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:
Feb. 18, 2003
Filed:
Sep. 14, 1998
Paul Febvre, Ipswich, GB;
Kevin Phillips, Leigh-on-Sea, GB;
International Mobile Satellite Organization, London, GB;
Abstract
A mobile terminal ( ) communicates via a satellite ( ), which projects a number of overlapping spot beams ( ), with a fixed earth station ( ). To determine which spot beam ( ) is to be used for communication, the mobile terminal signals in a common signalling channel which is simultaneously received by all, or a subgroup of, the spot beams ( ). The satellite ( ) retransmits to the fixed earth station ( ) in separate channels the signal as received by each of the spot beams ( ) which are able to receive the common signalling channel. The relative strengths of the signal as received in the different spot beams ( ) are compared at the fixed earth station and a communications channel is assigned to the mobile terminal in one of the spot beams ( ), selected according to the comparison of signal strengths.