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Low earth orbit distributed gateway communication system

  • US 6,735,440 B2
  • Filed: 04/06/2001
  • Issued: 05/11/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A communication system, comprising:

  • a satellite communication system segment that includes a satellite that projects a beam on the surface of the earth, and a terrestrial satellite gateway that is bidirectionally coupled to said satellite and also to a terrestrial communications system;

    wherein said beam covers a Regional Service Area (RSA) within which a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) service region is located; and

    a terrestrial communication segment that includes (a) a WLL base station capable of bidirectional communications with a WLL user terminal within said WLL service region, and (b) a first virtual gateway that services said RSA and that is bidirectionally coupled to said WLL base station and to said satellite, wherein said first virtual gateway is responsive to information received from said terrestrial satellite gateway for temporarily assuming control of satellite system resources for bidirectionally coupling a communication to or from said WLL user terminal into or out of said WLL service region, and wherein said first virtual gateway is bidirectionally coupled to a second virtual gateway through a link carrying call signalling signals between said first virtual gateway and said second virtual gateway for enlarging an effective coverage region of each of said first virtual gateway and said second virtual gateway.

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