Ico Services Limited

International Maritime Satellite Organization

Thomas Goerke

Richard Wyrwas

Olof Ingemar Lundberg

Internet access is provided to passengers in a vehicle such as an aircraft through a proxy server ( ) which has access terminals (T -n) for passengers' lap top computers or personal organisers (UT -n). The proxy server ( ) can be connected through a satellite link ( ) to a ground-based land station ( ) connected to the Internet. In order to minimise use of the wireless link ( ), the proxy server, whilst the aircraft is in transit, is loaded with most frequently used web pages from a ground-based server ( ), connected through terminals ( ) and a wired link ( ). The downloaded web pages may be selected according to the destination of the journey. E-mail messages produced by the passengers may be temporarily stored until the aircraft lands and then downloaded to the server ( ) for onward transmission.

Techniques for using a web based server provided in a vehicle

A control device (,) located in battery operated device or battery pack is used to control charging and discharging cycles of a pair of rechargeable batteries (,). The device determines which of the batteries is least charged and, if not already fully discharged, allows power to be drawn from the battery until it becomes fully discharged. The device then allows the other battery to be drained. When the batteries are placed in a charger (,), the control device only allows fully discharged batteries to be charged. In this way, only full discharge and charge cycles are performed, which maximises the lifetime of the batteries.

Rechargeable battery control device

A mobile satellite communications system having at least one mobile terminal (,), at least one ground station (,), at least one relay satellite (,) interconnecting said user terminal (,) and said ground station (,), and a management store (,) associated with said ground station (,), in which the user terminal (,) is configured to initiate registration signalling with said store (,). The user terminal (,) initiates registration signalling when reception conditions relating to a downlink channel relayed via said satellite (,) become unsatisfactory over a given time greater than a predetermined minimum value and then return to a satisfactory condition. Specifically, signals received in a given channel are monitored in relation to predetermined criteria, and the duration of periods when the monitored signals do not meet the criteria are timed. Signals for updating the location of the user terminal registered in the management store, are transmitted when said monitored signals in said channel again meet said criteria, only if the timed duration for which the monitored signals do not meet the criteria, is not less than a predetermined time (T2).

Communications apparatus and method

A user terminal in the form of a handset 1 is disclosed wherein a common antenna 3 is operative to provide transmission and reception on a plurality of selectable services at different frequencies, the antenna being resonant and matched for at least one of the services, and non-resonant and unmatched for other services. The user terminal handset 1 employs a common antenna 3 directly for that service or those services for which the antenna 3 is matched and resonant. The user terminal handset 1 employs the common antenna 3 unmatched and non-resonant for those services whereon unmatched non-resonant antenna use is acceptable. The user terminal handset 1 comprises means, for approximately or precisely adjusting the match to the common antenna 3 for other services.

Multiple service user terminal

A communications satellite communications system and method, where a communications satellite 10 can pass messages between a user terminal 44 and an earth station 38, as the communications satellite moves in an orbit 12 12' as indicated by arrow 46, comprises means for estimating the position of the user terminal 44, on the surface of the earth 14, relative to the nadir 50, by means of doppler shift measurements and propagation delay measurements between the communications satellite 10 and the user terminal 44. Where more than one communications satellite 10 is visible to the user terminal 44, combination means are employed using propagation delays to plural communications satellites 10, and/or recordal of the receipt times, by the user terminal 44, of timed broadcasts from one or more communications satellites 10 to determine the propagation delay between the one or more communications satellites 10 and the user terminal 44. In addition, delay signals from navigational satellites 142 can be processed by the user terminal 44 measuring the time of arrival of signals from the navigational satellites 142 and conveying the identity of the navigational satellite and the arrival time of the signal to the earth station, which calculates the position of the user terminal 44 and can relay an idication thereof back to the user terminal 44.

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Stanmore, United Kingdom

Thomas Goerke