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:
Oct. 08, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 17, 1997
David Damian Nicholas Bevan, Herts, GB;
Kevin Malcolm Kelly, Herts, GB;
Nortel Networks Limited, St. Laurent, CA;
Abstract
A base station of a cellular communications system forms a plurality of adjacent overlapping beams in azimuth across a coverage area, and the position of the plurality of beams is varied in unison about a rest position whereby to provide a mean antenna gain in all azimuthal directions across the coverage area and to minimise cusping loss. The position of the beams can be varied by a movement in azimuth over one half, or multiples of one half, of the angular separation of the formed beams. Preferably there are a plurality of base stations in the system, each of whose plurality of beams are varied in position independently of the other base stations. The beams can be varied at a rate which is substantially equal to the rate of variation of one of the effects normally experienced by a terminal, and which the system operator incorporates a margin to accommodate.