Mobile satellite communications

• US 7,592,953 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Morana, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US11/618,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Provided is a mobile satellite transceiver system for communicating with a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a communications satellite. In on implementation, the mobile satellite transceiver system includes a GPS receiver configured to receive communications from the GPS satellite, a satellite modem configured to transmit and receive communications from the communications satellite, and an operating system. In some implementations, the operating system of the mobile satellite transceiver system is configured to send and receive text messages to/from the communications satellite via the satellite modem. In some implementations the mobile satellite transceiver system also includes a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) interrogator for communicating with RFID tags.

Claims

1. A mobile satellite transceiver system for communicating with a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a communications satellite comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to receive communications from the GPS satellite;

a satellite modem configured to transmit and receive communications to and from the communications satellite;

a housing containing the GPS receiver and satellite modem;

antennas for at least two bands incorporated into the housing; and

an operating system for processing communications transmitted to and received from the communications satellite.

2. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 1 wherein the operating system is configured to send and receive a text message to the communications satellite via the satellite modem.

3. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 1 further comprising a 512 kilobyte memory buffer.

4. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 1 further comprising a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) interrogator.

5. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 1 wherein the GPS receiver is a Ground-Based GPS Receiver Application Module (GB-GRAM) with a Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM).

6. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 1 wherein communications from the communications satellite are transmitted and received using an L-Band communications channel.

7. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 6 wherein the L-Band communications channel comprises at least one of MSAT, INMARSAT, Thuraya, Artemis, ACeS, OPTUS, or any combination thereof.

8. The mobile satellite transceiver system of claim 1 wherein communications transmitted and received via the satellite modem are encrypted using at least one of Triple Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithms, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithms, Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) algorithms, or any combination thereof.

9. A method for communicating between a transport unit and an Earth station via a communications satellite comprising:

providing a mobile satellite transceiver system comprising;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver configured to receive communications from a GPS satellite;

a satellite modem configured to transmit and receive communications from the communications satellite;

a housing containing the GPS receiver and satellite modem;

antennas for at least two bands incorporated into the housing;

an operating system for processing communications transmitted to and received from the communications satellite; and

wherein the mobile satellite transceiver system is attached to the transport unit;

creating, by the operating system, a communications transmission packet; and

sending, by the satellite modem, the communications transmission packet to the Earth station via the communications satellite.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the communications transmission packet comprises at least one of:

a location of the mobile satellite transceiver system based on received Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, a text message, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the mobile satellite transceiver system further comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) interrogator.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the communications transmission packet comprises at least one of:

a location of the mobile satellite transceiver system based on received Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, a text message, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the communications transmission packet provides communications beyond-line-of-sight.

14. A mobile satellite transceiver system for communicating with a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a communications satellite comprising:

a first logic board comprising;

a commercial-grade GPS receiver module configured to receive communications from the GPS satellite; and

a satellite modem module configured to transmit and receive communications to and from the communications satellite;

a second logic board comprising;

a Ground-Based GPS Receiver Application Module (GB-GRAM) with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM);

an RFID interrogator module; and

an operating system;

wherein the first logic board and the second logic board are in signal communication and the operating system coordinates a signal communication between a first module of the first logic board and a second module of the second logic board.

15. A mobile satellite transceiver means for communicating with a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a communications satellite comprising:

a GPS receiver means for receiving communications from the GPS satellite;

a satellite modem means for transmitting and receiving communications to and from the communications satellite;

means for housing a GPS receiver and satellite modem;

means for communicating in at least two bands, the communications means incorporated in the housing means; and

an operating system means for processing communications transmitted to and received from the communications satellite.