The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 30, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 30, 1996
James Frederick Bradley, Middletown, NJ (US);
Paul W Cooper, Red Bank, NJ (US);
AT&T Corp., Middletown, NJ (US);
Abstract
A communication system includes satellites and satellite phones communicating through the satellites directly. The satellite phone forms a highly directed beam toward a satellite of the communications system and adaptively maintains a beam to track the satellite as the satellite phone and/or the satellite moves relative to each other. The satellite phone contains sensors which provide steering information for directing the satellite phone's antenna beam. The communication system links a satellite phone with either another satellite phone and/or a ground based communication system connected to conventional telephone stations. The satellite phone also includes a database that contains the positional information of all potential communication satellites. The communication system coordinates satellite phone beams with a satellite network to facilitate high quality handoffs. Satellite phones can access several satellite networks based upon stored parameters or actively downloaded satellite information.