System and method for hybrid satellite and terrestrial communication

• US 6,493,538 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1999
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jabbarnezhad, Javid
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAVER, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US09/253,402
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 455/13.3, 455/427, 455/428, 455/429, 455/430, 455/450, 455/452, 455/455, 455/517, 455/518, 455/519, 455/520, 370/235, 370/238, 370/316-326, 370/327, 370/329, 370/389, 370/471, 370/355, 370/356
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00

Abstract

A system for communicating information between a central site and a remote site includes a central network access device operable to receive a broadcast signal from the central site and to condition the broadcast signal to facilitate its transmission to the remote site using a satellite system. The central network access device further operable to receive from a wide area network an incoming signal originating from the remote site, and to condition the incoming signal for receipt by the central site.

Claims

1. A system for communicating information between a central site and a remote site, comprising a central network access device operable to:

receive a broadcast signal from the central site and to condition the broadcast signal to facilitate its transmission to the remote site using a satellite system, wherein the central network access device is operable to condition the broadcast signal by placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format, and wherein the central network access device is operable to place the broadcast signal into a wide area network format by;

formatting the broadcast signal in a frame relay format; and

disabling a local management interface frame of the frame relay formatted broadcast signal to facilitate receipt of the formatted broadcast signal at the remote site without the formatted broadcast signal passing through a frame relay switch;

transmit the broadcast signal over the satellite system to the remote site, wherein the broadcast signal is placed into the wide area network format prior to transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system;

receive from a wide area network an incoming signal responsive to the broadcast signal and originating from the remote site; and

condition the incoming signal for receipt by the central site.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide area network comprises a frame relay network and wherein the incoming signal comprises a frame relay signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the central network access device comprises a signal encapsulator operable to place the broadcast signal into a frame relay format prior to its transmission over the satellite system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide area network comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network and wherein the incoming signal comprises an asynchronous transfer mode signal.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of remote sites, each operable to receive the broadcast signal from a satellite system and to transmit an incoming signal to the central site over a wide area network; and

a network manager operable to assign to the broadcast signal a common connection identifier operable to specify a connection between the central site and the plurality of remote sites, and to assign to each incoming signal a unique connection identifier operable to specify a connection between the central site and the remote site originating the incoming signal, the network manager further operable to monitor and report on network statistics.

6. A system for communicating information between a central site and a remote site, comprising a remote network access device operable to:

receive from a satellite system a broadcast signal originated at the central site and to condition the broadcast signal for receipt by the remote site, wherein the broadcast signal was conditioned for transmission over the satellite system prior to being transmitting over the satellite system, and wherein the broadcast signal was conditioned by being placed into a wide area network format, the wide area network format comprising a frame relay format with a disabled local management interface frame, the disabled local management interface frame facilitating receipt of the formatted broadcast signal at the remote site without the formatted broadcast signal passing through a frame relay switch; and

receive an incoming signal responsive to the broadcast signal from the remote site and to condition the incoming signal to facilitate its transmission to the central site using a wide area network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the broadcast signal comprises an encapsulated signal; and

the remote network access device comprises a signal encapsulator operable to receive the broadcast signal and to extract information from the broadcast signal to facilitate performance monitoring or flow control of the broadcast signal.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the wide area network comprises a frame relay network and wherein the incoming signal comprises a frame relay signal.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the wide area network comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network and wherein the incoming signal comprises an asynchronous transfer mode signal.

10. A system for communicating information between a central site and a plurality of remote sites comprising:

a central network access device operable to receive a broadcast signal from the central site and to process the broadcast signal to facilitate its transmission to at least one of the plurality of remote sites using a satellite system, wherein the central network access device is operable to process the broadcast signal by placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format, and wherein the central network access device is operable to place the broadcast signal into a wide area network format by formatting the broadcast signal in a frame relay format and disabling a local management interface frame of the frame relay formatted broadcast signal to facilitate receipt of the formatted broadcast signal at the remote sites without the formatted broadcast signal passing through a frame relay switch; and

a plurality of remote network access devices, each associated with a remote site and operable to receive the broadcast signal from the satellite system and to process the broadcast signal for receipt by an associated remote site, each remote network access device further operable to receive an incoming signal responsive to the broadcast signal from the associated remote site and process the incoming signal to facilitate its transmission to the central site using a wide area network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the wide area network comprises a frame relay network; and

at least one of the plurality of incoming signals comprises a frame relay signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the central network access device comprises a signal encapsulator operable to place the broadcast signal into a frame relay format prior to its transmission over the satellite system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the wide area network comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network; and

at least one of the plurality of incoming signals comprises an asynchronous transfer mode signal.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising a network manager operable to assign to the broadcast signal a common connection identifier operable to specify a connection between the central site and the plurality of remote sites, and to assign to each incoming signal a unique connection identifier operable to specify a connection between the central site and the remote site originating the incoming signal, the network manager further operable to monitor and report on network statistics.

15. A method of communicating information between a central site and a remote site using a hybrid satellite and terrestrial communication system, the method comprising:

conditioning a broadcast signal from the central site for transmission over a satellite system by placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format, wherein placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format comprises;

formatting the broadcast signal in a frame relay format; and

disabling a local management interface frame of the frame relay formatted broadcast signal to facilitate receipt of the formatted broadcast signal at the remote site without the formatted broadcast signal passing through a frame relay switch;

transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system to the remote site, wherein the broadcast signal is placed into the wide area network format prior to transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system;

receiving an incoming signal from a wide area network, the incoming signal originating at the remote site and responsive to the broadcast signal; and

conditioning the incoming signal for receipt by the central site.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of remote sites are associated with the central site, and further comprising:

assigning a broadcast identifier applicable to all associated remote sites;

placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format;

encoding an address portion of the formatted broadcast signal with the broadcast identifier; and

transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system to all associated remote sites.

17. A method of communicating information between a central site and a remote site using a hybrid satellite and terrestrial communication system, the method comprising:

conditioning a broadcast signal from the central site for transmission over a satellite system by placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format, wherein placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format comprises;

formatting the broadcast signal in a frame relay format; and

disabling a local management interface frame of the frame relay formatted broadcast signal to facilitate receipt of the formatted broadcast signal at the remote site without the formatted broadcast signal passing through a frame relay switch; and

transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system to the remote site, wherein the broadcast signal is placed into the wide area network format prior to transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system.

18. A system for communicating information between a central site and a remote site, comprising a central network access device operable to:

receive a broadcast signal from the central site and to condition the broadcast signal to facilitate its transmission to the remote site using a satellite system, wherein the central network access device is operable to condition the broadcast signal by placing the broadcast signal into a wide area network format, and wherein the central network access device is operable to place the broadcast signal into a wide area network format by;

formatting the broadcast signal in a frame relay format; and

disabling a local management interface frame of the frame relay formatted broadcast signal to facilitate receipt of the formatted broadcast signal at the remote site without the formatted broadcast signal passing through a frame relay switch; and

transmit the broadcast signal over the satellite system to the remote site, wherein the broadcast signal is placed into the wide area network format prior to transmitting the broadcast signal over the satellite system.