Communications system and network
First Claim
1. A communication system having at least two node stations and at least one subscriber station associated with each node station, said communication system comprising, means for establishing a first retrodirective loop between one of said subscriber stations and its associated node station, means for establishing a second retrodirective loop between said two node stations, means for establishing a third retrodirective loop between the other of said subscriber stations and its associated node station and means for transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective loops, said first, second and third retrodirective oscilating loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communications system and network wherein communications links between subscribers are established by retrodirective oscillating loops between each subscriber and a node station. Provision is also made for establishment of retrodirective oscillating loops between nodes so that remotely located subscribers can communicate. Information is transmitted between subscribers by using a mixing process in the node whereby information transmitted from one subscriber to a node is transferred to a carrier signal transmitted between nodes or between a second node and another subscriber. A sampling technique is also described for use in the node which greatly minimizes the amount of apparatus required to implement the mixing process.
74 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A communication system having at least two node stations and at least one subscriber station associated with each node station, said communication system comprising, means for establishing a first retrodirective loop between one of said subscriber stations and its associated node station, means for establishing a second retrodirective loop between said two node stations, means for establishing a third retrodirective loop between the other of said subscriber stations and its associated node station and means for transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective loops, said first, second and third retrodirective oscilating loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously.
- 2. A node for use in a communications system including a plurality of subscriber stations, said node comprising a plurality of antenna means, each of said antenna means for receiving a first carrier signal of a characteristic frequency transmitted by a first one of said subscriber stations and a second carrier signal transmitted by a second one of said subscriber stations and having a frequency related to the characteristic frequency of said first carrier signal, a signal processor, first multiplexing means for successively coupling selected ones of said receiving antenna means to said signal processor, said signal processor receiving said first and second carrier signals to produce a third carrier signal at a particular frequency, a plurality of antenna means for transmitting said third carrier signal at a particular frequency to said first and second subscriber stations and second multiplexing means for successively coupling selected ones of said transmitting antenna means to said signal processor, whereby retrodirective oscillating loops are selectively established between subscriber stations and the node to permit communications between subscriber stations, said retrodirective oscillating loops being interdependent and established substantially simultaneously.
- 5. A communication system having at least two retrodirective node stations, at least one subscriber station associated with each retrodirective node station and a retrodirective communication link between said retrodirective node stations, said communication system comprising means for establishing a first retrodirective oscillating loop between one of said subscriber stations and its associated retrodirective node station, for establishing a second retrodirective oscillating loop between the other of said subscriber stations and its associated node stations, and for establishing a third retrodirective oscillating loop between said two retrodirective node stations, said first, second and third retrodirective oscillating loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously, said third retrodirective oscillating loop conveying energy characteristic of said first retrodirective oscillating loop to said second retrodirective node and conveying energy characteristic of said second retrodirective oscillating loop to said first retrodirective node so that the energy characteristic of each of said retrodirective oscillating loops combine in each of said retrodirective nodes and means for transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective oscillating loops.
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9. A method for establishing a communications highway between at least two subscriber stations, with each subscriber station being associated with at least one node station, the method comprising the steps of;
- establishing a first retrodirective loop between one of said subscriber stations and an associated node station, establishing a second retrodirective loop between the other of said subscriber stations and an associated node station, establishing a third retrodirective loop between two node stations and transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective loops, said first, second and third retrodirective loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously.
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10. A method for establishing a communications highway between a plurality of subscriber stations including the steps of;
- receiving, at a plurality of node receiving antennas, a first carrier signal of a characteristic frequency transmitted by a first one of said subscriber stations and a second carrier signal transmitted by a second one of said subscriber stations, said second carrier signal having a frequency related to the characteristic frequency of said first carrier signal, successively coupling selected ones of said node receiving antennas to a signal processor, receiving at said signal processor said first and second carrier signals and producing a third carrier signal at a particular frequency, transmitting from a plurality of node transmitting antennas said third carrier signal at a particular frequency to said first and second subscriber stations and successively coupling selected ones of said node transmitting antennas to said signal processor, whereby retrodirective oscillating loops are selectively established between subscriber stations to permit communications, said retrodirective oscillating loops being interdependent and established substantially simultaneously.
Specification