Abstract: A system and method is presented for the illumination of a dark beam when a new access terminal enters into the spot beam, and requests, through an existing gateway, the new service of a new gateway. New messages and system information elements and methods for using them are described to facilitate the illumination of the dark beam, the darkening of an illuminated beam, and situations when incomplete requests are received and when a dark beam cannot be illuminated.

Abstract: A state transition diagram is presented for a user's access terminal for a satellite telecommunication system, showing the state of the access terminal's mobility management software layer, in response to various stimuli and conditions as the user enters into and out of various modes of operations, including deactivation, activation and illumination of a dark beam of a spot beam that is a shared resource.

Abstract: A method is presented describing how information and data is exchanged between a user's access terminal's mobility management and radio resource software layer in a satellite based telecommunications system, wherein the telecommunication system comprises one or more satellites, new and existing gateways, and a user's access terminal, which comprises a mobility management and radio resource software layer, the method pertaining to data and information flow between them, in response to various stimuli and conditions as the user enters into and out of various modes of operations, including deactivation, activation and illumination of a dark beam of a spot beam that is a shared resource.

Abstract: A system (20) and method (30) for estimating the location of a terrestrial-based user terminal (23) is provided. The user terminal (23) is capable of measuring the relative signal strengths of a plurality of spot beams pilot signal emitted from a geostationary satellite (22). The user terminal (23) then estimates its position based on the measured relative signal strengths. Using this approach, the user terminal (23) can quickly determine its location without prior knowledge of its position or delay time.

Abstract: A mobile satellite communication system is provided to control the transfer of a terminal for a single-hop call from at least one of a clear mode and a ciphered mode with respect to a gateway station to a ciphered mode with respect to a satellite link connecting the terminal with another terminal for a single-hop, terminal-to-terminal call using a cipher key and an encryption algorithm common to the terminal and the other terminal. Frame number offset data, which indicates a mapping delay between received and transmitted time slots at the satellite, is provided to both terminals in a terminal-to-terminal call for ciphering synchronization.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed, utilizing a communications network (in this particular design, it is a GEM (Geo-Mobile) satellite system) to initialize a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver (such one integrated into a handheld user terminal, or phone used within the communication network) to enable the GPS receiver to quickly acquire GPS satellite signals and perform positioning calculations. By systematically feeding the GPS receiver key pieces of information (GPS satellite trajectories, time estimate, position estimate, and additional positional references), the time to first fix (TTFF) of the GPS receiver can be drastically reduced.

Abstract: A system and method employing an access terminal for maintaining discontinuous communications including a gateway receiver for receiving the discontinuous information, a radio frequency (RF) communication link via geosynchronous earth orbit satellite for conveying multiple communication channels using time division multiple access (TDMA), the access terminal initiating information communication with the receiver via at least one of the multiple communication channels. The access terminal further includes a memory for storing protocol processing information and a transmitter for establishing the radio frequency communication link to the receiver of the terrestrial gateway system. The access terminal memory provides for destroying of a signal pattern or protocol assigned to the access terminal by the gateway receiver or transmission of keep-alive bursts by the transmitter during periods of inactivity to maintain information communication with the receiver.

Abstract: An MSAT system is provided which optimizes satellite resources when implementing a single-hop TtT call. The system allocates satellite channels and signaling channels for a single-hop TtT call to the participating terminals at an early stage during the call set-up procedure such that only a single pair of satellite channels are assigned to each of the terminals for call establishment and for use during the call, as opposed to two pairs of satellite channels. A test message for signaling channel (e.g., TTCH) validation is transmitted from the network (e.g., from a gateway station controller) to each of the terminals.

Abstract: An apparatus and method, for use in a satellite-based communications network, for minimizing blocking of communication between the network and access terminals resulting from differences in the signal propagation delays for the access terminals due to their different locations within a coverage area serviced by a spot beam generated by a satellite in the network. The apparatus includes a spot beam segregator which segregates a coverage area of the spot beam into at least one coverage zone based on the maximum and minimum propagation delay experienced by access terminals within the coverage area of the spot beam. The apparatus further includes a carrier grouper which groups the carrier into a number of groups corresponding to the number of offset zones, and assigns each carrier group to a respective one of the coverage zones.

Abstract: A mobile satellite (MSAT) system is provided for establishing a single-hop terminal-to-terminal call between two terminals. The MSAT system maintains a signaling path between each terminal and a gateway station during the terminal-to-terminal call although a call path between the mobile switching center and the originating terminal is blocked by the satellite. During single-hop call establishment, satellite channels for the terminal-to-terminal call path and for signaling are allocated. The allocated channels are assigned when a direct satellite link for the terminal-to-terminal call is established; otherwise, the call can proceed as a double-hop call using previously assigned satellite channels. A verification signal is sent on the direct satellite link which is for processing by the terminals and which contains information that causes the signal to be ignored by a gateway station.

Abstract: An approach for error flow control in a communications system involves receiving a plurality of frames of data; determining in said plurality of frames of data, two or more contiguous defective frames of data, the two or more contiguous defective frames of data being followed by at least one frame of data in said plurality of frames that is not defective; forming a group reject message indicative of a range of the two or more contiguous defective frames; transmitting the group reject message; and receiving replacement frames, the replacement frames corresponding to the two or more contiguous defective frames, wherein said at least one frame that is not defective is not received again in response to the group reject message.

Abstract: An approach for immediate channel assignment in a wireless communications system involves receiving a channel request message from a wireless transceiver, the channel request message including a dialed party number; forming an immediate assignment message including a channel assignment; transmitting the immediate assignment message to the wireless transceiver; and establishing a communications channel between the wireless transceiver and a called party by establishing a channel between the wireless transceiver and the called party.

Abstract: An approach for selecting an asynchronous paging interval involves selecting a set of possible paging schemes for one wireless system; selecting a paging interval for another wireless system that is asynchronous with the paging schemes selected for the one wireless system; determining, after some number of paging repetitions, the probability of collision between a first paging channel in the one wireless system, and a second paging channel in the other wireless system; reselecting the paging interval for the other wireless system, asynchronous with the paging schemes selected for the one wireless system, and repeating the determining of the probability, until after some number of page repetitions, the probability reaches a prescribed minimum; and reselecting the paging interval for the other wireless system, asynchronous with the paging schemes selected for the one wireless system, and repeating the determining of the probability, until the number of paging repetitions needed to reach the prescribed minimum i

Abstract: A system and method for implementing single hop space segment terminal to terminal connections. The system includes a satellite-based radio frequency (RF) communication link for conveying multiple communication channels over the space segment via one or more spot beams. A terrestrial supervisory transceiver such as a gateway station is provided in communication with the satellite-based communication link. Mobile hand-held terminals (HHTs), herein first and second access terminals, may be located within one or more of the spot beams to communicate with one another via a single hop connection through a satellite of the system. A switch is provided for communication switching with the satellite of the system for the multiple communication channels to couple the first access terminal and the second access terminal over the space segment via one or more of the spot beams.

Abstract: An apparatus and method, for use with the satellite-based communications network, for improving the reliability and speed at which communication between a user terminal and the network is established. The apparatus and method arranges data of a channel request message transmitted from a user terminal to a satellite in the satellite-based network to insure that the most critical data for establishing communication between the user terminal and the satellite-based network is received at the satellite during the appropriate receiving time frame window. The channel request message includes a first data group necessary for establishing a communication link for which information is transmitted between the apparatus and the network, and a second data group including information for decreasing the amount time necessary to establish the communication link.

Abstract: An access terminal for initiating spot beam selection in a satellite communication system, in which the access terminal includes a receiver for measuring the received signal strength (RSS) of a multiplicity of radio frequency communication spot beam links. The access terminal is further provided with a microcontroller for comparing the received signal strengths from each of the multiplicity of spot beams to initiate information communication via a communication channel of the satellite communication system. In a described embodiment, the controller of the access terminal compares seven spot beam links to determine whether to initiate information communication with one of the seven spot beams received. Additionally, a memory coupled to the controller of the access terminal is used for storing spot beam identification information including the spot beam links assigned to the access terminal via the satellite communication system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed, utilizing a communications network (in this particular design, it is a GEM (Geo-Mobile) satellite system) to initialize a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver (such one integrated into a handheld user terminal, or phone used within the communication network) to enable the GPS receiver to quickly acquire GPS satellite signals and perform positioning calculations. By systematically feeding the GPS receiver key pieces of information (GPS satellite trajectories, time estimate, position estimate, and additional positional references), the time to first fix (TTFF) of the GPS receiver can be drastically reduced.