Method of and system for providing geographically targeted broadcast satellite service

• US 5,995,495 A
• Filed: 05/23/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampson, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US08/862,281
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 370/315, 370/316, 370/486, 370/487, 370/485, 370/323, 370/319, 370/321, 455/3.2, 455/427, 455/11.1, 455/12.1, 455/15, 455/16, 455/25, 455/3.1, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/12, 348/13
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18523 Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving

Abstract

A method of and system for providing local direct broadcast satellite service by transmitting a plurality of local programming packages. The satellite transmits the local programming packages to a plurality of geographically separate local ground areas.

Claims

1. A method of providing broadcast satellite service comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of local programming packages at a satellite, wherein said plurality of local programming packages are transmitted from a ground location on a single uplink beam, and each of said local programming packages is carried on a separate unlink frequency of an uplink frequency band;

receiving a full coverage programming package at said satellite

transmitting said plurality of local programming packages from said satellite to a plurality of geographically separate local ground areas, wherein said step of transmitting said local programming packages from said satellite to a plurality of geographically separate local ground areas includes the step of transmitting said local programming packages on a number of downlink frequencies that is less than the number of uplink frequencies;

transmitting said full coverage programming package from said satellite to a geographical area which includes said plurality of geographically separate local ground areas;

receiving a signal carrying said plurality of local programming packages at said satellite;

forming a plurality of local programming package groups from the plurality of local packages received at said satellite;

amplifying each of said local programming package groups; and

separating the amplified local programming package groups into a plurality of individual amplified local programming packages.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of forming a plurality of local programming package groups includes the steps of:

separating said uplink frequency band into a plurality of uplink frequency sub-bands;

converting said uplink frequency sub-bands to a subset of available downlink frequency sub-bands; and

combining selected ones of said subset into groups of available downlink frequency sub-bands.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step of amplifying each of said local programming package groups includes the step of amplifying each of said groups of available downlink frequency sub-bands with a separate power amplifier.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step of separating the amplified local programming package groups into a plurality of individual amplified local programming packages includes the steps of separating said groups of available downlink frequency sub-bands into individual beams.

5. A method of providing broadcast satellite service, which comprises the steps of:

receiving a plurality of local programming packages at a satellite, wherein said plurality of local programming packages are transmitted from a ground location on a single unlink beam, and each of said local programming packages is carried on a separate unlink frequency of an uplink frequency band;

receiving a full coverage programming package at said satellite;

transmitting said plurality of local programming packages from said satellite to a plurality of geographically separate local ground areas;

transmitting said full coverage programming package from said satellite to a geographical area which includes said plurality of geographically separate local ground areas;

receiving a signal carrying said plurality of local programming packages at said satellite;

forming a plurality of local programming package groups from the plurality of local programming packages received at said satellite;

amplifying each of said local programming package groups; and

separating the amplified local programming package groups into a plurality of individual amplified local programming packages.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said step of forming a plurality of local programming package groups includes the steps of:

splitting said signal carrying said local programming packages into said separate uplink frequencies;

converting said split separate uplink frequencies into selected available downlink frequencies;

and combining said converted separate downlink frequencies to form said local programming package groups.

7. A broadcasting satellite, which comprises:

at least one spot beam downlink transmitting antenna, said spot beam downlink antenna including a plurality of feeds arranged to direct spot beams to a plurality of geographically separate local ground locations;

at least one local uplink receiving antenna arranged to receive a signal carrying a plurality of local programming packages transmitted from a ground transmitting location;

means for receiving local programming packages from said local uplink antenna and grouping said local programming packages into a plurality of local programming package groups;

a plurality of power amplifiers, each power amplifier of said plurality of power amplifiers being arranged to amplify one local programming package group; and

,

means for splitting each amplified local programming package group into individual programming packages and supplying each individual programming package to one of said feeds.

8. The broadcasting satellite as claimed in claim 7, including:

at least one wide beam downlink transmitting antenna arranged to direct a wide beam to the ground;

at least one wide area uplink receiving antenna arranged to receive a signal carrying a plurality of wide area programming packages transmitted from a ground transmitting location;

means for receiving wide area programming packages from said wide area uplink antenna;

a plurality of power amplifiers, each power amplifier of said plurality of power amplifiers being arranged to amplify one wide area programming package; and

,

means for supplying amplified wide area programming packages to said wide area downlink antenna.

9. The broadcasting satellite as claimed in claim 8;

wherein said means for receiving local programming packages from said local uplink antenna and grouping said local programming packages into a plurality of local programming package groups comprises;

a wideband receiver coupled to said local uplink receiving antenna;

an input demultiplexer coupled to said wideband receiver for separating signals in an uplink frequency band into a plurality of uplink frequency sub-bands; and

,

input multiplexer means for combining said downlink frequency sub-bands into a plurality of groups of second downlink frequency sub-bands.

10. A broadcast satellite, which comprises:

a first uplink receiving antenna;

a first wideband receiver coupled to said first uplink receiving antenna, said first wideband receiver including means for converting signals from an uplink frequency band to a downlink frequency band;

a first input demultiplexer coupled to said first wideband receiver for separating signals in said downlink frequency band into a plurality of first downlink frequency sub-bands;

a plurality of first power amplifiers coupled to said first input demultiplexer, there being one first power amplifier for each first downlink frequency sub-band;

an output multiplexer coupled to said first power amplifiers for combining outputs from said first power amplifiers into a first downlink beam;

a wide area downlink transmitting antenna coupled to said first downlink beam;

a second uplink receiving antenna;

a second wideband receiver coupled to said second uplink receiving antenna;

a second input demultiplexer coupled to said second wideband receiver for separating signals in said uplink frequency band into a plurality of uplink frequency sub-bands;

means for converting said uplink frequency sub-bands into a number of second downlink frequency sub-bands, there being fewer of said second downlink frequency sub-bands than uplink frequency sub-bands;

second input multiplexer means for combining said second downlink frequency sub-bands into a plurality of groups of second downlink frequency sub-bands;

a plurality of second power amplifiers coupled to said second input demultiplexer means, there being one second power amplifier for each group of second downlink frequency sub-bands;

an output demultiplexer coupled to said second power amplifiers for splitting outputs from said second power amplifiers into a plurality of second downlink beams; and

,

a local area downlink transmitting spot beam antenna coupled to said second downlink beams.

11. A direct broadcast satellite system, which comprises:

at least one local programming package uplink transmitter;

at least one wide area programming package uplink transmitter;

a satellite positioned to receive signals from said uplink transmitters, said satellite including;

at least one local uplink receiving antenna arranged to receive a signal carrying a plurality of local programmin packages transmitted from said local programming package uplink transmitter;

at least one wide area uplink receiving antenna arranged to receive a signal carrying a plurality of wide area programming packages transmitted from said wide area uplink transmitter;

a converter for receiving local programming packages from said local uplink receiving antenna and grouping said local programming packages into a plurality of local programing package groups;

a plurality of power amplifiers, each power amplifier of said plurality of power amplifiers being arranged to amplify one local programming package group;

a demultiplexer for splitting each amplified local programming package group into individual programming packages and supplying each individual programming package to one of a plurality of feeds,

at least one spot beam downlink transmitting antenna, said spot beam downlink antenna including said plurality of feeds arranged to direct spot beams, each carrying a local programming package, to a plurality of geographically separate local ground locations; and

,

at least one wide beam downlink transmitting antenna arranged to direct a wide beam, carrying a plurality of wide area programming packages, to ground.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said satellite includes:

means for receiving wide area programming packages from said wide area uplink receiving antenna;

a plurality of second power amplifiers, each second power amplifier being arranged to amplify one wide area programmin package; and

,

means for supplying amplified wide area programming packages to said wide area downlink antenna.