Demand-based connection management integrated services access terminal (ISAT) for satellite communication system
First Claim
1. A method of providing communication connectivity between any two of a plurality of geographically distributed terminal devices by way a satellite communication network having a communication satellite comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices served by said each earth station and a modulator and demodulators employed by said each earth station, said modulator having a transmission carrier frequency associated with said each earth station;
(b) coupling said modulator to an uplink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each earth station;
(c) installing at one of said earth stations, termed a hub station, a plurality of demodulators, each of which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on carrier frequencies transmitted from other earth stations, termed remote stations, and coupling respective ones of said plurality of demodulators to respectively different downlink ports of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said hub station;
(d) at each remote station, installing a tunable demodulator which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a carrier frequency transmitted from another earth station, and coupling said tunable demodulator to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each remote station;
(e) in response to a request from a terminal device coupled to an originating remote station of said remote stations for communication connectivity with a terminal device coupled to a destination remote station of said remote stations, causing the modulator of said originating remote station to transmit a communication connectivity request message to said hub station; and
(f) at said hub station, in response to said communication connectivity request message, transmitting to said originating remote station an originating remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the tunable demodulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station, and transmitting to said destination remote station a destination remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the tunable demodulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A demand-based connection management satellite communication network includes a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices and modem unit. One of the earth stations is a hub station whose modem unit includes plural demodulators tuned to carrier frequencies transmitted from other, remote stations. Each remote station has at least one hub-programmable demodulator and/or a programmable modulator. When an originating station receives a request from a terminal device for connectivity with a terminal device at a destination station, it transmits a connectivity request message to the hub station. In response, the hub station checks a demodulator and/or modulator frequency assignment database for demodulator availability. If each originating and destination station has an available demodulator and modulator pair, the hub transmits tuning messages to the two stations, which tune their programmable modem components to each other'"'"'s carrier frequency, and thereby provide bidirectional connectivity between the two remote stations.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. A method of providing communication connectivity between any two of a plurality of geographically distributed terminal devices by way a satellite communication network having a communication satellite comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices served by said each earth station and a modulator and demodulators employed by said each earth station, said modulator having a transmission carrier frequency associated with said each earth station; (b) coupling said modulator to an uplink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each earth station; (c) installing at one of said earth stations, termed a hub station, a plurality of demodulators, each of which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on carrier frequencies transmitted from other earth stations, termed remote stations, and coupling respective ones of said plurality of demodulators to respectively different downlink ports of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said hub station; (d) at each remote station, installing a tunable demodulator which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a carrier frequency transmitted from another earth station, and coupling said tunable demodulator to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each remote station; (e) in response to a request from a terminal device coupled to an originating remote station of said remote stations for communication connectivity with a terminal device coupled to a destination remote station of said remote stations, causing the modulator of said originating remote station to transmit a communication connectivity request message to said hub station; and (f) at said hub station, in response to said communication connectivity request message, transmitting to said originating remote station an originating remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the tunable demodulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station, and transmitting to said destination remote station a destination remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the tunable demodulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A satellite communication system for providing communication connectivity between any two of a plurality of geographically distributed terminal devices by way a satellite communication network having a communication satellite comprising:
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a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices served by said each earth station and a modulator and demodulators installed in said each earth station; said modulator having a transmission carrier frequency associated with said each earth station, and being coupled to an uplink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each earth station; one of said earth stations, termed a hub station, having a plurality of demodulators, each of which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on carrier frequencies transmitted from other earth stations, termed remote stations, and being coupled to respectively different downlink ports of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said hub station; each remote station having a tunable demodulator which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a carrier frequency transmitted from another earth station, and being coupled to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said remote station; and
whereinin response to a request from a terminal device coupled to an originating remote station of said remote stations for communication connectivity with a terminal device coupled to a destination remote station of said remote stations, the modulator of said originating remote station being operative to transmit a communication connectivity request message to said hub station; and
whereinsaid hub station, in response to said communication connectivity request message, being operative to transmit, to said originating remote station, an originating remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the demodulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station, and to transmit, to said destination remote station, a destination remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the demodulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of providing communication connectivity between any two of a plurality of geographically distributed terminal devices by way a satellite communication network having a communication satellite comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices served by said each earth station and a modulator and demodulators employed by said each earth station; (b)coupling said modulator to an uplink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each earth station; (c) installing at one of said earth stations, termed a hub station, a demodulator, which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a control carrier frequency transmitted from other earth stations, termed remote stations, and coupling said demodulator to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said hub station; (d) at each remote station, installing a tunable demodulator which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a carrier frequency transmitted from another earth station, and coupling said tunable demodulator to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each remote station; (e) in response to a request from a terminal device coupled to an originating remote station of said remote stations for communication connectivity with a terminal device coupled to a destination remote station of said remote stations, causing the modulator of said originating remote station to transmit a communication connectivity request message to said hub station on said control carrier; and (f) at said hub station, in response to said communication connectivity request message, transmitting to said originating remote station an originating remote station tuning message for causing the modulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to a transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station, and for causing the demodulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station, and transmitting to said destination remote station a destination remote station tuning message for causing the tunable demodulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station, and for causing the tunable modulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A satellite communication system for providing communication connectivity between any two of a plurality of geographically distributed terminal devices by way a satellite communication network having a communication satellite comprising:
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a plurality of geographically distributed earth stations, each earth station having a frame relay protocol-based switch for interfacing message signals between terminal devices served by said each earth station and a modulator and demodulators installed in said each earth station; said modulator being tunable to a transmission carrier frequency associated with said each earth station, and being coupled to an uplink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said each earth station; one of said earth stations, termed a hub station, having a demodulator, which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a control carrier frequency transmitted from other earth stations, termed remote stations, and being coupled to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said hub station; each remote station having a tunable demodulator which is operative to demodulate messages modulated on a carrier frequency transmitted from another earth station, and a tunable modulator which is operative to modulate messages on a carrier frequency for transmission to another earth station, said tunable demodulator being coupled to a downlink port of the frame relay protocol-based switch of said remote station; and
whereinin response to a request from a terminal device coupled to an originating remote station of said remote stations for communication connectivity with a terminal device coupled to a destination remote station, the modulator of said originating remote station is operative to transmit a communication connectivity request message to said hub station on said control carrier frequency; and
whereinsaid hub station, in response to said communication connectivity request message, is operative to transmit, to said originating remote station, an originating remote station tuning message for causing the demodulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station, and causing the modulator at said originating remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station, and is operative to transmit, to said destination remote station, a destination remote station demodulator tuning message for causing the demodulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said originating remote station, and for causing the modulator at said destination remote station to be tuned to the transmission carrier frequency associated with said destination remote station. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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Specification