Methodology for mobile user terminals in broadband systems

• US 7,020,463 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gold, Jeffrey J., Bybee, Michael F., Halcomb, Marc J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US09/967,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20020128018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/556.3, 455/440, 455/457, 455436-443, 4554561-4563, 455427-430, 455/455, 455/422.1, 455/452.2, 370/331, 370/338, 370/401, 370/352
• US Class Current: 455/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18539 Arrangements for managing radio, resources, i.e. for establishing or releasing a connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18578 Satellite systems for providing broadband data service to individual earth stations for selecting H04W; provisions for broadband connection, H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A broadband system wherein a mobile user terminal determines a cell set connection with a communications platform using location information provided by a navigation device on said mobile user terminal and a stored database containing a current cell topology for the communications platform.

Claims

1. A broadband system comprising:

a communications platform having a plurality of uplink and downlink cell sets;

at least one user terminal having a navigational device for providing location information and a database of a cell topology for said communications platform;

said at least one user terminal determines an uplink and downlink cell set for connection with said communications platform based on a predetermined cell set chosen from said database and depending on said location information provided by said navigational device, said at least one user terminal terminating a connection with said communications platform on said predetermined cell set and wherein said at least one user terminal re-establishes a connection with said communications platform on another predetermined cell set chosen from said database depending on updated location information provided by said navigational device on said at least one user terminal; and

a network control center in communication with said at least one user terminal and said communications platform wherein said network control center provides said at least one user terminal with updates to said cell topology and prioritizes bandwidth assignment for said communications platform.

2. A method for enabling at least one mobile user terminal to receive and transmit broadband data to and from a communications platform, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining location information from a navigational device on said user terminal;

determining a cell set from a database of a cell topology, for the communications platform, said database being stored in said user terminal;

establishing an uplink/downlink connection between said communications platform and said user terminal using said determined cell set by said user terminal requesting a bandwidth assignment for said determined cell set from said communications platform and allocating a bandwidth assignment to said user terminal for said determined cell set;

said at least one user terminal obtaining updated location information from said navigational device on said user terminal;

said at least one user terminal updating a cell set from said database of said cell topology for said communications platform based on said updated location information;

said at least one user terminal terminating said uplink/downlink connection;

said at least one user terminal re-establishing an uplink/downlink connection between said communications platform and said at least one user terminal using said updated cell set;

providing estimated positional information in a predetermined time interval;

providing a current speed of said at least one mobile terminal; and

providing a directional vector of said at least one mobile terminal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said step of allocating a bandwidth further comprises the steps of:

processing said bandwidth request on board said communications platform;

determining a bandwidth assignment based on said request; and

communicating said bandwidth assignment to said user terminal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising the step of moving data packets between said sending user terminal and a destination user terminal.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2

wherein a central network control center is in communication with said mobile user terminal and said communications platform, said method further comprises the steps of:

maintaining a current cell topology for said communications platform at said central network control center;

maintaining a current network configuration for said communications platform at said central network control center;

updating the database on said user terminal with said current cell topology;

sending updates of said current network configuration to said communications platform; and

assigning a priority to bandwidth assignments communicated by said communications platform.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising the step of requesting a user terminal to reply to said control network center with a response if said location information is unavailable.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising the step of providing a destination terminal address to a sending user terminal from said network control center.

8. A method for enabling at least one user terminal to receive and transmit broadband data to and from a communications platform having a network control center, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining location information from a navigational device on said at least one user terminal;

storing a database of a current cell topology for said communications platform on said user terminal;

determining cell set for uplink/downlink connection to said communications platform, said cell set being determined from said database and said location information for said at least one user terminal;

establishing an uplink/downlink connection between said at least one user terminal and said communications platform;

said at least one user terminal obtaining updated location information from said navigational device on said user terminal;

said at least one user terminal updating a cell set form said database of said cell topology for said communications platform based on said updated location information;

said at least one user terminal terminating said uplink/downlink connection

said at least one user terminal re-establishing an uplink/downlink connection between said communications platform and said at least one user terminal using said updated cell set;

sending a request for bandwidth assignment from said at least one user terminal to said communications platform;

processing said request for bandwidth assignment; and

allocating a bandwidth assignment to said at least one user terminal.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said step of processing said request for bandwidth assignment further comprises processing said request on board said communications platform.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said step of processing said request for bandwidth further comprises processing said request at said network control center.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the step of providing an address for a destination user terminal to a sending user terminal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said destination user terminal address is provided by said network control center.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said destination user terminal address is communicated by way of said communications platform.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the step of requesting a destination user terminal to reply to said communications platform with a response when said location information is unavailable.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the step of updating said database on said user terminal from said network control center.

16. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the step of updating a network configuration on said communications platform from said network control center.

17. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the step of assigning a priority to bandwidth assignments made by said network control center and communicated by said communications platform.