Patents by Inventor Richard A. Hellman

Richard A. Hellman 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).

  • Precoordination of return link for hand-off between coverage areas being traversed by a mobile transceiver platform
    Patent number: 6885863
    Abstract: A system and method for carrying out a hand-off of a satellite-based communications link with a mobile platform, such as an aircraft, leaving a first coverage region and entering a second coverage region. A land-based communications link connects ground stations in each of the coverage regions for communications with one another and also with a network operations center (NOC). As the aircraft enters an area of overlap between the two coverage regions, a sequence of communications is initiated between the ground stations and also between each of the ground stations and the aircraft to ensure that new forward link and return link assignments are received by the aircraft before the aircraft relinquishes its communications link with the first ground station to begin communicating with the second ground station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: David S. Parkman, Gary V Stephenson, Richard A. Hellman
  • PRECOORDINATION OF RETURN LINK FOR HAND-OFF BETWEEN COVERAGE AREAS BEING TRAVERSED BY A MOBILE TRANSCEIVER PLATFORM
    Publication number: 20040092263
    Abstract: A system and method for carrying out a hand-off of a satellite-based communications link with a mobile platform, such as an aircraft, leaving a first coverage region and entering a second coverage region. A land-based communications link connects ground stations in each of the coverage regions for communications with one another and also with a network operations center (NOC). As the aircraft enters an area of overlap between the two coverage regions, a sequence of communications is initiated between the ground stations and also between each of the ground stations and the aircraft to ensure that new forward link and return link assignments are received by the aircraft before the aircraft relinquishes its communications link with the first ground station to begin communicating with the second ground station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: May 13, 2004
    Inventors: David S. Parkman, Gary V. Stephenson, Richard A. Hellman