive satellite signal receiver configured to receive at least one of the multicast component and the interactive component from the satellite;

a demodulator, communicatively coupled to the mobile interactive satellite signal receiver, and configured to demodulate at least one of the multicast component and the interactive component received from the satellite;

wherein the terrestrial base transceiver station, upon receiving at least one of the multicast component and the interactive component from the satellite, demodulates the received component and directly retransmits the received component to the mobile unit using the mobile unit downlink transceiver.

23. The terrestrial base transceiver station of claim 5,

wherein the mobile interactive satellite service includes at least one of:

vehicle navigation;

broadcast video;

interactive video;

interactive data communications;

vehicle telemetry;

vehicle subsystem control;

vehicle subsystem maintenance information; and

vehicle security services.