System and method for policing spectrum usage

• US 8,139,496 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Bridge, Inc.
• Inventors: Koos, William W., Hamilla, Joseph M., Stanforth, Peter, Koos, Larry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US12/042,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20080221951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/90 Financial instruments for climate change mitigation, e.g. environmental taxes, subsidies or financing

Abstract

Transferring spectrum use rights may include ascertaining information regarding available spectrum for use in wireless communications. A request for spectrum use from a spectrum user system may be matched with available spectrum. A spectrum certificate may be issued to the spectrum user system, where the spectrum certificate contains at least one spectrum-related variable under which the spectrum user system is to engage in wireless communications.

Claims

1. A method of controlling spectrum use by a wireless radio system, comprising:

obtaining a spectrum certificate with the wireless radio system, the spectrum certificate specifying a time window, a frequency-based spectral mask, a geography-based emission mask and a transmitted power limit, and wherein the spectrum certificate is a data object that obligates the wireless radio system to comply with the time window, the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit of the spectrum certificate; and

electronically binding the wireless radio system to carry out wireless communications in accordance with the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit during the time window, the time window specifying when the spectrum certificate is valid and the wireless communications carried out in an environment with other wireless radio systems that conduct wireless communications in accordance with respective spectrum certificates, the wireless radio systems comprising a dynamically changing group of spectrum users having diverse spectrum needs, and the spectrum certificate availing part of a pool of available spectrum to the wireless radio system, the pool of available spectrum from plural spectrum holders each having authority to release use of the spectrum contributed to pool to another entity and the available spectrum in the pool dynamically changing over time as spectrum becomes available from the spectrum holders, as spectrum is no longer available for use by the spectrum users and as spectrum is allocated for use by the spectrum users in the spectrum certificates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the wireless radio system does not comply with a combination of the time window, the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit associated with the spectrum certificate, causing the wireless radio system to cease communication within frequency variables associated with the frequency-based spectral mask.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the wireless radio system does not comply with a combination of the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit associated with the spectrum certificate, correcting the wireless communications of the wireless radio system to meet the combination.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless radio system corrects the wireless communications by adjusting transmission parameters to comply with the spectrum certificate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a frequency component of the frequency-based spectral mask changes over time during the time window for which the spectrum certificate is valid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if the wireless radio system does not comply with a combination of the time window, the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit associated with the spectrum certificate, the wireless radio system receives an alert that the wireless radio system is not in compliance with the spectrum certificate.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining an equipment validation identity as a precursor to obtaining the spectrum certificate, the equipment validation identity being recognizable to an issuer of the spectrum certificate to validate the wireless radio system as a trusted wireless radio system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the equipment validation identity is obtained in response to an authentication request generated by the wireless radio system, the authentication request containing data evidencing that the wireless radio system supports obligation enforcement of the spectrum certificate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless radio system further carries out wireless communications using at least one of unlicensed spectrum or licensed spectrum that is different from the spectrum associated with the spectrum certificate and for which the wireless radio system has authorization to use separate from the spectrum certificate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the spectrum certificate is received in response to a spectrum use request.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the spectrum certificate is received in response to a bid for spectrum that is matched to a spectrum offer by a spectrum broker system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising ceasing wireless communications within frequency variables associated with the frequency-based spectral mask if a rescission of the spectrum certificate is received due to a preemptive need for the spectrum associated with the spectrum certificate by another wireless radio system that has higher spectrum use priority than the wireless radio system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless radio system is a single radio device that includes a transceiver for carrying out the wireless communications.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless radio system includes plural radio devices each having a transceiver for carrying out the wireless communication and wherein each radio device is supervised by a management system that regulates operation of the radio devices in accordance with the spectrum certificate.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the geography-based emission mask includes a geographical boundary that the wireless radio system is not permitted to transmit beyond in one of an absolute manner or a relative manner specified by a power value at a geographical location.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless radio system is self-regulating to comply with the spectrum certificate in a manner that is transparent to a user of the wireless radio system, including during changes in frequency over time, the spectrum certificate used by the wireless radio system to automatically effectuate the change in frequency.

17. A wireless radio system, comprising:

a radio circuit that carries out wireless communications; and

a control circuit having a certificate agent that regulates wireless communications in accordance with a received a spectrum certificate, the spectrum certificate being a data object that electronic binds the wireless radio system to carry out wireless communication in accordance with a time window, a frequency-based spectral mask, a geography-based emission mask and a transmitted power limit specified in the spectrum certificate, the time window specifying when the spectrum certificate is valid and the wireless communications carried out in an environment with other wireless radio systems that conduct wireless communications in accordance with respective spectrum certificates, the wireless radio systems comprising a dynamically changing group of spectrum users having diverse spectrum needs, and the spectrum certificate availing part of a pool of available spectrum to the wireless radio system, the pool of available spectrum is from plural spectrum holders each having authority to release use of the spectrum contributed to pool to another entity and the available spectrum in the pool dynamically changing over time as spectrum becomes available from the spectrum holders, as spectrum is no longer available for use by the spectrum users and as spectrum is allocated for use by the spectrum users in the spectrum certificates.

18. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein if the wireless radio system does not comply with a combination of the time window, the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit associated with the spectrum certificate, the control circuit controls the radio circuit to cease communication within frequency variables associated with the frequency-based spectral mask.

19. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein if the wireless radio system does not comply with a combination of the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit associated with the spectrum certificate, the control circuit controls the radio circuit to correct the wireless communications to meet the combination.

20. The wireless radio system of claim 19, wherein the wireless radio system corrects the wireless communications by adjusting transmission parameters to comply with the spectrum certificate.

21. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein a frequency component of the frequency-based spectral mask changes over time during the time window for which the spectrum certificate is valid.

22. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein if the wireless radio system does not comply with a combination of the time window, the frequency-based spectral mask, the geography-based emission mask and the transmitted power limit associated with the spectrum certificate, the wireless radio system receives an alert that the wireless radio system is not in compliance with the spectrum certificate.

23. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the wireless radio system obtains an equipment validation identity as a precursor to obtaining the spectrum certificate, the equipment validation identity being recognizable to an issuer of the spectrum certificate to validate the wireless radio system as a trusted wireless radio system.

24. The wireless radio system of claim 23, wherein the equipment validation identity is obtained in response to an authentication request generated by the wireless radio system, the authentication request containing data evidencing that the wireless radio system supports obligation enforcement of the spectrum certificate.

25. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the radio circuit further carries out wireless communications using at least one of unlicensed spectrum or licensed spectrum that is different from the spectrum associated with the spectrum certificate and for which the wireless radio system has authorization to use separate from the spectrum certificate.

26. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the spectrum certificate is received in response to a spectrum use request.

27. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the spectrum certificate is received in response to a bid for spectrum that is matched to a spectrum offer by a spectrum broker system.

28. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the control circuit controls the radio circuit to cease wireless communications in accordance within frequency variables associated with the frequency-based spectral mask if a rescission of the spectrum certificate is received due to a preemptive need for the spectrum associated with the spectrum certificate by another wireless radio system that has higher spectrum use priority than the wireless radio system.

29. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the wireless radio system includes a single radio device that includes the radio circuit and the control circuit.

30. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the wireless radio system includes plural radio devices each having a transceiver for carrying out the wireless communication and wherein each radio device is supervised by a management system that regulates operation of the radio devices in accordance with the spectrum certificate.

31. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the wireless radio system is a system that provides network communication access to one or more client devices.

32. The wireless radio system of claim 17, wherein the geography-based emission mask includes a geographical boundary that the wireless radio system is not permitted to transmit beyond in one of an absolute manner or a relative manner specified by a power value at a geographical location.

33. The wireless radio system of claim 21, wherein the wireless radio system is self-regulating to comply with the spectrum certificate in a manner that is transparent to a user of the wireless radio system, including during changes in frequency over time, the spectrum certificate used by the wireless radio system to automatically effectuate the change in frequency.