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:
Aug. 15, 2000
Filed:
Sep. 05, 1997
Martine A Rothblatt, Silver Spring, MD (US);
WorldSpace, Inc., Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A system for providing global and portable Internet access to low cost user terminals comprises an Internet service provider gateway and a broadcast station for providing multimedia information from the gateway to the user terminals via a direct radio broadcast geostationary satellite. User terminals each comprise a direct radio broadcast receiver and a transceiver for communicating with a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite. User terminals transmit Internet access requests, menu selections and other backhaul signals to the gateway via the transceiver. The broadcast station transmits information requested by the user from the gateway to a specific user terminal by providing identification codes in the broadcast programs. The user terminals are programmable to receive all broadcast programs but to demodulate and demultiplex only those broadcast channels addressed to the user terminal. Internet access is available simultaneously with reception of satellite direct broadcasts of audio programs.