Patents by Inventor Richard Lawrence Astrom

Richard Lawrence Astrom 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).

  • Method and apparatus for predicting impending service outages for ground-to-satellite terminal in a satellite communication system
    Patent number: 6169881
    Abstract: A method (1300) and apparatus (300) combines a terminal blockage profile for a ground-to-satellite terminal with satellite location and motion data for one or more satellites (12) in a satellite communication system (10) to predict an impending service outage or impairment on a real-time or near real-time basis and reports such impending outages or impairments, and the expected duration thereof, to the terminal operator. The prediction of an impending outage or impairment also can include analysis of information concerning atmospheric conditions in the vicinity of the terminal location as well as other potential sources of a service outage or impairment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Astrom, Brian Michael Daniel, Alvin William Sheffler
  • Method and apparatus for predicting service availability for a ground-to-satellite radio of a communication system
    Patent number: 6070051
    Abstract: A method and apparatus predicts a ground-to-satellite terminal's (16) percentage of successful communication linkage time to at least one satellite of a communication system in response to a terminal blockage profile (410), as created from the location of an antenna of the terminal, and a satellite blockage profile (412). The prediction may also be based upon a weather model data base (358) corresponding to the area where the terminal is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Lawrence Astrom, Keith Andrew Olds, Norbert Kleiner, Rodrigo Ibanez-Meier, Douglas Roy Tomren, Randy Lee Turcotte
  • Method and apparatus to respond to a blockage environment in a communication system
    Patent number: 5946603
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for responding to a blockage environment (50) in a communication system includes creating (158, 163) a terminal blockage profile and/or a satellite blockage profile with respect to terminal antenna (19) and responding (200) to the terminal blockage profile and/or the satellite blockage profile to prevent fading and/or blocking of communication pathways (15, 18) between one or more satellites (12) and the terminal (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Rodrigo Ibanez-Meier, Randy Lee Turcotte, Richard Lawrence Astrom, Sergio Aguirre