Method and apparatus for registering a communication terminal with a satellite communication system

• US 6,643,515 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inmarsat Two Company
• Original Assignee: International Mobile Satellite Organization
• Inventors: Harper, John Anthony, Macridis, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/229,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435, 455/450, 455/452, 455/427, 455/429, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 370/316, 370/319, 370/320, 370/321, 370/322
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18539 Arrangements for managing radio, resources, i.e. for establishing or releasing a connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18545 Arrangements for managing station mobility, i.e. for station registration or localisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1858 Arrangements for data transmission on the physical system, i.e. for data bit transmission between network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5607 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5608 Satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5632 Bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5634 In-call negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A satellite communications system provides a communications service to a mobile terminal (2) on which different communications applications (4a to 4d) may be run. Calls are set up between any of the applications (4a to 4d) via a satellite (12) to a network management center (18) which provides different service adaptors (20a to 20d) which adapt the calls to different types of service provided over terrestrial networks (22), such as telephony, facsimile, internet or ATM services. The bandwidth allocated to each call over the satellite link may be varied during the call according to demand either from the relevant application (4) or from the network management center (18). Multiple calls may be connected concurrently to or from different applications running on the mobile terminal. A maximum bandwidth is allocated to each call. Efficient use is thereby made of the limited bandwidth available over the satellite (12), according to the instantaneous bandwidth requirements of different applications (4). For real-time calls requiring multiple slots per frame in a TDMA channel, the slots are mutually spaced apart to reduce delay.

Claims

1. A method of registering a communications terminal with a satellite communications system including a satellite generating a plurality of spot beams each carrying at least one spot beam transmission channel and a global beam substantially encompassing the plurality of spot beams and carrying at least one global beam reception channel and at least one global beam transmission channel, said method comprising:

receiving a call on one said spot beam transmission channel;

ceasing reception of said call;

subsequently determining whether said one spot beam transmission channel is receivable by said terminal; and

,

if said one spot beam transmission channel is not receivable, transmitting a registration message in said global beam reception channel;

receiving a spot beam channel allocation signal in said global beam transmission channel; and

receiving a further said spot beam transmission channel selected according to said spot beam channel allocation signal.

2. Apparatus for a satellite communications terminal for use in a satellite communications system including a satellite generating a plurality of spot beams each carrying at least one spot beam transmission channel and a global beam substantially encompassing the plurality of spot beams and carrying at least one global beam reception channel and at least one global beam transmission channel, said apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a call on one of said spot beam transmission channels and subsequently ceasing reception of said call;

means for subsequently determining whether said one spot beam transmission channel is receivable by said terminal; and

if said one spot beam transmission channel is not receivable, transmitting a registration message in said global beam reception channel; and

means for receiving a spot beam channel allocation signal in said global beam transmission channel and tuning said receiver to receive a further said spot beam transmission channel selected according to said spot beam channel allocation signal.