Patents by Inventor Mark D. Dankberg

Mark D. Dankberg has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12261679
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth V. Buer, Mark J. Miller, Christopher J. Cronin, Mark D. Dankberg, Donald L. Runyon
  • Publication number: 20250062824
    Abstract: Embodiments provide in-flight configuration of satellite pathways to flexibly service terra-link and cross-link traffic in a constellation of non-processed satellites, for example, to facilitate flexible forward-channel and return-channel capacity in a satellite communications system. For example, each satellite in the constellation can include one or more dynamically configurable pathway and switching and/or beamforming can be used to configure each pathway to be a forward-channel pathway or a return-channel pathway in each of a number of timeslots according to a pathway configuration schedule. At least some of the pathways can be further selectively configured, in each timeslot, to carry “terra-link” traffic to and/or from terrestrial terminals and “cross-link” traffic to and/or from one or more other satellites of the constellation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2024
    Publication date: February 20, 2025
    Inventor: Mark D. Dankberg
  • Patent number: 12192118
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for using opportunistically delayed delivery of content to address sub-optimal bandwidth resource usage in network infrastructures that allow subscribers to share forward link resources. According to some embodiments, content is identified as delayable and assigned to a delaycast queue and/or service flow. For example, a server system of a satellite communications system identifies content that can be delayed to exploit future excess link capacity through multicasting and to exploit subscriber-side storage resources. Some implementations attempt to exploit any excess link resources at any time, while others exploit unused bandwidth only during certain times or when a certain threshold of resources is available. Various embodiments also provide content scoring and/or other prioritization techniques for optimizing exploitation of the delaycast queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: Mark D. Dankberg, Daniel M. Newman
  • Publication number: 20240388752
    Abstract: Described herein are ways to reduce bandwidth use for real-time broadcasts between an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and its subscribers by re-encoding audiovisual data streams to have a generic encoding that can be viewed by subscribers of different content providers. A system can determine that a plurality of subscribers is watching the same live event and can multicast the generic encoding of the live event to the plurality of subscribers, even where individual subscribers stream the live event from different content providers. This can eliminate the need for streaming multiple versions of the same live event from different content providers to subscribers. The systems can generically encode an audiovisual data stream of a live event to generate a single audiovisual data stream for the live event that is multicast to subscribers watching the same live event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel M. Newman, Mark D. Dankberg
  • Publication number: 20240372253
    Abstract: A satellite communication system having a user terminal with an electronically steerable satellite antenna at an offset angle relative to the zenith direction. Specifically, the offset angle is at least in part based on an inclination of an orbit of at least one non-geosynchronous satellite with which the user terminal is in communication. In addition, the offset angle is in a direction toward the GEO arch. As such, the offset angle may provide improved communication availability to both GEO satellites and non-GEO satellites.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Inventors: Aaron J. MENDELSOHN, Mark D. DANKBERG
  • Publication number: 20240340434
    Abstract: Described herein are ways to advantageously reduce bandwidth use between an internet service provider and its subscribers by re-encoding media objects to have a generic encoding that can be cached at subscriber devices. When a subscriber makes an authorized request for a media object from a content provider, a cached version of the generically encoded media object may be played by the subscriber even if the subscriber is not a customer of the content provider that originally provided the media object. This can eliminate the need for streaming a new copy of the media object from the content provider. The disclosed systems are configured to identify when differently-encoded media objects represent the same media object so that subscribers can play cached media objects rather than requiring each media object be streamed from different content providers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2024
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Applicant: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel M. Newman, Mark D. Dankberg
  • Patent number: 12114397
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods that dynamically manage network traffic for individual subscribers based on past and current data usage rates. The disclosed systems and methods operate to control data traffic for a group of subscribers that share a common access network or that share a common access link to an access network. Prior to an individual subscriber reaching their data plan limit, the disclosed systems and methods track individual subscribers' past and current data rates and manage individual subscribers' current usage rates so that each subscriber's continually or periodically updating past usage rate stays within a provisioning rate for the group. This can improve user experience because rather than waiting until a subscriber has reached their plan data limit to impose strict data usage restrictions, the disclosed systems and methods use modest restrictions continuously or intermittently during the plan period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: James N. Esserman, Daniel M. Newman, Girish Chandran, Mark D. Dankberg, Jae Won Chung
  • Publication number: 20240322900
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2024
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventors: Kenneth V. Buer, Mark J. Miller, Christopher J. Cronin, Mark D. Dankberg, Donald L. Runyon
  • Publication number: 20240291143
    Abstract: A communications system may be configured to consider directional beam characteristics in the operation of a phased array antenna, such as during installation of, positioning or orienting of, or communications using a phased array antenna. In some examples, a communication system may be configured to generate a communications performance map for evaluating or characterizing a local communications environment relative to directional characteristics of a phased array antenna, and such a performance map may be used to establish various boundaries or directional thresholds for performing communications operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Inventors: Mark D. DANKBERG, Kenneth V. BUER
  • Publication number: 20240291145
    Abstract: A communications system may be configured to consider directional beam characteristics in the operation of a phased array antenna, such as during installation of, positioning or orienting of, or communications using a phased array antenna. In some examples, a communication system may be configured to generate a communications performance map for evaluating or characterizing a local communications environment relative to directional characteristics of a phased array antenna, and such a performance map may be used to establish various boundaries or directional thresholds for performing communications operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Inventors: Mark D. DANKBERG, Kenneth V. BUER
  • Patent number: 12074684
    Abstract: Embodiments provide in-flight configuration of satellite pathways to flexibly service terra-link and cross-link traffic in a constellation of non-processed satellites, for example, to facilitate flexible forward-channel and return-channel capacity in a satellite communications system. For example, each satellite in the constellation can include one or more dynamically configurable pathway and switching and/or beamforming can be used to configure each pathway to be a forward-channel pathway or a return-channel pathway in each of a number of timeslots according to a pathway configuration schedule. At least some of the pathways can be further selectively configured, in each timeslot, to carry “terra-link” traffic to and/or from terrestrial terminals and “cross-link” traffic to and/or from one or more other satellites of the constellation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark D. Dankberg
  • Patent number: 11973572
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth V. Buer, Mark J. Miller, Christopher J. Cronin, Mark D. Dankberg, Donald L Runyon
  • Publication number: 20240048959
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods that dynamically manage network traffic for individual subscribers based on past and current data usage rates. The disclosed systems and methods operate to control data traffic for a group of subscribers that share a common access network or that share a common access link to an access network. Prior to an individual subscriber reaching their data plan limit, the disclosed systems and methods track individual subscribers' past and current data rates and manage individual subscribers' current usage rates so that each subscriber's continually or periodically updating past usage rate stays within a provisioning rate for the group. This can improve user experience because rather than waiting until a subscriber has reached their plan data limit to impose strict data usage restrictions, the disclosed systems and methods use modest restrictions continuously or intermittently during the plan period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: James N. ESSERMAN, Daniel M. NEWMAN, Girish CHANDRAN, Mark D. DANKBERG, Jae Won CHUNG
  • Publication number: 20240039866
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for using opportunistically delayed delivery of content to address sub-optimal bandwidth resource usage in network infrastructures that allow subscribers to share forward link resources. According to some embodiments, content is identified as delayable and assigned to a delaycast queue and/or service flow. For example, a server system of a satellite communications system identifies content that can be delayed to exploit future excess link capacity through multicasting and to exploit subscriber-side storage resources. Some implementations attempt to exploit any excess link resources at any time, while others exploit unused bandwidth only during certain times or when a certain threshold of resources is available. Various embodiments also provide content scoring and/or other prioritization techniques for optimizing exploitation of the delaycast queue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Mark D. DANKBERG, Daniel M. NEWMAN
  • Patent number: 11743207
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for using opportunistically delayed delivery of content to address sub-optimal bandwidth resource usage in network infrastructures that allow subscribers to share forward link resources. According to some embodiments, content is identified as delayable and assigned to a delaycast queue and/or service flow. For example, a server system of a satellite communications system identifies content that can be delayed to exploit future excess link capacity through multicasting and to exploit subscriber-side storage resources. Some implementations attempt to exploit any excess link resources at any time, while others exploit unused bandwidth only during certain times or when a certain threshold of resources is available. Various embodiments also provide content scoring and/or other prioritization techniques for optimizing exploitation of the delaycast queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: Mark D Dankberg, Daniel M Newman
  • Patent number: 11716607
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods that dynamically manage network traffic for individual subscribers based on past and current data usage rates. The disclosed systems and methods operate to control data traffic for a group of subscribers that share a common access network or that share a common access link to an access network. Prior to an individual subscriber reaching their data plan limit, the disclosed systems and methods track individual subscribers' past and current data rates and manage individual subscribers' current usage rates so that each subscriber's continually or periodically updating past usage rate stays within a provisioning rate for the group. This can improve user experience because rather than waiting until a subscriber has reached their plan data limit to impose strict data usage restrictions, the disclosed systems and methods use modest restrictions continuously or intermittently during the plan period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: James N. Esserman, Daniel M. Newman, Girish Chandran, Mark D. Dankberg, Jae Won Chung
  • Publication number: 20230112202
    Abstract: Embodiments provide in-flight configuration of satellite pathways to flexibly service terra-link and cross-link traffic in a constellation of non-processed satellites, for example, to facilitate flexible forward-channel and return-channel capacity in a satellite communications system. For example, each satellite in the constellation can include one or more dynamically configurable pathway and switching and/or beamforming can be used to configure each pathway to be a forward-channel pathway or a return-channel pathway in each of a number of timeslots according to a pathway configuration schedule. At least some of the pathways can be further selectively configured, in each timeslot, to carry “terra-link” traffic to and/or from terrestrial terminals and “cross-link” traffic to and/or from one or more other satellites of the constellation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventor: Mark D. Dankberg
  • Patent number: 11502745
    Abstract: Embodiments provide in-flight configuration of satellite pathways to flexibly service terra-link and cross-link traffic in a constellation of non-processed satellites, for example, to facilitate flexible forward-channel and return-channel capacity in a satellite communications system. For example, each satellite in the constellation can include one or more dynamically configurable pathway, and switching and/or beamforming can be used to configure each pathway to be a forward-channel pathway or a return-channel pathway in each of a number of timeslots according to a pathway configuration schedule. At least some of the pathways can be further selectively configured, in each timeslot, to carry “terra-link” traffic to and/or from terrestrial terminals and “cross-link” traffic to and/or from one or more other satellites of the constellation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: ViaSat, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark D. Dankberg
  • Publication number: 20220255877
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for optimizing resource utilization in a communications network while also optimizing subscriber engagement with media content over the communications network. Requested content objects can be identified as delayable objects that can be queued for opportunistically delayed communication to both requesting and non-requesting subscribers. Queued delayed content objects are scored with an eye toward optimizing both subscriber engagement and utilization of opportunistically available communications link resources. For example, a storage manager calculates a likelihood that each subscriber will engage with the content if it is opportunistically delivered, and a scheduler calculates a priority order in which to queue each requested delayable content object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Mark D. Dankberg, Daniel M. Newman, Steven R. Hart
  • Publication number: 20220182813
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods that dynamically manage network traffic for individual subscribers based on past and current data usage rates. The disclosed systems and methods operate to control data traffic for a group of subscribers that share a common access network or that share a common access link to an access network. Prior to an individual subscriber reaching their data plan limit, the disclosed systems and methods track individual subscribers' past and current data rates and manage individual subscribers' current usage rates so that each subscriber's continually or periodically updating past usage rate stays within a provisioning rate for the group. This can improve user experience because rather than waiting until a subscriber has reached their plan data limit to impose strict data usage restrictions, the disclosed systems and methods use modest restrictions continuously or intermittently during the plan period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventors: James N. ESSERMAN, Daniel M. NEWMAN, Girish CHANDRAN, Mark D. DANKBERG, Jae Won CHUNG