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Satellite communication system

  • US 6,157,621 A
  • Filed: 09/10/1997
  • Issued: 12/05/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A communications system for conveying packet-based communication calls from several sending terminals at geographically diverse sending locations on the earth to several receiving terminals at geographically diverse receiving locations on the earth comprising a multiplicity of satellites each in a low earth orbit such that the satellites are in constant motion over the face of the earth, the satellites receiving packet-based communication calls from earth-based sending terminals and transmitting packet-based received communication calls to earth-based receiving terminals, each packet of a call having a header including a destination field containing information identifying a specific destination receiving terminal and one or more control fields containing information that defines the packet priority and type, the satellites including switch and intersatellite communication means for routing packet-based communication calls from a satellite receiving a communication call from an earth-based sending terminal, by way of one or more other satellites, to a sending satellite for transmitting the communication call to an earth-based receiving terminal thereby establishing a communication link between the sending terminal and the receiving terminal, the switch and intersatellite communication means employing connectionless protocol without establishing or maintaining a virtual circuit through the satellites between the sending terminal and the receiving terminal, and the switch and intersatellite communication means including a microprocessor controlled by an adaptive routing algorithm for determining the next-node-in-path for each packet based at least in part on the information of the header control fields defining the packet priority and type.

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