Communication satellite resource trading techniques

• US 6,584,452 B1
• Filed: 07/12/1999
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Prieto, Jaime L. Jr., Saunders, Oliver W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JASMIN, LYNDA C
• Application Number:
  US09/351,958
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/37, 370/330, 370/317, 370/318, 379/112, 379/114, 379/115, 379/120, 379/116
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18519 Operations control, administration or maintenance

Abstract

Techniques for trading satellite communication resources include a net work operations controller 80 for receiving an offer and analyzing bids in response to the offer. The network operations controller at least partially revises a downlink schedule of resources in response to the winning bid. A satellite 10 receives information from the network operations controller 80 and configures a switch 50 in the satellite, as well as the downlink schedule, in order to enable data communications through the satellite by the winning bidder.

Claims

1. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, apparatus for trading the satellite resources comprising in combination:

one or more memories storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources and bids for the offered satellite resources;

one or more processors analyzing the bids, selecting at least one of the bids and altering the schedule of satellite resources in accordance with each selected bid; and

a communication network interconnecting the one or more memories, one or more processors and the satellite, whereby the resources are traded.

2. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resources comprise one or more of transmission rate, geographic location, route through the network, duration and quality of service.

3. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bids are based on the resource of transmission rate at one or more of the resources of geographic location, route through the network, duration and quality of service.

4. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 3, wherein bids comprise blind bids.

5. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bids comprise auction bids.

6. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bids comprise resubmitted losing bids.

7. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, apparatus for trading the satellite resources comprising in combination:

one or more memories storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources and bids for the offered satellite resources, said one or more memories being located in a ground-based marketing controller;

one or more processors analyzing the bids, selecting at least one of the bids and altering the schedule of satellite resources in accordance with each selected bid, said one or more processors comprising a first processor located in the marketing controller for analyzing the bids and selecting at least one of the bids and a second processor located in a ground-based network operations controller for at least partially altering the schedule in accordance with the selected bid; and

a communication network interconnecting the one or more memories, one or more processors and the satellite, whereby the resources are traded.

8. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the network comprises a satellite link interconnecting the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer, a second terminal of a submitter of a one of the bids, the marketing controller and the network operations controller.

9. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least some of the one or more memories are located in the second terminal, and wherein the satellite link transmits the offer to the second terminal.

10. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 8, wherein the network further comprises a ground-based network interconnecting the first terminal, second terminal, marketing controller and network operations controller.

11. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the network comprises a satellite link interconnecting the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer, a second terminal of a submitter of one of the bids and the network operations controller and further comprises a ground-based dedicated connection interconnecting the marketing controller with the network operations.

12. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the network comprises a satellite link interconnecting the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer, a second terminal of a submitter of one of the bids and the network operations controller and further comprises ground-based network interconnecting the marketing controller with the network operations controller.

13. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the network comprises a satellite link interconnecting the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer, a second terminal of a submitter of one of the bids and the network operations controller and further comprises a ground-based network interconnecting the first terminal, the marketing controller and the network operations controller.

14. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the network comprises a satellite link interconnecting the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer, a second terminal of a submitter of one of the bids, the marketing controller and the network operations controller and wherein the network further comprises a ground network interconnecting the first terminal and the marketing controller.

15. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, a method for trading the resources comprising in combination:

storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources;

storing bids for the offered satellite resources;

analyzing the bids;

selecting at least one of the bids; and

altering the schedule, whereby the resources are traded.

16. A method, as claimed in claim 15, wherein the resources comprise one or more of transmission rate, geographic location, route through the network, duration and quality of service.

17. A method, as claimed in claim 16, wherein the bids are based on the resource of transmission rate at one or more of the resources of geographic location, route through the network, duration and quality of service.

18. A method, as claimed in claim 17, wherein bids comprise blind bids.

19. A method, as claimed in claim 17, wherein the bids comprise auction bids.

20. A method, as claimed in claim 17, wherein the bids comprise resubmitted losing bids.

21. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, a method for trading the resources comprising in combination:

storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources;

storing bids for the offered satellite resources;

analyzing the bids;

selecting at least one of the bids; and

altering the schedule, whereby the resources are traded, said steps of storing an offer, storing bids, analyzing the bids, and selecting at least one of the bids being performed on the ground and the step of altering the schedule being performed at least partially on the ground.

22. A method, as claimed in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the offer, bids, selected bid and at least partially altered schedule between the satellite and the ground.

23. A method, as claimed in claim 22, and further comprising transmitting the offer, bids, selected bid and at least partially altered schedule between locations on the ground.

24. A method, as claimed in claim 21, and further comprising transmitting the offer, bids, and at least partially altered schedule between the satellite and the ground and transmitting the selected bid to a ground location.

25. A method, as claimed in claim 21, and further comprising transmitting the offer, bids, and at least partially altered schedule between the satellite and the ground and transmitting the offer, selected bid, and at least partially altered schedule also on the ground.

26. A method, as claimed in claim 21, and further comprising transmitting the offer, bids, and at least partially altered schedule between the satellite and the ground and also transmitting the offer and at least partially altered schedule on the ground.

27. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, apparatus for trading the satellite resources comprising in combination:

one or more memories storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources and bids for the offered satellite resources, said one or more memories being located in a marketing controller in the satellite;

one or more processors analyzing the bids, selecting at least one of the bids and altering the schedule of satellite resources in accordance with each selected bid, said one or more processors comprising a first processor located in the marketing controller in the satellite for analyzing the bids and selecting at least one of the bids and a second processor located in the network operations controller in the satellite for at least partially altering the schedule in accordance with the selected bid; and

a communication network interconnecting the one or more memories, one or more processors and the satellite, whereby the resources are traded, said communication network comprising a satellite link interconnecting the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer and a second terminal of a submitter of one of the bids and further comprising a network within the satellite interconnecting the marketing controller and the network operations controller.

28. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, apparatus for trading the satellite resources comprising in combination:

a communication module located in the satellite;

one or more memories storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources and bids for the offered satellite resources, said memories being located in a ground-based marketing controller;

one or more processors analyzing the bids, selecting at least one of the bids and altering the schedule of satellite resources in accordance with each selected bid, said one or more processors comprising a first processor located in the marketing controller for analyzing the bids and selecting at least one of the bids and a second processor located in a network operations controller in the satellite for at least partially altering the schedule in accordance with the selected bid; and

a communication network interconnecting the one or more memories, one or more processors and the satellite, whereby the resources are traded, said communication network comprising a satellite link interconnecting the communication module in the satellite with a first terminal of an offerer of the offer, a second terminal of a submitter of one of the bids and the marketing controller and further comprising a network within the satellite interconnecting the communication module in the satellite with the network operations controller in the satellite.

29. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, a method for trading the resources comprising in combination:

storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources;

storing bids for the offered satellite resources;

analyzing the bids;

selecting at least one of the bids, and

altering the schedule, whereby the resources are traded, said steps of storing an offer, storing bids, analyzing the bids, selecting at least one of the bids, and altering the schedule being performed in the satellite.

30. In a satellite communication system comprising an earth orbiting satellite for transmitting data in accordance with a schedule of satellite resources, a method for trading the resources comprising in combination:

storing an offer of at least a portion of said satellite resources;

storing bids for the offered satellite resources;

analyzing the bids;

selecting at least one of the bids; and

altering the schedule, whereby the resources are traded, said steps of storing an offer, storing bids, analyzing the bids and selecting at least one of the bids being performed on the ground and the step of altering the schedule being performed in the satellite.